The Korea Times

ANALYSIS Will court orders requiring mental illness treatments help prevent mass attacks?

Cho Seon, center, the perpetrator of a stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in Seoul, is surrounded by reporters in front of Gwanak Police Station before he was taken to the prosecution, July 28. Korea Times fileForensic psychologists say there is little link between mental illness and violence By Kang Hyun-kyungProsecutors indicted Cho Seon, the 33-year-old perpetrator of the July 21 stabbing rampage near Sillim Station, Seoul, on four counts ― murder, attempted murder, burglary and defamation. A 22-year-old male died from the attack, while three other victims in their 30s were severely wounded.According to the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office, Cho has a video game addiction and suffers from an inferiority complex.He bore grudges against society and his pent-up frustration developed into hatred and anger when he received a subpoena from the police in July after a YouTuber sued Cho for defamation. He had posted a comment claiming that the YouTuber was gay.In the stabbing rampage, prosecutors said Cho appeared to be emulating a video game character.“He acted like a character in

Aug 15, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[ANALYSIS] Will court orders requiring mental illness treatments help prevent mass attacks?

Politics

INTERVIEW China expert expects Xi to emulate Putin on Taiwan

A People's Republic of China (PRC) warship, identified by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as PRC LY 132, crosses the path of U.S. Navy destroyer USS Chung-Hoon as it passes by the Taiwan Strait with the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montreal on June 3 in an image captured from video. Reuters-YonhapRetired US Air Force general unravels China's political warfare, urges political leaders of free democracies to look into Beijing's true intentions By Kang Hyun-kyungThere are two schools of thought in the United States about how to interpret China's motives behind its massive military buildup. Some senior military officials, such as Adm. Michael Gilday and Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, claim that China's invasion of Taiwan is imminent and it could occur as early as 2023. Senior officials at the Department of Defense, however, remain doubtful about the claims. In February, Colin Kahl, then undersecretary of defense for policy, said on a podcast interview with Defense News that he did not see anything suggesting that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is imminent in the next couple of years. Gen.

Aug 10, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[INTERVIEW] China expert expects Xi to emulate Putin on Taiwan

Politics

South Korea tries to fill Vietnam's security void after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Vietnamese leader Vo Van Thuong during a joint press conference held on June 23 in Hanoi after their summit. Korea Times fileVietnam's unique geopolitical landscape makes South Korea ideal defense partner, says expert By Kang Hyun-kyungVietnam's diplomatic reputation has taken a hit, while the Southeast Asian country's weapons procurement channel was also disrupted due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. For decades, Russia has been Vietnam's longstanding defense partner and dominant supplier of weapons.Wary of the possible fallout on its defense ties with Russia, Vietnam abstained from the U.N. General Assembly's vote in February to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine. Earlier, Vietnam also voted against kicking Russia off the U.N Human Rights Council.With these moves in favor of embattled Russia, Vietnam risked its diplomatic reputation as it is now viewed as a country that turned a blind eye to the civilian casualties of the war. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, meanwhile, created a security voi

Aug 4, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

South Korea tries to fill Vietnam's security void after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Politics

Global arms race underway as nations scramble to modernize militaries

Australia, Japan, Vietnam beef up military spending, while Southeast Asian countries, driven by budget constraints, rely on balancing act to counter China By Kang Hyun-kyungNorth Korea, China and Russia are the dangerous trio that has sent countries worldwide scrambling to equip themselves with both conventional and state-of-the-art weapons to counter the risks they pose.According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the global military budget hit an all-time high of $2.24 trillion in total in 2022, up 3.7 percent from the previous year.The U.S. took the lion's share with nearly 40 percent of total defense budget spending, followed by China and Russia. South Korea came ninth with $46.4 billion, slightly ahead of Japan, which spent $46 billion.“We have North Korea here whose threat continues to grow year after year,” Kim Min-seok, a former spokesman at the Ministry of National Defense and vice president of Korea Aerospace Industries Association in Seoul, told The Korea Times. He said China's ambitious maritime strategy is another ominous sign th

Aug 1, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Global arms race underway as nations scramble to modernize militaries

Health

INTERVIEW Whistleblower recalls price paid for revealing Hwang Woo-suk's scientific misconduct

Ryu Young-joon, a pathologist and professor at Kangwon National University College of Medicine, stands in front of a microscope during a Korea Times interview on Monday in the university's hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPathologist gears up for another fight against disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-seok, two decades after fabricated stem cell research scandalBy Kang Hyun-kyungChuncheon, Gangwon Province―There is not a single telephone inside the office of Ryu Young-joon, a pathologist and professor at Kangwon National University Hospital located in the eastern city of Chuncheon.Ryu said he had asked the hospital staff to remove the phone from his office, because he was tired of receiving incessant calls from his opponents.He was stalked and harassed for years by a group known as “Hwang-ppa” or Hwang's fanatical followers in English. They are loyal adherents of disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk. Their verbal attacks against Ryu resumed in 2014 after the movie, “The Whistleblower,” which revolves around Hwang's downfall,

Jul 27, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[INTERVIEW] Whistleblower recalls price paid for revealing Hwang Woo-suk's scientific misconduct

North Korea

Defectors fear impact of mounting skepticism of accounts told by celebrated N. Korean escapee

North Korean defector and U.S. celebrity Park Yeon-mi / Korea Times file By Kang Hyun-kyungSome North Korean defectors are growing concerned about the possible impact on their community from media reports focusing on Park Yeon-mi, another escapee from the North who became a celebrity in the U.S. for her outspoken criticism of the repressive regime. Park, 29, is accused of making inconsistent remarks about her upbringing and experiences, as well as questionable descriptions of her country of birth.“She has gone too far,” Kim Byeong-uk, a North Korean defector and the founder and president of the small think tank North Korea Development Institute in Seoul told The Korea Times, referring to Korean media reports that quoted a recent article about her in the Washington Post. “I think she exaggerated her past experiences and the way of the North, probably because she wanted to be at the center of attention.”Park arrived in Seoul in 2009, two years after escaping from the

Jul 21, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Defectors fear impact of mounting skepticism of accounts told by celebrated N. Korean escapee

Politics

Pyongyang's two-track IT approach is slap in Seoul's face

gettyimagesbankNorth Korea launched cyberattacks against South Korea even during inter-Korean IT cooperation period in 2000sBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe geopolitical landscape of the Korean Peninsula in the early 2000s was quite different from what it is today. Contrary to the tense security standoff at present, in which the two Koreas are on a collision course, there was an atmosphere of peace following the historic first inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 15, 2000. Then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung sought to introduce a set of measures that could help impoverished North Korea, reeling from mass starvation that killed hundreds of thousands of residents during the Arduous March in the mid-1990s, rise on its own feet.It was against this backdrop that the agreement aiming to facilitate inter-Korean partnership in information technology was signed during the summit between Kim and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-il, the father of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The idea behind the agreement was that the two sides would be better off if they teamed up i

Jul 20, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Pyongyang's two-track IT approach is slap in Seoul's face

North Korea

INTERVIEW North Korean leader's sister poses dilemma for power transition

Hyun In-ae, a non-resident research fellow at Ewha Womans University Institute of Unification Studies, smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at the daily's newsroom in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul This is the sixth in a series of interviews with North Korean defectors and their assimilation into South Korea―ED.Kim Yo-jong's role necessary for smooth fourth-generation leadership succession, but things will get complicated when her niece comes of age, says Hyun In-aeBy Kang Hyun-kyung Hyun In-ae, a non-resident research fellow at the Institute of Unification Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, initially dismissed media speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is trying to train his daughter, Ju-ae, to be his successor. But later she changed her position as she thought Ju-ae's frequent media exposure with her father, since her first public appeara

Jul 14, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[INTERVIEW] North Korean leader's sister poses dilemma for power transition

Kim's sister slams UNSC meeting over ICBM launch, defends it as exercise of self-defense

Politics

South Korea ill-prepared for election cybersecurity

A voter puts a marked ballot into a ballot box in Seoul's Jongno District during the presidential election held on March 9, 2022. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul National Election Commission dismisses foreign meddling in elections through voter registration data, reveals unpreparedness for risks of cyber breach This is the second in a two-part series highlighting elections and cyberattacks as the nation will hold National Assembly elections in April next year―ED.By Kang Hyun-kyungThe National Intelligence Service (NIS) notified the National Election Commission (NEC) that a North Korean hacker had breached an NEC official's email account. The warning came on March 21, 2021, two weeks before the April 7 by-elections. In an email sent to the election board, the intelligence agency said the North Korean cyber actor penetrated an unnamed NEC official's email account and viewed it for 10 minutes before logging out. Personal details of the targeted employee, such as n

Jul 7, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

South Korea ill-prepared for election cybersecurity

North Korea

ANALYSIS Frequent military parades signify NK leader finding it tougher to stay in control

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, salutes during a military parade at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, Feb. 8, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean military. YonhapMilitary parades held almost every year under Kim Jong-unBy Kang Hyun-kyungKim Jong-un is set to surpass his father and grandfather by becoming the North Korean leader to have overseen the largest number of military parades.His father Kim Jong-il (1941-2011) and grandfather Kim Il-sung (1912-1994) are tied with 13 military parades held during their respective reigns. Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, ruled the country for 46 years, and his son, Jong-il, was in power for 18 years until 2011 when he died of a heart attack. This means that, on average, a military parade was held every 3.5 years during the Kim Il-sung era, and every 1.4 years when his son was in power.Since Kim Jong-un rose to power in 2011 following his father's death, he has overseen a total of 13 military parades so far. In other words, North Korea's show of force has been held almost every year. Following the m

Jul 4, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Kang Hyun-kyung

Read more

ANALYSIS Will court orders requiring mental illness treatments help prevent mass attacks?

INTERVIEW China expert expects Xi to emulate Putin on Taiwan

South Korea tries to fill Vietnam's security void after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Global arms race underway as nations scramble to modernize militaries

INTERVIEW Whistleblower recalls price paid for revealing Hwang Woo-suk's scientific misconduct

Defectors fear impact of mounting skepticism of accounts told by celebrated N. Korean escapee

Pyongyang's two-track IT approach is slap in Seoul's face

INTERVIEW North Korean leader's sister poses dilemma for power transition

South Korea ill-prepared for election cybersecurity

ANALYSIS Frequent military parades signify NK leader finding it tougher to stay in control

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