The Korea Times

Analysis Who will Moon meet first, Biden or Xi?

President Moon Jae-in speaks on the phone with U.S. President Joe Biden, Feb. 4, at Cheong Wa Dae. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae By Do Je-hae Now that President Moon Jae-in has spoken with U.S. President Joe Biden via telephone, the biggest question in Korea's diplomatic community is when the two leaders will meet each other in person.Following the first talks between the two leaders Feb. 4, the presidential office said they had agreed to get together for a summit as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic was better under control. But the White House readout on the phone conversation did not mention anything about a summit, although Cheong Wa Dae later explained that Biden expressed a wish to meet in person with Moon. “U.S. President Biden mentioned the importance of a face-to-face conversation,” a presidential source said. Korean leaders in the past visited the U.S. within about 50 days of the inauguration of a new U.S. leader. Therefore, speculation is rising that Seoul will t

Feb 5, 2021By Do Je-hae

[Analysis] Who will Moon meet first, Biden or Xi?

Foreign Affairs

ANALYSIS 'Moon, Biden urged to narrow differences on North Korea'

President Moon Jae-in, left, speaks on the phone with U.S. President Joe Biden, Thursday, for the first time since the new U.S. leader took office last month. YonhapBy Do Je-hae The first phone call early Thursday (KST) between the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. highlighted the need for the two countries to narrow the differences in their respective policies toward dealing with North Korea, according to experts. “U.S. President Joe Biden said that he evaluated the efforts of South Korea, the main party in the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue, and that it is important for the U.S. and South Korea to have the same position and work closely for common goals,” presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a briefing after the phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and Biden. Some analysts said that the remarks could be seen as a warning from Washington not to speed up things with North Korea while the U.S. is undertaking a meticulous review of the North Korea policy of the previous administration. Moon has reiterated that the Singapore agreement between

Feb 4, 2021By Do Je-hae

Moon, Biden agree on establishing North Korea policy at earliest possible date

North Korea

US may take two-track approach to North Korea issue

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses reporters during his first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Jan. 27. Reuters-YonhapBy Do Je-hae The new Joe Biden administration may use a two-track approach to deal with the nuclear standoff with North Korea, offering either incentives or sanctions depending on which stance the North takes, diplomatic analysts said.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave his first TV interview since taking office and there was very little mention of North Korea. But experts are taking note of the fact that the new top U.S. diplomat mentioned both “additional sanctions” and “diplomatic incentives” when talking about the next steps the Biden administration will take with North Korea. “The first thing we're going to do is to review the policy across the board to look at what tools we have, including additional sanctions, including especially additional coordination and cooperation with allies and partners, but also to look at diplomatic incentives. So once we do that, we'll be able to tell you

Feb 2, 2021By Do Je-hae

US may take two-track approach to North Korea issue

Politics

Ruling bloc goes all out to fire back over nuclear plant row

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap Moon says opposition's claims 'instigate conflicts, political retrogression'By Do Je-hae The ruling bloc is going all out to defend itself against escalating suspicions that the Moon Jae-in administration attempted to initiate the construction of a nuclear power plant in North Korea in 2018. Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are lashing out at the main opposition People Party of Korea (PPP) for raising the allegations ahead of the April 7 mayoral by-elections for Seoul and Busan, claiming it was re-engaging in the politics of “northern winds” often used by conservatives during election season.President Moon called on the political circle to refrain from outdated political wrangling, in response to the rising calls from the opposition to clarify exactly whether there was any mention of a nuclear plant building project during his summit with Nort

Feb 1, 2021By Do Je-hae

Ruling bloc goes all out to fire back over nuclear plant row

Politics

Number of female cabinet ministers shrinking

Environment minister Han Jeoung-ae, left, receives a letter of appointment from President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae, Jan. 29 YonhapBy Do Je-hae The proportion of female ministers in the Moon Jae-in administration has significantly declined following the most recent Cabinet reshuffle, Jan. 20.This seems to be going against Moon's campaign pledge to refill 30 percent or more of Cabinet posts with women.Out of 18 ministers, there are currently only three women, accounting for 16. 6 percent of the total. Environment minister Han Jeoung-ae became the latest woman to join the Cabinet when she received a letter of appointment from President Moon at Cheong Wa Dae, Jan. 29. Prior to the announcement, Jan. 20, there were five women. But Moon replaced Park Young-sun, minister of SMEs and Startups, to enable her to run in the Seoul mayor by-election in April, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who was the longest-serving minister in Moon's Cabinet. The shrinking number of women in Moon's Cabinet has raised questions about whether the President is still committed to promoting gender equality

Feb 1, 2021By Do Je-hae

Number of female cabinet ministers shrinking

North Korea

Will Korea Golf Association hold tournament in North Korea?

Korea Golf Association President Lee Jung-myung speaks during his inauguration ceremony at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Korea Golf Association President Lee Jung-myung has announced that he will seek to host an international tournament at a golf course on Mount Geumgang in North Korea, during a recent general assembly of the association.Lee, who was appointed as the new chief of the association on Jan. 26, said that he was working to assess the viability of holding the International Golf Federation's (IGF) World Amateur Team Championships at the Ananti Golf Club ― a golf course his company owns on the scenic mountain in the North ― in 2025. The head of Emerson Pacific Group, which operates several golf courses including the Ananti Golf Club on Mount Geumgang, also said that he is talking with the Ministry of Unification about his idea.Led by golf legend Annika Sorenstam, the IGF has held the tournament every two years since 1958. The venue for the 2025 event will be decided at the general assembly of the IGF in Paris in September 2022. “The realization of the t

Jan 29, 2021By Do Je-hae

South Korea keen on providing vaccine aid to North Korea

North Korea

Defections of high-level North Korean officials are telltale symptoms of internal difficulties

People hold a campaign in Pyongyang, North Korea, to uphold the decisions made at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, Jan. 20. / YonhapBy Do Je-hae The arrival in South Korea of a former acting ambassador at the North Korean Embassy in Kuwait just over a year ago has renewed attention to a series of defections to the South by high-level diplomats under Kim Jong-un's rule. Some South Korean media reports said that Ryu Hyun-woo, who led the North Korean mission in Kuwait since the 2017 expulsion of former Ambassador So Chang-sik, arrived in the South in September 2019 and has settled here. The authorities have yet to confirm these reports, although Ryu's arrival was relayed to the media by other former North Korean diplomats who defected, such as Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in the U.K. and now representative of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). Ryu's case is the most recent in a series of high-profile defections, following Jo Song-gil, a former acting North Korean ambassador to Italy, who entered South Korea in July 2019

Jan 28, 2021By Do Je-hae

Defections of high-level North Korean officials are telltale symptoms of internal difficulties

Foreign Affairs

Questions rise over timing of Moon-Xi phone conversation

President Moon Jae-in talks on the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapChinese president supports denuclearization of Korean Peninsula By Do Je-hae Chinese President Xi Jinping showed support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and underlined the importance of diplomacy in nuclear issues, during his first phone call of the year with President Moon Jae-in late Tuesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday.“Xi said that realizing denuclearization was in line with the common interests of Korea and China, and that China highly assesses and actively supports President Moon's efforts,” a presidential source said.Right after the 40-minute phone conversation during which the two leaders shared their views on the situation on the peninsula, the presidential office reiterated that Xi supported diplomacy for progress on Korean Peninsula issues, saying, “North Korea's position to the outside world is that it has not closed the door on the possibility of dialogue with the U.S. and South Korea.” Xi also said he support

Jan 27, 2021By Do Je-hae

Questions rise over timing of Moon-Xi phone conversation

Politics

Justice Minister Choo's award win draws controversy

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae receives an award from the Heritage of Korean Independence, a group of independence fighters and their ancestors, at the group's building in Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae The Heritage of Korean Independence's choice of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae as the recipient of an award honoring a supporter of the independence movement against Japanese colonial rule has triggered controversy here.Choo received the Choi Jae Hyung Award from the group, comprised of independence fighters and their ancestors, during a ceremony, Monday, at the organization's office in Yeouido, Seoul. The award was created in 2018 to honor Choi (1860~1920), a businessman and independence activist in the late Joseon period who moved to Russia and used most of his assets to support Korea's interim government and activists like An Jung-geun.But a separate commemorative association for Choi has taken issue with the selection process to determine the recipient of the award. “It is a disgrace to Choi's honor to hand out the award without approval from our association and bereaved family

Jan 27, 2021By Do Je-hae

Justice Minister Choo's award win draws controversy

Foreign Affairs

Xi says China supports diplomacy with North Korea during phone talks with Moon

President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on more high-level visits and people-to-people exchanges during their phone conversation, Tuesday. Xi showed support for inter-Korean dialogue as well as denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Chinese President Xi Jinping underlined his support for dialogue between the two Koreas as well as denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea during a phone call late Tuesday with President Moon Jae-in, according to the presidential office. “Xi said that North Korea's position announced at its eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea is that it has not closed the door to dialogue with the U.S. and South Korea. He views the situation on the Korean Peninsula overall as stable,” presidential spokesperson Kang Min-seok said in a statement. China also underlined South Korea's role for a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue, Moon's office said. During the 40-minute phone talks, Moon stressed China's constructive role in resuming diplomacy with North Kore

Jan 26, 2021By Do Je-hae

Do Je-hae

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Analysis Who will Moon meet first, Biden or Xi?

ANALYSIS 'Moon, Biden urged to narrow differences on North Korea'

US may take two-track approach to North Korea issue

Ruling bloc goes all out to fire back over nuclear plant row

Number of female cabinet ministers shrinking

Will Korea Golf Association hold tournament in North Korea?

Defections of high-level North Korean officials are telltale symptoms of internal difficulties

Questions rise over timing of Moon-Xi phone conversation

Justice Minister Choo's award win draws controversy

Xi says China supports diplomacy with North Korea during phone talks with Moon

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