Opinion - The Korea Times

President Moon on right track

By Tong KimLess than two weeks in office, newly elected President Moon Jae-in has taken a series of positive actions for the good of the country, even though he assumed the presidency without a normal transition period. Elected with 41 percent of the votes cast, his popularity soared up to 80 percent among the people who watched his fast-paced good performance, his considerate rhetoric, and his non-authoritarian, people-friendly behavior.At the outset, he declared himself a president of all people, including those who did not vote for him, willing and eager to cooperate with opposition parties which constitute a majority in the National Assembly. He was elected on the three major themes: achieving security and peace on the Korean Peninsula, eliminating the “accumulative wrongs” of the past and creating jobs. With President Moon’s election, in the wake of the dismissal of former President Park Geun-hye by the Constitutional Court, democracy and the rule of law have been restored in South Korea. Moon can only deliver when his policy is supported by

May 21, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

New hope begins tomorrow

By Tong KimTomorrow on May 9, the Republic of Korea elects a new president. Looking at the polls and the dynamics of a five-way race, the front-runner Moon Jae-in appears to have clinched the presidency, unless an incredible miracle takes place.Even if some other candidate is elected, South Korea will restore its legitimate right and opportunity to end the dangerous course of military conflict and to open a new path to peace, stability, and prosperity on the peninsula.Most voters want security and prosperity. They support the alliance with the United States for the shared interest of deterrence against North Korea. They all oppose North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. They all want a peaceful resolution of these complex issues.For the first 100 days of the Trump administration, South Korea without a president has been largely left out or neglected from U.S. deliberations of the North Korean issue. Their views were taken for granted by Washington, while working more closely with Beijing and Tokyo, and even with some controversial leaders of Southeast Asian countries.There

May 7, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

'Madman strategy' on N. Korea

By Tong KimTensions keep mounting on the Korean peninsula as the U.S. and North Korea ratchet up their mutual threats of a preemptive strike against each other through bellicose rhetoric and saber rattling. There is no question any preventive or preempt strike by one side would instantly lead to a renewed war in Korea, that could spread beyond the peninsula.It is not new that Pyongyang puts out provocative statements, sticking to its nuclear and missile development.  It is new that Washington keeps Pyongyang on notice with the threat of military option, although measured. Pyongyang’s latest warning: the North could retaliate any U.S. strike with “a super-mighty preemptive strike to reduce the United States to ashes.” The U.S. has warned them of its military option on the table and not to test the U.S. “resolve and strength” that was demonstrated by a recent attack on Syria.Perhaps, preoccupied with the North, Washington misled people to believe that the Carl Vincent battle group was heading for the Korean peninsula, which Trump called “an

Apr 23, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

US, China to work on N. Korea

By Tong KimThis column begins with a positive note about President Trump’s first meeting last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The summit was overshadowed by the U.S. strike on Syria in retribution against its use of chemical weapons. The attack was carried out Thursday night after Trump hosted a dinner for Xi and his delegation.However, the two-day meeting between the two big powers with the most powerful influence on the Korean Peninsula ended with an agreement to build a good working relationship to work together on North Korea, as well as on other vital issues of mutual interest. No specific details of the talks on the Korean issue were made available.“We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China,” Trump said after the morning’s meeting. “We will be making additional progress. The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding… And I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away.”Xi also spoke positive words. “We have engaged in deeper und

Apr 9, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

To abort military action

By Tong KimU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s tough talk on March 17 of possible military action against North Korea’s nuclear threats raised concerns about the prospect of a second Korean War. He said Washington is not going to engage the North at this point. But neither is the U.S. going to take a military strike before it tries several other steps first.Recounting Tillerson’s main points should be useful in figuring out what decisions the Trump administration will make on North Korea at the end of its policy review. It is likely that a new policy will allow room for mid-course readjustment as events unfold. The U.S. secretary said in Seoul:“We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All of the options are on the table … we do not want things to get to a military conflict. If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table. But we are hopeful that, by taking these steps ― and we have many, many steps we can take before we get to that poi

Mar 26, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Firing of Park and THAAD deployment

By Tong KimThe implementation of THAAD deployment to South Korea casts a far-reaching impact on South Korea’s politics after the Constitution Court’s ruling to fire President Park Geun-hye. It creates difficulties for the next administration to reconsider the controversial deployment. It complicates Korea’s relations with its neighbors.  It could be a beginning of change to the existing security order in the Northeast region of Asia.The rolling out of the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery is a first concrete step that the Trump administration has taken to strengthen the deterrent against the threats of North Korean nuclear-tipped missiles.On the night of March 6, about 15 hours after North Korea test-launched four Scud-ERs simultaneously that flew over 1,000 kilometers into Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, two THAAD launch vehicles rolled off the C-17 aircraft at Osan U.S. Air Force Base.The arrival of the first batch of THAAD components and the launching of DPRK missiles coincided on the same day. The C-17 carrying the equipment

Mar 12, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Concerns increase over N. Korea

By Tong KimNews highlights flash and commentaries flood over the problems of North Korea, which on Feb. 12 tested an advanced type of solid fueled, intermediate range ballistic missile from a mobile launch vehicle, harder to detect: the North is squarely suspected of masterminding the assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un’s older half-brother at the Kuala Lumpur airport.On Feb. 20, China suspended all imports of coal from the economically struggling DPRK to punish its missile test in violation of multiple U.N. resolutions. Beijing’s relationship with Pyongyang has declined to the lowest ebb in a long time.KCNA (Korean Central News Agency) on Feb 23 blasted China’s measure as “tantamount to the enemies' moves to bring down the socialist system in the DPRK.” It also complained about Beijing’s assessment of Pyongyang’s nuclear technology as only “at the beginning” and accused China of breaching the humanitarian provision of the U.N. resolutions that allows, “trade for the people’s living.”A good relationship for d

Feb 26, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Still hope in Pyongyang

By Tong KimNorth Korea has so far defied predictions that they would launch an ICBM test or carry out another nuclear test to demonstrate its capability of striking the homeland of the United States with a nuclear missile. Kim Jong-un may do it again anytime. The threat of North Korea’s capability is real: the North is nearing the perfection of its WMD program.The delay may be based on constraints on resources, timing for domestic events, unresolved problems from previous failures or a new strategic calculation. The DPRK leader may still be looking for a credible clue to what President Donald Trump might do about Korea, and how the China factor will play out in a complex matrix of the nuclear issue, the South China Sea and trade relations.Pyongyang has been busy following the unfolding stunning actions by Trump affecting domestic and foreign affairs. They analyze the potential impacts of these actions on their interests. They read Trump’s tweets and resulting media criticisms. They see implementations of the campaign pledges. Trump blasts his critics or anyone who do

Feb 12, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

What Pyongyang should do

By Tong KimNorth Korea no longer needs to do something provocative to get attention. It is constantly being watched because of its nuclear and missile development programs, which are discussed in capitals in Asia, the United States, and Europe. Rex Tillerson, nominee for secretary of state, expressed the conventional hardline view of the DPRK at his Senate confirmation hearing last Tuesday.Pointing to North Korea as “a grave threat to the world because of its refusal to conform to international norms,” and denounced China’s “empty promises” to comply with U.N. sanctions. Tillerson said, “If China is not going to comply with sanctions, it is appropriate for us to pressure them to comply.”The nominee’s approach to ending the North Korean nuclear issue will be “a long term plan” by “closing gaps” in sanction implementation and “visiting other areas and ways of closing off access of North Korea to materials that enable them to develop the capability and the delivery system.”  Tillerson also said

Jan 15, 2017By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang

By Tong KimSouth Korea is besieged by a political vacuum resulting from the impeachment of its president, interrupting normal governance of state affairs. The unfolding of this bizarre drama coincides with the incoming of a Trump administration, whose Korea policy is still not clear even after the nominations of key cabinet members to carry out U.S. foreign policy, including Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. In Seoul, the nation is caught between the people’s wish and the law on the question of what to do with President Park’s fate. She was impeached by an overwhelming vote ― 234 to 56 ― on the charges of infringement upon the constitution, extortion, and abuse of power.  Millions of people participated in vigil demonstrations demanding an immediate resignation of the president.Even after the impeachment that has stripped her of presidential authority, Park refuses to step down, and the only peaceful way of removing her is to go through a time consuming due process of law. The Constitutional Court has 180 days to rule on the impeachment. Until a fi

Dec 18, 2016By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Read more

President Moon on right track

New hope begins tomorrow

'Madman strategy' on N. Korea

US, China to work on N. Korea

To abort military action

Firing of Park and THAAD deployment

Concerns increase over N. Korea

Still hope in Pyongyang

What Pyongyang should do

Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang

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