The Korea Times

South Korea steps up efforts to resolve issue of aging separated families

South Koreans on a bus hold the hands of their long-lost family members from North Korea after a reunion event for families separated by the Korean War, at North Korea's Mount Geumgang, in this Oct. 22, 2015, file photo. Despite little progress on inter-Korean relations in recent years, the unification ministry vowed on Tuesday to step up efforts to connect the families with their loved ones in the North. Korea Times fileOnly 30% of reunion applicants still alive; gov't desperate for any means of connectionBy Jung Min-hoOver the past 12 years, more than 24,000 South Koreans have created video letters for their family members who might still be alive in North Korea, hoping that the messages would reach them one day.In the letters, some of which are available on a website run by the Ministry of Unification, they express hopes of meeting their brothers or sisters lost in the chaos of the 1950-53 Korean War during their childhood. “My mother would probably have died by now after 70 years,” a man, 76, who was hoping to find his long-lost younger brother, said in a video clip p

Feb 7, 2023By Jung Min-ho

South Korea steps up efforts to resolve issue of aging separated families

Politics

Opposition party seeks to impeach interior minister over Itaewon tragedy

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min gazes into space during an interpellation session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has introduced a bill to impeach the minister over the Itaewon tragedy. NewsisRuling party accuses DPK of political maneuvering to protect its embattled leaderBy Jung Min-hoThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is seeking to impeach Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, blaming him for having failed to protect the 159 innocent lives lost in a crowd crush last Halloween in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul. National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo told a plenary meeting Monday that an impeachment motion signed by its 176 members, including DPK floor leader Park Hong-keun, has been submitted.After a general meeting of DPK lawmakers, Park said the party plans to put the bill to a vote at the Assembly on Wednesday.The move comes two months after the DPK-controlled Assembly passed a motion calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to sack Lee over his “incompetence,” which it claimed let the Oct. 2

Feb 6, 2023By Jung Min-ho

Opposition party seeks to impeach interior minister over Itaewon tragedy

Seoul City postpones taking down 'illegal' memorial for Itaewon tragedy

Society

9 fishermen, including 2 Vietnamese, missing in boat incident

A Korea Coast Guard helicopter searches for the missing fishermen in waters off the country's southwestern coast, Sunday, after a boat capsized at sea the night before. Courtesy of Coast GuardPresident orders maximum effort for search operationsBy Jung Min-hoThe Korea Coast Guard and the ROK military have been searching for nine fishermen missing after their boat was capsized late Saturday night in waters off Korea's southwestern coast.The 24-ton vessel was overturned at around 11:17 p.m. in waters 16.6 kilometers west of Daebichi, an uninhabited island close to the county of Sinan. Since then, three people, including one Indonesian national, have been rescued. Nine others, including two Vietnamese nationals, are still missing.President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday told top officials of all related government ministries and agencies to maximize efforts to find them, calling for support for victims' families, according to Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for press affairs.Some 30 vessels from the Korea Coast Guard and the ROK Navy as well as several maritime patrol aircraft and d

Feb 5, 2023By Jung Min-ho

9 fishermen, including 2 Vietnamese, missing in boat incident

North Korea

Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bombers and F-22 stealth fighter jets accompany Republic of Korea Air Force F-35 fighter jets over the West Sea during a joint air drill, in this handout photo taken Feb. 1. Courtesy of Ministry of National DefenseRegime will likely double down on aggression, conduct nuke test this month, analyst saysBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea threatened an eye-for-an-eye response to South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises, Thursday, when stealth fighter jets and strategic bombers took part in the two allies' first joint air drills of the year.The warning from Pyongyang comes two days after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a meeting in Seoul, during which he told South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup that there will be more joint exercises involving some of the U.S.' most powerful military assets in response to North Korea's evolving security threats.“DPRK (North Korea) will take the toughest reaction to any military attempt of the U.S. on the principle of 'nuke for nuke and all-out confrontation for all-out confrontation,'” the foreign m

Feb 2, 2023By Jung Min-ho

Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea

Law & Crime

4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang

A South Korean activist suspected of following orders from North Korea enters the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Tuesday. The court issued arrest warrants for all of them. YonhapProbe into North Korean spy ring gains tractionBy Jung Min-hoFour South Korean activists have been arrested on charges of carrying out orders from Pyongyang as the investigation into an alleged North Korean spy ring gains traction.The Seoul Central District Court approved arrest warrants, Wednesday, for the members of “the Vanguard of the People's Independent Unification,” citing flight risks and concerns over possible destruction of evidence.The suspects are under suspicion of establishing the organization in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2016 to stir up anti-government sentiment and coordinate rallies. The organization was allegedly set up according to orders given by North Korean agents the suspects met in Cambodia, Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.The United Front Department of the North's ruling Workers' Party, which is in charge of propaganda and espionage o

Feb 1, 2023By Jung Min-ho

4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang

Defense

South Korea, US to expand size and content of joint military drills

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, right, and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin shake hands during a joint press conference after their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, Tuesday. AP-YonhapPentagon chief assures NATO-style security guarantee amid growing skepticism over extended deterrence against North KoreaBy Jung Min-hoSouth Korea and the United States agreed to expand the size and content of their combined military drills on Tuesday to counter intensifying security threats from North Korea amid growing skepticism here over Washington's commitment to provide extended deterrence.At a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup in Seoul, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reassured that his country's “ironclad” commitment to the Asian ally will continue to underpin their relationship."Our commitment to the defense of the ROK (South Korea) remains ironclad, and the United States stands firm in its extended deterrence commitment," the Pentagon chief said. “That includes the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including our conventional, nuclear an

Jan 31, 2023By Jung Min-ho

South Korea, US to expand size and content of joint military drills

Defense

Over 76% of South Koreans support development of nuclear weapons

A photo showing North Korea's missile launch is displayed at the Unification Observation Post in Paju near the inter-Korean border, Jan. 27. More than 76 percent of people in South Korea support the idea of arming their country with nuclear weapons to counter growing security threats from North Korea, a new study showed Monday. AP-YonhapSurvey suggests widespread skepticism over denuclearization of North KoreaBy Jung Min-hoOver 76 percent of people in South Korea support the idea of arming their country with its own nuclear weapons to counter growing security threats from North Korea, a new study showed.According to the results of a survey released Monday by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, a think tank, 60.7 percent of the respondents said they believe their country is somewhat in need of developing its own nuclear weapons, while 15.9 percent said it is very much in need.Only 3.1 percent said the country is in no need of such weapons, while 20.3 percent said the need is low.The level of approval measured for nuclear weapons is higher than the numbers shown in other studies i

Jan 30, 2023By Jung Min-ho

Over 76% of South Koreans support development of nuclear weapons

North Korea

Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean Peninsula

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, waves as he departs Dong Dang railway station in Dong Dang, a Vietnamese border town, in this March 2, 2019, file photo. The Ministry of Unification said Friday that it will begin various projects this year with Vietnam's authorities to renew peace efforts for the Korean Peninsula. AP-YonhapMinistry of Unification plans projects with Vietnam, key partner of both KoreasBy Jung Min-hoAfter more than three years of no progress on the issue of peace for the Korean Peninsula, Seoul is now exploring ways to renew efforts in the country where it came to a sudden halt ― Vietnam.In an effort to create something meaningful after the fruitless 2019 summit between Washington and Pyongyang in Hanoi, the Ministry of Unification will begin various projects this year with the authorities in Vietnam, such as building up an archive of how the Southeast Asian nation became an economic success story through its radical reforms.According to a written plan Unification Minister Kwon Young-se submitted to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, the ministry also seeks to

Jan 27, 2023By Jung Min-ho

Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean Peninsula

Politics

Gov't seeks to limit where child sex offenders can reside

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon speaks during a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, Thursday. NewsisInspired by Jessica's Law, justice minister vows to push for revision to lawBy Jung Min-hoKorea will seek to limit where convicted high-risk sex offenders can reside after finishing their prison sentences in an effort to better protect children and women. Speaking to President Yoon Suk Yeol about the ministry's plans for this year, Thursday, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said he will push for a revision to the anti-sex crime law as one of its five main projects.If passed, the law would bar child sex criminals and those convicted of repeated sex offense charges from residing within 500 meters of a daycare center, kindergarten or school.This means that sex offenders would not be allowed to live in almost all residential areas of big cities such as Seoul where such facilities for minors are ubiquitous.Critics say such a law would violate the Constitution that guarantees citizens' freedom of residence and the right to move at will. Some claim it would be tantamount to &ldquo

Jan 26, 2023By Jung Min-ho

Gov't seeks to limit where child sex offenders can reside

North Korea

9 North Korean workers in Russia defected to South Korea

North Korean men work at a construction site in Vladivostok, the Far East of Russia, in this Nov. 9, 2015, file photo. Nine North Korean workers dispatched to Russia as part of the regime's efforts to collect U.S. dollars recently defected to South Korea amid Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, according to an expert familiar with the issue Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanRussia's war in Ukraine may have scared NK laborers into fleeing, says expertBy Jung Min-hoNine North Korean workers dispatched to Russia as part of the regime's efforts to collect U.S. dollars recently defected to South Korea amid Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, according to an expert familiar with the issue Wednesday.The North Koreans, all male aged between 20s and 50s including two soldiers, arrived in the South last month and have been attending a three-month cultural adjustment program at Hanawon, a state-run facility for North Korean defectors, said Kang Dong-wan, a professor at Dong-A University in Busan and former director of the facility.“The outbreak of Russia's war with Ukraine caused a sti

Jan 25, 2023By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

South Korea steps up efforts to resolve issue of aging separated families

Opposition party seeks to impeach interior minister over Itaewon tragedy

9 fishermen, including 2 Vietnamese, missing in boat incident

Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea

4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang

South Korea, US to expand size and content of joint military drills

Over 76% of South Koreans support development of nuclear weapons

Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean Peninsula

Gov't seeks to limit where child sex offenders can reside

9 North Korean workers in Russia defected to South Korea

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