The Korea Times

Just one line on North Korea

President Moon Jae-in, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stroll on a bridge at the border village of Panmunjeom during their first summit on April 27, 2018. Korea Times fileBy Do Je-hae President Moon has usually made a point of making some kind of gesture to North Korea during his key speeches up until now, but North Korea was glaringly absent in his speech, Sunday, except for one short line about urging health cooperation on fighting COVID-19. “I hope that South and North Korea will move toward a single community of life and peace by cooperating on human security,” Moon said. This was the only time in the 25-minute speech that he referred to North Korea.The almost nonexistent mention of North Korea was taken as a huge surprise as Moon has eagerly expressed his intention to improve inter-Korean ties despite the deadlock in U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks. But Moon said the proposals he has made since the beginning of the year were still valid. “Although today is the third anniversary of my inauguration, please understand that I'm not going to tell

May 10, 2020By Do Je-hae

'Korea will initiate post-pandemic era'

Politics

COVID-19 dominates Moon's anniversary speech

Reporters have their temperatures taken before entering Chunchugwan, Cheong Wa Dae's press center, Sunday, for President Moon Jae-in's special address marking the third year of his presidency. YonhapDiplomacy takes back seat in address to mark third year By Do Je-hae There are some noticeable changes in President Moon's third-year anniversary speech in comparison to an exclusive interview with KBS a year ago to mark his second year in office. Last year, the presidential office opted for a one-on-one interview at Cheong Wa Dae with the national broadcaster for sharing the President's in-depth views about various items of his core agenda. The interview touched on a wide range of topics, including the reform of the judiciary, which had been one of his priorities since day one in office. There was also almost no mention of policy goals such as the balanced regional development, which is also something that has been cherished by liberal administrations. About 80 percent of his third anniversary speech at Cheong Wa Dae's press center of Chunchugwan was related to the economy and there was

May 10, 2020By Do Je-hae

COVID-19 dominates Moon's anniversary speech

'Korea will initiate post-pandemic era'

Politics

'Korea will initiate post-pandemic era'

President enters the press room at Cheong Wa Dae before delivering his third anniversary speech on May 10. YonhapMoon introduces strategies to overcome challenges from COVID-19By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in said South Korea will take the initiative in the post-pandemic global economy in his economy-centered message, delivered to mark his third year in office during a rare speech at Cheong Wa Dae's press center, Sunday. Comparing the current situation to the Great Depression almost a century ago, Moon introduced a range of measures to address the mounting difficulties shouldered by industries and working families and fears of job losses across various sectors in the wake of the pandemic. "It is the economy that matters. This current economic crisis is being compared to the Great Depression 100 years ago," Moon said. "As even our key industries and flagship businesses, which have remained relatively strong, are facing increasing difficulties, more and more of these businesses are urgently requesting financial support," Moon said. President Moon speaks at the Cheong Wa Dae press cen

May 10, 2020By Do Je-hae

Politics

Will Ahn bring merger of opposition parties?

Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the minor People's Party, speaks during a party meeting to evaluate the results of the April 15 general election on Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Ahn Cheol-soo, chief of the minor People's Party, said he is open to cooperation with any party to achieve his policy goals, underlining that he will not limit himself to just one side of the political spectrum.However, his statement implied a possible solidarity ― if not merger ― with the main opposition United Future Party's (UFP) satellite Future Korea Party (FKP), because together with the FKP, his party can become a negotiating bloc with over 20 National Assembly seats. In addition, he proposed a joint forum among the opposition parties to study the causes of their general election defeats.It remains to be seen whether his remarks and proposal will bring solidarity among opposition parties to hold in check the ruling bloc, which will take up 60 percent of the 300-member Assembly. “In order to realize policy proposals from our party, we are willing to join hands with any party that agrees wi

May 7, 2020By Do Je-hae

Will Ahn bring merger of opposition parties?

Politics

'Facility near Pyongyang airport may be linked to NK missile program'

A U.S. think tank reported Tuesday that the country may be nearing completion of a site linked to Kim Jong-un's missile program. YonhapBy Do Je-hae A U.S. think tank, Beyond Parallel, has reported the possibility that North Korea may be nearing completion of a new site in relation to its missile program near Pyongyang Sunan International Airport. In a report Tuesday, the think tank said the facility, which has been under construction since 2016, “is likely designed to support ballistic missile operations and for the interim is identified as the Sil-li Ballistic Missile Support Facility.”The report underlined that some of the buildings on the site were tall enough to accommodate the Hwasong-14 or Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) on their transporter-erector-launchers (TEL).“The facility has been constructed next to an underground facility whose likely size is also large enough to easily accommodate all known North Korean ballistic missiles and their associated launchers and support vehicles,” the report stated.The report also noted that it

May 6, 2020By Do Je-hae

'Facility near Pyongyang airport may be linked to NK missile program'

Politics

KAIST professor to join Cheong Wa Dae

Park Su-kyung / Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaeBy Do Je-haePresident Moon Jae-in has decided to appoint Park Su-kyung, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, as his adviser for science and technology, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Park will fill the vice-ministerial level post which has been vacant since early March following the resignation of Lee Kong-joo, who returned to teaching at Ewha Womans University after serving in the post for about a year.Born in 1973, Park is 18 years younger than her predecessor, and is making headlines as the youngest person to become a member of the President's team of senior aides. Her appointment is considered unusual as vice-ministerial level posts in Korea have traditionally been held by people in their 50s or older. Prior to joining the presidential office, she has already been recognized as a notable scholar in her field as the first woman to join the mechanical engineering department at her university, Cheong Wa Dae noted. “As the first female mechanical engineering professor at KAIST, sh

May 6, 2020By Do Je-hae

North Korea

'No breakthrough expected in NK-US dialogue after Kim Jong-un's return'

In this file photo taken on June 30, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un stand on North Korean soil while walking to South Korea in the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ), in Panmunjom, Korea. AFP-YonhapPandemic, election put talks in doubtBy Do Je-haeWill Kim Jong-un's return from his hiatus from the public life change the status quo in the stalled U.S.-North Korea denuclearizaton talks? This is the core question in the minds of many people who follow North Korea affairs. U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to welcome the North Korean leader's return. He retweeted a post about Kim's visit to a fertilizer factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, Saturday, saying "I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!" During a press conference after Kim's re-emergence, Trump said that he "may" talk to Kim this weekend, without providing any details. Following Trump's reaction, the possibility of a restart of the North Korea-U.S. talks at the highest level once again gained the spotlight. But experts who spoke to The Korea Times, Tuesday, said that two key factors ― fi

May 5, 2020By Do Je-hae

'No breakthrough expected in NK-US dialogue after Kim Jong-un's return'

Politics

Concerns rising over lawmakers-elect from North Korea

Thae Yong-ho, center, mingles during an event for candidates who have been elected to the National Assembly for the first time arranged by the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) on April 28. Yonhap By Do Je-hae Lawmakers-elect who defected from North Korea have come under mounting criticism for their rash claims regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health.Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who won a seat in Seoul's Gangnam District on the main opposition United Future Party's (UFP) ticket in the April 15 general election, said last week that Kim's long absence from public view meant something unusual had happened to him. He made the comments following an earlier CNN report that the North Korean leader was “gravely ill.” Ji Seong-ho, who won a proportional representation seat as a member of the UFP's satellite Future Korea Party, claimed that he was “99 percent” certain of Kim's death last week, saying that he had personally been informed abou

May 4, 2020By Do Je-hae

Concerns rising over lawmakers-elect from North Korea

Politics

Cheong Wa Dae holds meeting to check on Goseong fire

Korea has issued the highest level fire alert following a massive forest fire in Goseong, Gangwon Province, Friday. Yonhap By Do Je-hae Cheong Wa Dae held a meeting late Friday evening to check on the situation regarding a forest fire in Goseong, Gangwon Province, which broke out a few hours earlier.Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, convened a teleconference at 11:05 p.m. Minister of the Interior and Safety Chin Young and Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo took part in the meeting, according to the presidential office. "Centering on the safety of the residents, the meeting was arranged to check the situation, including evacuation and measures to prevent the spread of the fire as well as the operation to extinguish the fire to be resumed early in the morning," said Yoon Jae-kwan, vice presidential spokesperson, in a text message to reporters."We plan to mobilize all available resources such as fire helicopters, fire truck

May 2, 2020By Do Je-hae

Cheong Wa Dae holds meeting to check on Goseong fire

Politics

President calls for workplace safety on Labor Day

President Moon Jae-in greets an employee at a Korean food restaurant after having lunch with his aides, Friday, in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. The President's visit to the “gomtang” (beef bone soup) place was arranged to show support for small businesses struggling with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. YonhapBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in vowed to employ stronger measures Friday, which was also Labor Day, to reduce industrial accidents, two days after a fire at a construction site in Gyeonggi Province took the lives of 38 workers.In particular, he underlined the hardships of irregular workers excluded from the benefits and job security of regular employees. "Most of the victims of the Icheon fire were irregular workers," Moon said in an SNS message. "On Labor Day, I wish a peaceful rest to those who lost their lives. I would also like to pay tribute to all the efforts made by workers in our country.""Industrial accidents occur in the course of sincere labor. Above all, I will do my best to reduce industrial accidents to create safer workplaces. On this Labor Day mor

May 1, 2020By Do Je-hae

Do Je-hae

Read more

Just one line on North Korea

COVID-19 dominates Moon's anniversary speech

'Korea will initiate post-pandemic era'

Will Ahn bring merger of opposition parties?

'Facility near Pyongyang airport may be linked to NK missile program'

KAIST professor to join Cheong Wa Dae

'No breakthrough expected in NK-US dialogue after Kim Jong-un's return'

Concerns rising over lawmakers-elect from North Korea

Cheong Wa Dae holds meeting to check on Goseong fire

President calls for workplace safety on Labor Day

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