South Korea - The Korea Times

ANALYSIS Neither Seoul, Beijing want to further escalate tensions

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, right, talks with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming at the ambassador's residence in Seoul, June 8. YonhapS. Korea advised to maintain 'strategic ambiguity' stance at least regarding Taiwan Strait issueBy Kim Yoo-chulSouth Korea's pursuit of balance in its relationship with China and the U.S. was quite consistent throughout the former Moon Jae-in administration, as the former president believed that Beijing could significantly help Seoul improve its ties with Pyongyang ― a top foreign policy priority at the time.As Moon was determined to mend ties with Beijing, he developed the Three Nos stance ― no additional deployments of the U.S.' terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) battery missile shield system in South Korea, no participation in a U.S.-led missile defense network and no establishment of a trilateral military cooperative with the U.S. and Japan.However, the incumbent Yoon Suk Yeol administration is favoring strategic clarity over strategic ambiguity by aligning ever more closely with Washingto

Jun 19, 2023By Kim Yoo-chul

[ANALYSIS] Neither Seoul, Beijing want to further escalate tensions

Gov't, PPP agree on expanding public disclosure of violent criminals' personal info

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), speaks during a policy consultation meeting between the PPP and top government officials held at the prime minister's official residence in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapThe government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed Sunday to enact a special bill aimed at expanding the disclosure of personal data of violent crime assailants to the public, in response to heightened public concern over a series of heinous crimes.The agreement was discussed during a policy consultation meeting between the PPP and top government officials, including Prime Minster Han Deok-soo and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon.According to the agreement, the plan will further include suspects involved in grave crimes, such as terrorism, organized gangs, drugs, and sex crimes targeting children, as well as violence targeting random female victims.Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, a PPP spokesperson, told reporters after the meeting that the goal of the bill is to expand the scope of disclosure, as the two sides "acknowledge the gravity of heinous crimes."The bi

Jun 18, 2023

Gov't, PPP agree on expanding public disclosure of violent criminals' personal info

Yoon to give speech promoting Expo bid at BIE meeting in Paris

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a meeting discussing plans to organize the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan, in May, 2022. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol will give a speech promoting Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo during a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body in charge of overseeing the event, in Paris this week, his office said Sunday.Yoon will deliver the speech in English on Tuesday, the first day of the two-day assembly to be held in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris.Korea is bidding to host the Expo in its southeastern city of Busan in a competition against Rome, Italy; Odesa, Ukraine; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia."President Yoon Suk Yeol, who will appear as the last speaker, plans to conduct the presentation in English, and by strongly expressing the Republic of Korea's commitment to hosting the World Expo in Busan, draw the enthusiastic response and support of member states," the presidential office said in a press release, referring to Korea by its for

Jun 18, 2023

Yoon to give speech promoting Expo bid at BIE meeting in Paris

Yoon's remarks on college entrance exam cause confusion among students, parents

gettyimagesbankYoon's office says he was not talking about difficulty level of examBy Jun Ji-hyePresident Yoon Suk Yeol's comments regarding the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which were construed as instructing the education ministry to make the test easier, are causing confusion among students and parents, just five months before the state-administered college entrance exam is to be held. The remarks in question were made on Thursday, when Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said during a media briefing that he was instructed by the president to exclude what is not taught at schools from the annual exam, as part of educational reforms.One of the top three reforms being pursued by the Yoon administration, along with labor and pensions, is overhauling Korea's education system.Students and parents say the president has aggravated their worries by making the controversial remarks, which could exert an influence on the difficulty level of the CSAT, which is regarded as one of the most important academic events in a Korean person's life.Education Minister Lee Ju-ho speaks during a medi

Jun 16, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Yoon's remarks on college entrance exam cause confusion among students, parents

Yoon did not mean making college entrance exam easier: presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a ceremony to mark the promotion of Gangwon Province to a special self-governing province at a university in Chuncheon, 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, June 9. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol did not mean making the annual college entrance exam easier when he said the test should exclude what is not taught at schools, his office said Friday, after the remark sparked confusion about how easy or difficult the test will be.Yoon instructed Education Minister Lee Ju-ho the previous day to exclude material not covered by public education from the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung in Korean, amid criticism the test includes extremely hard questions that students without private tutoring cannot solve.The remark led to criticism there could be confusion among students ahead of the November exam, with one newspaper running the headline "Make Suneung easier.""President Yoon Suk Yeol was not talking about an 'easy Suneung' or a 'hard Suneung,'" senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye said in a written briefing."A fair assessment

Jun 16, 2023

Yoon did not mean making college entrance exam easier: presidential office

Education ministry replaces director in charge of CSAT after Yoon points out problems

INTERVIEW Korea passes on personnel management knowhow to other nations

Personnel Management Minister Kim Seung-ho / Courtesy of Ministry of Personnel ManagementBy Jun Ji-hyeKorea is passing on its knowhow in bringing innovation to public personnel management to other nations, based on the high praise it has received from various groups around the world, according to Minister of Personnel Management Kim Seung-ho.During an interview with The Korea Times, the minister said Korea ranked third in the areas of recruitment of civil servants and management of high-level officials in the OECD's Government at a Glance report published in 2021. In addition, the country's digital-based public personnel management system ranked first in the International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE) Index that was published in 2019 by the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and the Institute for Government in London. “Since the personnel management ministry was launched in 2014 in Korea, many countries have shown interest in our systems,” Kim said. “In particular, various countries in Central and South America and Asia have expressed

Jun 15, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

[INTERVIEW] Korea passes on personnel management knowhow to other nations

'Ghosts of previous administrations' rumored to return

Former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs of the Park Geun-hye administration Woo Byung-woo, left, and former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs of the Moon Jae-in administration Cho Kuk / Korea Times fileKey aides of ex-presidents Park, Moon eye 2024 general electionBy Nam Hyun-wooKey yet controversial officials of the previous Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in administrations are showing glimpses of intention to run in next year's general election, casting an outlook that the upcoming election could become a proxy battle between the former presidents.Woo Byung-woo, Park's senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, and Cho Kuk, Moon's senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, are both remembered as iconic figures of the past decade due to their involvement in scandals that resulted in massive public distrust of their respective administrations. Since their candidacy will likely be the hottest issue in the general election, both the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are voicing concerns that the

Jun 15, 2023By Nam Hyun-woo

'Ghosts of previous administrations' rumored to return

Veterans ministry vows to play bigger role in Korea-US alliance

Veterans Minister Park Min-shik speaks during a press conference held in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans AffairsBy Lee Hyo-jin Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik vowed, Thursday, that his ministry will play a bigger role in bolstering the Korea-U.S. alliance, with a slew of events slated for the latter half of this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement.“The bilateral relationship with the United States, which is bound in blood, is the most important front in Korea's diplomacy. And our ministry has a lot of work to do regarding relations with the U.S.,” he said during a press conference held in Seoul, Thursday. According to the ministry, a large-scale ceremony will be held on June 25 marking the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 and the U.N. Forces Participation Day on July 27, as well as the Turn Toward Busan ceremony on Nov. 11 commemorating the fallen United Nations soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.The ministry will also hold various receptions and events with 22 countries

Jun 15, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin

Veterans ministry vows to play bigger role in Korea-US alliance

Another group of opposition lawmakers travels to China amid tensions

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Jeung answers questions from reporters after landing at Beijing Capital International Airport in China on June 15. YonhapAn additional seven lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) began a visit to China on Thursday as tensions are running high between the two countries after Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming made remarks denounced as disrespectful to Korea.The lawmakers ― Reps. Park Jeung, Do Jong-hwan, Kim Cheol-min, Yoo Dong-soo, Shin Hyun-young, Kim Byung-joo and Min Byoung-dug ― arrived in Beijing on a trip that also includes a stop in Tibet. They are the second group of DPK lawmakers to visit China after the first group began a trip earlier this week.These visits came despite heightened tensions between the two countries after Ambassador Xing warned Korea not to bet against China in its rivalry with the United States, saying those betting on China's defeat will certainly regret it later.Korea has denounced the remark as serious diplomatic discourtesy, with the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol demand

Jun 15, 2023

Another group of opposition lawmakers travels to China amid tensions

Seoul's foreign ministry condemns NK's missile provocations ahead of ARF

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, front, and North Korean Ambassador to Indonesia An Kwang-il, seated third from left in the background, attend the 2022 ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh, Aug. 5, 2022. YonhapThe foreign ministry denounced Wednesday North Korea's recent series of missile provocations at a virtual senior officials' meeting ahead of an annual multilateral forum involving Pyongyang slated for next month.The ministry said it stated its position during the online preparatory meeting of senior government officials for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF), due to take place in Indonesia in July.Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Young-sam and Lee Jang-keun, the ambassador to ASEAN, attended the virtual conference, the ministry said.An Kwang-il, the North's ambassador to Indonesia, was present at the conference.The ARF is a rare multilateral forum involving Pyongyang, and it brings together top diplomats of 27 countries, including the United States, China, Japan and the European Union.During the virtual meeting, Seoul stressed the importanc

Jun 14, 2023

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