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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

Yoon, Biden reaffirm stronger alliance, NK deterrence at key air base

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, before Biden leaves for Japan later in the day. Yonhap Two leaders visit Air Force operations center on last stop of Biden's 3-day visit to South KoreaBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden reaffirmed the allies' determination, Sunday, to deter North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats and the importance of the bilateral alliance during their visit to a key Air Force operations center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the final stop of the American leader's three-day trip to Seoul. President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden are briefed during their visit to the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. YonhapThe two heads of state toured the Korean Air and Space Operations Center (KAOC) at Osan Air Base and met with American and South Korean troops stationed there. Biden was the first U.S. president to vis

May 22, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon, Biden reaffirm stronger alliance, NK deterrence at key air base
  • PHOTOS A closer look at South Korea-US summit
  • Summit tips Korea's economic axis toward US
Foreign Affairs

'South Korea secures stronger US commitment against North Korea's threats'

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden propose a toast during a banquet at the National Museum of Korea, Saturday, to welcome the latter's visit to Seoul. YonhapTwo leaders' joint statement refrains from provoking ChinaBy Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea's new President Yoon Suk-yeol successfully finished his summit debut, Saturday, with U.S. President Joe Biden by securing Washington's detailed security commitment to Seoul against North Korea's ever-growing nuclear weapons and missile threats, according to diplomatic observers. This came after the two decided to come up with more detailed “action plans,” while agreeing to upgrade their security-focused alliance into a global comprehensive strategic one that tackles 21st century challenges, mainly posed by China's assertiveness.However, the new South Korean government, previously expected to take a hardline stance on Pyongyang, seems to have become less hawkish on its northern neighbor in line with the U.S. administration, which does not want to see tensions increase on the Korean Peninsula.Yoon, who took office, M

May 21, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
'South Korea secures stronger US commitment against North Korea's threats'
  • Korea-US summit expected to benefit leaders of two countries in elections
Foreign Affairs

Blinken remains elusive figure for Yoon administration

By Kang Seung-woo U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has become the Joe Biden administration's most hard-to-meet person for the new Korean government, being absent from the American leader's first trip to Seoul since his inauguration in January 2021. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken / AFP-Yonhap Biden arrived here Friday accompanied by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, but Blinken instead opted to deliver remarks at Georgetown University's commencement ceremony, Saturday (local time), where he also received an honorary Doctorate of humane Letters.It is not the first time that officials of the Yoon administration have missed out on an opportunity to meet Blinken in person. In April, one month after his election, Yoon dispatched a seven-member policy consultation delegation, headed by now-Foreign Minister Park Jin, with one of the main objectives of the delegation being to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance. Yoon to

May 21, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Blinken remains elusive figure for Yoon administration
Foreign Affairs

South Korea-Japan relations in the shadow of Ukraine

By Daniel SneiderThe repair of the shattered state of South Korea's relations with Japan is already high on the agenda of the administration of Yoon Suk-yeol. The need for this has been evident for the last four years but there was an absence of political will on the part of the leaders of both countries to reverse the downward turn. Daniel Sneider This task has a new urgency, however, thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the threat this aggression represents to global order, on which both South Korea and Japan depend. Ironically, perhaps, the Russian invasion and the brutal war that has unfolded in Europe evokes parallels with the Korean War. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin gave the green light to the North Korean invasion of the South in June 1950, convinced that the U.S. would not defend it and was preoccupied with Europe. Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung, focused on gaining control of Taiwan, reluctantly agreed to support the invasion.It was a profound s

May 20, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea-Japan relations in the shadow of Ukraine
Foreign Affairs

US-led initiative expected to bolster economic partnership with Korea

gettyimagesbankSeoul needs to seek ways not to harm ties with ChinaBy Kang Seung-wooKorea's decision to participate in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is expected to bolster the economic partnership between Seoul and Washington, according to diplomatic observers. However, Seoul is also required to make efforts to prevent participation in the IPEF from adversely affecting its relations with China, the nation's largest trading partner, they added.On Wednesday, the presidential office announced its decision to join the IPEF, promoted by the United States to counter China's influence in the region. Relatedly, President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to announce Korea's intention to join the initiative during his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, Saturday, and plans to attend a summit virtually for the launch of the trade and economic initiative in Japan, May 24.“I think the IPEF contains things that are useful and beneficial to do, particular the digital module. More broadly, ROK participation would reinforce our burgeoning U.S.-ROK economic partnership,” s

May 19, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
US-led initiative expected to bolster economic partnership with Korea
  • ANALYSIS Korean firms pin cautious hopes on launch of IPEF
Defense

Black Eagles seek to show ROK Air Force's prowess in England

Air Force Maj. Yang Eun-ho / Courtesy of ROK Air Force By Kang Seung-wooWhen then-Air Force Capt. Yang Eun-ho saw the 53rd Air Demonstration Group, better known as the Black Eagles aerobatic team, wow spectators and win the trophy for best display at the Waddington International Air Show in Britain in 2012, he dreamed of being part of the squad. Ten years later, Yang, now a major, leads the 239th Squadron of the demonstration group and is set to take off for breathtaking aerobatic flying displays in the team's return to the UK. The Black Eagles are comprised of 12 pilots flying eight black, white and gold colored KAI T-50B Golden Eagle supersonic advanced trainer jets. According to the Air Force, the Black Eagles are scheduled to participate in three international air shows in Britain, marking its first visit to the European nation in 10 years. The three shows are: the Southport Air Show (July 9 to 10), the Royal International Air Tattoo (July 15 to 17) and the Farnborough Air show (July 9 to 22), as part of military diplomacy to promote Korean-made aircraft.“While assuming va

May 19, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Black Eagles seek to show ROK Air Force's prowess in England
Foreign Affairs

South Korea to join US-led Indo-Pacific economic initiative

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden / Korea Times fileYoon, Biden to hold 90-minute summitBy Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea has decided to participate in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), promoted by the United States to counter China's influence in the region, according to the presidential office, Wednesday. “President Yoon plans to attend a summit virtually for the launch of the trade and economic initiative in Japan, May 24,” Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, said in a press briefing, adding that there are eight countries that have joined the trade and economic initiative.The decision came two days before U.S. President Joe Biden's arrival in Seoul, Friday, for a three-day trip, and the presidential office is mulling an official announcement of its intention to join the IPEF and support its launch during the Yoon-Biden summit, scheduled for Saturday. The Biden administration unveiled the IPEF initiative during the East Asia Summit (EAS) last October as a regional device encompassing major Indo-Pacific countrie

May 18, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea to join US-led Indo-Pacific economic initiative
  • Biden's 1st destination in Korea likely to be Samsung plant
  • North Korean missile or nuclear test very possible during Biden's Asia trip: US security advisor
North Korea

Biden to stress US security commitment at DMZ: experts

Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, visit the DMZ in this Dec. 7, 2013 photo. YonhapUS president considers visiting heavily armed border amid continued North Korean provocations By Kang Seung-wooU.S. President Joe Biden is expected to issue a message of Washington's commitment to defending South Korea from escalating North Korean nuclear and missile threats during a possible trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to diplomatic observers, Tuesday. Biden is scheduled to arrive in South Korea, Friday, for a three-day visit that will include a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol as well as a meeting with Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in. The allies are coordinating the American leader's third trip to the DMZ, according to government sources. Biden already traveled twice to the most heavily armed border in the world, which separates the two Koreas, in 2001 as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and again in 2013 when he was the vice president.Last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also proposed Bid

May 17, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Biden to stress US security commitment at DMZ: experts
Politics

Ruling party gains momentum ahead of local elections

Ruling People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok speaks during a meeting with party officials of the party's election committee for South Gyeongsang Province in Changwon, Sunday. Yonhap PPP candidates ahead in Seoul, surrounding areas By Kang Seung-wooThe ruling People Power Party is moving closer to grabbing an opportunity to take revenge on the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which handed the conservative party a devastating loss four years ago in the local elections, as it is now basking in the limelight following the inauguration of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The PPP's approval rating hit a seven-and-a-half-year record high of 45 percent three days after Yoon's May 10 inauguration, according to Gallup Korea, giving it a significant boost ahead of the June 1 local elections. In addition, the PPP is expected to benefit from suspicions of sexual misconduct linked to a veteran DPK lawmaker. The opposition side saw its approval rating drop 10 percentage points from a week earlier to 31 percent. Four years ago, behind the inter-Korean detente in 2018, buoyed by a summit b

May 16, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Ruling party gains momentum ahead of local elections
North Korea

Does US support Yoon's hawkish stance on North Korea?

Washington wants to maintain status quo with Pyongyang: expertsBy Kang Seung-wooNew South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's policy toward North Korea can be summed up in one word, “hardline,” based on his previous remarks during the campaign. On the campaign trail, Yoon, a foreign policy neophyte, mentioned a pre-emptive strike in case of signs of an imminent North Korean nuclear attack, while pledging to deploy an additional U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense system to counter Pyongyang's evolving missile threats, both of which drew fiery responses from North Korea. In addition, the Yoon administration is considering referring to North Korea as South Korea's “main enemy” in its defense white paper. Plus, he is open to inter-Korean talks only when North Korea genuinely embarks on the path to complete denuclearization.However, it remains to be seen if the United States will stand up for its ally's hawkish stance on the Kim Jong-un regime, which could ratchet up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as Washington, already preoccupie

May 14, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Does US support Yoon's hawkish stance on North Korea?
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