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PHOTOS President Yoon on visit to Japan ― Day 2

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, applauds during a roundtable meeting with business leaders from Korea and Japan at the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) building in Tokyo, March 17. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga during a meeting with Korean political groups and Japanese politicians in Tokyo, March 17. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol bows to the audience after a lecture at Keio University in Tokyo, March 17. Yoon talked about the future of Korea-Japan relations. Yonhap First lady Kim Keon Hee receives a flower bouquet from a student during her visit to a Korean school

Mar 17, 2023

[PHOTOS] President Yoon on visit to Japan ― Day 2

Main opposition leader slams Korea-Japan summit as 'most humiliating' moment in diplomacy

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a meeting of the party's Supreme Council at the National Assembly, March 17. YonhapOpposition leader Lee Jae-myung lashed out at President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, calling his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the "most humiliating moment" in the country's diplomatic history.Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), made the remarks a day after Yoon and Kishida held summit talks and agreed to move past historical disputes, including a row over wartime forced labor, and restore long-strained relations.Lee denounced the summit as the "most humiliating and dreadful moment in the history of our diplomacy," saying the Yoon administration has chosen to become a "puppet" of the Japanese government."Japan's apology or regret on the biggest issue of forced labor was nowhere to be seen," Lee said during a party meeting.Yoon's trip came after Korea announced a solution to the long-running disputes over compensation for Koreans forced into hard labor for Japanese companies whe

Mar 17, 2023

Main opposition leader slams Korea-Japan summit as 'most humiliating' moment in diplomacy

Opposition party denounces Yoon-Kishida summit as 'shameful submission to Japan'

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hold talks at the latter's residence in Tokyo, March 16. YonhapThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lashed out at President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday for coming away empty-handed from his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling the talks "the culmination of submissive diplomacy" and "a shame on the people.""Though leaders of Korea and Japan met, the Japanese government did not issue an apology for the wartime forced labor issue. Despite Japan's such shameless stance, Yoon rather tried to defend Japan's side," DPK spokesperson An Ho-young said.During the summit meeting held in Tokyo earlier in the day, the two leaders agreed to resolve a long-running dispute over compensation for Koreans forced into labor for Japanese companies under Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.Under Seoul's plan announced last week, a public foundation affiliated with the interior ministry will compensate the victims with donations from domestic businesses, though Korea's Supreme

Mar 17, 2023

Opposition party denounces Yoon-Kishida summit as 'shameful submission to Japan'

Yoon announces 'complete normalization' of military intel-sharing pact with Japan

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, attend an honor guard ceremony, ahead of their bilateral meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, in Tokyo, Thursday, March 16. AP-YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday he agreed to "completely normalize" a military intelligence-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan to better respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.Yoon made the remark after a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, referring to the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) that Seoul's previous administration threatened to suspend amid a bilateral dispute over wartime forced labor."I declared the complete normalization of GSOMIA at our summit a short while ago," Yoon said at a joint press conference at the prime minister's residence. "I believe the two countries should be able to share information on North Korea's nuclear missile launches and trajectories, and respond to them."Signed in 2016, GSOMIA was seen as a rare symbol of security cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo before the f

Mar 16, 2023

Yoon announces 'complete normalization' of military intel-sharing pact with Japan

PM calls for new police officers to root out violence at schools, construction sites

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center on the podium, salutes during a joint commissioning ceremony for new police officers at the Korea National Police University in Asan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul, March 16. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo called Thursday for newly commissioned police officers to root out violence at schools and construction sites. "No one can be an exception to the establishment of law and order," Han told a joint commissioning ceremony for police lieutenants and inspectors. "In particular, violence at construction sites, school violence, and crimes against children and adolescents must be eradicated," Han said. Han also urged them to make efforts to protect vulnerable people by cracking down on rental scams, phishing frauds, drug crimes and stalking. "Protecting the safety of the people is the first mission that should be prioritized," Han said. (Yonhap)

Mar 16, 2023

PM calls for new police officers to root out violence at schools, construction sites

Yoon warns N. Korea will pay for provocations

President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from left, attends an emergency National Security Council meeting at the presidential office in Seoul after North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea, in this photo provided by his office, March 16. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Thursday that North Korea will certainly pay for provocations as he attended an emergency security meeting following the North's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Yoon attended the National Security Council meeting right before he headed to Tokyo for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida where security cooperation against the North's nuclear and missile threats are expected to be a key topic."North Korea will certainly pay for reckless provocations," Yoon told the NSC meeting, emphasizing the need to reinforce security cooperation with the United States and Japan, the presidential office said in a statement.Yoon also ordered the military to

Mar 16, 2023

Yoon warns N. Korea will pay for provocations

New ruling party chairman meets main opposition leader

Ruling People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, right, shakes hands with main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung during their meeting at the latter's office at the National Assembly, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooThe new ruling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon met with main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung, Wednesday, and stressed bipartisan efforts to take care of people's livelihoods.While the meeting was seen as a possible truce between the rival parties, it remains to be seen if their meeting will develop into practical cooperation. The two parties have been trading barbs over issues ranging from President Yoon Suk Yeol's diplomatic efforts to mend relations with Japan, to a special counsel probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee and allegations against Chairman Lee.During their meeting at the National Assembly, Kim emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation to pass bills that the two parties have only minor differences on. He also suggested that he and Lee should meet once every two weeks.

Mar 15, 2023By Nam Hyun-woo

New ruling party chairman meets main opposition leader

Korea to set up world's No. 1 semiconductor cluster in Seoul metropolitan area

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during the 14th emergency economic and public livelihood meeting at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, March 15. Yonhap Korea will create the world's largest semiconductor cluster in the Seoul metropolitan area by attracting 2.98 trillion won ($229.81 billion) in investments as part of efforts to secure a competitive edge in the sector, the industry ministry said Wednesday.It is part of the government's comprehensive plan to promote six key industries ― chips, displays, secondary batteries, bio, future vehicles and robots ― which also called for the corporate investment of 550 trillion won by 2026, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The envisioned cluster of system semiconductors will be set up in Gyeonggi Province, which is expected to harbor five advanced chip fabrication facilities and around 150 materials, parts and fabless companies by 2042.The new complex will be located near

Mar 15, 2023

Korea to set up world's No. 1 semiconductor cluster in Seoul metropolitan area

More North Korean defectors pursue entrepreneurship for better life

A still of the 2017 documentary “The Jangmadang Generation” produced by the humanitarian NGO, Liberty in North Korea (LiNK). The film features young North Koreans who were born and raised after markets popped up in North Korea in the wake of the deadly famine in the mid-1990s. Courtesy of LiNKWith the arrivals of a total of 33,882 North Korean defectors to date, their assimilation into South Korean society has emerged as a key issue. From next week, The Korea Times will publish regularly a series of interviews with North Koreans living in the South to hear their stories about life here and find possible policy implications to make the country more inclusive. ―ED. By Kang Hyun-kyungStartups have become a buzzword among North Korean defectors living in South Korea as they mull various options to start their own business in order to escape what they perceive as discrimination at South Korean companies against people from the North. A 2022 survey conducted by Korea Hana Foundation, which was set up to help defectors settle here, found that 17.9 percent of North Koreans living

Mar 15, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung

More North Korean defectors pursue entrepreneurship for better life

Yoon, Japan's Kishida to hold summit Thursday

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh in this Nov. 13, 2022 file photo. NewsisPresident Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold a summit in Tokyo on Thursday, his office said.The summit, which will be followed by a dinner, will be held on the first day of Yoon's two-day visit to Japan, national security adviser Kim Sung-han told reporters."This visit has the significance of signaling that the Korea-Japan relationship, which has been strained until now, has entered the normalization stage in earnest," Kim said during a press briefing at the presidential office.Yoon's visit comes after Seoul announced its decision to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor on its own without contributions from Japanese companies. (Yonhap)

Mar 14, 2023

Politics

Politics

PHOTOS President Yoon on visit to Japan ― Day 2

Main opposition leader slams Korea-Japan summit as 'most humiliating' moment in diplomacy

Opposition party denounces Yoon-Kishida summit as 'shameful submission to Japan'

Yoon announces 'complete normalization' of military intel-sharing pact with Japan

PM calls for new police officers to root out violence at schools, construction sites

Yoon warns N. Korea will pay for provocations

New ruling party chairman meets main opposition leader

Korea to set up world's No. 1 semiconductor cluster in Seoul metropolitan area

More North Korean defectors pursue entrepreneurship for better life

Yoon, Japan's Kishida to hold summit Thursday

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