The Korea Times

Will Korea-US-Japan military drills happen?

President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday (local time). YonhapKishida's proposal for trilateral drills linked to Japan's rearmament By Kang Seung-wooJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's remarks during his meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, Wednesday (local time), are creating a stir here as Kishida floated the idea of holding a trilateral military drill, which South Korea has been sensitive about. On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, the three heads of state sat down together for the first time in nearly five years. Korea and Japan, both of whom are not members of the military alliance, attended the meeting as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners.While stressing the need to strengthen three-way cooperation on North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile threats, Kishida suggested that they prepare for possible provocations through a combined military drill that has never happened due to t

Jun 30, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Will Korea-US-Japan military drills happen?

Yoon, NATO chief hail new partnership, new S. Korean mission to NATO

Foreign Affairs

Korea's first NATO summit to show expanded global role: experts

President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a meeting with his staff ahead of the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday (local time). YonhapChina expected to respond in less threatening mannerBy Kang Seung-wooKorea's first-ever participation in a NATO summit will serve as a stepping stone for the Asian country to demonstrate that it can play a larger role outside of its region as well as engage in discussions related to its national interests, according to diplomatic observers. President Yoon Suk-yeol is now attending the summit in Madrid, Spain, where he is meeting with a number of world leaders. Although Korea does not belong to the 30-member alliance, it was invited for the first time along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners. “Basically, we participate in such multilateral forums to prevent our national interests from being discussed without our input, and in such processes, we aim to expand our interests without compromising our national interests,” said Kim Yeoul-soo, chief of the Security Strategy Office at the Korea Institute for Mi

Jun 29, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Korea's first NATO summit to show expanded global role: experts

Defense

Yoon expected to promote arms exports during NATO trip

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrive in Madrid, Spain, Monday (local time). YonhapIndustry expects president's arms marketing to help exportsBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to engage in marketing efforts in his first overseas trip since his inauguration toward exporting domestically developed weapons that are currently capturing attention from countries amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yoon is now attending the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, where he will discuss security and economic ties with world leaders. Although Korea does not belong to the 30-member alliance, it was invited along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners. The expectations come as a number of countries have shown interest in Korean-made military hardware as part of efforts to boost military capabilities in light of the war in Ukraine. The local defense industry is particularly focusing on Yoon's summit with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, scheduled for Wednesday (local time), as the two leaders may close an arms deal duri

Jun 28, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Yoon expected to promote arms exports during NATO trip

Yoon to agree to new partnership with NATO in second half of year

Defense

Exhibition to feature Mexican Korean War veterans

Korean Ambassador to Mexico Suh Jeong-in, from right, Lozano Bustos Antonio, Sierra Barbosa Roberto, Fernandez Almada Albero Jesus, POSCO-Mexico President Choi Soon-young and Army Lt. Col. Lee Myoung-kyo, defense attache at the Korean Embassy in Mexico, pose in front of the official residence of the ambassador in Mexico, June 24. Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooThe War Memorial of Korea and the Mexican Embassy in Seoul will co-organize an exhibition, Tuesday, to commemorate Mexicans and Mexican Americans who fought in the Korean War. The exhibition, titled “Mexicans and Mexican Americas: The Forgotten Soldiers of the Korean War,” was organized to recognize the sacrifices of those Mexican soldiers during the three-year conflict. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Korea.The display, which will run until Sept. 25, will feature documentary drawings by the Korean War veterans and telegrams containing news of injuries and other information, according to the war museum. The Mexican government did not participate in the Korean War by prov

Jun 27, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Exhibition to feature Mexican Korean War veterans

Foreign Affairs

Koica, ESCAP to cooperate for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific

Koica President Sohn Hyuk-sang, left, poses with ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana during an MOU-signing ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday. Courtesy of KoicaBy Kang Seung-wooThe Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Thursday, at the U.N. Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on stimulating regional and multilateral cooperation in strengthening the capacity of Asia-Pacific countries for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Koica President Sohn Hyuk-sang and ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana attended the ceremony. The MOU seeks to boost cooperation between the two organizations and support sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs in the Asia-Pacific region. This MOU is a renewal of an nonbinding agreement between the two sides signed in February 2019, encompassing areas such as stimulating development related to low carbon and climate resilience through finance an

Jun 24, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Koica, ESCAP to cooperate for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific

North Korea

North Korea delays nuclear test due to pressure from China, fear of backlash: experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un laughs during a meeting of the central military commission of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Wednesday, to discuss major tasks to build up national defense and implement key defense policies. YonhapPyongyang's next test could involve more powerful bomb: RAND analystBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has yet to press the nuclear button, despite urgent warnings from South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities that the North has completed preparations for another nuclear test.Diplomatic observers agree that a nuclear test is still imminent. But they believe the delay may be due to pressure from China or because Pyongyang is weighing the possible political repercussions. Citing comments made by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Eighth Workers' Party Conference in January 2021 that his country will enhance its nuclear and missile capabilities, as well as the 31 missiles launched so far this year and the reconstruction of its nuclear test site, Joseph DeTrani, a former U.S. special envoy for negotiations with North Korea, said the rec

Jun 23, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

North Korea delays nuclear test due to pressure from China, fear of backlash: experts

Defense

Hanwha, Kongsberg to cooperate on infantry fighting vehicles and precision firing systems

Ryu Young-kwan, from left, senior executive vice president of Hanwha Corp.'s defense division; Son Jae-il, president and CEO of Hanwha Defense, Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace and Richard Cho, managing director of Hanwha Defense Australia, pose during a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on infantry fighting vehicles and long-range precision firing systems during the Eurosatory 2022 defense exhibition in Paris, June 14. Courtesy of Hanwha Defense By Kang Seung-wooHanwha Group and Norway's Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in infantry fighting vehicles and long-range precision firing systems during the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition in Paris, France, June 14.The MoU was signed by Hanwha's three defense business subsidiaries ― Hanwha Defense, Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) and Hanwha Corp. ― and Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Norway's major supplier of defense and aerospace-related systems and solutions.The Norwegian Defense Material Agency has issued a request for information (RFI) for additiona

Jun 20, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Hanwha, Kongsberg to cooperate on infantry fighting vehicles and precision firing systems

Defense

Seoul, Washington to discuss extended deterrence against North Korea

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden pose alongside senior military officers from both countries during their visit to the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, May 22.By Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea and the United States are discussing holding senior-level defense talks, next month, according to the defense ministry, Monday, during which the allies are expected to discuss how to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea's growing threats. “The two countries are in talks over holding the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Washington, D.C.,” Army Col. Moon Hong-sik, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, said during a press conference without elaborating on the meeting's date or specific agenda. KIDD is an umbrella framework encompassing various defense dialogue mechanisms between the two countries. It was launched in 2011 out of the Security Consultative Meeting and since then, the meeting has been held twice a year. It was supposed to take place in May, but the absence of a South Korean

Jun 20, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Seoul, Washington to discuss extended deterrence against North Korea

Defense

Yoon in quandary over DAPA chief selection

By Kang Seung-wooWhether to pick a new chief of the nation's arms procurement agency is posing a dilemma for President Yoon Suk-yeol, as its current leader from the previous administration is leading the domestic defense industry, which is expected to see a boom following robust exports. Kang Eun-ho / NewsisAlthough there has been some talk about candidates for the minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the president has yet to come up with a replacement for the current chief, Kang Eun-ho, who was appointed by former President Moon Jae-in in December 2020. According to military sources, Yoon's struggle to pick a new DAPA minister is mainly due to a shortage of eligible candidates. “As far as I know, the candidates who were recommended failed to make the cut,” a source said. Traditionally, DAPA chiefs have found themselves in the hot seat over whether the agency's number of contracts was appropriate. For example, earlier this year, Korea inked a contract to sell K-9 self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over 2 trillion won ($1.5 bil

Jun 19, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Yoon in quandary over DAPA chief selection

Politics

First lady becomes political football

First lady Kim Keon-hee, center, pays her respects at the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. The woman standing behind Kim is Kim's friend. YonhapAccused of blurring line between public, private life and cronyismBy Kang Seung-wooFirst lady Kim Keon-hee became the object of contention between the ruling and main opposition parties on Wednesday, as they clashed over Kim bringing her friend to meet Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of former President Roh Moo-hyun, in Bongha Village, Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. Rep. Park Hong-keun, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), criticized Kim for failing to separate official and private matters as the nation's first lady. “Although President Yoon Suk-yeol removed the presidential office department handling affairs for the first lady and Kim herself promised during the campaign to keep a low profile, her public appearances have increased,” Park said during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul. “Her visit to Bongha V

Jun 15, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Kang Seung-woo

Read more

Will Korea-US-Japan military drills happen?

Korea's first NATO summit to show expanded global role: experts

Yoon expected to promote arms exports during NATO trip

Exhibition to feature Mexican Korean War veterans

Koica, ESCAP to cooperate for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific

North Korea delays nuclear test due to pressure from China, fear of backlash: experts

Hanwha, Kongsberg to cooperate on infantry fighting vehicles and precision firing systems

Seoul, Washington to discuss extended deterrence against North Korea

Yoon in quandary over DAPA chief selection

First lady becomes political football

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