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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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Defense

Brunson refuses to back down on his position on OPCON transfer

The Korean Peninsula faces a rapidly evolving threat environment, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and a senior U.S. official said in back-to-back warnings from Seoul and Washington, raising questions about how those changes could affect the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). Their remarks followed a renewed dispute over the OPCON transfer after Brunson suggested on Oct. 14 that evolving threats called for new transition standards, drawing objections from Seoul’s defense ministry and an unusual response from President Lee Jae Myung. “Our security environment is not standing still. We see continued DPRK use of ballistic and cruise missiles and their advancements,” Brunson said Wednesday at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), using the acronym for North Korea’s official name. Brunson and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Park Steel were the featured speakers at the event, attended by Korean and American business leaders. Held to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the program exp

Oct 21, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Brunson refuses to back down on his position on OPCON transfer
Foreign Affairs

Seoul to pull half of embassy staff from Kyiv as NK POW dispute deepens

South Korea will pull half of its embassy staff out of Ukraine, citing Kyiv’s failure to take constructive steps to resolve a weekslong dispute sparked by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to the South, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The decision adds pressure on Kyiv after South Korea recalled Ambassador Park Ki-chang on Oct. 8 over its refusal to acknowledge a confidentiality agreement on the transfer and issue a public apology. Park returned to Seoul on Oct. 10. “The government decided to withdraw some embassy staff, considering Kyiv’s failure to take constructive steps even after our ambassador’s recall, along with persistent airstrike threats across Ukraine that make it difficult to ensure their safety,” foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a regular briefing. A ministry offcial said 84 Koreans are in Ukraine, including embassy staff, but did not say how many worked at the embassy and exactly how many of them would leave, just saying half of them. He explained that the timing of the

Oct 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Seoul to pull half of embassy staff from Kyiv as NK POW dispute deepens
Defense

President indirectly criticizes USFK chief's remarks on potential OPCON transition delay

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday indirectly criticized U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson’s latest remarks on condition changes for transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul. It is the first time for the Korean president to talk about the recent controversy over the commander's comments on the OPCON transition, although he did not directly mention Brunson or his remarks. “There can be various opinions. In a sense, I appreciate the goodwill because they [the U.S.] say they will hand it over after confirming that we can adequately defend ourselves and conduct operations on our own," Lee said during a press meeting to mark his administration’s 500th day in office. "I appreciate that, but I think this is something we should do ourselves. It will work out.” His comments came after Brunson said in a seminar last week that changes in operational plans as a result of North Korea's enhanced missile capacities had led to new criteria and conditions for the transfer, emphasizing that it should depend on South Korea's military capabilities

Oct 19, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President indirectly criticizes USFK chief's remarks on potential OPCON transition delay
Politics

President reaffirms push to reclaim wartime OPCON by 2028

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States by 2028, calling it essential to South Korea’s sovereignty. Speaking before reporters to mark his administration’s 500th day in office, Lee expressed confidence in the country’s defense capabilities and positively assessed talks with Washington on the handover. “To put it plainly, we must reclaim OPCON at an early date, and we are fully capable of doing so,” he said, adding that discussions between the two allies were “also generally progressing well toward its transition.” The president's reference to 2028 comes as questions persist over the handover timetable, with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson having outlined a roadmap for meeting the OPCON transfer conditions by the first quarter of 2029 during a U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing on April 22. Brunson’s more recent comments have added to uncertainty over Seoul’s preferred timeline, with the commander saying changes in operational plans had led to new standards

Oct 19, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President reaffirms push to reclaim wartime OPCON by 2028
Politics

'As you want an apology, I apologize': Gyeonggi governor's comment on firefighting fuels criticism

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae faces growing backlash over derogatory remarks portraying firefighting as a drain on provincial finances, with her subsequent apology drawing further criticism for lacking sincerity after a firefighter died battling a factory blaze in a city in the province. Choo’s repeated attempts to explain her intentions have only backfired as they were seen as lacking sincerity, with the opposition demanding a clearer apology and some members of her own party urging a disciplinary measure against her. The controversy began on Tuesday during a National Assembly audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, when Choo mentioned the burden of firefighters’ personnel costs on local finances. “Firefighting seems to be the biggest headache, like a straw sucking up our finances,” she said, seeking to highlight that local governments still have to pay firefighters’ salaries even though they are now national government employees. But her analogy sparked anger for appearing to treat people who risk their lives to protect the public as a budgetary burden. Amid the row,

Oct 18, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
'As you want an apology, I apologize': Gyeonggi governor's comment on firefighting fuels criticism
Politics

Lee renews constitutional revision push, urging lawmakers to honor democracy's bloody history

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday called for the spirit of Korea’s landmark pro-democracy uprisings to be enshrined in the Constitution, describing it as “the least we can do to ensure we never forget our people’s sacrifices to defend democracy and national sovereignty.” Speaking at Busan City Hall during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising, Lee renewed his push for constitutional revision and urged the National Assembly to begin discussions without further delay. The Busan-Masan Uprising was a series of demonstrations that began Oct. 16, 1979 and lasted five days, as students and citizens in the southeastern cities of Busan and Masan — the latter now part of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province — rose up against then-President Park Chung-hee’s dictatorial regime. “The Busan-Masan Uprising did more than bring an end to a dictatorship,” he said, tracing its legacy through subsequent pro-democracy movements, including the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, the June Democratic Uprising of 1987 and protests against the Dec. 3, 2024 martial

Oct 16, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee renews constitutional revision push, urging lawmakers to honor democracy's bloody history
Foreign Affairs

Seoul to maintain Ukraine support despite NK POW dispute

South Korea will continue supporting Ukraine “as a responsible member of the international community” despite a diplomatic dispute over the disclosure of two North Korean prisoners of war being repatriated to the South, a foreign ministry official said Thursday. The official said Seoul will treat its assistance to Ukraine separately from the dispute, while continuing bilateral consultations to resolve outstanding issues. The remarks came after South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang was recalled to Seoul on Saturday, following a spat over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure of the transfer during his U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23. The ambassador’s recall was one of several options Seoul considered after the disclosure, which it says breached a confidentiality arrangement intended to protect the soldiers and their families in North Korea. President Lee Jae Myung has demanded that Kyiv acknowledge the agreement and publicly apologize, warning of “additional measures” if it refuses. Kyiv has denied such an understanding existed. Meanwhi

Oct 15, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Seoul to maintain Ukraine support despite NK POW dispute
North Korea

COVER STORY Zelenskyy's disclosure of NK POW transfer raises risks for families: experts

For two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 while fighting for Russia, their recent arrival in South Korea, where they requested to go, offers freedom and the prospect of a new life. But for their families left behind in the North, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure of the transfer may have heightened potentially life-threatening risks, experts said Wednesday. They say the relatives may already have become vulnerable when the soldiers' capture was made public in January 2025, but the Kim Jong-un regime's retaliation against them could be harsher after Zelenskyy disclosed the soldiers' transfer to South Korea during his U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23. Forced relocation, loss of official positions and tighter surveillance are among the possible consequences cited by the experts, although the families’ whereabouts and any punishments remain unconfirmed. “North Korea probably had already banished the families to remote mountainous areas and stripped those in official positions of their posts,” said Ahn Chan-il, a North

Oct 14, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
[COVER STORY] Zelenskyy's disclosure of NK POW transfer raises risks for families: experts
Foreign Affairs

President stresses national interests in diplomacy, acknowledges disagreements with US

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that disagreements can exist between countries, while stressing that Korea must put its national interests first and “avoid submissive attitudes or excessive servility” in its diplomacy. Speaking to ministers and presidential aides during a live broadcast of the weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee made the remarks as disputes over intelligence sharing, U.S. visa delays for high-profile Korean figures and limited access to senior White House officials heightened concerns over the Korea-U.S. alliance. Conservative politicians have accused Lee’s liberal government of undermining decades of trust, while progressive figures have argued that some objections from the U.S. are misplaced. “Disagreements can exist between countries ... how can their interests always align when each pursues its own national interests?” Lee said, adding that countries must continually discuss their differences, make their positions clear and work toward agreement. He called for efforts “to minimize differences and keep them within manageable bounds,” but em

Oct 13, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President stresses national interests in diplomacy, acknowledges disagreements with US
Politics

COVER STORY President spars with liberal allies over investigation body chief nomination

It is normal for a president to clash with members of opposition parties, especially those with different political inclinations, over reform measures. President Lee Jae Myung, however, is having an unusual conflict — one against members of his own party and other liberal figures. The conflict is over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong, a former prosecutor, to be the inaugural chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA). The new investigative body was established as part of prosecutorial reform, dividing the prosecutors’ office into SCIA in charge of probing serious crimes and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) tasked with indicting suspects and prosecuting cases. The nomination on Sept. 8, however, turned the long-awaited prosecution reform into the focus of an increasingly bitter internal conflict, as hardliners from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) and elsewhere in the liberal bloc argue that his record of defending prosecutorial powers makes him unfit to serve as its inaugural chief. They also label Kim a loyalist

Oct 12, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
[COVER STORY] President spars with liberal allies over investigation body chief nomination
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