The Korea Times

President Yoon at odds with politician who helped him win election

Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo, right, and Kim Gi-hyeon applaud without making eye contact during an event held by the ruling People Power Party at Dongdaemun District Office in eastern Seoul, Sunday. Ahn and Kim are in a close race for the March 8 competition to select a new party chairman. YonhapRep. Ahn Cheol-soo claims presidential office is intervening in ruling party's election of new leaderBy Kang Hyun-kyungIn politics, yesterday's ally can be today's enemy. A recent tug-of-war between two big-name politicians in the ruling camp is a fresh reminder of the adage. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) successfully teamed up in the March 9 presidential election last year to field a unified candidate from the opposition camp. Now they have been pitted against each other amid the PPP's heated race to select a new chairman. On Sunday, Rep. Ahn alleged in a social media post that the presidential office is intervening in the ruling party's process to elect a new chairman.“I urge the PPP's interim committee and the National Election Commissio

Feb 5, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

President Yoon at odds with politician who helped him win election

Politics

Exhibition raises question: Who took these photos?

Children in hanbok, traditional Korean attire, play in a street in Seoul in this 1948 photo taken by an unknown photographer. Courtesy of Noonbit Publishing Gallery owners piece together information to identify unknown photographer of 35 photos on displayBy Kang Hyun-kyungDozens of old photos taken in 1948 are on display in a dimly lit gallery in Insa-dong, Seoul. Under those images hung on the wall, stacks of photo books published by Noonbit Publishing are placed on a long, narrow table in the center of Gallery INDEX.The photography exhibition ― together with this “small book fair” ― are called, “That Winter Was Warm,” when directly translated into English. It is the gallery's first exhibition since its current owners, Lee Kyu-sang and his wife Ahn Mi-sook, purchased the space from an acquaintance last year.It would have been a typical exhibition showcasing vintage photos if not for the missing information about their author. Nobody knows who took the photos.“I'm c

Jan 22, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Exhibition raises question: Who took these photos?

Politics

Yoon keeps possibility of Seoul's possession of nuclear weapons open

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during the policy briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense in Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the presidential officeBy Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk Yeol made a rare remark about South Korea turning to nuclear weapons as a last resort to protect the country from North Korean attacks.In the closing remarks of the policy briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, he said he would not rule out the possibility of the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea or the nation building its own nuclear weapons in case North Korea's nuclear threat becomes much more serious than it is now. Although conditional remarks, it's the first time that Yoon mentioned South Korea's possible development or acquisition of nuclear weapons since he was inaugurated on May 10 last year. “If that happens, it won't take long for us to have one, given our scientific and technological capabilities,” he said in a read

Jan 12, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Yoon keeps possibility of Seoul's possession of nuclear weapons open

Politics

Yoon says COVID-driven border control is 'sovereignty' issue

By Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk Yeol / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday that there was no political calculation whatsoever in South Korea's anti-COVID measures to screen travelers entering the South from China, emphasizing that the decision was made purely on scientific grounds.He made the remarks amid mounting diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Beijing following China's suspension of short-term visas for South Korean nationals a day earlier.In his opening remarks during a policy briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yoon said that the COVID-driven border control is a sovereignty issue and therefore no other country is in a position to comment on or take disruptive actions against the measures. He said Seoul-Beijing diplomatic tensions are unnecessary. Citing news articles on the spike of COVID-19 infections in China, he said some media outlets reported that nearly 200 million Chinese were infected with the virus. “We decided to stop issuing short-term visas for tourists entering South Korea from China against this backdrop, and China took retali

Jan 11, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Yoon says COVID-driven border control is 'sovereignty' issue

ANALYSIS Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts

Foreign Affairs

Peace Corps volunteers' 15-year mission in Korea revisited

Suzanna Samstag Oh, front row, right, dances to the beat of the changgu at a traditional market in Sacheon-gun, South Gyeongsang Province in this photo taken in 1980. Oh came to Korea in 1980 as a Peace Corps volunteer and worked as a health worker in a clinc in the southeastern rustic county. Courtesy of Suzanna Samstag Oh US aid workers' humanitarian works leave lasting impact on Korea and the personal lives of volunteersBy Kang Hyun-kyung In 1966 when the nation was desperate to cut the vicious circle of poverty under a state-led campaign to achieve economic growth, Korea saw a unique group of foreign visitors: U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. The first batch of Peace Corps volunteers to Korea, designated as K-1, arrived that year and most of them worked as English teachers. The group also included 24 science and eight physical education teachers, as well. Back then, Korea was a largely rural-b

Jan 11, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

Peace Corps volunteers' 15-year mission in Korea revisited

Foreign Affairs

70th anniversary South Korea-US alliance built to last

This combination of images captures the major historical moments that shaped the South Korea-U.S. alliance over the past seven decades since it was formed in October, 1953 with the signing of a mutual defense treaty. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the alliance. Korea Times graphic by Cho Sang-wonAlliance survives anti-American sentiment, grows stronger despite periodic ups and downsBy Kang Hyun-kyungSo far, so good. The South Korea-U.S. alliance, formed in October of 1953 with the signing of the mutual defense treaty, has successfully lived up to its primary goal of protecting the South from another North Korean invasion.Over the past seven decades, their defense ties have grown into a stronger and wider partnership encompassing several fields other than security, despite North Korea's continued provocations which have increasingly become a growing threat to global security.Despite the strengthening alliance, the bilateral pact has had its ups and downs. The Yoon Suk-yeol government has been leaning toward the U.S., in terms of foreign policy, over Seoul's biggest trading pa

Jan 2, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

[70th anniversary] South Korea-US alliance built to last

Alliance at 70: Opportunities ahead for US-Korea partnership

Politics

DPK leader lashes out at Yoon for 'politically motivated' probe

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during his visit to a traditional market in Andong City, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungRep. Lee Jae-myung, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was summoned by the prosecution to answer questions about his alleged involvement in a bribery scandal when he was serving as mayor of Seongnam City. The prosecution reportedly notified Lee on Wednesday to appear at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office next week as a suspect to answer questions. According to the prosecution, Lee is suspected of having conspired with a former CEO of Doosan Engineering and Construction identified only by his surname, Lee and a former Seongnam City official identified by his last name Kim, to collect 5 billion won in donations for Seongnam FC in return for permitting the company to develop its 9,917 square meter green belt land in the city, for commercial purposes. In the indictment, the prosecution wrote that the three, namely then Mayor Lee, then Doosan CEO and

Dec 22, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung

DPK leader lashes out at Yoon for 'politically motivated' probe

Opinion

Information warfare

By Kang Hyun-kyungNorth Korea is a nation about which little is known to the outside world, except for its notorious weapons of mass destruction program. The scarcity of information about the country has produced plenty of theories, speculation and even rumors about the regime and its leader's health, most of which were later found not to be true.Insufficient information frustrates policymakers, particularly when they are wrestling with policy measures to cope with a country like North Korea, which poses a great threat to other countries' national security. Blessed is South Korea to have alternative reliable sources of information. South Korea is privileged to have around 30,000 North Korean-born escapees who migrated to the South via China through perilous journeys to freedom and to live a better life. These North Korean defectors are an asset to South Korea in many ways. Based on their testimonies, South Korean policymakers can put together various bits of information that they learned from the North Korean escapees in order to imagine what North Korea is like and understand more p

Dec 21, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung

Society

Korea Times-WeGo partnership kicks off

Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin, left, and Park Jung-sook, secretary general of the Seoul-based international institution World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGo), shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding at the newspaper's headquarters in Seoul, Monday. Under the agreement, the two organizations agreed to cooperate in content promotion and smart city development. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Dec 19, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung

Politics

2022 top national news Wounds of Itaewon tragedy still fresh

Foreign nationals lay flowers to pay their condolences to the victims of Itaewon crowd crush at a makeshift memorial altar near Itaewon Station on Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSouth Korea faces calls to choose between US, China as diplomatic gray zone disappears By Kang Hyun-kyungEvery year is eventful. But 2022 was tragically eventful as the nation was shocked by a crowd crush that killed 159 people who gathered in Itaewon, Seoul, on Oct. 29 to celebrate Halloween. The families of the victims still live in pain as the tragedy haunts them. Less than two months since the tragedy, the wounds from losing their loved ones remain fresh. Survivors are also going through the torment of post-traumatic stress disorder. The deadly crowd crush came some five months after President Yoon Suk-yeol took office on May 10. Yoon's job in the presidency is poised to be an uphill battle, as he took the helm at a time when two opposing blocs ― nations that support Russia and nations that are trying to defend freedom and democracy from autocracy ― are set to clash in nearly every issue area

Dec 16, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung

Kang Hyun-kyung

Read more

President Yoon at odds with politician who helped him win election

Exhibition raises question: Who took these photos?

Yoon keeps possibility of Seoul's possession of nuclear weapons open

Yoon says COVID-driven border control is 'sovereignty' issue

Peace Corps volunteers' 15-year mission in Korea revisited

70th anniversary South Korea-US alliance built to last

DPK leader lashes out at Yoon for 'politically motivated' probe

Information warfare

Korea Times-WeGo partnership kicks off

2022 top national news Wounds of Itaewon tragedy still fresh

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