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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, Egypt launch CEPA talks, upgrade ties to strategic partnership

The leaders of Korea and Egypt agreed Thursday to launch negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to expand trade and investment. President Lee Jae Myung and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, laying the groundwork for closer cooperation in defense, energy and technology alongside trade and investment. The agreements were announced after a summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul during the Egyptian leader’s state visit. CEPA is a type of free trade agreement that promotes broader economic cooperation beyond market liberalization, including investment and other areas of economic collaboration. The talks follow an agreement to pursue the pact reached at the leaders’ previous summit in Egypt in November 2025. Their reunion in Seoul comes about 11 months later, with El-Sisi making his first visit to Korea in a decade. “I hope the CEPA talks will establish a solid institutional foundation for realizing both countries’ economic development goals,” Lee said, noting that the two countries could b

Oct 8, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea, Egypt launch CEPA talks, upgrade ties to strategic partnership
Defense

UNC's future plan on NK mine blast issue under wraps

The United Nations Command (UNC) is not disclosing what follow-up measures it would take in response to the North Korean land mine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), although it recognized the North violated the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. According to sources familiar with the UNC, Thursday, details of possible next steps cannot be disclosed at this stage, while the absence of an immediate measure does not mean further action has been ruled out. Late last month, the UNC and South Korean military conducted a joint investigation on the site of the Sept. 21 mine blast within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which seriously injured several South Korean soldiers, and announced the North violated the armistice agreement by laying mines in South Korean territory. Sources said that besides the official announcement of the armistice violation, UNC so far has nothing to additionally announce, such as whether it would raise the issue to the U.N. The command’s relationship with the U.N. involves separate questions of operational authority and reporting responsibilities. UNC

Oct 8, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
UNC's future plan on NK mine blast issue under wraps
Politics

Korea to accelerate renewable energy expansion to 100GW by 2030

Korea will speed up efforts to increase its renewable energy capacity to at least 100 gigawatts by 2030, with 1 quadrillion won ($746.99 billion) in government-led investment planned over the next decade. The 100-gigawatt goal is a key part of the Korean Green Transformation (K-GX), a strategy unveiled Wednesday that is aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and economic growth at the same time. The strategy seeks to make Korea one of the world’s top three green manufacturing powers by developing industries such as hydrogen-reduction steelmaking, next-generation solar cells and all-solid-state batteries. “The green transition is a sure strategy for the future that will secure international competitiveness while protecting people’s lives and livelihoods from the climate crisis,” President Lee Jae Myung said during a public briefing on the plan. The briefing was attended by about 80 people, including senior government officials, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, representatives of Hanwha Qcells, POSCO Holdings, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, indus

Oct 7, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea to accelerate renewable energy expansion to 100GW by 2030
Politics

Chief justice calls presidential intervention in Supreme Court nominations unconstitutional

Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said Tuesday that the president has no authority to intervene when he recommends candidates for justices of the top court, escalating a dispute with President Lee Jae Myung over the selection of a new justice. Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court, where he strongly defended his constitutional authority and criticized Cheong Wa Dae's demand that he nominate another candidate. "Just as the chief justice cannot interfere in the National Assembly's approval process or the president's appointment process, neither the National Assembly nor the president can interfere in the chief justice's recommendation," Cho said. He argued that such intervention would violate the constitutional division of powers among state institutions and undermine judicial independence. His remarks followed a clash between Lee and the chief justice over the justice selection that has lasted more than a month. Under Article 104 of the Constitution, a 10-member recommendation committee selects at least three candidates for Supreme Court justice. The

Oct 6, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Chief justice calls presidential intervention in Supreme Court nominations unconstitutional
Foreign Affairs

Lee's growing social media use leads to another diplomatic dispute

As President Lee Jae Myung steps up his activity on X (formerly Twitter) to address sensitive foreign and domestic issues, he is once again seeing social media comments spilling into a diplomatic dispute — this time with Ukraine, following a row with Israel in April. Lee warned Ukraine on Friday that South Korea would take “additional measures” unless Kyiv acknowledges what Seoul says was an agreement to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) confidential and issues a public apology. The disagreement began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed in a U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23 that the POWs had been sent to South Korea. They were captured while fighting for Russia and later expressed a desire to resettle in the South. Seoul said the disclosure violated an arrangement intended to protect the men and their families. Ukraine denied that any such agreement existed and described the episode as a diplomatic misunderstanding. Lee initially wrote on X that Zelenskyy’s announcement was “very disappointing” and later escalated his cri

Oct 5, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee's growing social media use leads to another diplomatic dispute
Defense

8 in 10 draft dodgers violating travel rules go unpunished

More than 8 in 10 South Koreans who remained overseas to dodge military service have gone unpunished over the past five years, data showed Saturday. Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to serve at least 18 months in the military to help counter threats from North Korea. Draft evasion carries up to five years in prison, but men who remain abroad effectively freeze their criminal cases because the statute of limitations stops while they are overseas, allowing them to dodge prosecution until they age out of mandatory service at 38. The data, obtained by Rep. Min Hong-chul of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) from the Military Manpower Administration, comes as South Korea struggles with a military manpower shortage amid its shrinking population. It showed that 794 of the 929 individuals who violated overseas travel rules related to military service between 2021 and 2025 had their investigations or prosecutions suspended. The number accounted for 85.5 percent of the total over the five-year period. The finding takes on added significance as the country’s armed f

Oct 3, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
8 in 10 draft dodgers violating travel rules go unpunished
Foreign Affairs

No clear path ahead for Lee's 'pacemaker' role amid Trump pressure, NK provocations

President Lee Jae Myung’s envisioned “pacemaker” role in North Korea diplomacy faces mounting obstacles from Washington and Pyongyang, as a U.S. investment dispute complicates ties with Trump, whom Lee is counting on to reopen talks, and the North continues to reject Seoul’s overtures while intensifying provocations. Lee has cast U.S. President Donald Trump as a “peacemaker” capable of engaging North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while describing himself as a “pacemaker” who would help create conditions for U.S.-North Korea dialogue and broaden it into peace talks involving South Korea. Because Lee’s “pacemaker” role depends heavily on Trump’s willingness to engage Kim, any dispute that complicates his coordination with the U.S. president could make it harder for Seoul to help restart North Korea talks. Against that backdrop, Trump stepped up pressure on Seoul over a $54 billion liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, Friday (local time), two days after unilaterally announcing South Korean participation, even though Seoul said no decision had been finalized. He said

Oct 3, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
No clear path ahead for Lee's 'pacemaker' role amid Trump pressure, NK provocations
Defense

President keeps NK dialogue push amid DMZ mine dispute

President Lee Jae Myung pledged Thursday to continue taking practical steps to reduce military tensions with North Korea and urged Pyongyang to join efforts to restore dialogue. The message, delivered in his Armed Forces Day address, signaled that Lee intends to keep his engagement policy intact despite renewed friction over the latest land mine incident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). “The knots in inter-Korean relations are extremely complex, but we will steadily, patiently strive to untie them, one by one,” Lee said during a ceremony marking the 78th Armed Forces Day at Gyeryongdae, the military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province. “I hope that the North joins us now on the path of restoring trust and resuming dialogue, following a long interruption,” he added. The president went onto say that Seoul would “consistently pursue practical measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas,” stressing that the surest form of security is creating peace that makes fighting unnecessary. Lee’s remarks came a day after the South Korean military formally blamed Nor

Oct 1, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President keeps NK dialogue push amid DMZ mine dispute
Politics

President appoints economic growth secretary as new policy chief

President Lee Jae Myung named senior presidential secretary for economic growth Ha Joon-kyung as his new policy chief, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday, filling a post that had remained vacant for a month. Ha, an economist who has served in the presidential office since Lee began his term in June 2025, will oversee a broader range of economic and social policies in his new role. He replaces Kim Yong-beom, who stepped down on Sept. 1 amid criticism over the introduction of high-risk single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds and other controversial economic policies. “Ha is a leading scholar who has incorporated fair growth and efforts to reduce polarization into his growth strategy,” senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications Seong Ghi-hong said during a press briefing. “We expect him to bring about tangible changes in areas directly linked to people’s lives, including welfare, jobs, education and housing.” The presidential press secretary said Lee named Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Moon Shin-hak to take over Ha’s former post. Moon has

Oct 1, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President appoints economic growth secretary as new policy chief
Defense

2015 DMZ land mine crisis echoes in latest blast

The latest land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is drawing comparisons to a similar incident in 2015 that brought the two Koreas close to armed confrontation before ending with a rare agreement and a brief resumption of dialogue — although the political circumstances today are noticeably different. In both cases, South Korean military service personnel were seriously injured by mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) near Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with Seoul concluding that North Korea was responsible. The location of the mines suggested a violation of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, as they were on South Korea’s side of the DMZ. An estimated three wooden-box mines detonated in two explosions in the 2015 incident on Aug. 4. Such mines contain few metal parts, making them difficult to detect. That incident left two South Korean noncommissioned officers severely injured — one losing both legs and the other losing part of one leg. This year, at least four mines were believed to have been at or near the site — two that exploded, one reportedly spo

Sep 30, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
2015 DMZ land mine crisis echoes in latest blast
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