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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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North Korea

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan likely to discuss Pyongyang's hostile acts

By Kang Seung-wooThe chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to discuss ways to cope with North Korea's recent bellicosity, according to Pyongyang watchers.Noh Kyu-duk / YonhapThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, Friday, that Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul's top nuclear envoy, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, will hold a trilateral meeting next week in Washington, D.C. Noh and Kim are expected to meet bilaterally on Monday and join a trilateral meeting with Funakoshi the following day. Noh is also likely to hold two-way talks with Funakoshi on Tuesday. The three-way talks last took place in September in Tokyo, where the parties explored ways to encourage Pyongyang's return to dialogue, including humanitarian and other incentives.“As North Korea has repeatedly test-fired missiles, they are expected to share opinions on how to deal with its recent hostile moves,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.The Kim Jong-un regime launched missiles on four occas

Oct 15, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan likely to discuss Pyongyang's hostile acts
Foreign Affairs

Korea helps Colombia develop shipbuilding industry

From left, Korean Ambassador to Colombia Choo Jong-yeon,  Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Colombia country director Kim Hyun-geun and Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Maria Ximena Lombana Villalba pose during a signing ceremony for a record of discussion to help the Latin American country establish a foundation for its shipbuilding industry in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of KOICA By Kang Seung-wooThe Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has signed a record of discussion with Colombia's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism to help the South American country establish a foundation to promote policies for its shipbuilding industry and innovation in related small- and mid-sized companies. The signing ceremony was held in the Colombian capital of Bogota, Wednesday (local time), where Korean Ambassador to Colombia Choo Jong-yeon, KOICA country director Kim Hyun-geun, Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Maria Ximena Lombana Villalba and other dignitaries attended.Under its social agreement f

Oct 14, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Korea helps Colombia develop shipbuilding industry
Politics

Moon's probe order draws controversy over 'guidelines'

President Moon Jae-in speaks at a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Moon Jae-in has found himself embroiled in controversy over allegedly giving “investigation guidelines” regarding a snowballing corruption scandal linked to the ruling party's presidential candidate.On Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee told reporters Moon had instructed the prosecution and the police to “actively cooperate and do their utmost to uncover the factual truth through a swift and thorough investigation” into the lucrative, possibly illicit land development project in the Daejang region of the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. However, his instruction comes while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has been calling for a special counsel probe into the case, so it is seen as the President's rejection of the call and thus has been drawing a strong reaction from the opposition. Currently, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who was named the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) presidential candidate, Sunda

Oct 13, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Moon's probe order draws controversy over 'guidelines'
North Korea

North Korea continues to seek sanctions lifting, recognition as nuclear state

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks a defense development exhibition held in commemoration of the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Sunday, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the next day. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea has doubled down on its ambition to be declared a nuclear state, while urging the United States to change its “hostile” policy toward the country, and offer sanctions relief. The country's leader Kim Jong-un made the remarks in a speech at a defense development exhibition to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Sunday. In the speech, Kim accused Seoul of being “hypocritical” and having “double standards” for continuing to boost its military capabilities while talking ostensibly of “peace, cooperation and prosperity.”Expressing “strong regrets,” Kim said the North will respond with "strong actions" if South Korea continues to "infringe upon our rights to self-defense."His remarks come as the

Oct 12, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
North Korea continues to seek sanctions lifting, recognition as nuclear state
  • North Korean leader says boosting military capabilities is 'not for war with South or US'
Foreign Affairs

Korea massively cuts aid to Taliban-led Afghanistan

Taliban fighters stand guard outside the entrance of a hospital, Oct. 3. AFP-YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe state-run overseas aid agency has decided to cut humanitarian aid to Afghanistan for next year by nearly 80 percent due to uncertain conditions there following the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Taliban's subsequent takeover of the country, according to a lawmaker, Monday. Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the main opposition People Power Party cited a document submitted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), saying that it had initially planned to provide a total 4.72 billion won ($3.95 million) in 2022 for six official development assistance (ODA) projects, designed to support war-torn Afghanistan. They included fresh water development, vocational training and other capacity-building projects.However, the budget has been slashed to 1.05 billion won. Taking a closer look, KOICA planned to spend 1.22 billion won for fresh water development, but this was readjusted to 50 million won, while the budget for technical and vocational education and training also saw a huge cut from 3

Oct 11, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Korea massively cuts aid to Taliban-led Afghanistan
North Korea

Disagreement on North Korea sanctions feared to weaken Seoul-Washington alliance

GettyimagesbankExperts mixed on partial lifting of economic penalties By Kang Seung-wooAs ever-tightening U.S. sanctions have yet to achieve its policy goals, a discrepancy between South Korea and the United States in their respective views on whether to continue full implementation of economic punishment against North Korea is coming to the fore. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said earlier this month that the time was ripe for the consideration of sanctions relief, the latest move by the Moon Jae-in administration to engage the North on denuclearization.However, the U.S. State Department stressed the need to fully implement United Nations (U.N.) Security Council sanctions on the “rogue” state a few days later, a sign that the Joe Biden administration will not partially lift sanctions anytime soon in order to restart denuclearization talks that have been deadlocked since the collapse of a Hanoi summit between the U.S. and North Korea in February 2019.“There has been a rift between Washington and Seoul over sanctions on North Korea for quite some time. But more broa

Oct 11, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Disagreement on North Korea sanctions feared to weaken Seoul-Washington alliance
  • North Korean leader urges improvement in people's lives on party's founding anniversary
North Korea

North Korea remains low-key on party founding day

North Korea held a military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Sept. 9, to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding, shown in this photo released by the North's state media organization, the Korean Central News Agency. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea did not mark the 76th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party with a military parade, Sunday. Instead, the totalitarian state was focused on bolstering ideological education in what seemed to be a move to tighten leader Kim Jong-un's grip on power.According to military sources, the North Korean regime showed no signs of preparation for the military parade, which has been a fixture on official memorial days, where new or updated versions of the country's missiles, strategic weapons and other military hardware are usually shown.However, speculation that Pyongyang might skip a military parade had been widespread, as traditionally, it has celebrated the anniversary in a larger manner in years ending with a five or zero.Plus, North Korea previously staged a toned-down midnight military parade on Sept. 9

Oct 10, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
North Korea remains low-key on party founding day
Foreign Affairs

Korea-India Strategic Dialogue discusses ways to boost post-pandemic bilateral ties

Ahn Choong-yong, left, co-chair of the Korea-India Strategic Dialogue and distinguished professor at Chung-Ang University, speaks during a forum at The Plaza Seoul, Thursday. The forum was held in a hybrid format, with participants from India attending online. Courtesy of Seoul Forum for International AffairsBy Kang Seung-wooWith preparations for a “post-pandemic” world underway, scholars and experts from Korea and India have suggested that the two countries beef up bilateral cooperation in the areas of vaccine development, digital technology and defense as well as economy and trade. The 20th Korea-India Strategic Dialogue, co-hosted by the Korea Foundation (KF), Seoul Forum for International Affairs (SFIA) and India's Ananta Aspen Centre (AAC), was held Thursday under the theme, “Exploring New Opportunities for Strategic Partnership post COVID-19.” The event was held in a hybrid online-offline format, with the attendance of the Korean and Indian ambassadors to each other's countries.The strategic dialogue has represented track 1.5 diplomacy involving cooperat

Oct 7, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Korea-India Strategic Dialogue discusses ways to boost post-pandemic bilateral ties
Defense

Space center, an 'inspiring achievement' for ROK Air Force

Col. Park Ki-tae, director of the Republic of Korea Air Force Headquarters Space Center / Courtesy of the ROK Air ForceAir Force launches new organization after over 30 years of efforts By Kang Seung-wooAfter seeing the U.S. military victory in the 1990-91 Gulf War using space-based intelligence capabilities, the Republic of Korean Air Force started building up its own military space program. Over 30 years of efforts toward enhancing space power finally paid off, Sept. 30, as the Air Force launched its space center ― the first among the nation's three military branches.Col. Park Ki-tae, director of the ROK Air Force Headquarters Space Center, described its establishment as an “inspiring achievement” from the organization's years-long commitment to enhancing its space capabilities.“Despite assuming an important mission as the first head of the space center, I am ready to contribute to improving space power, taking advantage of the wealth of know-how that we have acquired in the lead-up to the center's creation,” Park said in a written interview with The Korea T

Oct 6, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Space center, an 'inspiring achievement' for ROK Air Force
Politics

Land development scandal engulfs parliamentary audit

Defense Minister Suh Wook leaves the session of the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit into the ministry in Seoul, Tuesday, as the inspection was suspended as rival parties clashed over a land development project involving Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung. YonhapBy Kang Seung-woo A lucrative, possibly illicit land development project involving the ruling party's leading presidential contender has been disrupting the National Assembly audit of government ministries and agencies, with the rival parties engaging in a war of words. The Assembly kicked off its annual audit into 745 ministries and agencies for a three-week run, Friday. The inspection, the last of its kind under the Moon Jae-in administration, comes as Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who is likely to be the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) presidential candidate, has been under attack for his alleged involvement in the scandal surrounding the development project in the Daejang district of the city of Seongnam.The 56-year-old has been accused of having handed out business favors to

Oct 5, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Land development scandal engulfs parliamentary audit
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