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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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Foreign Affairs

Dokdo absent from maps at foreign embassies in Seoul

Dokdo / gettyimagesbankBy Kang Seung-wooThe websites of some foreign embassies based in Seoul have been using maps that fail to identify Dokdo, an activist professor said, Wednesday. Dokdo is Korea's easternmost islets that Japan has repeatedly claimed is part of its territory.Seo Kyoung-dukSeo Kyoung-duk, a professor of Sungshin Women's University known for his campaigns to inform foreign countries of Korean culture and history based on facts, surveyed the maps on the websites of the embassies of the Group of Seven countries ― Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States ― as well as China and found that half of them did not include Dokdo. The map of the U.S. Embassy's website does not identify Dokdo and the East Sea, while that of the French Embassy's website describes Dokdo and the East Sea as the Liancourt Rocks and the Sea of Japan. The Liancourt Rocks are named after a French whaling ship that came across the islets in 1849. The Japanese government refers to the islets as Takeshima and denies Korea's sovereignty. The website of the German Embass

Jun 15, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Dokdo absent from maps at foreign embassies in Seoul
Defense

Hanwha Defense's Redback armored vehicle debuts in Europe

Hanwha Defense's Redback infantry fighting vehicle on display at the Eurosatory defense and security trade show at Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. Courtesy of Hanwha DefenseBy Kang Seung-wooHanwha Defense is showcasing a range of advanced military hardware, including combat vehicles, artillery systems and air-defense weapons at the Eurosatory defense and security trade show at Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in Paris until Friday (local time).The Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) is being displayed for the first time in the European market, highlighting its next-generation capabilities to meet the needs of European customers looking for advanced combat vehicles offering enhanced maneuverability and protection.The Redback was shortlisted in 2019 as one of the two final bidders for Australia's LAND 400 Phase 3 program. Last year, the futuristic combat vehicle successfully completed the final tests and evaluations conducted by the Australian Defense Force to prove its lethality, maneuverability and survivability, followed by the Korean Army's test trials in recent

Jun 14, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Hanwha Defense's Redback armored vehicle debuts in Europe
Foreign Affairs

Foreign minister stresses cooperation with Japan to thwart North Korean threats

Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a joint press conference following their meeting at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Monday (local time). Reuters-YonhapTop diplomats urge North Korea to refrain from staging provocations By Kang Seung-wooForeign Minister Park Jin has hinted that South Korea will take action to get its security cooperation with Japan back on track, as the new South Korean government is looking to mend ties with the neighboring country. His gesture also comes as speculation is mounting that President Yoon Suk-yeol may hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Spain on the sidelines of the NATO leaders' meeting scheduled for June 29 and 30.In addition, Korea's defense minister also highlighted a plan earlier this week to boost defense cooperation with Japan.Park himself is expected to travel to Japan in the near future for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, as well.With regard to the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) signed between Ko

Jun 14, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Foreign minister stresses cooperation with Japan to thwart North Korean threats
  • Foreign minister calls for 'future-oriented' cooperation with Japan, China
North Korea

'North Korea's reshuffle signals preparation for dialogue'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a meeting of the secretariat of the central committee of the North's Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Sunday, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Monday. Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's reshuffle of his foreign minister and the post in charge of inter-Korean relations means that he has laid the groundwork for dialogue with South Korea and the United States in the future, according to experts, even though he is highly anticipated to conduct a nuclear test soon.According to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, who used to play a key role in denuclearization talks, has been promoted to the post of foreign minister. In addition, Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon has been tapped to lead the ruling Workers' Party's United Front Department tasked with handling ties with South Korea.The announcement triggered rampant speculation here that Pyongyang will also adopt a confrontational stance against the new South Korean government and the U.S. administra

Jun 13, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
'North Korea's reshuffle signals preparation for dialogue'
Defense

KAI, Lockheed Martin strengthen strategic partnership for FA-50 sales in US

Korea Aerospace Industries President Ahn Hyun-ho, right, shakes hands with Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, during a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday (local Time). Courtesy of Korea Aerospace IndustriesBy Kang Seung-woo Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has agreed to strategically cooperate with Lockheed Martin on marketing its advanced trainer jets in the U.S. and global markets, the Korean company said, Monday.According to KAI, the nation's sole aircraft manufacturer signed a “teaming agreement” with the American defense firm in Texas, Thursday (local time), under which the two sides will form a steering committee focused on designing, producing and promoting an improved version of the FA-50 light attacker as well as marketing it to win U.S. military procurement projects.The FA-50 is a variant of KAI's T-50 supersonic trainer jet, co-developed with Lockheed Martin, using some of the U.S. firm's technologies, including the avionics system and engine.The strategic partnership comes as the global light-attacker market is rapidly grow

Jun 13, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
KAI, Lockheed Martin strengthen strategic partnership for FA-50 sales in US
Defense

Poland takes interest in Korean weapons

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, right, shakes hands with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, during their talks in Seoul, May 30. Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooPoland's possible purchase of Korean military hardware seems to be closer to happening as its evaluation groups visited here for a closer look at the weapons. Currently, Warsaw has interest in procuring Korea Aerospace Industries' (KAI) FA-50 light combat craft and Hyundai Rotem's K2 tank among others, as expressed by its Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, who also visited Korea one week earlier and toured local defense companies. According to the defense industry, the Polish delegation made a closed-door visit to Korea for five days starting Monday, and toured the defense firms as well as military units operating the weapons in which the country is interested. They toured Air Force and Army units operating the FA-50, the K-30 Biho self-propelled 30-milimeter anti-aircraft gun and the Chunmoo multiple rock

Jun 10, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Poland takes interest in Korean weapons
Politics

Yoon hints at pardoning ex-president

President Yoon Suk-yeol answers reporters' questions while reporting to work at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooSpeculation is growing that jailed former President Lee Myung-bak could be pardoned in August after President Yoon Suk-yeol said, Thursday, that it would not be appropriate to keep him behind bars for decades. “I think it is not right for him to be imprisoned for over two decades based on similar instances in the past," Yoon told reporters as he arrived at the presidential office.His remark was a shift in tone from the previous day when he seemed not likely to free Lee, who has been serving a 17-year jail term since November 2020 for embezzlement and bribery. Yoon, who had been advocating for releasing the former president as soon as possible during the campaign period and right after his election, said, Wednesday, that pardoning Lee is not an issue to talk about right now, raising conjecture that he may have changed his mind after winning the election in March.Speculation over a possible pardon for Lee comes as the 80-year-old has f

Jun 9, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon hints at pardoning ex-president
Foreign Affairs

New ambassador nominee gets US approval

By Kang Seung-woo Cho Tae-yong, the nominee for Korea's ambassador to the United States, has received diplomatic consent ― known in international affairs as “agrement” ― from Washington, according to media reports.Cho Tae-yongPresident Yoon Suk-yeol appointed the diplomat-turned-politician as his first ambassador to the U.S. on May 17 and the approval came two weeks after Cho's nomination. It took two months for Lee Soo-hyuck, Cho's predecessor under the Moon Jae-in administration, to receive the approval of the U.S. government, raising speculation for some at the time that the delayed consent had been due to Washington's displeasure with Seoul's decision to end an information-sharing deal with Japan, although the foreign ministry dismissed such conjecture. Known by those close to him for possessing a balanced mindset as well as expertise in U.S. and North Korean affairs, Cho, 65, served as the first vice foreign minister and the deputy national security adviser under the Park Geun-hye administration. In addition, he was elected as a proportional representative in 2020 on

Jun 8, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
New ambassador nominee gets US approval
Foreign Affairs

South Korea, US warn of possible North Korea nuclear test

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, right, shakes hands with Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Wendy Sherman ahead of their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapInternational community likely to respond to Pyongyang's provocation By Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea and the United States warned, Tuesday, that a quick and strong response was awaiting any possible nuclear test by North Korea, stressing the allies' full preparation to effectively deal with Pyongyang's destabilizing and provocative activities. The strong statement came after Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong held a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Wendy Sherman, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul amid high expectations that the Kim Jong-un regime is anticipated to conduct a seventh nuclear test soon. The vice-ministerial meeting also took place on the heels of a series of South Korea-U.S. talks featuring North Korea's nuclear program. President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden held a summit, May 21, to discuss ways to handle North Korea's nuclear and missile challenges, followe

Jun 7, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea, US warn of possible North Korea nuclear test
  • Allies stage air power demonstration following North Korea's missile launches
Defense

Seoul responds to North Korea's missile launches with joint live-fire exercise

South Korea and the United States hold a combined live-fire exercise at an unspecified location, Monday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff Yoon vows firm response to Pyongyang's saber-rattlingBy Kang Seung-wooOne day after North Korea's barrage of ballistic missile launches, South Korea and the United States responded, Monday, to the threats with another show of force by firing their own ballistic missiles, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).It is the second time that Seoul and Washington have responded in kind to Pyongyang's increasing saber-rattling, following their counter-action in response to the Kim Jong-un regime's launch of what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), May 25. This marks a dramatic shift of the South Korean government's North Korea policy to a hardline stance from a conciliatory approach, according to diplomatic observers.Plus, President Yoon Suk-yeol said in his Memorial Day speech that his administration will respond firmly to further provocations from the North.The JCS said the South Korean and U.S. militaries fir

Jun 6, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Seoul responds to North Korea's missile launches with joint live-fire exercise
  • North Korea's media outlets remain silent about missile launches
  • 'US remains concerned about N. Korea's nuclear test, but also ready for contingency'
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