The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Sponsoring dreams of North Korean defectors

Seo You-jin, a lawyer and director of the Nanum & Ieum Foundation, poses during a youth counseling program near Bucheon Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this June 3 file photo. Courtesy of Seo You-jinBy Jung Min-hoIt is easy to assume that North Korean defectors are more satisfied with their lives here than they were before their escape. In South Korea, they no longer have to worry about starving to death or being imprisoned for criticizing corrupt leaders. Yet the reality is more complicated. Here, North Korean defectors struggle with different issues. Some say they feel even more lost than when they were trying to escape a land with no freedom.Lawyer Seo You-jin, 34, the director of the Nanum & Leum Foundation established by the law firm Shin & Kim, said she was one of those who had that same blind notion before she started to truly listen to their voices.“I was surprised to learn that some North Korean defectors tried to kill themselves because of depression. They had motivation for a better future when they risked their lives to escape North Korea. That

Aug 24, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[INTERVIEW] Sponsoring dreams of North Korean defectors

Defense

South Korea, US launch largest combined military drills in 5 years

K1 tanks are on the move for an exercise at a training field in Paju, a city near the border with North Korea, Monday. South Korea and the U.S. began their biggest combined military training exercises in five years as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat. NewsisYoon says realistic training exercises are necessary to preserve peace By Jung Min-hoSouth Korea and the United States began their largest combined military drills in five years, Monday, to sharpen their readiness at a time when North Korea is ramping up missile and nuclear threats. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, scheduled to continue until Sept. 1, mark the resumption of the two allies' full-scale field exercises involving fighter jets, warships, tanks and potentially tens of thousands of troops.The participants will rehearse scenarios, such as responding to North Korea's attacks on key industrial facilities including an airport, a semiconductor factory or a nuclear power plant. The Ministry of Defense's report to the National Assembly shows that their training script reflec

Aug 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho

South Korea, US launch largest combined military drills in 5 years

Politics

Kim Eun-hye returns as senior press secretary

Kim Eun-hye, new senior press secretary for President Yoon Suk-yeol, speaks after a reshuffle announcement at the press room of the presidential office in Seoul, Sunday. NewsisEx-Vice Trade Minister Lee appointed senior secretary for policy planning; Lim named deputy national security adviserBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol replaced his senior secretary for public relations, Sunday, as dismal approval ratings jeopardize his reform agenda before it even starts.The presidential office announced that Kim Eun-hye, 51, a former lawmaker who had previously been spokeswoman for Yoon's transition team, will replace Choi Young-bum in the top PR post as part of the first major reshuffle of the office since Yoon's inauguration in May.Kim, a TV anchor-turned-politician who vacated her National Assembly seat to run unsuccessfully in the race for Gyeonggi governorship in June, has now been handed the task of developing media strategies and helping the administration improve communication with the public.“Given that Kim is well aware of the philosophy of President Yoon's state affairs an

Aug 21, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Kim Eun-hye returns as senior press secretary

Foreign Affairs

Minister rebuked for 'submissive' stance toward Japan

Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee inside the Assembly building, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoForeign Minister Park Jin was lambasted Thursday for the government's soft stance on Japan, which President Yoon Suk-yeol recently described as “a partner” that Korea should join forces with to protect their shared values, despite unresolved past grudges. At a meeting at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Park was criticized especially for the ministry's effort to postpone the Supreme Court's decision on liquidating the assets of Japanese companies here to compensate forced labor victims ― a “red line” Tokyo has warned Seoul will regret crossing.Three lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) ― Rep. Yun Ho-jung, Rep. Cho Jeong-sik and Rep. Kim Kyung-hyup ― denounced Park for “showing little willingness” to resolve the issue for the victims and for the ministry's “submissive posture” in diplomacy.The mini

Aug 18, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Minister rebuked for 'submissive' stance toward Japan

Foreign Affairs

Yoon remains optimistic about Seoul-Tokyo relations

President Yoon Suk-yeol takes questions from reporters during a press conference marking his 100 days in office at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. NewsisVerdict expected soon on liquidation of Japanese assets over forced labor ― Tokyo's red lineBy Jung Min-hoDespite the wartime forced labor issue standing in the way of Korea-Japan relations, President Yoon Suk-yeol remains optimistic about the prospects of improving bilateral relations. “I believe the governments and the people of both countries can come up with a reasonable solution,” Yoon said at Wednesday's press conference marking his 100 days in office. “When the two countries strengthen their future-oriented relations, they can resolve their issues in the past amicably and promptly, through concession and understanding. If there's no future for them, why would they put the past behind them?”His remarks come just two days after he called the country a neighbor that Korea should join forces with to protect their shared values, such as freedom and human rights, in his Liberation Day speech.Soon

Aug 17, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Yoon remains optimistic about Seoul-Tokyo relations

Yoon opposes forceful change to status quo in North Korea

Foreign Affairs

'Japan is our partner': Yoon vows to improve Seoul-Tokyo ties

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a ceremony celebrating the 77th anniversary of Korea's Liberation Day from Japan's colonial rule, on the lawn of the presidential office in Seoul, Monday. YonhapIn Liberation Day speech, president proposes economic assistance to North Korea in return for denuclearization By Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to improve relations with Japan, calling the country a partner that South Korea should work with to defend important shared values, in a speech on Monday marking the 77th anniversary of liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.Yoon reiterated that he aims to inherit the spirit of the 1998 joint declaration between former President Kim Dae-jung ― a revered figure among liberal voters ― and former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, underscoring the shift of perception toward Japan from an old enemy to a new friend.“In the past, we had to unshackle ourselves from the political control imposed upon us by imperial Japan so that we could regain and defend our freedom. Today, Japan is our partner as we face common threats that c

Aug 15, 2022By Jung Min-ho

'Japan is our partner': Yoon vows to improve Seoul-Tokyo ties

Politics

Yoon pardons Samsung chief, other business tycoons to 'overcome economic crisis'

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong speaks to reporters in front of the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Friday, after President Yoon Suk-yeol's pardon announcement. YonhapPoliticians, including ex-President Lee Myung-bak, not on listBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol has granted his first special pardons to Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and other business tycoons to help “overcome an economic crisis” facing Korea.Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Dongkuk Steel Mill Chairman and CEO Chang Sae-joo and former STX Group Chairman Kang Duk-soo were among other business leaders who are being pardoned, Monday, on the 77th anniversary of the country's Liberation Day.“With urgent needs to overcome the national economic crisis, several business people were carefully selected, so they would lead the economic growth through technology investment and job creation,” Justice Minister Han Dong Hoon said during a press briefing in Seoul.Politically controversial figures, including former President Lee Myung-bak and former South Gyeongsang Province Govenor Kim Kyoung-soo,

Aug 12, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Yoon pardons Samsung chief, other business tycoons to 'overcome economic crisis'

Samsung's Lee expected to solidify leadership, step up biz activities after receiving pardon

Defense

Yoon holds first meeting with USFK chief since inauguration

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamer at Camp Humphreys, the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in this April 7 file photo. President Yoon had a closed meeting with him and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg at the presidential office Tuesday, an official said Thursday. NewsisSouth Korea, US reinforce military ties amid rising tensions in regionBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol had a closed meeting with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera at the presidential office, Tuesday, in the first talks between the two since he was inaugurated on May 10, a top-ranking official told The Korea Times. “Issues such as the security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula and Seoul-Washington (military) cooperation were discussed in the meeting,” an official familiar with the talks said on Thursday. It was Yoon's second meeting with LaCamera, 58, who serves also as the commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command. Yoon met him for the first t

Aug 11, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Yoon holds first meeting with USFK chief since inauguration

Defense

INTERVIEW Polish arms deal may well lead to greater opportunities for Korea: expert

The K2 Black Panther / Courtesy of Hyundai RotemUkraine war raises interest in Korean weapons suppliers to help upgrade aging Eastern European ordnanceBy Jung Min-hoBruce BennettSouth Korea's recent arms deals with Poland demonstrate its potential in the global military procurement market and it may well lead to greater opportunities, particularly in Eastern Europe, according to an expert.“The Ukraine experience suggests that countries don't have to have top-of-the-line weapons to defeat parts of the Russian forces,” Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a U.S.-based policy think tank, told The Korea Times. “One of the challenges for the Eastern European countries is to have weapons good enough to be able to fight and defeat Russian aggression … So I expect that they will look across the lines at their forces.”In South Korea's biggest arms export deal, the Polish government announced last month that it will buy 48 FA-50s, a light combat jet co-developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin, 980 K2 battle tanks, ma

Aug 10, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[INTERVIEW] Polish arms deal may well lead to greater opportunities for Korea: expert

North Korea

North Korea releases water from border dam after downpours

Water gushes through the gates of Gunnam Dam on the Imjin River, which runs across the inter-Korean border, in the South Korean border town of Yeoncheon, Tuesday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea released water from a dam near South Korea without providing prior notice despite an inter-Korean agreement and Seoul's repeated requests, an official said Tuesday.“It appears that North Korea has repeatedly opened floodgates on Hwanggang Dam without notifying us,” an official told The Korea Times. “So far, there have been no reports of damage by the recent water release … North Korea seems to be adjusting the water level in the dam after heavy rainfall there.”The dam, which was constructed on the Imjin River in 2007, is situated 42 kilometers north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea agreed in October 2009 to give prior notice to the South after six South Koreans were killed in Yeoncheon one month earlier as a result of its massive release of water from the dam without notification.The official said the South received such notices six times since the

Aug 9, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

INTERVIEW Sponsoring dreams of North Korean defectors

South Korea, US launch largest combined military drills in 5 years

Kim Eun-hye returns as senior press secretary

Minister rebuked for 'submissive' stance toward Japan

Yoon remains optimistic about Seoul-Tokyo relations

'Japan is our partner': Yoon vows to improve Seoul-Tokyo ties

Yoon pardons Samsung chief, other business tycoons to 'overcome economic crisis'

Yoon holds first meeting with USFK chief since inauguration

INTERVIEW Polish arms deal may well lead to greater opportunities for Korea: expert

North Korea releases water from border dam after downpours

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