The Korea Times

70 years after the war, peace still elusive on Korean Peninsula

Visitors to the presidential office take photos, Sept. 9, 2018, at a special exhibition at Cheong Wa Dae to commemorate the inter-Korean summit a few months earlier on April 27./Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaeBy Do Je-hae The 1950-53 Korean War is still very much a factor in the lives of Koreans today, and peace remains an elusive goal as the two Koreas mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. Since then the two Koreas have taken diverging paths, experiencing intermittent closeness during certain periods such as the liberal administrations of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, and the earlier phase of the Moon Jae-in presidency under an engagement-centric North Korea policy. One of the questions that is on the minds of many proponents for Korean peace is why the two countries, even after so many decades have passed, are not closer, despite various agreements for peace and reconciliation. As a “driver” in the Korean Peninsula's “peace process,” President Moon has exerted all-out efforts, but inter-Korean relations have plummeted recent

Jun 24, 2020By Do Je-hae

70 years after the war, peace still elusive on Korean Peninsula

Politics

S. Korea, US show rift in dealing with North Korea

Cheong Wa Dae says that contents regarding President Moon Jae-in in former U.S. security adviser Bolton's memoir are not factual. YonhapBy Do Je-hae There is a rift between Korea and the United States in dealing with North Korea, and the leaders of the two countries seem to have failed to build trust, according to a memoir by U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton.The contents of the memoir regarding Trump's activities in relation to the Korean Peninsula have been splashed across Korean media recently. They have been made public amid escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula following the North's hostile words and activities including the recent destruction of the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong. Some of the contents are considered quite insulting to Cheong Wa Dae, which has touted President Moon Jae-in's role as the “driver” in the Korean Peninsula “peace process.” One of the incidents in the memoir that can be embarrassing to President Moon is that both Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not want Moon a

Jun 22, 2020By Do Je-hae

S. Korea, US show rift in dealing with North Korea

Politics

New national security adviser needed to tackle inter-Korean impasse

President Moon Jae-in, left, and his national security adviser Chung Eui-yong arrive at a ceremony for new Korean ambassadors at Cheong Wa Dae, June 16. The Ministry of Unification announced that North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong shortly before the ceremony began with them present at 3 p.m. Their participation as planned in the regular diplomatic event fueled criticisms that Cheong Wa Dae may not have been paying due attention to a possible national security emergency.                       By Do Je-haeThe sudden resignation of unification minister Kim Yeon-chul is raising speculation about who will take up the post amid rising tension between the two Koreas, culminating in the destruction on June 16 of the highly symbolic inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong.But media attention is focused not on Kim's replacement, but on whether President Moon Jae-in will opt for a more fundamental shakeup of his national security and diplomatic team to salvage his failing peace process on the Korean Peninsu

Jun 21, 2020By Do Je-hae

New national security adviser needed to tackle inter-Korean impasse

Politics

Where is Kim Jong-un?

President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korea leader's sister Kim Yo-jong. Yonhap By Do Je-hae One of the biggest questions regarding the current impasse on the Korean Peninsula is the silence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in contrast to his sister Kim Yo-jong.The powerful sister of the North Korean leader said through the nation's state media on Wednesday that she had “completely rejected” the South Korean government's proposal to send special envoys to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It is noticeable that it was Kim Yo-jong, not Kim Jong-un, who “disapproved” of the proposal from Cheong Wa Dae to send national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and Suh Hoon, chief of the National Intelligence Service, as envoys to Pyongyang.Not only that, her brother has been completely missing in the key statements from Pyongyang in recent weeks regarding South Korea. It was she who openly threatened that the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean

Jun 18, 2020By Do Je-hae

South Korea-US working group's role in question amid growing inter-Korean tensions

Foreign Affairs

Moon pressed to replace security, diplomatic team

President Moon Jae-in, second from right, holds a meeting with former unification ministers and foreign affairs experts at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. At right, former unification minister and former chief of the National Intelligence Service Lim Dong-won listens as Moon speaks. A key architect of former President Kim Dae-jung's (DJ) Sunshine Policy of engagement with North Korea, Lim prepared for the first inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in June 2000 with former President Kim. Lim and the DJ are known to have prepared for the June 15 Declaration, which marked its 20th anniversary this week, on the basis of the spirit of the Romans 12:17~21. The famous verses from the New Testament encourages people to live in peace with everyone and not repay anyone "evil for evil,” but rather “overcome evil with good.”/Yonhap By Do Je-haePublic outcry is rising over Cheong Wa Dae and the government's assessment of circumstances surrounding Pyongyang's hostile acts, the latest of wh

Jun 17, 2020By Do Je-hae

Moon pressed to replace security, diplomatic team

North Korea likely to cancel military accord as next step

North Korea

North Korea blows up liaison office

Smoke rises from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, Tuesday. The South Korean Ministry of Unification said North Korea blew up the South-North joint liaison office, located in the complex, at 2:49 p.m., three days after Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, warned that the office would “completely collapse.” Yonhaphttps://www.youtube.com/embed/QSgEejzUnbc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen>By Do Je-hae North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, Tuesday afternoon, following through on an earlier threat to do so.The Ministry of Unification confirmed that the North had blown up the office at 2:49 p.m. following reports of an explosion and smoke from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC). The office, set up in September 2018, was one outcome of the Panmunjeom Declaration announced April 27 that year after the first summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The office was set up to facilitate inter-Korean projects and joint events,

Jun 16, 2020By Do Je-hae

Politics

Moon urges N. Korea to keep peace deals, return to talks

President Moon Jae-in/YonhapBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in has underlined the need for the two Koreas to return to dialogue and cooperation for the development of inter-Korean ties through the upholding of the spirit of the June 15 Declaration reached at the summit between former President Kim Dae-jung and the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.Marking the 20th anniversary of the landmark agreement, Monday, Moon also called on current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to return to talks and halt the raising of tension on the Korean Peninsula.This was the first response from Moon following a series of recent verbal threats from North Korean state media and key officials, including the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo-jong. On Sunday, she hinted at military action in the near future, fueling concerns of heightened tension between the two Koreas. “Chairman Kim Jong-un and I cannot backtrack on the promise of peace we made to the 80 million people of our two countries,” Moon said during a weekly meeting with senior aides, Monday, according to press pool reports. The So

Jun 15, 2020By Do Je-hae

Moon urges N. Korea to keep peace deals, return to talks

Politics

Who will be Korea's candidate for WTO director-general?

Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee speaks during a G20 teleconference of trade ministers, May 15. If Korea produces a candidate for the election of the WTO chief, experts say the first woman trade minister for Korea would be a fantastic choice. Korea Times fileBy Do Je-hae The World Trade Organization (WTO) opened its nomination process for a successor to Roberto Azevedo, June 8, after the head of the global trade body recently announced he would step down from the post Aug. 31, a year before his term officially ends.Candidates will have one month to submit their nominations, the WTO said in a statement following the current chief's surprise announcement late last month of his plans to resign. According to latest international media reports, the race for his successor is expected to be fierce, with candidates from several continents considering sending in their bids. The big question in local media regarding the vacancy at the WTO's top post is whether a Korean candidate will join the competition. More specifically, local media speculation has revolved around whether Kim Hyun-chong, w

Jun 12, 2020By Do Je-hae

Who will be Korea's candidate for WTO director-general?

Politics

President honors pro-democracy activists

President Moon Jae-in looks around room No. 509 at the former site of a police interrogation office in Namyeong-dong, Seoul, where student activist Park Jong-chul died from torture. Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook laid flowers in front of Park's photo and observed a moment of silence to pay tribute to the late pro-democracy activist. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seokBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in paid tribute to pro-democracy activists during an event to mark the 33rd anniversary of the June 10 Democracy Movement, Wednesday, at a site in Namyeong-dong in Seoul, notorious for the interrogation and torture of pro-democracy activists that occurred there in the 1970s and 80s at the hands of the authoritarian government.The protest, also known as the “June Struggle,” refers to a nationwide anti-government movement in 1987 from June 10 to 29 against the Chun Doo-hwan regime. The movement was critical for Korea's democratization as it ultimately brought about a constitutional revision which enabled direct election of the president. In the 1980s, a number of university stu

Jun 10, 2020By Do Je-hae

President honors pro-democracy activists

Politics

Former PM's political ambition put to test

Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), left, arrives at a Cabinet meeting with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae in January. Lee is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Moon, who took party leadership before becoming presidential candidate of his party. YonhapBy Do Je-haeRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) heavyweight Rep. Lee Nak-yon is facing a tough contest for the party leadership. While it is certain that the post, if taken, will pave the way for a higher chance in the 2022 presidential election for Lee who has already been leading the list of potential presidential candidates, he has been met by other contenders within the party who also aim for the presidential candidacy or who are in different factions within the party.Prospects for his victory at the party convention on Aug. 29 to take the helm of the party seemed all but certain right after the April 15 general election. The former prime minister defeated the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn, then UFP chairman and another former prime minister, in Jongno-gu, one of

Jun 9, 2020By Do Je-hae

Do Je-hae

Read more

70 years after the war, peace still elusive on Korean Peninsula

S. Korea, US show rift in dealing with North Korea

New national security adviser needed to tackle inter-Korean impasse

Where is Kim Jong-un?

Moon pressed to replace security, diplomatic team

North Korea blows up liaison office

Moon urges N. Korea to keep peace deals, return to talks

Who will be Korea's candidate for WTO director-general?

President honors pro-democracy activists

Former PM's political ambition put to test

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