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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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Foreign Affairs

INTERVIEW Yoon's efforts to bolster Korea-US alliance will inevitably disturb China

gettyimagesbankEx-vice foreign minister says Korea needs to engage actively in US-led Indo-Pacific initiative By Kang Hyun-kyungFormer vice foreign minister Shin Kak-soo / Korea Times fileChinese leader Xi Jinping's recent invitation for a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol has created a rare tension between the two countries about a venue: the two leaders insisted their counterparts visit their respective capitals to have a summit.Through the Chinese delegation represented by Vice President Wang Qishan, who visited Seoul on the occasion of Yoon's inauguration ceremony on May 10, Xi proposed that Yoon visit China to have their first summit at a mutually convenient time. Politely expressing his gratitude to the Chinese leader for the “kind offer,” Yoon, however, responded that he looks forward to seeing the Chinese leader in Seoul, without mentioning anything about plans to travel to China. There have been no follow-up developments about the South Korea-China summit, as neither side showed any signs of making a concession from their initial offers.“Generally speakin

May 18, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
[INTERVIEW] Yoon's efforts to bolster Korea-US alliance will inevitably disturb China
Society

Why teachers love Teachers' Day

By Margaret CurranMargaret CurranWhen I came into my classroom on Friday, the boys and girls rushed towards me, pushing cards they had made into my hands. ”I love you,” one of them had written. “I am grateful to you. Thank you for teaching us.” Other pretty cards had similar touching messages. One surprised me. “I hope you have a great day. You are the most hardworking teacher I know. And the most smartest teacher I know and the most friendliest teacher I know.”My children are in the first grade of elementary school. I guess at that age, children may think all adults know more than they do. But, I should say, my colleagues teaching higher graders received similarly lovely notes from their students. I am sure such scenes were playing out in classrooms all over Korea as the country celebrated Teachers' Day (early because this year, it officially fell on Sunday).I am teaching in an international school based in Seoul and my students come from all over the world. What we have in common is that we live in Korea and, for this reason, we have what we call

May 15, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Why teachers love Teachers' Day
Politics

Suits not required: President dispenses with hierarchy, formalities

President Yoon Suk-yeol, front, speaks during his first senior presidential secretary meeting held in his new office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapPresiding over his first senior presidential secretary meeting, Yoon encourages staff to communicate constantly across fieldsBy Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk-yeol revealed a bit about his leadership style on Wednesday, while presiding over his first meeting with senior presidential secretaries held at his new office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on the second day of his presidency. He was frank and didn't care much about rituals and encouraged his staff to be focused on getting things done without being distracted by other less important issues, such as dress codes or bureaucratic matters. Rather than hierarchy or formalities, an emphasis on devotion to one's work characterizes his working style. “Well, I feel awkward with this table. We are going to have a meeting today like this in front of cameras as camera crew members from the media outlets are shooting us in a meeting because they said they needed this,”

May 11, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Suits not required: President dispenses with hierarchy, formalities
  • Yoon's flurry of diplomacy continues on day 2 in office
Politics

Koreans want first lady to keep low profile, help disadvantaged

President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, right, waves as citizens, not seen in this photo, cheer after Yoon's inauguration ceremony held in National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapPoll reflects desired image of first lady to support society's vulnerableBy Kang Hyun-kyungSix out of every 10 Koreans surveyed believe that Kim Keon-hee ― the wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol ― should not seek an official role as first lady. In a survey of 1,015 people by polling agency Media Tomato, upon request from the online media outlet, News Tomato, 66.4 percent responded that Kim should quietly focus on her role as a supportive wife of the new president, when asked what kind of role they think Kim should pursue after Yoon takes office. Those who answered Kim should actively play a role as first lady, as her predecessors did, stood only at 24.2 percent. The poll was released on May 4, a week before Yoon was sworn in as the nation's new president on Tuesday, May 10. Kim herself seems to be partially responsible for the Korean public's overall negative view of her new role as first la

May 10, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Koreans want first lady to keep low profile, help disadvantaged
  • First lady Kim makes 1st official appearance in public after keeping low profile
Politics

Lee Jae-myung to run in Incheon by-election

Lee Jae-myung, former presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea / Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungLee Jae-myung, the former Gyeonggi governor who lost the March 9 presidential race by a close margin on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) ticket, will run in the upcoming by-election in Incheon, continuing his political career. The electoral district seat has been vacant since former DPK Chairman Song Young-gil resigned to run in the Seoul mayoral election. Seven by-elections to fill vacant parliamentary seats will be held concurrently on June 1, along with the local elections to elect mayors, governors and city and provincial council members. DPK senior spokesman Ko Yong-jin confirmed Lee's candidacy for the by-election after a two-month hiatus following the presidential election, saying he was called upon by several DPK members to run in Incheon's Gyeyang B district.“Not only will he run in the by-election, but he will also lead the DPK's campaign for the June 1 local elections as the chairperson,” Ko told reporters after the party's interim commi

May 6, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Lee Jae-myung to run in Incheon by-election
  • Ahn hints at running in by-election in Bundang after transition committee
Politics

Two by-elections to watch as springboards for next presidency

Ahn Cheol-soo, center, the chairman of the presidential transition committee, gestures during a session hosted by the Circle Foundation at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung District, Seoul, on Saturday. YonhapAhn Cheol-soo, Lee Jae-myung may run in June 1 by-elections By Kang Hyun-kyungThe June 1 local elections for mayors, governors and other local government positions have created a handful of open seats in the National Assembly, as seven lawmakers have won internal competitions to run in the elections on their parties' tickets. Lawmakers are required to resign from their parliamentary seats when running in local elections for other positions. Song Young-gil, the former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), won the party's internal primary on Friday to select the DPK candidate who will face a showdown with incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon in the Seoul mayoral election. His current constituency, Gyeyang District in the western port city of Incheon, is one of the seven electoral districts where by-elections will be held to elect lawmakers concurrently on June 1. Many ar

May 1, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Two by-elections to watch as springboards for next presidency
  • Oh Se-hoon, ex-DPK leader Song Young-gil square off in Seoul mayoral race
Politics

Ruling party to thwart PPP's filibuster with salami tactics

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks at the National Assembly main hall, Wednesday. He took the floor to initiate a filibuster to prevent the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's push to vote on the prosecutorial reform bill. Joint Press CorpsDPK pushes to pass prosecutorial reform bill by May 3 By Kang Hyun-kyung Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), took the floor at the National Assembly, Wednesday, as the first PPP lawmaker to initiate a filibuster to prevent the passage of the Prosecutors' Office Bill, one of two bills designed to scrap the prosecution's power to investigate criminal cases. Calling the prosecutorial reform the product of fraudulent political maneuvering by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Kweon blasted the ruling party for attempting to pass the controversial legislation.“I wonder why the ruling party members have wasted time for the past five years when President Moon Jae-in has been in power and why they have to push it through, just like they a

Apr 27, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ruling party to thwart PPP's filibuster with salami tactics
Foreign Affairs

Marshall Plan for North Korea proposed as a big step for peace

Attendees of the “Congressional Roundtable and Forum on US-ROK Alliance for Free and Unified Korea” watch the pre-recorded keynote speech by Moon Hyun-jin, better known in the United States as Hyun-jin Preston Moon, founder of the Washington D.C.-based non-profit group, Global Peace Foundation, on a screen set up at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Friday. The event is the 10th edition of the International Forum on One Korea, the first edition of which was in 2016. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukLawmakers, experts discuss ways to move ROK-US alliance forward to create conditions for reunification of two Koreas at 2022 International Forum on One Korea By Kang Hyun-kyungA nuclear-free North Korea has long been a policy vision that every South Korean president regardless of their political orientation has promised to pursue during their tenure. It's a shared, bipartisan, yet unfulfilled commitment, although no president has succeeded in actually denuclearizing North Korea. In fact, perhaps the opposite is true. While South Korea, with its democratic system, has had various leaders

Apr 25, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Marshall Plan for North Korea proposed as a big step for peace
Politics

Ruling party allows ex-chairman Song to compete in primary for Seoul mayoral election

Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea declares his bid to run in the Seoul mayoral election on April 17 in Hongdae, Mapo District. Yonhap By Kang Hyun-kyungThe ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Thursday, reversed its selection committee's decision earlier in the week to rule out Rep. Song Young-gil as a candidate for the Seoul mayoral election.DPK spokesman Ko Yong-jin said on Thursday that the ruling party will choose its candidate for the mayoral election through a primary and give all candidates equal opportunity to compete. If necessary, he went on to say that a runoff vote will be held. All candidates will be invited for a TV debate, which will be held at least once, he said. Rep. Song welcomed the decision. “Through the primary, we will create a 'one-team DPK' and surely win the Seoul mayoral race,” he wrote on Facebook. Members of the ruling party's interim committee met for a luncheon on Thursday, a day after they failed to reac

Apr 21, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ruling party allows ex-chairman Song to compete in primary for Seoul mayoral election
Politics

'Rebellious' candidates become headaches for parties

Former lawmaker Kim Jin-tae, left, meets Lee Jun-seok, the chairman of the main opposition People Power Party, while on a hunger strike protesting the party's decision not to hold an internal primary, in a tent set up in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Kim Jin-taeDivided vote is bipartisan concern as parties kick off selections for June 1 local elections By Kang Hyun-kyung“Fasting: Day 3. Being hungry is tough to endure. But finding peace in my mind is tougher,” former lawmaker Kim Jin-tae tweeted on Sunday, reflecting his struggle to control his anger.His social media post was uploaded hours before he held a press conference to urge the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to hold a primary to select its candidate to run in the election for the governor of Gangwon Province and cancel its earlier top-down decision to give President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's aide the green light to run in the actual election without an internal competition. Kim said he was told that the PPP's committee had disqualified him as his past disparaging remarks about

Apr 17, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
'Rebellious' candidates become headaches for parties
  • DPK heavyweights vie for Seoul mayor post
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