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Jun Ji-hye

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.

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South Korea

Woo elected NPAD's floor leader

Rep. Woo Yoon-keun, left, raises a bouquet following his election as the new floor leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy at the National Assembly, Thursday. Right is Rep. Moon Hee-sang, the party’s interim leader. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hye Three-term lawmaker Woo Yoon-keun was elected as new floor leader for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Thursday.The opposition party voted for Woo to fill the position that was vacated by Rep. Park Young-sun.Four-term lawmaker Lee Jong-kul and second-term Rhee Mok-hee competed with Woo for the post.“I will definitely complete matters related to the special Sewol bill at the earliest possible date,” Woo said after his election was confirmed.He stressed, “I will create a stronger opposition party.”The Sewol bill is designed to establish a fact-finding committee tasked with unearthing the truth behind the tragic sinking of the ferry which killed more than 300 passengers in April. But it became the main cause for months of parliamentary deadlock due to th

Oct 9, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Woo elected NPAD's floor leader
South Korea

Obama may ask Seoul to fight IS

By Jun Ji-hye  Is the United States calling for a more active role by South Korea in its fight against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria?Some experts believe so, citing U.S. President Obama’s recent statement.Regarding the Asia-Pacific region, Obama was quoted as saying during a visit to the Department of Defense, Wednesday, “The anchor of our presence there are treaties and alliances with key countries like South Korea and Japan.”This remark could sound like business as usual but, considering it came after he received a briefing about the U.S. action against the Middle East extremists, it took on an added significance.“The U.S. has relationships in Southeast Asia, but far more soldiers and equipment are here in Korea and Japan. This makes the two countries more important than other regional allies,” said Robert Kelly, a professor of political science at Pusan National UniversityBut there could be the hidden meaning that Obama was apparently pressing Seoul and Tokyo to do something to support the Washington-led anti-IS campaign, he said.“Th

Oct 9, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Obama may ask Seoul to fight IS
South Korea

'Allies agreed to use nukes during NK invasion'

By Jun Ji-hyeLeon PanettaThe United Stated got the consent of South Korea to use nuclear weapons in response to a North Korean invasion of the South, according to Leon Panetta, former U.S. defense secretary in the Obama administration.In his recently published memoir entitled “Worthy Fights,” Panetta, who was also a former CIA director, said the U.S. reached that agreement with Seoul in October 2011, when President Park Geun-hye’s predecessor Lee Myung-bak was in office.In the 512-page memoir, Panetta said the two sides confirmed their long-time pledge regarding security on the Korean Peninsula to defend the South ― including the possible use of nuclear weapons against the Stalinist state ― if Pyongyang invaded South Korea.At the time, Panetta was visiting Seoul for the annual Security Consultative Meeting where defense chiefs from the two countries sit down for talks.At a news conference after the meeting, Panetta told reporters North Korea “remains a serious threat,” and the U.S. “continues to be fully committed to the security” o

Oct 8, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

'Pressing Seoul over THAAD deployment is irresponsible'

By Jun Ji-hyeBurwell BellThe former commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Burwell Bell said Tuesday that the United States should not publicly press South Korea to accept Washington’s envisioned plan to deploy its latest interception system, part of its missile defense (MD) program, on the Korean Peninsula.The retired U.S. Army four-star general stressed that pressing Seoul diplomatically and publicly is “simply irresponsible.”He emphasized that he “definitely” agrees that the United States should deploy a Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) missile battery to counter the growing threat of nuclear and ballistic missiles from North Korea. However, he added, “I equally definitely disapprove of the American administration ― our current administration ― talking about and pressing for this publicly as we’ve seen lately in the news media. Our diplomatic behavior, in my view, has been unconscionable.”Bell, who served as USFK commander from 2006-2008, made the comments during a Heritage Foundation forum held in Washington.&ldqu

Oct 8, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
'Pressing Seoul over THAAD deployment is irresponsible'
South Korea

'THAAD to beef up security posture'

By Jun Ji-hyeDefense Minister Han Min-koo said Tuesday that the envisioned deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will help enhance security on the Korean Peninsula.“The defense range of THAAD is very wide. If deployed, it may greatly contribute to defending the peninsula as well as assets of the USFK,” said Han.Han made the remarks during the National Assembly’s audit of the Ministry of National Defense.When asked whether the South Korean government would pay for maintenance expenses, the minister said, “No.”The THAAD system, with a range of 150 kilometers, is regarded as an indispensable element of the U.S. missile defense (MD) system.Regarding the speculation that Seoul and Washington are drawing up a new operational plan to employ assets of the MD system, Han said, “The two sides are giving shape to measures to better handle the North’s threats.”He did not elaborate further.The remarks came hours after Yonhap News Agency quoted a source as saying that the two coun

Oct 7, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Two Koreas trade fire in West Sea

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth and North Korean naval vessels exchanged fire in the West Sea, Tuesday, after the latter violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, said the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in a statement.The clash came three days after the North ramped up its peace offensive by sending three top aides of Kim Jong-un ― Hwang Pyong-so, Choe Ryong-hae, and Kim Yang-gon ― to the South.According to the JCS, Pyongyang’s patrol boat crossed the NLL some 900 meters into the South’s territorial waters at 9:50 a.m., and returned to the North at 10 a.m. after the incident.“Following the violation, Seoul’s guided-missile patrol boat issued warning messages and fired a warning shot to force the vessel from the North to retreat,” said the JCS in a statement. “The North Korean boat fired back rather than backing down, which caused us to fire again. Then the ship retreated.”The South fired about 90 shots in total toward the vessel from the North, according to a JCS official.The official noted, &ldquo

Oct 7, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

S. Korea, Indonesia signs fighter-jet deal

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea signed an agreement with Indonesia, Monday, for joint development of Seoul’s indigenous fighter jet, the KF-X, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).A signing ceremony between the DAPA and the Indonesian Defense Ministry took place in Surabaja, Indonesia.The accord, represents the largest-ever defense program for Seoul and was first envisioned in 2001 and pushed for in earnest in 2010.It was a follow up to a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries in 2010, and “specified details about basic principles about how to lead the project, including cost-sharing and work responsibilities,” the DAPA said.The DAPA finalized the plan on the KF-X project on Sept. 24 to develop and produce the home-built fighter jets to replace the aging F-4 and F-5 jets.The government plans to spend 8.5 trillion won ($7.95 billion) to develop indigenous F-16 class fighter jets, which are scheduled for service from 2025.Indonesia has joined Seoul’s expensive project by vowing to meet 20 percent of the total budget requir

Oct 6, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

NK media mum on high-ranking officials' visit to South

By Jun Ji-hyeThe North Korean media is maintaining silence about a recent visit by three top aides of North leader Kim Jong-un to the South, while lauding the return of its athletes who did well in the Incheon Asiad which finished on Saturday.On Monday, the North’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun filled three pages, including the front page, with news of the athletes’ return to Pyongyang and a parade held in their honor in the capital’s downtown area.The newspaper stated on its front page, “We congratulate our sons and daughters who displayed national strength and dignity.” It also stressed that the achievement was a result of the sports-focused policy of Kim Jong-un and the ruling Workers’ Party.The Stalinist state finished seventh overall at the Incheon games, winning 11 gold medals. It finished in the top 10 for the first time in 12 years.However, the newspaper did not include any mention of the surprise visit of military-party delegation from the North ― headed by Hwang Pyong-so, who is believed to be the Pyongyang’s second-most po

Oct 6, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

S-N rivalry to ease for now

Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, right, and North Korean official Kim Yang-gon walk toward a restaurant in Incheon, Saturday, hours after the high-level North Korean delegation arrived in the port city for the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyePresident Park Geun-hyeThe surprise visit by three top aides of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un has thrown the spotlight on whether the two Koreas can achieve any improvement in their strained relations.It remains to be seen whether North Korea’s abrupt peace offensive, which came just days after Pyongyang harshly criticized President Park Geun-hye for a speech she gave at the United Nations on the subject of unification, can facilitate Park’s initiative to achieve a unified Korea.Commentators said that the Saturday visit of the North’s military-party delegation ― headed by Hwang Pyong-so, believed to be the Pyongyang’s second most powerful man, along with Choe Ryong-hae, the Workers’ Party of Korea secretary, and Kim Yang-gon who is in charge of Pyongyang’s relations

Oct 5, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
S-N rivalry to ease for now
  • Why did they come?
South Korea

Speaker postpones passing 91 bills till next week

By Jun Ji-hye National Speaker Chung Ui-hwa declared Friday that he would postpone the passage of 91 pending bills until Tuesday, calling on the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) to participate in the plenary session.“I decided to change the parliamentary schedule as I trusted in the sincerity of the opposition,” said Chung. “I apologize to the public for the delay in passing the bills.”Chung had declared on Sept. 16 that he would use his authority to open a plenary session on Friday, saying, “The Assembly can no longer delay its duties.”The ruling Saenuri Party supported that, clinging to its position that it now had no choice but to pass pending bills unilaterally at the earliest possible date. Once a plenary session is held, the ruling party can unilaterally pass bills because it holds a majority of seats.As promised, Chung declared the opening of the plenary session Friday afternoon, but the session broke up after only nine minutes, during which Chung delivered a short speech. Only members of the governing camp att

Sep 26, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
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