The Korea Times

EXCLUSIVE Safeguard Defenders offers to help South Korea probe China's secret police station

A paramilitary police officer stands guard outside the Great Hall of the People ahead of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, in this March 4, 2021, file photo. A representative of the human rights group that released a bombshell report accusing China's government of operating more than 100 “secret police stations” around the world told The Korea Times that it is willing to work with the South Korean government to investigate the case. AFP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoSafeguard Defenders, the Madrid-based human rights group that released a bombshell report accusing China's government of operating more than 100 “secret police stations” around the world, has offered to help South Korean authorities find them in their territory.The offer comes two days after South Korean officials told reporters that an investigation had begun to confirm the allegations that the Chinese Communist Party is running at least one such police facility “at an unknown location” in the country.“Safeguard Defenders is availabl

Dec 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[EXCLUSIVE] Safeguard Defenders offers to help South Korea probe China's secret police station

Society

Korea to introduce human trafficking act to better protect victims

gettyimagesbank'A step forward to embrace international human rights standards'By Jung Min-hoA new law calling for a clearer definition of human trafficking and improved protection for victims will come into force on the first day of 2023.Under the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, the crime, also known as trafficking in persons, refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people by coercion, fraud or other means for the purpose of exploitation including prostitution.“By adopting the law, Korea is taking a step toward embracing the international standards in acknowledging what it is and how to deal with it,” Lee Jae-woong, project manager on the issue at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, told The Korea Times, Wednesday.Korea has long been criticized for lacking a specific or consistent definition of the crime, while the forms of human trafficking continue to evolve, making the jobs of police and researchers more difficult.The law also makes it clear that both foreign nationals in Korea and Korean citizens overseas are subject to

Dec 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Korea to introduce human trafficking act to better protect victims

Foreign Affairs

Korea launches probe into China's secret police station

Chinese paramilitary police wearing goggles and face masks march in formation at the Yanqing National Sliding Center during a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, in this Oct. 25, 2021, file photo. Korea has launched an investigation to confirm the allegations that the Chinese government is operating a “secret police station” here, joining several other countries conducting similar investigations. AP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoKorea has launched an investigation into the allegations that the Chinese government is operating a “secret police station” here to monitor and terrorize Chinese nationals as part of Beijing's effort to keep them under its influence.The move comes as several other countries, including the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, are conducting similar investigations after a human rights organization in Spain issued a detailed report accusing the Chinese government of running more than 100 overseas police stations in 53 countries, including Korea.Government sources told reporters Tuesday that the investigation has begun to estab

Dec 20, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Korea launches probe into China's secret police station

North Korea

ANALYSIS Doubts raised over North Korea's spy satellite claims

This photo released Monday by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows a projectile fired at the Sohae satellite launching station in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. Yonhap Pyongyang appears to have fired Rodong missiles equipped with cameras: expertsBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea claimed Monday that it conducted a final-stage test for the development of its first spy satellite, vowing to complete preparations for the project by April 2023.Accompanying the report by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) were black-and-white, low-resolution images showing two South Korean cities ― Seoul and Incheon. North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration called the test results a “success” which it claimed verified the key technologies required for the launch of reconnaissance satellites, according to KCNA.Pyongyang made the announcement a day after firing two intermediate-range ballistic missiles from the Sohae satellite launching

Dec 19, 2022By Jung Min-ho

NK leader's sister dismisses doubts about satellite, ICBM technologies

North Korea

ANALYSIS North Korea's latest weapons test aims to undermine kill chain system

This photo released Friday by the official Korean Central News Agency shows a high-thrust solid-fuel motor test to develop a new weapon at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, Thursday. YonhapHarder-to-detect solid-fuel ICBMs are threat to anti-missile system: expertsBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea has tested a high-thrust solid-fuel motor that analysts say could allow quicker and harder-to-detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with the apparent aim of undermining ― and ultimately incapacitating ― South Korea and the U.S.' anti-missile system.The missile engine test, which was conducted Thursday under the supervision of leader Kim Jong-un, provided a “scientific and technological guarantee for the development of another new type strategic weapon system,” the official Korean Central News Agency claimed Friday.Kim praised the success of the test, saying he expects a new strategic weapon to be built “in the shortest span of time,” the broadcaster reported.Experts believe he was likely referring to a solid-fuel ICBM

Dec 16, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korea

Consumerism emerges in North Korea as middle class grows

A woman tests cosmetics products at an exhibition of women's clothing in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released Thursday by the Choson Sinbo. YonhapThirst for better life gives rise to diverse cultural products as regime embraces change: studyBy Jung Min-hoAlthough many North Koreans still worry about how they will find their next meal, North Korea's growing middle class and their interest in consuming culture have given rise to more diverse goods and services in the country, as the regime embraces it as contributing to stability rather than as a threat, a recent study shows.A study led by Jeong Eun-mi at the Korea Institute for National Unification shows middle-class North Koreans are becoming increasingly selective about what they eat and wear as well as how they spend their leisure time. Over the past 10 years and under Kim Jong-un's watch, the rise of such consumerism has become more visible, even though the coronavirus pandemic slowed the trend, she said.“There are more varieties of rice at markets. Side dishes have become more diverse and middle-class North Korean

Dec 15, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Consumerism emerges in North Korea as middle class grows

Foreign Affairs

Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

China's Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming speaks at a press forum on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties at the Press Center, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapKorean journalists attribute 'THAAD revenge' to growing anti-Beijing sentimentBy Jung Min-hoChinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming blamed the Korean media for creating anti-China sentiment among the Korean public, claiming that some media outlets are using China coverage as click bait.The Chinese envoy's remarks show that there is a striking gap between Korea and China in their perceptions of the reason behind the growing anti-China sentiment in Korea as Koreans believe Beijing's retaliatory measures following the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) has been at the center of Koreans' negative perceptions of China. At Wednesday's press forum on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Xing voiced concerns that Koreans increasingly perceive his country negatively, saying the media's unfavorable coverage has been “one of the causes.”“I h

Dec 14, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

North Korea

'Maximum pressure had worked': Pence's memoir reveals how Trump dealt with North Korea

Kim Yo-jong, top right, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, sits behind U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, bottom left, as they watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, in this Feb. 9, 2018, file photo. YonhapEx-US VP and son of Korean War veteran believes 'fire and fury' forced Kim to ask for talksBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea had long been the master of its own game: The regime knew exactly how to get what it wanted through war threats while suggesting it would give up its nuclear weapons while seeming to have no intention of actually doing so.However, when the Trump administration reacted differently to Pyongyang's renewed bombast and threats with far more serious and realistic consequences involving the world's most powerful military, the North was clearly “shaken” and started seeking negotiations, according to the memoir of former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.“Applying maximum pressure had worked. President Trump's willingness to answer threats with counter-threats of 'fire and fury' had worked,” Pence, 63, said in

Dec 14, 2022By Jung Min-ho

'Maximum pressure had worked': Pence's memoir reveals how Trump dealt with North Korea

Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Beijing agree to seek summit in South Korea

Foreign Minister Park Jin smiles during his virtual meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, at the government complex in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign AffairsForeign ministers vow to expand ties 'in new era of cooperation'By Jung Min-hoThe foreign ministers of South Korea and China agreed to strengthen bilateral diplomatic ties, Monday, as the two countries seek to hold high-level exchanges, including a summit in Seoul, “in the new era of cooperation.”According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Park Jin and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held a virtual meeting and agreed to “maintain exchange momentum” for President Yoon Suk-yeol and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping following their first summit in Bali, Indonesia, last month.The top diplomats said they will work together to honor what was agreed upon during the previous summit and to possibly hold a second one in South Korea, but did not elaborate.Park's visit to Beijing, Wang's trip to Seoul and vice minister-level talks are among the other projects they agreed to pursue i

Dec 12, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Seoul, Beijing agree to seek summit in South Korea

Korean, Chinese businesses urge governments to boost exchanges

Politics

Motion calling for sacking interior minister approved

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo bangs the gavel after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally passed a motion calling for firing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min at the Assembly chamber in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapYoon expected to exercise veto rightBy Jung Min-hoThe opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a motion, Sunday, calling for removing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min from the Cabinet post over his “failure” in handling the Itaewon crowd disaster, which killed at least 158 people on Oct. 29.After lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) left the chamber in protest of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) unilateral push for the vote, the motion was approved with backing from 182 lawmakers in the 299-member Assembly.It was the second such attempt to remove a Cabinet minister of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, following the eventually vetoed one aimed at Foreign Minister Park Jin over the president's mistake-plagued overseas trips in September. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min / NewsisRep. Lee Jae-myung, the DPK leade

Dec 11, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

EXCLUSIVE Safeguard Defenders offers to help South Korea probe China's secret police station

Korea to introduce human trafficking act to better protect victims

Korea launches probe into China's secret police station

ANALYSIS Doubts raised over North Korea's spy satellite claims

ANALYSIS North Korea's latest weapons test aims to undermine kill chain system

Consumerism emerges in North Korea as middle class grows

Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

'Maximum pressure had worked': Pence's memoir reveals how Trump dealt with North Korea

Seoul, Beijing agree to seek summit in South Korea

Motion calling for sacking interior minister approved

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