my timesThe Korea Times
yistory

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Politics

Government's idea of 2-state coexistence with N. Korea draws dispute

The South Korean government appears to be floating the idea of officially recognizing North Korea as a sovereign state, drawing backlash from conservatives who see the move as undermining the long-standing constitutional goal of inter-Korean reunification. The Ministry of Unification published the Lee Jae Myung administration's first white paper on unification, Monday, and it stipulated that inter-Korean relations should shift into “a peaceful two-state relationship oriented toward reunification.” “The government, considering the reality that the two Koreas effectively exist as two separate states, seeks to develop inter-Korean relations into one of peaceful coexistence while still pursuing reunification,” the white paper read. The document drew immediate dispute after its release. Conservatives argued it conflicts with Article 3 of the Constitution, which defines South Korea's territory as the entire Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands, affirming Seoul's claim to legitimate sovereignty over the whole peninsula with reunification as a guiding objective. The timing added to

May 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Government's idea of 2-state coexistence with N. Korea draws dispute
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Japan agree to strengthen oil, LNG cooperation against energy crisis

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to strengthen cooperation on supply chains, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), during a bilateral summit in Lee’s hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. The agreement was reached as the two neighbors are deepening bilateral ties through continued summit diplomacy, amid heightened global energy security risks stemming from the U.S. war on Iran. “We agreed that close bilateral cooperation is needed more than ever amid the instability in supply chains and energy markets arising from the recent situation in the Middle East,” Lee said in a joint press statement after the summit. The president went onto say that the two countries, based on this shared understanding, “resolved to further expanding our bilateral supply chain cooperation.” Takaichi proposed that Korea and Japan deepen cooperation on resource and supply chain with other Asian countries facing supply chain crises, to which Lee expressed agreement and support. The Seoul-Tokyo cooperation will build on their review of

May 19, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea, Japan agree to strengthen oil, LNG cooperation against energy crisis
Politics

President says 1980 pro-democracy spirit revived in resistance to 2024 martial law declaration

President Lee Jae Myung said that the spirit of the Gwangju pro-democracy movement lives on and was revived in 2024 through peaceful public protests that helped overturn the imposition of martial law. “Just as the citizens of Gwangju rose in defiance against martial law troops in May 1980, so too did the great people of Korea stand unarmed against armed martial law forces in 2024,” Lee said during a ceremony in Gwangju to mark the 46th anniversary of the uprising on Monday. He referred to the Gwangju uprising, which began on May 18, 1980, against the military junta led by then-Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, and the monthslong movement that began on Dec. 3, 2024, opposing the imposition of martial law by ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee pointed out that, although Chun’s dictatorial regime brutally suppressed the Gwangju Uprising, the spirit of May “was revived through the conscience of countless citizens who chose to stand on the side of truth and justice.” “The same spirit was reborn as the revolution of light on a bitter winter night in 2024, as citizens protected democracy b

May 18, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President says 1980 pro-democracy spirit revived in resistance to 2024 martial law declaration
Politics

President piles pressure on Samsung unions ahead of strike

President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that management rights should be respected as much as labor rights, in a social media post ahead of a massive strike planned by Samsung Electronics’ labor union this week. Lee acknowledged workers' right to share in corporate profits but noted it could be restricted in the interest of "fundamental constitutional rights and public welfare." “In the Republic of Korea, which embraces the liberal democratic basic order and a capitalist market economy, labor should be respected as much as business and management rights should be respected just as labor rights are,” the president wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Lee’s posts were made as Samsung Electronics and its labor union resumed government-led mediation talks Monday, in what is seen as a last-ditch effort to prevent an 18-day strike scheduled to begin Thursday. The union has repeatedly demanded that the company allocate 15 percent of operating profit to employees as performance-based bonuses and also remove the payout cap. Management has so far declined to accept the proposal. If the strike goes ahe

May 18, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President piles pressure on Samsung unions ahead of strike
Foreign Affairs

Lee, Trump hold phone conversation on outcome of US-China summit

President Lee Jae Myung held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, Sunday, during which Trump shared the outcome of his high-stakes summit last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Cheong Wa Dae said the call was arranged at the request of the Korean side, following the summit in Beijing from Thursday to Friday. During the 30-minute talk, Trump shared the summit results with Lee as an ally, according to the presidential office. The two leaders also exchanged views on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, reaffirming the importance of continued cooperation and dialogue. Lee positively assessed the constructive discussions between Trump and Xi on issues concerning the peninsula, while Trump said that, based on close coordination with Lee, he would play the role necessary for peace and stability on the peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae explained. The two sides agreed on the need to ensure the smooth implementation of the joint fact sheet (JFS), which outlines a set of agreements on trade and security reached during their summit held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, i

May 17, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee, Trump hold phone conversation on outcome of US-China summit
Foreign Affairs

Leaders of Korea, Japan likely to discuss implications of US-China summit

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold a bilateral talk in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. They are expected to discuss the implications of the economic and security issues addressed by the U.S.-China summit last week, according to analysts Sunday. The topics will likely include tensions over Taiwan between the U.S. and China, as well as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz stemming from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which analysts say concern the individual and bilateral interests of Korea and Japan, as well as their shared interests with the U.S. as allies. “The issues on Taiwan and the Strait of Hormuz were raised as key items on the agenda at the U.S.–China summit and they also can play a significant role in the Korea-Japan summit,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University. The professor referred to bilateral talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing from Thursday to Friday last week. Shin Bum-cheol, a professor at the Korea National Diplom

May 17, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Leaders of Korea, Japan likely to discuss implications of US-China summit
Foreign Affairs

Top US, Chinese officials hold talks in Korea ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Top U.S. and Chinese officials met in Korea, Wednesday, with Korea serving as a neutral ground for last-minute talks on the eve of a summit between the leaders of the two countries. The meeting took place in the VIP lounge of Incheon International Airport, where U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng fine-tuned and finalized the agenda for the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled to take place in Beijing, Thursday. The consultation lasted about three hours. According to China's CCTV, the two sides “exchanged frank, in-depth and constructive views” on economic and trade issues, which have been at the center of a diplomatic row between the world’s two largest economies. Prior to their meeting, each official paid a courtesy call to President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, with Lee expressing his best wishes for a successful summit between the U.S. and China. Regarding the officials' visit, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, “It reflected Korea’s position as both an ally of the U.

May 13, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Top US, Chinese officials hold talks in Korea ahead of Trump-Xi summit
Foreign Affairs

Why is Korea so cautious about pointing finger at Iran?

The government is taking a conspicuously cautious stance over the external strike on the Korean-operated vessel HMM Namu near the Strait of Hormuz, refraining from identifying who is responsible for the attack — a stance seen as a balancing act between Iran and the United States. The U.S. and many in Korea, including the main opposition party, assume Iran was behind the strike on the ship on May 4, while the government remains tight-lipped about the perpetrator after the cause of the damage was confirmed Sunday. Analysts are divided on whether the government's silence is diplomatically prudent or strategically calculated, though most said Tuesday that staying cautious about pinpointing a perpetrator — particularly when a sovereign state may be involved — is the right approach until clear evidence emerges. “I’d say the Lee Jae Myung administration has been taking a diplomatic stance of speaking openly and candidly, and I don’t think the government is deliberately withholding identification of the perpetrator for diplomatic, political or other reasons,” said Min Jeong-hun, a

May 12, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Why is Korea so cautious about pointing finger at Iran?
Foreign Affairs

Korean gov't condemns attack on Korean-operated vessel in Strait of Hormuz

The presidential office on Monday condemned attacks on a bulk carrier operated by the Korean shipping company HMM near the Strait of Hormuz, calling attacks on civilian vessels unacceptable. While the government has not made a conclusion over who attacked the HMM Namu, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said it will join international efforts to guarantee safe passage and operation of ships through the strait. “The government strongly condemns attacks on civilian vessels such as the HMM Namu, as such actions cannot be justified or tolerated,” Wi said during a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae. “We intend to identify the perpetrator, the exact type of equipment used and its physical specifications through further investigation. Accordingly, we will also consider necessary response measures.” His remarks came a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the initial findings regarding the investigation into the cause of an explosion and fire aboard HMM Namu. The ministry, citing an investigative team dispatched to the scene, said two separate airborne objects struck the shi

May 11, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korean gov't condemns attack on Korean-operated vessel in Strait of Hormuz
North Korea

North Korean ‘K9-type’ howitzer poses new military threat to South

North Korea has reportedly developed self-propelled artillery capable of striking Seoul and the greater capital area, raising concerns that the North is escalating its long-range artillery threat. According to North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun, Friday, leader Kim Jong-un visited a key munitions factory two days earlier to inspect a new weapons system. It included self-propelled artillery equipped with a 155-milimeter gun, comparable in caliber to South Korea’s K9 howitzer, but reportedly with a range exceeding 60 kilometers, while the K9 has an approximate range of 40 kilometers. The official newspaper of the Workers' Party, the Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim described the country’s 155-milimeter self-propelled artillery as a “new-generation artillery weapon with very high mobility and firepower” and said that the system would be deployed within the year to three battalions along the southern border. Defense experts said that if North Korea’s claim of developing a system with a range exceeding 60 kilometers is accurate, it would place Seoul within striking distance. “It appears N

May 8, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
North Korean ‘K9-type’ howitzer poses new military threat to South
previous page
678910
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.