South Korea - The Korea Times

Moon retains push for talks with North Korea

President Moon Jae-in delivers a New Year address at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in has re-emphasized dialogue with North Korea this year, urging joint efforts by the two Koreas to realize North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to the South.Entering the fourth year of his presidency, Moon delivered a New Year address, Tuesday, and devoted a significant portion of the speech to highlight his focus on dialogue with North Korea.Moon's stance has come despite Pyongyang's latest declaration ending its two-year moratorium on nuclear and Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests and announcing a “new strategic weapon.”The President reiterated his determination to place priority on dialogue and diplomacy in dealing with North Korea in close cooperation with the United States and China. He stressed that Seoul will be prepared to do all it can to revive the dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.In particular, Moon called on Kim to visit Seoul as they agreed during their previous summit in 2018. The remark was seen as a concrete signal th

Jan 7, 2020By Do Je-hae

Moon retains push for talks with North Korea

Patriot missile battery deployed near Cheong Wa Dae

'Ex-speaker's nomination as PM not against separation of powers'

Prime Minister nominee Chung Sye-kyun speaks during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooThe prime minister nominee denied claims that his nomination could violate the principle of the separation of powers between the nation's legislative, administrative and judicial branches, Tuesday.Chung Sye-kyun, a six-term lawmaker and former National Assembly speaker, was tapped as a new premier last month. If appointed after a parliamentary confirmation hearing and approval, Chung will be the nation's first prime minister who served as a National Assembly speaker.“It is not possible for an active parliamentary leader to transfer to the prime minister post, which destroys the separation of legal, administrative and judicial powers,” Chung said during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.The 68-year-old stressed that he is not an Assembly speaker anymore, only a lawmaker, and there should be no problem for him to assume the position.“As far as I know, the separation of powers means 'functional separation' of

Jan 7, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

'Ex-speaker's nomination as PM not against separation of powers'

Moon urges inter-Korean efforts to realize Kim Jong-un visit to Seoul

President Moon Jae-in speaks during his New Year's address at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in proposed Tuesday that the two Koreas make concerted efforts to create the conditions for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit South Korea as agreed.In his New Year's address, he also reaffirmed his administration's commitment to pushing for the resumption of two major inter-Korean projects ― the Kaesong industrial complex and Mount Kumgang tours ― as well as the reconnection of roads and railways.Relevant efforts have made little headway as Seoul has abided by the U.N. Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang."I hope South and North (Korea) will make efforts together so that the conditions for Chairman Kim Jong-un's reciprocal visit can be created at an early date," Moon said in the televised speech.Moon traveled to Pyongyang in September in 2018 and had his second summit with Kim there. Their Pyongyang Declaration read, "Chairman Kim Jong-un agreed to visit Seoul at an early date at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in."Reminding Kim of his summit promise, Moo

Jan 7, 2020

Moon urges inter-Korean efforts to realize Kim Jong-un visit to Seoul

Cheong Wa Dae replaces key aides before election

Presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung speaks about a reshuffle at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Some key presidential aides are leaving Cheong Wa Dae to run in the upcoming general election, which is widely seen as a barometer of public judgment of President Moon Jae-in and his party. The presidential office announced Monday a reshuffle to replace Youn Kun-young, director of the State Affairs Planning and Monitoring Office, and Joo Hyung-chul, chairman of the Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy, and other core members of Cheong Wa Dae. The presidential office will also undergo some organizational changes and create new posts such as the secretary for digital innovation under the senior presidential secretary for science and technology. “The reshuffle is to improve policy efficiency and renew momentum for driving forward with state affairs in the latter phase of the administration,” presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said in a briefing. Youn, one of Moon's closest aides, led the preparations for the President's two summit meetings with North Korean l

Jan 6, 2020By Do Je-hae

Cheong Wa Dae replaces key aides before election

Accidents on black ice

Cars are piled up on a highway near Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday, following a multiple vehicle collision involving 40 vehicles. No one was reported killed, but eight people were injured. The police said black ice, a thin coating of clear ice on roads ― usually invisible to drivers ― was the cause of the accident. /Yonhap

Jan 6, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

D-100 to general election

A sign in front of an office of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly shows, Monday, that 100 days are left to the general election, which falls on April 15. Yonhap

Jan 6, 2020

S. Korea to hold NSC meeting on Iran issue

South Korea's top security officials will have a National Security Council (NSC) meeting to discuss the current Iran crisis on Monday afternoon, Cheong Wa Dae said.President Moon Jae-in instructed the members of the NSC standing committee to closely review security conditions, the safety of South Koreans in the region and crude oil supply, in particular, according to Cheong Wa Dae's spokesperson Ko Min-jung.Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo also plans to attend the session at the call of the president, she added, although he's not a formal member of the NSC panel.It will be presided over by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office.Military tensions have been sharply rising since last week's killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, arguably Iran's most powerful commander, by an U.S. drone bombing at Baghdad's international airport.Global oil prices have further soared. The growing sense of crisis may also affect South Korea's move to play a role in ensuring the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.It may serve as a wake-up call for North

Jan 6, 2020

Iran to forego 2015 nuke pact; Trump threatens new attack

Parties seek new strategies for election after revisions

Lawmakers of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) walk out of the National Assembly's plenary session en mass after an electoral reform bill to expand the Assembly seats for proportional representation was passed, Dec. 27. YonhapBy Jung Da-min After numerous rounds of negotiations and debates over the past years, the National Assembly has adopted a new electoral system that will be applied in the upcoming general elections in April. The National Assembly passed an electoral reform bill Dec. 27 that has been pushed ahead by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and four other minor parties since they placed it on a legislative fast track in late April. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) has strongly protested the reform, staging filibusters. The new electoral system seeks an expansion of proportional representation to make the National Assembly more reflective of the electorate. Under the new system, two ballots are conducted for the 300 National Assembly seats, with one for 253 single-member districts on a first-past-the-post basis and the other for the remai

Jan 5, 2020

Parties seek new strategies for election after revisions

Education on election to be given to high school senior voters

By Bahk Eun-jiThe election watchdog is creating educational content on voting for students and teachers, as a recently law revision has enabled some high school seniors to vote for the first time. A student holds a paper plane on which is written a message calling for suffrage for young people, at a rally in Seoul in October 2018. / Korea Times file The National Assembly last month passed an election reform bill that lowered the voting age from 19 to 18, starting in the upcoming April 15 general election. The change is expected to give voting rights to 530,000 people, and it is estimated that 60,000 of them will be high school seniors who will turn 18 before the elections, with the rest being high school graduates or freshmen at college.The National Election Commission (NEC) announced Sunday that it will develop printed and video education material for the new voters, and distribute it to regional education offices and high schools across the country before the spring

Jan 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Education on election to be given to high school senior voters

Lawmakers to visit Japan this week over compensation for forced laborers

Korean and Japanese lawmakers met in Tokyo, July 31, to discuss ways to find a breakthrough in relations following Tokyo's imposition of trade restrictions against Korean firms. Korea Times fileBy Park Ji-wonMembers of the National Assembly Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union will visit Japan this week for a meeting with their Japanese counterparts. They will discuss measures to create a breakthrough in the chilled relations between Seoul and Tokyo as a possible liquidation of Japanese companies' assets nears.According to political sources, several lawmakers of the bipartisan Korean parliamentary body aimed at boosting friendly relations between lawmakers from the neighboring countries will visit Tokyo from Wednesday to Saturday to meet key Japanese lawmakers.The Korean representatives include Kang Chang-il, head of the organization and a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK); Yun Ho-jung of the DPK; Lee Jin-bok and Kim Seok-ki of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and Chung Dong-young of the Party for Democracy and Peace. They will try to find an “exi

Jan 5, 2020By Park Ji-won

Politics