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Election watchdog preparing for votes by high school students

By Kim RahnLee Jae-jung, superintendent of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, speaks in a press conference at the office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 8, that his office will provide more education programs on democracy, including information on elections, as a law revision has enabled some high school seniors to participate in the April 15 general election. / YonhapThe election watchdog is preparing for an unprecedented situation in the upcoming April 15 general election — some 520,000 people aged 18 will be able to vote, following a relevant law revision that lowered the voting age from 19.It is the first time in the nation’s history that high school seniors will be able to cast their ballots in selecting public officials.About 140,000 of the new voters are estimated to be high school seniors, according to the education ministry, and the National Election Commission (NEC) is coming up with measures to prevent classrooms from becoming politicized.The commission said, Wednesday, it had formed a taskforce to carry out the measures and seek cooperation with re

Jan 19, 2020By Kim Rahn

Election watchdog preparing for votes by high school students

Media strategy missing on bilateral disputes

U.S. President Donald Trump waits with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during an event at the White House in Washington, U.S., Dec.13, 2019. Reuters-YonhapBy Do Je-haeThe Korea-U.S. negotiations for determining Seoul’s share of the cost of maintaining American troops here has emerged as a highly contentious issue. As seen by the series of protests in front of the U.S. Embassy in central Seoul, emotions are running high regarding Washington’s mounting pressure for Seoul to pay more.In a rare move, the U.S. Embassy recently posted the Korean translation of a joint op-ed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. The timing and content of the op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was actually very interesting.It provided a well-structured case from the U.S. point of view on why Korea, as a global economic powerhouse, is in a position to pay more for the upkeep of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).As the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations are still ongoing, such an eloquent statement from key officials in the Trump administration is timely in

Jan 19, 2020By Do Je-hae

Media strategy missing on bilateral disputes

Korea facing daunting diplomatic challenges

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the truce village of Panmunjeom in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, June 30, 2019. Reuters-YonhapMoon urged to take path toward confidence building with NKBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in is facing grave national security and diplomatic challenges this year. As outlined in his New Year address, he is resolved to push his engagement policy with North Korea despite discontent from the United State. In particular, Moon will have to better cope with rising concerns about the health of the U.S.-South Korea alliance in his fourth year in office. The alliance has seemed to weaken under his presidency owing to discrepancies on a range of bilateral issues, including North Korea, the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) and most recently, the controversy over Korea's possible participation in the U.S.-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz. Korea and the U.S. are also at odds over the return of contaminated U.S. Forces Korea bases to South Korea; the transfer of wartime operational control of South Kore

Jan 19, 2020By Do Je-hae

Korea facing daunting diplomatic challenges

Prime Minister meets opposition leader

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, right, talks with main opposition Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn at the National Assembly, Friday, during a courtesy visit to the opposition party his after inauguration Tuesday. Hwang asked Chung to ensure the upcoming April 15 general election is held fairly, and Chung sought support from Hwang in passing pending bills related to the people's livelihoods. Yonhap

Jan 17, 2020

Hyundai EVC Chung promotes benefits of 'hydrogen society'

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun speaks during a session with industry leaders on the sidelines of his participation in last year's G20 summit, Japan. Korea Times fileBy Kim Yoo-chulHyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun called for collective efforts for progress in discussions to maximize the benefits of a “hydrogen society.”Speaking on behalf of the Hydrogen Council, Thursday, the co-chair of the industry association body, acknowledged that a full transformation into a “hydrogen society” would not happen overnight. But he also highlighted why actively embracing the initiative matters in terms of both maximizing the best interests of the corporate sector and going further to build the relevant eco-system.“I believe building hydrogen-powered areas, which many countries are already taking part in, could be a viable stepping stone toward becoming a hydrogen society. We need to have discussions with other governments to jointly establish hydrogen-powered areas.” Regarding safety issues, the Chung said: “

Jan 17, 2020By Kim Yoo-chul

Hyundai EVC Chung promotes benefits of 'hydrogen society'

Ruling party head slammed for disparaging disabled

Rep. Lim Jae-hun of the Bareunmirae Party, center, with members of groups of the disabled, criticizes ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Hae-chan's remarks disparaging the disabled, during a press briefing at the National Assembly, Thursday. / YonhapBy Kim RahnRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Hae-chan is under fire for disparaging the disabled ― again. He has apologized, but the criticism continues.In a YouTube clip on the party's official channel, Wednesday, Lee said people with innate disabilities were weak-willed. He said people without disabilities were “normal.”Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Hae-chan. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun“It is said people born with disability are rather weak-willed because they have been like that since they were young,” he said. “But in the case of people becoming disabled from accidents after growing up, they know the normal life they used to have.”The comment was made while Lee was talking about Choi Hye-young, a professor invited to join the party ahead of the April 15 g

Jan 17, 2020By Kim Rahn

Ruling party head slammed for disparaging disabled

Doubts rise over feasibility of S. Koreans' individual tours to North Korea

A new resort in NK YonhapBy Do Je-hae The government is pushing to start individual tours to North Korea in an attempt to improve inter-Korean relations, but questions are rising about their feasibility due to a disagreement with the U.S. and noncooperation from Pyongyang.President Moon Jae-in has emphasized the need to expand cooperation between the two Koreas this year, irrespective of the stalemate in the North Korea-U.S. denuclearization talks. “In addition to efforts to promote the success of the dialogue, the need to find realistic ways to further advance inter-Korean cooperation has become all the more urgent,” Moon said in his Jan. 7 New Year speech. During a press conference Tuesday, Moon highlighted the start of “individual tours” as one of the ways to start improving inter-Korea ties. The President's remark has raised expectations that tours to Mount Geumgang in the North, which have been suspended since 2008, may resume. The unification ministry also mentioned visits to North Korean hometowns by South Koreans who were separated from their family me

Jan 16, 2020By Do Je-hae

Doubts rise over feasibility of S. Koreans' individual tours to North Korea

Cheong Wa Dae undergoing exodus of officials ahead of April general election

Ko Min-jung, left, former Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman, and Yoo Song-hwa, former director of the Chunchugwan press center, deliver their farewell speeches at the center, Wednesday, after resigning their posts to run in the April 15 general election. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seokOpposition parties slam Cheong Wa Dae for playing role of 'election camp'By Jung Da-min A dozen aides to President Moon Jae-in have left Cheong Wa Dae in recent weeks to run in the April 15 general election. Including those who left earlier, nearly 60 to 70 former presidential officials are preparing to seek National Assembly seats.This situation raises concerns that Cheong Wa Dae is serving as a means for ruling party candidates to boost their resumes, and that the mass departure will lead to a vacuum in state affairs.The most recent to depart was presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung, who quit, Wednesday, a day before the Jan. 16 deadline to run in the April 15 elections. Civil servants are required to resign from their posts at least 90 days before the election, according to the Public Official Electi

Jan 16, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae undergoing exodus of officials ahead of April general election

'Beijing must accept Taiwan as independent country': Tsai Ing-wen

A handout photo made available by Taiwan's Presidential Office on Jan. 15 shows Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, right, giving an interview to BCC correspondent John Sudworth in Taipei, Taiwan, Jan. 14. EPA-YonhapBy Lawrence ChungTaiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday said mainland China needed to face the reality that the island was “an independent country already”, in remarks certain to infuriate Beijing following her election win.In an interview with the BBC, Tsai also said the democratic island deserved respect from Beijing.“We don't have a need to declare ourselves an independent state,” Tsai told the BBC. “We are an independent country already and we call ourselves the Republic of China, Taiwan.”Tsai garnered a record 8.17 million votes to secure a second term in Saturday's presidential election ― a convincing win over her main rival, Han Kuo-yu from the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang, that gives her a mandate to continue her approach to cross-strait relations.Official ties have been suspended since Tsai took office in 2016 and refused to ac

Jan 16, 2020

'Beijing must accept Taiwan as independent country': Tsai Ing-wen

People in 40s isolated from job market recovery

By Lee Kyung-min The employment situation for middle-aged breadwinners is deteriorating as people in their 40s kept losing their jobs in December 2019, despite a “recovery” in the overall job market, data showed Wednesday.Statistics Korea reported that the country added 516,000 jobs in December, the highest number since August 2014 when the economy added 670,000.The number of jobs in all other age groups increased in December but those in their 40s, mostly family breadwinners, saw 128,000 jobs disappear.The loss was offset by the 479,000 jobs added for those in their 60s and older, followed by 94,000 for 50-somethings, and 69,000 for young people aged between 15 and 29, but a mere 2,000 for the 30-somethings.The Ministry of Economy and Finance said the job market is showing gradual yet firm signs of recovery, but experts refuted such optimism saying that only part-time or poor quality jobs are being created for those aged over 60. Sung Tae-yoon, an economist at Yonsei University, said the job market is hardly on a recovery track.“What the government is eager to call

Jan 16, 2020By Lee Kyung-min

Politics

Politics

Election watchdog preparing for votes by high school students

Media strategy missing on bilateral disputes

Korea facing daunting diplomatic challenges

Prime Minister meets opposition leader

Hyundai EVC Chung promotes benefits of 'hydrogen society'

Ruling party head slammed for disparaging disabled

Doubts rise over feasibility of S. Koreans' individual tours to North Korea

Cheong Wa Dae undergoing exodus of officials ahead of April general election

'Beijing must accept Taiwan as independent country': Tsai Ing-wen

People in 40s isolated from job market recovery

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