The Korea Times

Gov't seeks to revise deportation law to protect North Korean escapees

A North Korean fisherman is handed over to North Korean officials at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom, in this Nov. 7, 2019, file photo. Courtesy of Ministry of UnificationBy Jung Min-hoThe government is pressing ahead with amending the law to protect North Korean escapees from repatriation against their will amid an investigation into the controversial 2019 decision to send back two North Korean fishermen despite their obvious resistance.The Ministry of Unification announced the plan to propose a revision of the law, Wednesday, to require its minister to confirm directly whether a North Korean in question wants to stay in South Korea before making a final decision.The revised law would also prohibit the government from deporting North Koreans against their will for any reason, even if they are accused of a felony. Instead, they would be given the right to a fair trial here.The attempt to codify the specific rules comes following the revelation of the photos of two North Korean fishermen, visibly gripped by fear, handed over by South Korean authorities to North Korean offi

Dec 8, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korea

British peacemaker presents idea to break stalemate in Korea

Michael Schluter, president and CEO of Relational Peacebuilding Initiatives (RPI), speaks during a meeting on a peacebuilding project for Korea at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, May 17. Courtesy of RPI'Denuclearization is unfeasible ― for now ― but peace can still be achieved'By Jung Min-hoAfter two Pyongyang-Washington summits that ended without an agreement, North Korea has refused to talk over the last three years, while intensifying its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. This situation paints a bleak future for the Korean Peninsula and the world. The chances of a conflict escalating into a nuclear catastrophe in the region are greater than ever before and seem to be only increasing as North Korea appears to have lost interest in developing any other types of weapons. By 2030, the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a Seoul-based think tank, warns North Korea could develop as many as 300 nuclear warheads and more advanced delivery means.Shifting the ruinous course is still possible, but only through a deal that would be acceptable to the North. Michael Schluter, the U

Dec 8, 2022By Jung Min-ho

British peacemaker presents idea to break stalemate in Korea

North Korea

North Korea's strong interest in climate change offers opportunity for cooperation

Yeo Min-ju, a professor of atmospheric science at Yonsei University, speaks during a forum hosted by the Ministry of Unification on "green detente" at the Royal Hotel in central Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-hoBy Jung Min-hoUnder the national principle of Juche, or self-reliance, North Korea shows almost no interest in working with other countries for a common cause. Yet North Korea sent a representative to last month's 27th U.N. climate change conference, known as COP27, in Egypt. The North also sent a representative to COP26 in Scotland a year ago.Moreover, North Korea reported its first Voluntary National Review to the U.N. agency in 2021 for the 2030 sustainable growth agenda, acknowledging “climate-related” natural disasters and vowing to step up efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.All this suggests Pyongyang's strong interest in climate change and presents an opportunity for inter-Korean cooperation in the area, according to experts Wednesday.“The Soviet Union's first gas pipeline in Western Europe, which has become an issue recently, was cons

Dec 7, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korea's strong interest in climate change offers opportunity for cooperation

Politics

INTERVIEW Author of 'Silent Invasion' warns against non-citizens' right to vote

gettyimagesbank'Beijing will certainly exploit it to influence elections,' Australian academic saysBy Jung Min-hoClive Hamilton, a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, Australia, and the author of “Silent Invasion: China's Influence in Australia"The Chinese government has been accused frequently in recent years of trying to influence politics in other countries, including through direct interference in elections. Only several weeks ago, a Chinese woman living in Delhi under a false identity was arrested on suspicion of spying on senior officials of the Indian government. In January, a British lawyer of Chinese heritage was named by the U.K.'s spy agency as an “agent” of Beijing, seeking to influence its parliamentarians. Given the many reports of such episodes, an Australian scholar claims it is naive to assume that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will not exploit the voting rights of non-citizens in Korea ― because it will.“The Chinese government will certainly exploit the non-citizen right to vote in an attempt to influence t

Dec 5, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[INTERVIEW] Author of 'Silent Invasion' warns against non-citizens' right to vote

Global Community

Korean gov't hints at depriving non-citizens of right to vote

gettyimagesbankJustice minister vows to reform system based on principle of reciprocityBy Jung Min-hoThe Ministry of Justice is mulling over revising Korea's voting system, possibly taking away the voting rights of non-citizens in local elections, according to Minister Han Dong-hoon. Only two weeks prior to the June 1 local elections, Kim Eun-hye, then the Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate of the ruling People Power Party, said giving non-citizens the right to vote is unfair as most Koreans living overseas do not enjoy the same right. Her message was aimed at then rival candidate Kim Dong-yeon, who was campaigning at an event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations in front of many Chinese F-5 visa (permanent residency) holders in Suwon. She lost by just 8,900 votes in the election for the post that governs more than 13.5 million residents. That was far fewer than the 50,000 votes of permanent residents of foreign nationality, mostly Chinese, in the province.The result can be seen as an example of F-5 permanent resident visa holders possibly swinging the

Dec 2, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Korean gov't hints at depriving non-citizens of right to vote

Society

Chinese residents in Seoul join 'white paper' protests against Beijing's COVID policy

A protester holds a sign that reads, "Free China #No Xi Jinping !! CCP," at a rally in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap'Protest may subside but frustrations won't. It could happen again,' scholar saysBy Jung Min-hoChinese residents held a rally in Seoul Wednesday night in a rare ― if not unprecedented ― gathering here against the stringent COVID-19 measures in their home country, demanding freedom and human rights while covering their faces due to the fear of being persecuted.Around 100 protesters gathered in a street near Hongik University, a popular area for young people, to pay their respects to the victims of a blaze last week in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Province in Western China, and express their fury over the lockdown measures, which were blamed for delaying firefighters from saving them.Some held up signs reading “Free China” and “Dictator Out” as well as blank white pieces of paper ― a symbol of defiance against Beijing's censorship ― as similar protests across China and beyond took place, in the boldest display of dissent against the Chinese authoriti

Dec 1, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Chinese residents in Seoul join 'white paper' protests against Beijing's COVID policy

Foreign Affairs

Prime minister focuses on climate change in promoting Busan's Expo bid

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo holds the "Squid Game invitation card" during his presentation on Busan's bid to host 2030 World Expo at the BIE General Assembly in Paris, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Courtesy of Office for Government Policy CoordinationHan ― with BTS ― makes case against rival city Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capitalBy Jung Min-hoIn a video played to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 at Tuesday's General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body that supervises the exhibitions, RM, the leader of K-pop boy band BTS, put forward climate change as one of the pressing issues for humanity. Comparing the current situation with the one described in “Squid Game,” the hit Korean series in which only one participant survives, BTS members made the case that the 2030 festival should be a platform for all participants to share ideas to find solutions for many challenges, so that “everyone can survive on this beautiful planet.”This video was part of the presentation delivered in Paris by Prime Minister Han

Nov 30, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Prime minister focuses on climate change in promoting Busan's Expo bid

Law & Crime

Murder suspect extradited to New Zealand

A woman suspected of killing her children covers her face as she is taken to a police vehicle at Ulsan Jungbu Police Station in Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, in this Sept. 15 file photo. The suspect has been extradited to New Zealand, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday. NewsisBy Jung Min-hoA 42-year-old woman, who is suspected of killing her two children, has been extradited to New Zealand. According to the Ministry of Justice, Tuesday, the woman, surnamed Lee, is a New Zealand citizen of Korean descent and was handed over along with evidence to the New Zealand authorities the previous day at Incheon International Airport.The woman came into the spotlight in August after a family in Auckland found the bodies of a 10-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy in two suitcases they purchased with other “abandoned goods” at an online auction. Police believe that the bodies had been kept there for several years.It was the first extradition request Korea received from New Zealand, the ministry noted.“We hope that the truth of this case will be revealed through a fair a

Nov 29, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Murder suspect extradited to New Zealand

Environment & Animals

Winter cold to bite starting Wednesday

People watch snow cannons covering ski slopes with artificial snow at a ski resort in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Sunday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoAfter a milder-than-normal November in Korea, a strong cold front is arriving this Wednesday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration Monday, temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing in most parts of the country after rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.Temperatures in Seoul are expected to plummet to as low as minus 8 degrees Celsius before falling slightly further the next day. Morning temperatures across the country, including southern regions, are forecast to be close to freezing for the coming week.In areas such as Paju in northern Gyeonggi Province, temperatures are expected to reach as low as minus 13 degrees Celsius early Thursday morning.The weather agency said it may issue cold wave warnings in many regions for Wednesday as its morning lows are expected to fall more than 15 degrees compared with Tuesday.The first snow will likely fall in southern parts of the west coast and on Jeju Island off the south coast, it add

Nov 28, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korea

ANALYSIS North Korean leader's daughter makes second public appearance

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un listens to his daughter Ju-ae during a photo session with military officers and other contributors to the development of the Hwasong-17, the biggest and longest-range North Korean ICBM, at an unidentified location in North Korea, in this photo released Sunday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. YonhapKim Ju-ae may eventually be announced as heir apparent: expertBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, made her second public appearance during an event where her father praised military officers for their progress in developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).The daughter, whom South Korean intelligence officials believe to be his second child, was revealed to the public for the first time a week ago in the Nov. 18 photos, showing her with Kim inspecting the launch of the Hwasong-17 missile ― North Korea's biggest, longest-range ICBM designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads. In photos released Sunday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Ju-ae, who is wearing a long black coat, ca

Nov 27, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Gov't seeks to revise deportation law to protect North Korean escapees

British peacemaker presents idea to break stalemate in Korea

North Korea's strong interest in climate change offers opportunity for cooperation

INTERVIEW Author of 'Silent Invasion' warns against non-citizens' right to vote

Korean gov't hints at depriving non-citizens of right to vote

Chinese residents in Seoul join 'white paper' protests against Beijing's COVID policy

Prime minister focuses on climate change in promoting Busan's Expo bid

Murder suspect extradited to New Zealand

Winter cold to bite starting Wednesday

ANALYSIS North Korean leader's daughter makes second public appearance

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