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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Opposition leader stages hunger strike for 7th day in protest of reform bills

Liberty Korea Party chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn on his seventh day of hunger strike at his tent in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Nov. 26. YonhapThe chief of the main opposition party continued his hunger strike for a seventh straight day Tuesday to protest key reform bills that were placed on a fast-track despite objections from the conservative party.Liberty Korea Party (LKP) chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn began his fast Wednesday in front of the presidential office in a bid to change the policies of President Moon Jae-in.Two of his three major demands are to revoke bills to set up a special unit to probe corruption by high-ranking government officials and to adopt a new proportional representation system as part of electoral reform.The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and three minor parties reached a deal on details of the key political and judiciary bills in April. They designated them as fast-track bills later amid scuffles with LKP lawmakers.Liberty Korea Party floor leader Na Kyung-won, holding Hwang's hand, and other members of the party visited Hwang in the morning of Nov. 26. YonhapAn election re

Nov 26, 2019
Opposition leader stages hunger strike for 7th day in protest of reform bills
  • LKP leader under fire for 'extreme' political performances without cause

Summit begins with hope but draws mixed reactions

Participants of the ASEAN-Korea Business Expo hold business meetings on the sidelines of the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit at BEXCO in Busan, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Park Ji-wonBUSAN - Participants initially hoped that this year's 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit could pave the way for more business opportunities between participating Southeast Asian countries and South Korea. However, some have expressed disappointment, saying the event has been poorly organized. “This is a good chance for ASEAN people to understand more about each other, especially, for those enterprises in the ASEAN community and Korea which want to invest,” Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, president of Vietphuc Group which runs companies for hotel suppliers and agricultural products, told The Korea Times at the ASEAN-Korea Business Expo, which was held on the sidelines of the three-day international summit in BEXCO, Busan, Monday.Nguyen said that she believed the event would be helpful. “I think it is a good chance for me and Vietnamese enterprises to come to visit K

Nov 25, 2019By Park Ji-won
Summit begins with hope but draws mixed reactions
  • Moon, ASEAN leaders discuss peace, co-prosperity

Moon, ASEAN leaders discuss peace, co-prosperity

Dignitaries take part in the Culture Innovation Summit, held on the sidelines of the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit at BEXCO, Busan, Monday. From left are iME (Idea Music Entertainment Group) founder and CEO Brian Chow, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, President Moon Jae-in; Big Hit Entertainment founder and CEO Bang Si-hyuk, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, SK Telecom President Park Jung-ho and French filmmaker Pierre Coffin. YonhapSeoul, Jakarta sign free trade deal By Do Je-hae BUSAN ― President Moon Jae-in held a series of bilateral summits on the first day of the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Busan, Monday, where he discussed various modes of mutual cooperation for peace and co-prosperity. Moon also invited the nine attending heads of state and representatives of delegations and businesses to a state dinner.During the summits, the leaders noted the maturity of Korea-ASEAN relations, which mark their 30th anniversary this year. Korea and ASEAN members Thailand and Indonesia have in com

Nov 25, 2019By Do Je-hae
Moon, ASEAN leaders discuss peace, co-prosperity
  • ASEAN becomes No. 2 trading partner for S. Korea
  • Bazaar to commemorate inaugural Mekong-Korea summit
  • S. Korea strikes free-trade deal with Indonesia
  • Defense Ministry sees ASEAN as 'next growth engine'
  • Korea to launch consultative body with ASEAN countries in smart city sector
  • Summit begins with hope but draws mixed reactions

Korean students take to streets to support Hong Kong protest

University students hold up pickets supporting Hong Kong protesters in downtown Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonHundreds of university students here rallied in downtown Seoul to show their support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Saturday. “Stand for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” the students shouted as they marched from Seoul City Hall to the Chinese Embassy. They wore black garments and masks to show their solidarity with Hong Kong protesters, known to dress in black.At the embassy, student leaders delivered a written protest demanding the Xi Jinping accept the protesters' five demands.Massive anti-government protests have rocked the Asian business hub over the last five months. Hong Kong police violence against protesters ― shown in countless videos and media reports from the ground ― has generated an international outcry. The students said while the Chinese government orders violent crackdowns on the pro-democracy protesters and covers up its brutality by controlling information, those in power in Korea and other countries are turning away from the sit

Nov 24, 2019
Korean students take to streets to support Hong Kong protest

Cheong Wa Dae criticizes Abe remarks on GSOMIA

Presidential National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, right, is seen with the office's second deputy Kim Hyun-chong on the occasion of the South Korea-Brunei summit at Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday morning. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulA senior presidential aide strongly criticized recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding South Korea's decision to temporarily put off the expiration of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).“Cheong Wa Dae is very sorry about Japanese media reports which quoted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in which he reportedly said Tokyo made no concessions regarding Seoul's decision for conditional extension of the GSOMIA. If these reports are true, then he should not have said that as the Japanese leader,” Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters at the BEXCO Convention Center in Busan.Chung alleged senior Japanese government officials made a “foul play” in intentionally leaking the agreed statements regarding GSOMIA and Seoul's decision to temporarily halt

Nov 24, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Cheong Wa Dae criticizes Abe remarks on GSOMIA
  • US senators remind Moon, Abe of trilateral cooperation
  • 'US doubts Korea's reliability as ally': Revere

LKP leader under fire for 'extreme' political performances without cause

Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, continues his hunger strike for the fifth day in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday, urging the National Assembly not to pass the fast-tracked bills on electoral and judiciary reform. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonHwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), is under fire for taking “extreme” actions without cause to protest the government's decisions as it may simply tarnish the reputation of the conservative party.Hwang, a former justice minister and prime minister under the former Park Geun-hye administration and leading prospective presidential candidate, continued his hunger strike for the fifth day in front of the presidential office, urging the National Assembly to scrap the fast-tracked bills on establishing an independent body that can investigate high-ranking officials and expanding the proportional representation election system.Last year, the LKP's then floor leader Kim S

Nov 24, 2019By Park Ji-won
LKP leader under fire for 'extreme' political performances without cause
  • Opposition leader stages hunger strike for 7th day in protest of reform bills

S. Korea, Singapore agree to boost ties on smart cities, arms development

President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Cheong Wa Dae, Saturday. YonhapSouth Korea and Singapore reached a summit deal Saturday to strengthen partnerships in various fields, including smart cities and arms development, on the basis of their traditional cooperation.President Moon Jae-in greeted Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Cheong Wa Dae, who made his first official visit here in six years.With the summit, Moon kicked off a hectic round of his summit diplomacy on Southeast Asian nations, the highlight of which is the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to open on Monday in the southern port city of Busan.Moon and Lee "had broad and in-depth discussions on ways for cooperation to promote co-prosperity and friendliness and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," Cheong Wa Dae said.Singapore is an "exemplary partner" for South Korea's New Southern Policy, it added.Lee was quoted as telling Moon that the two sides are "optimal" partners to lead the fourth industrial revolution era together.T

Nov 23, 2019
S. Korea, Singapore agree to boost ties on smart cities, arms development

S. Korea conditionally extends military pact with Japan

Cheong Wa Dae announces the decision to conditionally extend GSOMIA, Friday. YonhapSeoul, Tokyo to pursue summit next month By Do Je-haePresident Moon Jae-in has decided at the last minute to reverse Seoul's decision not to renew a military information-sharing pact with Japan, giving both countries more time to negotiate on outstanding bilateral issues. Seoul will extend the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) on the condition that Japan withdraws its trade restrictions imposed in July on three key industrial materials crucial for Korean high-tech manufacturers and its removal of Korea from its "whitelist" of preferred trading partners in August. The presidential office announced the "conditional" suspension of the termination only six hours before the GSOMIA officially expired as of midnight Friday night, following a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) presided by Moon at Cheong Wa Dae earlier Friday. Seoul will also temporarily withhold a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Japan. "Our government has decided to suspend the GS

Nov 22, 2019By Do Je-hae
S. Korea conditionally extends military pact with Japan
  • Moon-Abe summit likely in December
  • 'US doubts Korea's reliability as ally': Revere

Moon praises Seoul's diversification in sourcing core materials

President Moon Jae-in, center, gestures during his scheduled tour to a silicon wafer-producing factory in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Friday. Moon's left is Park Young-sun, minister of SMEs and right is MEMC Korea CEO Cho Chan-rae. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulA few hours before the official deadline for renewal of an intel-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan, President Moon Jae-in said efforts to diversify channels in procuring “strategic industrial materials” were beginning to yield results.Speaking to government officials and senior executives at a Korean subsidiary of Taiwan-headquartered silicon wafer producer of MEMC Electronic Materials (MEMC Korea) before his scheduled tour to the MEMC factory in southern Seoul, President Moon said; “Over the last four months, the government and South Korean firms have been accelerating efforts to diversify procurement channels in industrial materials and applying measures that go towards keeping a supply chain running stably,” according to Cheong Wa Dae press pool reports.President Moon said his administration

Nov 22, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Moon praises Seoul's diversification in sourcing core materials

South Korea decides to renew GSOMIA

By Kim Yoo-chul, Jhoo Dong-chanSouth Korea decided to renew a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, Japanese media reports said, Friday afternoon.According to NHK in Japan, South Korea notified Japan of its decision to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). NHK didn't elaborate. First and second deputies of the presidential National Security Office Kim You-geun and Kim Hyun-chong are expected to announce Seoul's final decision regarding GSOMIA around 6 p.m. at the earliest, according to officials familiar with the issue. The foreign ministry is set to hold a briefing session right after the Cheong Wa Dae announcement. Forecasts earlier in the day were that Seoul will officially allow the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to expire, with President Moon Jae-in and top South Korean government officials repeatedly reaffirming Seoul's stance not to reverse course unless Japan cancels its July move to restrict exports to South Korea.GSOMIA is aimed at countering North Korean nuclear and missile threats. It had been renewed

Nov 22, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
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