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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

US continues pressure on Korea to stand against China

By Kang Seung-wooThe United States is raising pressure on Korea to participate in its anti-China alliance, with Washington seeking unity with its allies against Beijing's assertiveness in the region.Adm. Philip Davidson, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command / Korea Times fileKorea has been reluctant to adopt the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific strategy, aimed at containing China, despite repeated calls from its biggest ally, because a stand against China would come at a large cost, given that it is Seoul's largest trading partner. On Tuesday, Adm. Philip Davidson, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, made a visit to Defense Minister Suh Wook and discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, according to the Ministry of National Defense. However, the meeting was seen as unusual given that the 52nd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) was just held a week ago in the U.S., where Suh met with his American counterpart Mark Esper. Davidson also accompanied them. In that respect, Davidson's visit raised speculation that the U.S. would pressure Korea to jump on the anti-Chi

Oct 21, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
US continues pressure on Korea to stand against China
Defense

Defense minister welcomes US Indo-Pacific commander

Defense Minister Suh Wook, fifth from left, and Adm. Philip Davidson, fifth from right, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, pose with other dignitaries during the latter's visit to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Tuesday. During their talks, the two discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and vowed a strong combined readiness posture to support diplomacy to denuclearize North Korea. / Yonhap

Oct 20, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Defense minister welcomes US Indo-Pacific commander
Foreign Affairs

Korea struggles to stop Japan's release of radioactive water

Members of a student group hold a rally in front of the former site of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Tuesday, protesting Japan's plan to release radioactive water from its destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. / YonhapJeju governor vows to take legal action against Japanese government By Kang Seung-wooWith Japan about to decide on whether to release radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, Korea is seeking measures to stop the marine environment-threatening plan. However, the government is struggling to find practical and realistic ways to prevent the discharge, with the international community paying little attention to the issue.According to recent reports from Japanese media outlets, Tokyo is expected to make an official decision next week on its plan to dump more than 1 million tons of highly contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean after reducing its level of radioactivity. The water was contaminated after the nuclear plant was devastated by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011. If the government approves the plan, the releas

Oct 20, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Korea struggles to stop Japan's release of radioactive water
Politics

Political parties differ on fund scandal investigation

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon speaks during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Lee called for a separate body to investigate wrongdoings by high-ranking government officials amid a sweeping financial fraud scandal involving lawmakers, government officials and prosecutors. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooIn the wake of a tell-all letter by a jailed key suspect in a massive fund scandal, political circles are clashing over how to uncover the truth of a financial fraud case that allegedly involves lobbying of politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, government officials and prosecutors.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) insists that the nation must accelerate its efforts to launch a unit to investigate wrongdoings by high-ranking government officials and that the scandal be the first target of the unit, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) wants the appointment of a special counsel.The scandal centers on two asset management companies, Lime Asset Management and Optimus Asset Management, whose s

Oct 19, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Political parties differ on fund scandal investigation
Foreign Affairs

Korean political circle denounces Suga's move

Japanese PM unlikely to be committed to improving ties with Korea: expertsBy Kang Seung-wooNew Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's recent moves are raising doubts over whether he is committed to getting frayed ties with Korea back on track, with his latest act of sending an offering to a controversial shrine bringing heavy criticism from Seoul which contends it glorifies Tokyo's militaristic past.Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. / YonhapDiplomatic experts say his steps show that it is not an easy job for Suga to step out of his predecessor Shinzo Abe's shadow, particularly in terms of nationalism and his historical revisionism in foreign policy, given that the former was the latter's right-hand man for eight years and he could not have assumed the premiership without Abe's support. Suga sent a “masakaki” tree to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Saturday, to celebrate its annual autumn festival. It was the first time that Suga made such an offering since he took office in September. The shrine houses the remains of 14 Class A war criminals from World War II, so vi

Oct 18, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Korean political circle denounces Suga's move
North Korea

North Korea expected to test new ICBM after US election: experts

A new intercontinental ballistic missile on a 22-wheeler transporter erector launcher is displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang, Oct. 10, to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooAs expected, North Korea showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), presumably a Hwasong-16, and a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the Pukguksong-4, during a military parade for the 75th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party, Oct. 10, leaving government officials and experts in South Korea and the United States scrambling to analyze if and when Pyongyang will test its new weapons systems.Given the upcoming U.S. presidential election, Nov. 3, and Pyongyang's past record of staging a military provocation around the event, speculation has been rising that a missile launch may be impending. However, many experts buy into the idea that the North will refrain from testing its missiles until after the election for various reasons including helping U.S. President Donald Trump's reelection chances.Trump

Oct 16, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
North Korea expected to test new ICBM after US election: experts
Defense

Allies differ over OPCON transfer, defense cost-sharing

Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. counterpart Mark Esper attend a ceremony to lay flowers at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense By Kang Seung-wooThe latest ministerial defense talks between South Korea and the United States have highlighted that the allies are not on the same page on the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul, and defense cost-sharing for American troops stationed here.The disagreement occurred during the 52nd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, where Defense Minister Suh Wook met with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. South Korea is seeking to regain wartime OPCON of Korean troops from the U.S. by 2022, based on previous agreements that the transition will be made in accordance with the meeting of preconditions, without setting a deadline. To this end, the allies have been utilizing a three-phase verification process of initial operational capability (IOC), full operational capability (FOC) and full mission capability (FMC). Howeve

Oct 15, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Allies differ over OPCON transfer, defense cost-sharing
Foreign Affairs

Suga follows in footstep of Abe over historical issues

No sign of thaw in icy Korea-Japan tiesBy Kang Seung-wooDiplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan are not expected to improve after the latter's new leader, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, showed signs of following in the footsteps of his predecessor Shinzo Abe over historical issues. This has dashed any brief hopes for progress in bilateral ties that arose after Prime Minister Suga, in his first conversation with President Moon Jae-in last month, said the two leaders should not allow bilateral ties between the neighboring countries to remain frozen.Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga / YonhapIn less than a month, his earlier remarks are already ringing hollow to Korea as Suga is seemingly maintaining the same stance as Abe over the historical issues that have led relations between Seoul and Tokyo to deteriorate. His following in the footsteps of Abe is evidenced by the Japanese government's refusal to attend an annual trilateral meeting of China, Japan and Korea, which was scheduled to take place here later this year.According to multiple Japanese media reports, Tokyo has

Oct 14, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Suga follows in footstep of Abe over historical issues
Foreign Affairs

Envoy to US in hot seat over repeated controversial remarks

Korean Ambassador to the United States Lee Soo-hyuck speaks from his office in Washington, D.C., during a video-linked National Assembly audit session, Monday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-woo Korean Ambassador to U.S. Lee Soo-hyuck is in hot water over his repeated remarks that seem to devalue the nation's seven-decade alliance with the United States. Diplomatic watchers say it was inappropriate for the ambassador, whose mission is to manage bilateral relations, to make such comments that drew immediate rebuttals from the U.S. side on two occasions. “Just because Korea chose the U.S. 70 years ago does not mean it has to choose the U.S. for the next 70 years, too,” Lee said during the audit of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Monday.“Korea can choose to keep siding with the U.S. only if it is able to love the country and if it serves the nation's interests.”His remarks came as the power struggle between the U.S. and China has been intensifying, with each side urging Korea to pick a side.“The Korea-U.S. alliance is not only mili

Oct 13, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Envoy to US in hot seat over repeated controversial remarks
North Korea

Why President Moon keeps pushing for end-of-war declaration

gettyimagesbankMoon's repeated calls directed at Biden administration: expertsBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Moon Jae-in's repeated calls to officially end the Korean War indicate his administration's determination to continue with diplomatic attempts to resuscitate stalled talks between the United States and North Korea and eventually advance deadlocked inter-Korean ties, even if the U.S. undergoes a leadership change, Pyongyang watchers said, Friday.Moon suggested in his speech to the Korea Society, Thursday, that South Korea and the U.S. join forces to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 war, saying it will open the door for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Last month, Moon also floated the idea in his address to the virtual U.N. General Assembly session. The Korean War ended in an armistice after an agreement was signed in 1953 by the U.S.-led United Nations Command, China and North Korea, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war, and the Moon administration has touted an end-of-war declaration as a starting point for a full-fledged peace process.However, the U.S. and the North

Oct 9, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Why President Moon keeps pushing for end-of-war declaration
  • Motives behind North Korean leader's contradictory messages
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