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Kang Hyun-kyung

Korea Times Editorial Reporter

I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.

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Politics

Nancy Pelosi vs. Lee Jun-seok

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (not pictured) at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday. Reuters-YonhapPelosi's Taiwan visit, Lee's Ukraine trip generated different reactions in their respective home countries; why? By Kang Hyun-kyungU.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan on Wednesday, despite China's furious reaction which materialized in a menacing military show of force, has made some Koreans like me want to revisit Lee Jun-seok's week-long trip to war-torn Ukraine two months ago, shortly after the June 1 local elections.The two high-profile visits to the regions with high levels of security risk ― albeit of very different types ― generated contrasting reactions in each of the figures' domestic political contexts. Pelosi is seen as a determined and principled politician who risked her own safety for her life-long mission to protect democracy and human rights, whereas Lee's Ukraine visit left some of his party members and society more broadly cynical of his motives. Pelosi, 82, and

Aug 3, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Nancy Pelosi vs. Lee Jun-seok
  • Seoul wary of 'Pelosi effect' on ties with Beijing
  • Pelosi to meet Nat'l Assembly speaker amid heightened regional tensions over Taiwan visit
  • Kim, Pelosi agree to support efforts for denuclearization of North Korea
Foreign Affairs

Domestic politics presents major stumbling block to Korea-Japan relations

gettyimagesbankIn Korea, Yoon's falling approval rating, opposition-led Assembly are obstacles; in Japan, anti-Korea sentiment, Abe's death complicate bilateral ties By Kang Hyun-kyungIn Korea-Japan relations, it is commonly said among Korean experts that the ball is in Japan's court. In other words, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds the key, particularly following his party's big win in the Upper House elections earlier this month. Thus, it's important how he will respond to President Yoon Suk-yeol's repeated calls to sit down for a summit to discuss ways to repair bilateral relations between the two countries.However, some experts disagree with this assessment. They claim that, in fact, the ball is in Korea's court, not Japan's. They say that President Yoon's falling approval rating and the National Assembly being dominated by the main opposition party are some of the stumbling blocks to improving Korea-Japan relations. “As you know, the biggest obstacle that prevents the restoration of Korea-Japan relations is the wartime forced labor issue, as it is just a matter

Jul 25, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Domestic politics presents major stumbling block to Korea-Japan relations
Politics

Don't let first lady outshine president, says Daegu mayor

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, first lady Kim Keon-hee during Yoon's first official overseas trip to Spain for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in this June 30 file photo / Korea Times fileGlitz and glamour of first lady, president's problematic inner circle do more harm than good: Mayor Hong Joon-pyoBy Kang Hyun-kyungDaegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo / Korea Times fileDaegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo has shared some advice in a Facebook post to help President Yoon Suk-yeol stay in control of state affairs amid Yoon being trapped in falling approval ratings. Hong singled out the first lady, the founder and president of her “fan club” and a group of Yoon's confidants who are called by the Korean acronym, “Yoon-haek-kwan,” or President Yoon's inner circle as three groups of people who are causing issues that need to be properly addressed before they develop into major problems besetting the Yoon administration. “Previously, there had been no first ladies who were at the center of the spotlight. There was no such thing as the glitz and glamour of the f

Jul 21, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Don't let first lady outshine president, says Daegu mayor
Foreign Affairs

Unification Church claims its members face death threats over Abe's death

Kwak Chung-hwan, the former president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification who was once called the No. 2 man of the church when its founder was alive, speaks during a news conference held at Hotel Koreana in central Seoul on Tuesday. YonhapFormer No. 2 man of church offers apology for Abe's death, urges high-ranking members to repent over donation practicesBy Kang Hyun-kyung, Lee Yeon-wooThe Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known as the Unification Church, claimed that the church and its members in Japan faced death threats and hate crimes following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.The threats were reactions to “abusive” donation practices of the church, founded by self-claimed messiah Moon Sun-myung in 1954 in Seoul. Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspected gunman in the assassination of Abe during a campaign speech in the city of Nara on July 8, confessed to police that he came to hold a grudge against the former prime minister for his alleged link to the church. Yamagami's mother reportedly made a huge donation to th

Jul 19, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Unification Church claims its members face death threats over Abe's death
Sports

He shares tips for happier, more fulfilling life

Son Woong-jung center, plays football at Son Football Academy in Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province on July 11. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kang Hyun-kyungCHUNCHEON ― Son Woong-jung, the father of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, encouraged aspiring football players to live the life they want, rather than one they feel they're simply supposed to live.He raised the question, “What is happiness?” in order to share his own definition of a happier, more fulfilling life, during an exclusive interview with The Korea Times on July 11. “To me, happiness is a state you can reach only when you live your life, not someone else's. Don't live the life that you're supposed to, but rather, live the one that you're really passionate about.”Son, 60, the founder and coach of Son Football Academy in the eastern city of Chuncheon, said that the same rule holds true for aspiring football athletes. “Whether you are good at football or not is a secondary issue. The question that you need to ask yourself first is whether you are happy a

Jul 19, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
He shares tips for happier, more fulfilling life
  • EXCLUSIVE With tough love, Son Heung-min's father nurtures teen footballers
Foreign Affairs

New video shows North Korean fishermen desperately resisting deportation at DMZ

A group of attorneys file a lawsuit against former President Moon Jae-in for repatriating North Korean fishermen after holding a news conference in front of the Central Prosecutors' Office in Seoul, Monday. YonhapUnification ministry releases 4-minute video of North Korean fishermen, reigniting heated debate about repatriationBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe Ministry of Unification on Monday released a four-minute video of two North Korean fishermen who were handed over to the North in November 2019, showing one of them frantically resisting repatriation.The video was made public about a week after the ministry released 10 photos that documented how they were sent back to the North at the inter-Korean border area. The photos caused a stir because the North Koreans were apparently seen as being sent back to the North against their will.The North Koreans were captured near the sea border in the East Sea in 2019. They confessed to killing 16 fellow crew members and voiced their intention to defect to South Korea. But the Moon Jae-in administration, which was governing the South at the time, deemed

Jul 18, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
New video shows North Korean fishermen desperately resisting deportation at DMZ
Foreign Affairs

Few signs of anti-Korean hate crimes in Japan after Abe's death

A Japanese right-wing activist stages a rally in front of Korean Embassy in Tokyo in Jan. 31, 2021. Korea Times fileFanatical Abe supporters are key members of anti-Korean hate group but have so far stayed silent after assassinationBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe Consulate General of South Korea in Japan's Fukuoka prefecture created an uproar on July 8, the day when Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by an unemployed 41-year-old Japanese man named Tetsuya Yamagami. After the shocking news, South Korea's Consulate General uploaded a social media post warning Koreans in Japan about their safety, mentioning the possibility of anti-Korean hate crimes. It encouraged Koreans to stay safe and call the police or the consulate if they feel their safety is in danger. The social media post raised eyebrows of both South Koreans and Japanese. Japanese, who were aware of the social media post, complained that the South Korean consulate general was treating Japanese people as potential criminals, while some called it hate speech. South Koreans were also left scratching their heads. The

Jul 14, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Few signs of anti-Korean hate crimes in Japan after Abe's death
Politics

Yoon's confidant to lead ruling party as acting chairman

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong / YonhapLee Jun-seok faces calls to step down as ruling party atmosphere turns hostile to himBy Kang Hyun-kyungChairman Lee Jun-seok's defiance against a decision by the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) ethics committee to suspend his party membership for six months ended up being a storm in a tea cup.Earlier, he had threatened not to approve the ethics committee's decision in the party's decision-making Supreme Council meeting, saying that he was in charge. On Monday, a consensus has been built among the PPP members that Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, a Supreme Council member close to President Yoon Suk-yeol, will lead the party for six months as its acting chairman, replacing Lee, instead of the party holding a primary to elect a new chairperson. Rank-and-file PPP lawmakers approved Kweon taking the helm in Chairman Lee's absence during a meeting held in the National Assembly. The PPP lawmakers gathered there to search for an alternative to the leadership vacuum to minimize its negative impact on the party. After rounds of heated debate about the possible risks of th

Jul 12, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Yoon's confidant to lead ruling party as acting chairman
Politics

President Yoon's approval rating falls: poll

Graphic by Cho Sang WonPresident shrugs off concerns while ruling party worries about fallout By Kang Hyun-kyung, Lee Yeon-wooPresident Yoon's declining approval ratings have raised a red flag as they have reached the point where public disapproval of his performance in the nation's top job is actually higher than public approval of it. The latest poll conducted by RnSearch on 1,028 adults from July 2 to 4 showed that 53 percent of the respondents think President Yoon is not doing a good job, whereas 42.6 percent felt that he was.The weekly survey shows that the approval rating for Yoon's performance as the head of state has continued to decline since early last month. His job approval rating was once at 52.5 percent but fell to 45.3 percent last week. This week's rating was even lower than that of the previous week. Yoon's approval rating is in a downward spiral, which is also evident from Gallup's weekly opinion survey findings. In its latest survey, taken between June 28 and 30, of 1,000 adults nationwide, the percentage of those who said they approve of the way Yoon is handling h

Jul 6, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
President Yoon's approval rating falls: poll
Politics

Ruling party's odd man out

Lee Jun-seok, in the background, second from right, chairman of the ruling People Power Party, is seen behind President Yoon Suk-yeol at Seoul Airport, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province on Friday. Yonhap Once seen as poster boy for new PPP, Lee Jun-seok now faces critical juncture in political career amid sex scandalBy Kang Hyun-kyungAround this time last year, Lee Jun-seok, who was then the newly elected leader of the People Power Party (PPP), had been at the peak of his career since he had entered politics in 2011. What he did and said made the nation's news headlines. The media frenzy about him is owed partly to the unprecedented record he set in Korean politics: Lee, who was then 36, is the first Korean politician who became a leader of a major party in his thirties. He took the PPP's leadership competition by storm, defeating several veteran politicians, such as Na Kyung-won and Joo Ho-young, with a comfortable margin. At the time, he was lauded as an icon of a

Jul 1, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ruling party's odd man out
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