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Do Je-hae

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Politics

Cheong Wa Dae's untimely arrogance

President Moon Jae-in, center, arrive at the National Assembly, July 16, to deliver a speech to mark the opening of the 21st National Assembly. Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaeBy Do Je-hae “Before my inauguration, I visited the four opposition parties first, and I invited the party and floor leaders to Cheong Wa Dae for talks 10 times during the 20th National Assembly. I also convened a tripartite standing consultative committee involving the government and both the ruling and opposition parties.”Which president said these words? The remarks were made by President Moon Jae-in in his speech during the inaugural ceremony of the 21st National Assembly, July 16.Considering the cold relations between Cheong Wa Dae and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), many find it hard to believe how forward President Moon seemed toward embracing the opposition at the beginning of his presidency. The recent climate in Korean politics is far from the “cooperative governance” Moon preached during his encounters with the Assembly. Recently, PPP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young requ

Dec 12, 2020By Do Je-hae
Cheong Wa Dae's untimely arrogance
Politics

Key summit meetings looking increasingly unfeasible within the year

President Moon Jae-in departs for Chengu, China, the venue of the 2019 Korea-China-Japan summit from an airport in Beijing, Dec. 23, 2019, after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae-By Do Je-hae This has been a bad year for summitry due to COVID-19, but Cheong Wa Dae has nonetheless shown strong determination for arranging a Korea-Japan-China summit as well as a Korea-China summit. With the end of the year only weeks away, the two summits are looking increasingly unfeasible within the year. On the outside, the continued surge in COVID-19 cases is a big reason for further delaying both occasions, but when looking closely, unresolved differences are making it more difficult to finalize them. One of the questions that comes up most often during meetings with senior presidential aides at the Office of Public Communication is when the trilateral meeting will be held. Cheong Wa Dae says that it has not made a conclusion on whether the meeting can be held within the year or early next year, before the start of the Lunar New Year in February. “We have n

Dec 11, 2020By Do Je-hae
Key summit meetings looking increasingly unfeasible within the year
Politics

Moon's special envoy to Russia stirs speculations of political comeback

Former Ambassador to Russia Yoo Yoon-keun embarks on a trip to Russia Sunday as President Moon Jae-in's special envoy to discuss high-level exchanges and other key bilateral issues. YonhapReports say Cheong Wa Dae is pursuing ruling party veteran as next chief of staffBy Do Je-hae Cheong Wa Dae's announcement to send ruling party heavyweight Woo Yoon-keun as a presidential envoy to Moscow next week is raising speculations that the former three-term lawmaker could soon be making a political comeback, possibly as the next presidential chief of staff. Woo has stayed out of politics following his service as Moon's first ambassador to Russia from October 2017 through June 2019.Woo's Russia visit is expected to be centered around a possible visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Korea next year and other ways to deepen bilateral ties.“To mark the 30th anniversary of Korea-Russia diplomatic relations this year, the government will send Woo to Russia as a presidential envoy from Dec. 13 to 19 to explore ways to develop bilateral relations. The former ambassador to Russia will con

Dec 11, 2020By Do Je-hae
Moon's special envoy to Russia stirs speculations of political comeback
Defense

USFK service members may be first in Korea vaccinated for COVID-19

A person walks past the Pfizer headquarters in New York City, Dec. 9. / AFP-YonapBy Do Je-hae United States Forces Korea (USFK) personnel may become the first in Korea vaccinated for COVID-19.Recent media reports have suggested that COVID-19 vaccinations will begin later this month at U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, with the U.S. Department of Defense expected to notify military bases outside the U.S. of the timing of vaccinations. The American troops will likely receive vaccinations months earlier than is possible for Korean citizens, as the Korean government hasn't decided when to start providing vaccinations for the public, with speculations it will be in the second quarter of next year or the first quarter at the earliest.The Hill, a Washington, D.C.-based news website, reported that the department is targeting military bases within the U.S. as well as in Korea, Japan and Germany for the first batch of vaccines. Thomas McCaffery, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, has said the Pentagon's allotted vaccines would be sent to

Dec 10, 2020By Do Je-hae
USFK service members may be first in Korea vaccinated for COVID-19
  • New virus cases near 700 for 2nd day
  • No. of COVID-19 cases surpasses 40,000 amid 3rd wave of infections
  • Gov't to focus on 'speedy' virus testing to find asymptomatic patients
  • New cases near 700 for 3rd day
Foreign Affairs

Catholic Church starts celebrations for bicentenary of first Korean-born priest St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon

The official poster for the jubilee of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846) / Courtesy of Catholic Bishops' Conference of KoreaBy Do Je-hae Next year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846), the nation's first Catholic priest who was canonized and made a saint during Pope John Paul II's 1984 visit to Korea.On Nov. 29, the Cathedral of Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Seoul held an inaugural mass, led by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul and Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon of Suwon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK), for the opening of the “Jubilee Year of 200th Anniversary of the Birth of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon,” with messages from Pope Francis and President Moon Jae-in. Informally known as the Myeongdong Cathedral, it is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul and the seat of Cardinal Yeom, the nation's most senior Roman Catholic prelate. Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, was also present. A scene from the inaugu

Dec 9, 2020By Do Je-hae
Catholic Church starts celebrations for bicentenary of first Korean-born priest St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon
North Korea

Why did Kim's sister resume verbal attacks on Seoul?

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, in this March 2, 2019, photo. AP-YonhapStatement shows Kim in charge of foreign, South Korea affairsBy Do Je-hae Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has come under the spotlight again for a statement she issued Wednesday in response to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's recent remarks about the reclusive state's anti-COVID-19 measures.Media interest has been drawn to the event as it is the first time the North's most powerful woman has issued a statement directed at the South in her own name since one in June that denounced anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets being sent from South Korea.The statement, released under the title of the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, came after Kang made some negative remarks about Pyongyang's COVID-19 response, saying it was hard to believe that the North did not have any confirmed cases. “All signs are that the regime is v

Dec 9, 2020By Do Je-hae
Why did Kim's sister resume verbal attacks on Seoul?
  • North Korean leader's sister berates Seoul's top diplomat for doubt over 'zero COVID-19 cases'
Defense

US Forces Korea under fire for 'no-mask' party

The Camp Humphreys website shows, Tuesday, that a restaurant where a dance party was held recently has been closed until further notice. YonhapBy Do Je-hae The United States Forces Korea (USFK) has come under fire for a party which took place at a restaurant on its main base where the owners and patrons ignored the Korean government's social distancing rules banning large gatherings and requiring people to wear masks.According to news reports, Tuesday, the Flightline Tap Room, a restaurant at U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, held a dance party, Dec. 4, at which many of the participants were wearing masks improperly or not at all, according to photos and videos of the party uploaded on social media.Following media attention on the no-mask party, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the USFK to follow the country's social distancing guidelines. The Humphreys website said the venue has been closed until further notice. The USFK has so far reported 408 COVID-19 cases. The latest were reported in 17 military and civilian personnel who arrived in K

Dec 8, 2020By Do Je-hae
US Forces Korea under fire for 'no-mask' party
Politics

Specter of lame duck looms over President Moon

President Moon Jae-in arrives at a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. / YonhapMoon apologizes for Choo-Yoon conflict amid record low approval ratingBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in faces multiple, months-long issues that have been preventing him from moving forward with state affairs ― housing prices that never go down despite dozens of government measures, the ongoing conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over prosecutorial reform, and the year-long COVID-19 pandemic that is now resurging.These are pulling down the job approval rating for the President, with some cautiously saying this could be the signal for a lame duck presidency.On Monday, a Realmeter survey showed that the President's job approval rating dropped to a record low 37.4 percent, a 6.4 percentage points drop from the previous week, while support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also dropped to 29.7 percent. The pollster said one of the biggest reasons for the increasing loss of support for Moon was the prolonged conflict between Choo an

Dec 7, 2020By Do Je-hae
Specter of lame duck looms over President Moon
  • Main opposition in internal dispute over apology for ex-presidents' crimes
Politics

Additional Cabinet reshuffle looming

President Moon Jae-in participates in an event at Cheong Wa Dae, Dec. 4. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Speculations are rising that President Moon Jae-in will undertake another Cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks to renew policy momentum as he enters the final phase of his presidency next year. During a Cabinet reshuffle announced Dec. 4, Moon removed four ministers, including the controversial Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee, who has been blamed for the government's housing policy failures. Their four replacements will undergo confirmation hearings at the National Assembly.The presidential office has hinted at the possibility of another reshuffle, ahead of the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan and in preparation for policy changes in the coming year. “As the prime minister said previously, the personnel appointments will take place twice,” a presidential aide told reporters. “It is inappropriate to talk in advance about the timing and scope of prospective personnel changes. But there could be new appointments ahead of the by-elections.”One of the big question marks o

Dec 6, 2020By Do Je-hae
Additional Cabinet reshuffle looming
Politics

Moon's election pledges causing division

President Moon Jae-in/ YonhapSupport rate for President lowest everBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in started off the fourth year of his term in office with a focus on achieving “outcomes” on his campaign pledges that prioritized values such as social justice, balanced national development and improvement in the people's livelihoods.But in the last month of the year, Moon finds himself far from his resolve to do this, but rather faces a grave political impasse from polarization over some of his signature pledges, such as reforming the prosecution to promote transparency in its investigations and guaranteeing its independence from politics.In particular, Moon has shown resolute commitment to seeing real progress in prosecutorial reform, which was also a core policy issue during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration in which Moon served as a key aide. But Moon's successive choices for justice minister, including former presidential secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk, and five-term lawmaker Choo Mi-ae, have been blamed for causing social division with their unilateral pus

Dec 3, 2020By Do Je-hae
Moon's election pledges causing division
  • Rival parties differ on moving Nat'l Assembly to Sejong
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