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Yi Whan-woo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Foreign Affairs

Korea, US hold 'different views' on unification minister's NK nuclear facility remarks: national security adviser

HANOI — South Korea and the U.S. have different views on Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s remarks on North Korea’s nuclear facilities, which Washington sees as a “leak” of shared intelligence, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Thursday. He also recognized that the issue involving Coupang, resulting from Korea's investigation into a massive data breach and some American policymakers' claim of Korea's “discriminatory” treatment against the U.S.-headquartered company, has expanded to affect security discussions between the two nations. “There is a difference in understanding the issue [intelligence on North Korean facilities],” Wi said in a press briefing in Hanoi during President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to Vietnam. “Minister Chung says his remarks are unrelated to intelligence shared by the U.S. as he has never obtained the shared information but talked about the facilities after learning about them from open sources. But the U.S. seems to believe Chung learned about it from the intelligence it shared with Korea.” Chung publicly identified the c

Apr 24, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea, US hold 'different views' on unification minister's NK nuclear facility remarks: national security adviser
Foreign Affairs

First ladies of Korea, Vietnam engage in friendly exchange

HANOI — The first ladies of Korea and Vietnam had a friendly exchange in Hanoi, Thursday, exploring shared cultural ties between the two countries during President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to the Southeast Asian country. Kim Hea Kyung, the wife of President Lee Jae Myung, and Ngo Phuong Ly, the wife of Vietnam’s top leader To Lam, discussed similarities in weaving, rice farming and bedding as they toured the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, with the conversation often turning to the global popularity of K-pop and other Korean culture. Kim wore an "ao dai," a traditional Vietnamese dress that the Vietnamese first lady gave as a present, Wednesday. The two first ladies visited a traditional weaving loom, with Kim pointing out similarities in textile traditions by noting that the Korean equivalent also uses the interlacing of threads to make fabric. As for the farming exhibits, Kim said Korea produces a lot of rice, as Vietnam does. She added, “We also use plows in Korea that are pulled by cattle,” and knelt down to take a closer look at the exhibits. She asked if she could touch th

Apr 23, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
First ladies of Korea, Vietnam engage in friendly exchange
Foreign Affairs

President calls for new 'Miracle on Red River' as Seoul-Hanoi partnership expands

HANOI — President Lee Jae Myung met with Vietnam’s second- and third-highest ranked political leaders in Hanoi, Thursday, completing a full round of meetings with the Southeast Asian country’s collective leadership in his first state visit there. The president held separate talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, a day after his bilateral summit with President To Lam, who concurrently serves as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party. The engagements reflect the breadth of a partnership that has grown dramatically since diplomatic ties were established in 1992 across a range of sectors, such as politics, economy, commerce, technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges. Bilateral trade has since increased 190-fold, while people-to-people exchanges have grown 2,400-fold. Vietnam is now Korea's third-largest trading partner, while Korea remains Vietnam's largest foreign investor. Vietnam recorded an economic growth rate of 8.02 percent in 2025, its highest in 15 years. In this regard, Lee said Vietnam’s success is also Korea

Apr 23, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President calls for new 'Miracle on Red River' as Seoul-Hanoi partnership expands
Foreign Affairs

Leaders agree on Korea's export of heat-treated poultry meat to Vietnam

HANOI — Korea will be able to export heat-treated poultry meat to Vietnam, as leaders of the two nations agreed on it during their summit in Hanoi, Wednesday, as part of efforts to increase bilateral trade volume. The agreement, reached between President Lee Jae Myung and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam, suggests that samgyetang (traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup) and frozen fried chicken will be sold ready-made in Vietnam amid the global popularity of Korean culinary culture. This was part of other measures of collaboration discussed during the summit, addressing various sectors including medical devices, railways, artificial intelligence (AI), secondary batteries, intellectual property and cultural content. “The two countries agreed on the mutual exports of heat-treated poultry products,” Lee said in a joint statement announced after the summit. In September 2025, Korea allowed imports of such products from Vietnam. “We will accelerate cooperation to expand agricultural and livestock trade,” the president added, noting such cooperation will be based

Apr 22, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Leaders agree on Korea's export of heat-treated poultry meat to Vietnam
Foreign Affairs

Lee to meet Vietnam’s top 3 political leaders during state visit

HANOI — President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to meet all three of Vietnam’s top political leaders during his first state visit to the country, a move that analysts say could help scale up bilateral ties after 34 years of rapidly developing partnership. Lee will first meet with To Lam during a bilateral summit, Wednesday, after Lam emerged as Vietnam’s most powerful leader in decades by serving as both the Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary and the country’s president. On Thursday, Lee is scheduled to hold separate talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the second- and third-highest-ranking officials in the country’s political hierarchy. Both Lee and Lam were the first state guests to visit the other’s country after their respective governments began — Lee after the start of Lam’s administration on April 7, and Lam visiting Korea in August 2025, two months after the Lee administration began. Lee will be meeting Vietnam’s prime minister and the National Assembly chairman for the first time. “The coordinated mee

Apr 22, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee to meet Vietnam’s top 3 political leaders during state visit
Foreign Affairs

Reciprocal visits to bring Korea, Vietnam closer in Lee's push for Global South diplomacy

President Lee Jae Myung embarked on a state visit to Vietnam, Tuesday, marking a reciprocal visit between the leaders of the two countries and fueling expectations that the trip will work in Korea’s favor in advancing its Global South diplomacy. Lee is the first foreign head of state to visit Vietnam since the start of its new government earlier this month. To Lam, who already held the top position as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, was also elected president by the country's National Assembly on April 7, in an unusual concentration of power with one person. Lee’s trip comes in response to To’s state visit to Korea in August 2025, when Lam was already Vietnam’s most powerful political figure as the top party leader. His trip to Korea took place just two months after Lee took office following a snap election victory, making Lam the first foreign leader to visit the country. “Lam’s Korea visit carried significant meaning for development to bilateral relations, and in this context, Lee’s Vietnam visit in a reciprocal gesture also highly symbolic,” Ahn Ky

Apr 21, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Reciprocal visits to bring Korea, Vietnam closer in Lee's push for Global South diplomacy
Foreign Affairs

Lee, Modi find Korea, India ‘optimal partners’ for national visions

NEW DELHI – President Lee Jae Myung and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly shared the view that Korea and India are “optimal partners in achieving their respective national visions,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Monday. Wi referred to Korea’s vision for a national leap in 2026 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047, aiming for a developed nation by 2047, as he outlined the outcomes of the summit between the two leaders held earlier in the day in New Delhi. The meeting took place during Lee’s three-day visit from Sunday to Tuesday, part of a broader two-leg trip running through Friday that will also take him to Vietnam. In a written press briefing, Wi said Lee invited Modi to visit Korea “at an appropriate time in the future,” to which Modi responded positively. “Throughout the visit, the two leaders displayed a notably warm personal rapport, like old friends reunited,” he said. Wi summarized key agreements reached during the summit, including memoranda of understanding covering finance, culture, people-to-people exchanges, science and technology, climat

Apr 21, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee, Modi find Korea, India ‘optimal partners’ for national visions
Foreign Affairs

First lady attends packed K-pop concert in New Delhi

NEW DELHI — First Lady Kim Hea Kyung attended a K-pop concert filled with 3,000 local fans, Monday, on the occasion of President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to India. The concert, titled “K-Dream Stage: All India K-Pop Grand Championship 2026,” was held at Yashobhoomi, India’s largest convention and exhibition center, in New Delhi. The event has been hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in India since 2011 as part of efforts to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries. This year’s concert was conducted in a special “champion of champions” format, in which winners from the past five years in both the vocal and dance categories competed against one another, with the top three teams advancing to the finals. Fans cheered loudly, and Indian media closely covered the moment as the first lady entered the venue and was greeted by Indian dignitaries. She was accompanied by Park Jin-young, a K-pop pioneer and CEO of JYP Entertainment, who also serves as co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange. LIP J, a Korean dancer known for waacking — a style

Apr 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
First lady attends packed K-pop concert in New Delhi
Foreign Affairs

Korea, India to set up 1st ministerial-level committee to deepen economic cooperation

NEW DELHI — Korea and India agreed to set up their first ministerial-level committee dedicated to economic cooperation during a bilateral summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Monday. The committee will be tasked with strengthening bilateral cooperation in strategic sectors such as critical minerals, nuclear energy and clean energy. To grapple with global energy disruptions due to the Middle East conflict, the two countries also agreed to ensure a stable supply of raw materials and products including naphtha. “We agreed to upgrade the framework for economic cooperation between our two countries to generate new momentum for shared growth,” Lee said as he announced a joint statement with Modi at India’s presidential palace after the summit. He expressed hope that the envisioned committee will boost bilateral cooperation beyond trade and investment. To foster a more favorable environment for trade and investment, the two leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations on upgrading the Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agre

Apr 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea, India to set up 1st ministerial-level committee to deepen economic cooperation
Foreign Affairs

President pays tribute to Gandhi

NEW DELHI — President Lee Jae Myung paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the renowned leader's memorial site on the second day of his state visit to India, Monday. The president, accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung, visited Raj Ghat, a memorial complex in New Delhi for prominent Indian leaders. The first memorial was dedicated to Gandhi, who is revered as the father of the nation for leading India’s fight for independence from British colonial rule through nonviolent resistance. The presidential couple made a floral offering at the black marble structure that marks the spot of Gandhi’s cremation after his assassination in January 1948. During a ceremony paying tribute, they also observed a moment of silence, slowly circled the structure clockwise once and scattered flower petals over the memorial stone with both hands. Lee later held a bilateral summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lee, who has been in office for just under a year, is the first Korean president to visit India in eight years, demonstrating Seoul’s renewed commitment to expanding bilateral relations and

Apr 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President pays tribute to Gandhi
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