The Korea Times

Animal rights activists accuse ex-president of abandoning North Korean dogs

President Moon Jae-in interacts with two white Pungsan dogs that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave to him as a gift, during an interview with BBC at the presidential office in Seoul, in this Oct. 12, 2018, file photo. Korea Times file'A commitment to be an animal's guardian is a commitment for life'By Jung Min-hoAnimal rights activists are criticizing former President Moon Jae-in for his decision to return his dogs ― given by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a gift following their 2018 summit ― to a government facility, saying that he should not treat the dogs as if they are objects.“Mr. Moon should not abandon the dogs or be forced to abandon them. As their guardian, it is his responsibility and privilege to care for their physical and emotional needs,” Patti Kim, head of Jindo Love Rescue, an animal rights group, told The Korea Times. “A commitment to be an animal's guardian is a commitment for life.”The statement came after Moon decided to give up a pair of white Pungsan dogs ― “Gomi” and “Songgang.” While they are currently und

Nov 10, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korea

INTERVIEW North Korea emboldened by Russia's defense at UN Security Council: expert

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin smile during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, in this April 25, 2019, file photo. North Korea's next nuclear weapons test will likely be the first one to avoid a condemnation and additional sanctions from the United Nations Security Council because of Russia's right to veto them, according to an expert. Reuters-YonhapPyongyang's next nuclear test will likely be first to avoid united condemnation, sanctionsBy Jung Min-hoHyun Seung-soo, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National UnificationNorth Korea's next nuclear weapons test will likely be the first one to avoid a condemnation and additional sanctions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) because of a likely veto by Russia, one of its five permanent members, according to an expert. Intelligence reports of the United States and South Korea show that the North is on the brink of conducting its seventh nuclear test. The regime's decision to proceed would certainly draw international criticism. Yet, such voices will likely be less united

Nov 9, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[INTERVIEW] North Korea emboldened by Russia's defense at UN Security Council: expert

Politics

Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, adjusts his glasses during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. YonhapDPK denies allegations that it helped organize anti-Yoon protestsBy Jung Min-hoOnly a few hours after the news broke last month about a deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Nam Young-hee, vice chief of the Institute for Democracy, a think tank of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), concluded that President Yoon Suk-yeol and his safety minister were to blame and demanded they step down immediately.The comment, which she made when police and emergency workers were still scrambling to gather the facts, was a grim sign of how the tragic incident, which killed 156 people and injured 197 others, could be used ― and exploited ― politically.Two days after the end of a national mourning period for the victims and their families, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the DPK, called for the resignations of all relevant top officials, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.“The president, who is responsible for

Nov 7, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Defense

Over 100 Korean War veterans, families from 15 countries to visit Seoul

People visit the new Wall of Remembrance during a special event at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, in this July 26 file photo. Veterans of the Korean War and their families will visit South Korea this week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Sunday. Reuters-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA total of 114 veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and their families will visit South Korea this week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Sunday. At the invitation of the ministry, the visitors, including 27 veterans from the United States, Britain, Canada, Turkey, Australia, the Netherlands, Colombia and France, will attend events organized to recognize their sacrifices and honor the fallen heroes during the conflict for six days, starting from Monday.Thomas Tanaka, 95, who fought in the 1942 Second Battle of the Hook as a U.S. private first class, is the oldest visiting veteran, according to the ministry. Others include Claude Petit, 87, from Canada, Ronald Monkhouse, 91, from Australia, Talip Yigit, 91, from Turkey and Theodorus Hubertus Haver from the Netherla

Nov 6, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Over 100 Korean War veterans, families from 15 countries to visit Seoul

Defense

South Korea joins naval review in Japan despite flag controversy

South Korean Navy ship Soyang takes part in Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of JMSDF, at Sagami Bay off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Sunday. Reuters-YonhapYoon takes political risks amid growing security threats from PyongyangBy Jung Min-hoSouth Korea took part in Japan's international naval fleet review for the first time since 2015 in Sagami Bay off Tokyo, Sunday, in a symbolic gesture for rapprochement amid intensifying threats from North Korea.Soyang, a 10,000-ton logistics support ship of South Korea's Navy, was among the 18 vessels from 12 countries participating in the event to promote peace and commemorate the 70th founding anniversary of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).As the host, Japan showcased 20 vessels to celebrate the special day with the “rising sun” flags fluttering on them.Many Koreans view the flag as a symbol of the former colonial ruler's wartime aggression and displaying it was surely going to draw criticism here. Yet the Yoon Suk-yeol administ

Nov 6, 2022By Jung Min-ho

South Korea joins naval review in Japan despite flag controversy

North Korea

North Korea's record single-day missile launch flurry cost as much as $75 million

North Korean flags are carried during a celebration of its 73rd founding anniversary in Pyongyang, in this Sept. 9, 2021, file photo. AP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea may have spent as much as $75 million on the missiles fired in its record single-day test, according to a military expert.The North launched 25 missiles Wednesday, including one that landed near the South's waters, in protest of a series of combined military exercises between Seoul and Washington over the past several weeks.Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a California-based policy think tank, told Free Asia Broadcasting that the total cost of North Korea's missile launches, including of short-range ballistic and surface-to-air types, was between $50 million and $75 million.The amount far exceeds North Korea's September exports to China ― $14.2 million ― and is equivalent to the amount of money the North had spent on importing rice from China in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the North imported 10,000 tons of rice worth about $5.1 million, Chinese customs data showed.&l

Nov 3, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korea's record single-day missile launch flurry cost as much as $75 million

Society

ANALYSIS Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Police officers talk to a man mourning for the victims of the deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPolice deserve criticism but must be seen within Korean context: expertsBy Jung Min-hoIn the wake of the deadly crowd crush that killed 156 people and injured 152 in central Seoul's Itaewon last weekend, politicians and the media, domestic and international, have been analyzing what went wrong ― and who to blame as the cause of the tragedy. So far, much of the criticism has focused on Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and the police under his authority. The police clearly deserve much criticism for having dismissed 12 emergency calls coming from Itaewon, as responding to the scene earlier could potentially have prevented or lessened the scale of the Oct. 29 tragedy.Yoon Hee-keun, head of the National Police Agency, admitted Tuesday there was a problem with the way the police handled the emergency calls from Itaewon and apologized. Later that day, Lee followed suit, apologizing as “a Cabinet member in a position to be infinitely re

Nov 2, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[ANALYSIS] Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Law & Crime

Interior minister apologizes over Itaewon crush

Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min lowers his head as he apologizes over the deadly Itaewon crowd crush, at a parliamentary session in the National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday. NewsisEmergency calls for crowd management were ignoredBy Jung Min-hoInterior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min apologized on Tuesday over last week's crowd crush, which took the lives of more than 150 people in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul. “I deeply apologize to the people as a Cabinet member in a position to be infinitely responsible for the people's safety,” Lee said at a parliamentary session. “First of all, I pray for those who died. I also offer my deep condolences to the bereaved families … As the father of a son and a daughter, this incident is so tragic and regrettable. It is difficult for me to accept this surreal reality and my words cannot describe how terrible it was.”The apology comes amid growing criticism over his previous remarks suggesting that he was not responsible for the Oct. 28 incident, which killed at least 156 people and injured 151

Nov 1, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Interior minister apologizes over Itaewon crush

Society

Nation mourns Halloween tragedy victims

A mourner places a flower to pay tribute to the victims of a deadly crowd crush, near Itaewon Station, central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulTeam of 475 police officers investigating cause of Itaewon crushBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee laid white chrysanthemums at an altar, Monday, set up in central Seoul to mourn the victims of a crowd crush that killed more than 150 people in the Itaewon nightlife district two days ago.The altar at Seoul Plaza was filled with a somber silence as the two paid their respects to the deceased and as the country attempts to make sense of how an exuberant evening there suddenly turned into a nightmare.Thousands of others also visited the altar, where they grieved over the tragedy. Some visitors quietly shed tears, while others were seen crying out loud.According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, a total of 154 people died and 149 others were injured from the incident that occurred at a narrow, inclined alley next to Hamilton Hotel. Most of the deceased were young people

Oct 31, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Society

Deadly Halloween crush kills 154, injures 133 others

Debris including a shoe are seen, Sunday, near the scene where over 150 people died and dozens more were injured the night before, after a mass of mostly young people celebrating Halloween became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged in a narrow alley. YonhapYoon declares period of national mourning; 26 foreign nationals from 14 countries among deadBy Jung Min-hoA festive night in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, suddenly turned deadly, Saturday, in one of Korea's worst peacetime disasters. The tragedy occurred among people crammed into a narrow, inclined alley next to Hamilton Hotel. As of 10 p.m., officials have confirmed that 154 people have died and 133 others were injured. Most of the victims were in their late teens and 20s. Given that some of the injured were in serious condition, the death toll could rise further. Except one, all the other 153 deceased victims have been identified, including 26 foreign nationals from China, Iran, Russia, the United States, France, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Norway, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Austria and two other countries, p

Oct 30, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Animal rights activists accuse ex-president of abandoning North Korean dogs

INTERVIEW North Korea emboldened by Russia's defense at UN Security Council: expert

Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Over 100 Korean War veterans, families from 15 countries to visit Seoul

South Korea joins naval review in Japan despite flag controversy

North Korea's record single-day missile launch flurry cost as much as $75 million

ANALYSIS Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Interior minister apologizes over Itaewon crush

Nation mourns Halloween tragedy victims

Deadly Halloween crush kills 154, injures 133 others

Top 5 stories