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Kang Seung-woo

Korea Times Business Reporter

Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.

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South Korea

Park will attend China's war anniversary event

Whether to observe military parade undecidedBy Kang Seung-woo President Park Geun-hye will attend China’s ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Sept. 3 in Beijing, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.However, she has yet to decide whether to observe a military parade in which China will show off its military strength to the rest of the world, officials said.“President Park will visit China from Sept. 2 to 4, accepting President Xi Jinping’s invitation to the 70th anniversary commemoration,” said Ju Chul-ki, the senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security, in a press briefing.Park’s China trip is expected to test Korea’s relations with China and the United States.Whether she will attend the ceremony or not has been drawing keen attention after media reports that the U.S. government urged her to skip the event _ although Seoul and Washington later denied this.In addition, there were calls from U.S. experts that Park should separate her visit to Beijing from the military parade.“How appropri

Aug 20, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Park will attend China's war anniversary event
South Korea

Korea's anti-bribery efforts recognized

By Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea is one of four countries to move up in global transparency rankings by enforcing anti-bribery measures, according to Transparency International, a global anti-corruption body.Along with Greece and the Netherlands, South Korea joined nations in the category of “Limited Enforcement,” the organization’s annual report showed.The countries previously belonged to the “Little or No Enforcement” category.Norway also rose in the rankings, from “Limited Enforcement” to “Moderate Enforcement,” which also includes Italy, Canada, Australia, Austria and Finland.Korea belongs to a group with eight other countries, including France and Sweden. Twenty countries, including Japan, Russia and Belgium, are doing little or nothing to prevent bribery, according to the report.Only four nations _ the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland _ belong to the “Active Enforcement” category.Since the anti-bribery convention was adopted in 1997, 41 countries have signed up, pledging to prosecute firms t

Aug 19, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea

Park may seek thaw in frosty ties with Japan

President Park Geun-hye participates in a ceremony at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Saturday, to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s comments on the anniversary of the end of World War II and President Park Geun-hye’s soft criticism of the Japanese leader are raising the prospect of a thaw in frosty ties between the two nations.Abe stopped short of making his own apology in the statement marking the end of World War II on Friday and the next day President Park Geun-hye refrained from harsh criticism of what the Japanese leader said and left much else unsaid.Analysts took Park’s relatively prudent reaction as a sign that she is seeking to mend ties with Tokyo.But they said history issues would probably remain a major hindrance to rapprochement unless Japan really took “sincere action” to address Korea’s demands.“It is hard to deny that Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s statement marking the 70th anniversary of the en

Aug 16, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Park may seek thaw in frosty ties with Japan
South Korea

Korea, US to start joint drill today

By Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea and the United States will begin Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) ― an annual joint military exercise ― today amid increasing tension on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea’s landmine attack in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).According to the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), the exercise will last until Aug. 28.“More than 50,000 Korean and 3,000 American troops will participate,” said a defense ministry official.The UFG will also include forces from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Swiss and Swedish delegations of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will monitor the exercise to ensure that it complies with the Armistice Agreement.The United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission informed Pyongyang of the exercise dates and the non-provocative nature of the routine training, the CFC said.The repressive state has denounced the UFG, together with the annual springtime exercises Key Resolve and the Foal Eagle, as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North.“Th

Aug 16, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea

Park, Obama to hold summit in October

President ParkPresident ObamaBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Park Geun-hye will visit the United States in October for a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, Cheong Wa Dae and the White House announced Thursday.Park initially planned to visit Washington in June, but postponed the trip due to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in Korea, which killed 36 people.“The two leaders will meet on Oct. 16 to discuss bilateral issues, including North Korea’s nuclear threats,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Min Kyung-wook said.“The summit is expected to serve as an opportunity to reaffirm the strong, dynamic and evolving alliance between Korea and the U.S. and open a new horizon for cooperation between the two countries.”The White House also hopes the summit will underscore the strength of the Korea-U.S. partnership and demonstrate the close personal ties between the American and Korean people.The announcements came amid speculation that Park may attend China’s war anniversary ceremony on Sept. 3, which will include a military parade.It’s unusu

Aug 13, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Park, Obama to hold summit in October
South Korea

Abe urged to atone for past

Following is the third in a series of articles marking the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule — ED.By Kang Seung-wooJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on the way to deliver his speech during the 2015 Nagasaki Peace Ceremony at Nagasaki Peace Park, in Nagasaki, Sunday./ EPA-YonhapWill Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologize for his country’s past aggression in his statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Friday?What he says about Imperial Japan’s wartime atrocities will set the tone for Tokyo’s relations with its neighboring countries. “The statement will provide Abe with a good chance to bring the Northeast Asian countries closer,” said Park Strategies Senior Vice President Sean King. “Abe should say nothing to suggest that Japan was a victim of a war, as some conservative Japanese politicians, who claim Japan was forced into the war to safeguard East Asia from Western influence, do.”The Yasukuni Shrine, which houses the remains of 14 Class A

Aug 12, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Abe urged to atone for past
South Korea

Park vows firm response

By Kang Seung-woo President ParkPresident Park Geun-hye vowed Wednesday to deal sternly with North Korea’s provocations, condemning the repressive state for landmine detonations in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week.“The North has yet to respond to our dialogue offers, but has continued to take provocative actions, including the recent landmine attack that seriously injured young soldiers,” Park said during a luncheon with the descendants of independence fighters against Japanese colonial rule. Park held the meeting to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the nation’s liberation from colonial rule that falls on Saturday.“We will deal firmly with any possible provocations from the North and at the same time, the South will make efforts to create a positive atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula to prevent such provocations from recurring.”On the same day, ruling and opposition lawmakers of the National Assembly Defense Committee unanimously adopted a resolution blaming the North for the mine explosion and urging a stern response.It is the second

Aug 12, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Park vows firm response
South Korea

Mine blast sheds light on poor monitoring of NK soldiers

By Kang Seung-wooThe South Korean military is facing criticism that it failed to detect North Korean soldiers who laid landmines after sneaking across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).According to the Ministry of National Defense, the mines that exploded last week wounding two South Korean staff sergeants on border patrol were planted by North Korean soldiers.The South Korean military still has no idea exactly when and how the North Korean soldiers entered the South-controlled demilitarized zone.“It is an indefensible failure by the military to detect the enemy’s invasion,” Rep. Lee Seok-hyun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said during a party meeting on Tuesday.“The government needs to punish those in charge of guard duty and strengthen military discipline.”Baek Kun-ki, another NPAD lawmaker who is a retired four-star Army general, also accused the military of having a flawed defense.“Although there were some signs of the North’s provocation inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ), the military failed to prep

Aug 11, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
  • Tension builds along border
South Korea

Park mulls attending Beijing's war ceremony

President Park Geun-hye speaks during a meeting with her senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Park Geun-hye is considering attending a war anniversary ceremony in Beijing next month, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.Her consideration of the visit comes as Washington reportedly opposes her participation in the event.Park will have more time until Korea commemorates the 70th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule on Saturday, given its diplomatic sensitivity, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said.Park’s softening stance on China may test Korea’s relations with Washington as well as Tokyo, diplomatic sources said.China plans to hold a major ceremony on Sept. 3 to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II. The Chinese government has invited Park as well as world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, all of whom rejected the invitation.“President Park is giving serious consideration to the invitation,&rdqu

Aug 10, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Park mulls attending Beijing's war ceremony
South Korea

Hard-working public servants to be paid more

By Kang Seung-woo The government said Friday it will revamp the wage system for civil servants to provide bigger salaries and more benefits to better-performing employees.This is one of the follow-up measures to President Park Geun-hye’s speech to the nation a day earlier, in which she vowed to expand a merit-based salary system in officialdom.According to the Ministry of Personnel Management, the wage system reform is to boost competition among public servants.Currently, performance evaluation scores are divided into four classes -- S, A, B and C -- but the government plans to add an SS class that will be awarded to those whose job evaluation belongs in the top 2 percent, the ministry said.Those in the highest-level rank will earn an additional 50 percent incentive compared to that of S-class civil servants.Twenty percent of public officials receive S class, followed by 30 percent for A, 40 percent for B and 10 percent for C.The ministry said that it is in discussions with the finance ministry for budgetary allocation and the details of the revised wage system will be fin

Aug 7, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
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