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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.

Ruling party vows to veto 'unrealistic' US defense cost request

Rep. Lee In-young speaks during his press conference at the National Assembly, Sunday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader Rep. Lee In-young has pledged to use the Assembly's veto power against the “unrealistic” U.S. request for Korea to pay more for American forces here.Lee claimed that the U.S. demand for Korea to pay $5 billion ― five times the current amount ― was “unrealistic. At a press conference Sunday to mark six months since he became DPK floor leader, he said “If the U.S. government is trying to push through an unreasonable increase of Korea's share of defense costs, the DPK will clearly convey the determination of the party and the Assembly to the U.S. side that Washington will not get the agreement from Seoul's parliament, which has veto power over the cost.”Stressing that the large increase without any changes in the situation was not based on reasonable, reciprocal principles and sovereignty, he said, “Regarding the demand of the unrealistic military costs of U.S. forces here, the Assembly has no c

Nov 17, 2019By Park Ji-won
Ruling party vows to veto 'unrealistic' US defense cost request
  • Activists up in arms against US call for higher USFK bill

Lawmakers divided over ending GSOMIA

LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won speaks during a recent party meeting at the National Assembly. / YonhapBy Jhoo Dong-chanLawmakers are divided on the country's intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), that is slated for termination Nov. 22.The opposition Liberty Party of Korea (LPK) said the government's decision to end the GSOMIA “planted a seed of distrust” and has become the reason behind Washington's demand to raise Seoul's payment for 28,500 U.S. Forces Korea troops stationed here.LPK floor leader Na Kyung-won said during a meeting of the party's most senior members that the Moon administration was playing a dangerous game in diplomacy with Washington.“It seems the Moon administration is imitating North Korea's brinkmanship-like diplomacy with the United States,” Na said.“If the government terminates the GSOMIA as it announced before, the Korea-U.S. alliance will cross the point of no return in trust.”Senior U.S. military and government officials including Washington's top def

Nov 15, 2019By Jhoo Dong-chan
Lawmakers divided over ending GSOMIA

Seoul again asks Pyongyang for talks over Mt. Geumgang issue

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul attends a National Assembly Diplomacy and Unification Committee meeting at the Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chulSouth Korea again has asked North Korea for talks regarding the fate of the Mount Geumgang tourism project after Pyongyang notified South Korea of its plan to “unilaterally remove” South Korean-invested facilities and structures at the inter-Korean project.“According to the government's consistent stance in dealing with the Mount Geumgang tourism project based on agreements between the Koreas, South Korea will handle the issue accordingly, patiently and thoughtfully,” Unification Ministry deputy spokesman Kim Eun-han told reporters in a briefing Friday. “Seoul wants Pyongyang to respond to our request in a positive manner.” The government official admitted that North Korea issued an ultimatum to South Korea saying that Pyongyang will completely dismantle South Korean structures and other assets there if th

Nov 15, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Seoul again asks Pyongyang for talks over Mt. Geumgang issue

'Seoul can't renew GSOMIA with Tokyo': Moon

President Moon Jae-in meets with U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who visited Seoul for annual talks between the defense chiefs of the two countries, at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, after the 51st Security Consultative Meeting earlier the day. YonhapEsper told Moon US would ask Japan to resolve GSOMIA issueBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in told U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper that South Korea will not renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan, saying Tokyo's imposition of restrictions on certain exports to South Korean companies in July made it a matter of “mutual trust."“At the meeting in Cheong Wa Dae with Secretary Esper and senior U.S. military officials, President Moon spoke about his government's stance regarding the GSOMIA. He told Esper that Seoul will not renew the bilateral intelligence-sharing pact as the issue was a matter of mutual trust. Esper understood,” presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung told reporters after their meeting.The meeting, starting at 4 p.m. and lasting 50 minutes, covered key pending issues i

Nov 15, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
'Seoul can't renew GSOMIA with Tokyo': Moon

Moon, US defense chief to meet at 4 p.m. with GSOMIA as top agenda

President Moon Jae-in and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark EsperPresident Moon Jae-in plans to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, his office announced, amid speculation that they may touch on such sensitive issues as the fate of a Seoul-Tokyo military information-sharing accord and the cost of hosting American troops here.The Pentagon chief is scheduled to visit the presidential compound soon after having bilateral talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo. The defense chiefs of the two sides hold annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) talks to discuss pending alliance issues and regional and global security cooperation.Moon's meeting with Esper is to start at 4 p.m. and is scheduled to last half an hour, a Cheong Wa Dae official said.The other U.S. attendees will be Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Robert Abrams, Ambassador Harry Harris and Randall Schriver, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, according to the official.It will be

Nov 15, 2019
Moon, US defense chief to meet at 4 p.m. with GSOMIA as top agenda
  • Fate of GSOMIA up to Japan: defense ministry
  • Moon firm on GSOMIA termination despite 'maximum' US pressure to back down
  • US pursues 'its own benefit' over GSOMIA, defense cost-sharing issues: experts
  • Pentagon chief calls for renewal of Seoul-Tokyo intel-sharing pact

Moon firm on GSOMIA termination despite 'maximum' US pressure to back down

President Moon Jae-in at an event at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. YonhapBy Do Je-haeWashington is putting pressure on Seoul to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Tokyo ahead of the Nov. 22 notification deadline to terminate the pact, which was signed at the U.S. initiative in 2016. Washington has sent key defense officials to Seoul this week ahead of the deadline. President Moon Jae-in will meet U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper this afternoon, according to Cheong Wa Dae. During the meeting, Moon is expected to explain the need to terminate the pact owing to Japan's unchanged position on its trade restrictions against Korean companies. He is also expected to reiterate “equitable” cost-sharing for U.S. troops stationed in Korea amid ongoing negotiations on this issue. With the GSOMIA termination deadline only days away, there is intense media attention particularly on whether Cheong Wa Dae, which has adamantly called on Japan to reverse its trade restrictions first, may shift its stance, given the escalating pressure from the United S

Nov 14, 2019By Do Je-hae
Moon firm on GSOMIA termination despite 'maximum' US pressure to back down
  • Fate of GSOMIA up to Japan: defense ministry
  • FM cancels meeting with Pompeo in US
  • US pursues 'its own benefit' over GSOMIA, defense cost-sharing issues: experts
  • Moon, US defense chief to meet at 4 p.m. with GSOMIA as top agenda

EONE to lead state-sponsored effort to fight dementia

EONE-DIAGNOMICS Genome Center CEO Shin Shang-cheol Courtesy of EDGCBy Oh Young-jin EONE-DIAGNOMICS Genome Center (EDGC), Korea's personalized precision medicine solutions provider, has been selected to form a consortium with the top three medical facilities to establish a platform for medical services dealing with cases of mild cognitive impairment ― the stage just before dementia.EDGC said Thursday that the project will receive 9 billion won in state funds over the next three years, being designated for the PREMIER project by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The consortium also includes, among others, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital and Korea University Medical Center. Its key task is to set up the precision medical service platform for the prognostics, management and improvement tailored for different degrees of risk of cognitive impairment and to support clinical tests and the development of medical equipment. The data shows that about 10 to 15 percent of cases of mild cognitive impairment degenerate into dementia on an annual basis, making it very im

Nov 14, 2019By Oh Young-jin
EONE to lead state-sponsored effort to fight dementia

Ruling party proposes resolution for fair defense talks

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Lee In-young makes his remarks at the start of a party meeting with senior party members at the National Assembly on Yeouido in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulThe ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has proposed a resolution to the National Assembly calling for “fair negotiations” in the ongoing defense cost-sharing talks with the U.S.“The DPK is asking the United States to assess the defense cost-sharing issue logically, reasonably and thoughtfully. The key rationale is that bringing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula should be the top goal and should be consistently sought by the United States and South Korea. From that standpoint, the defense cost-sharing talks should be in sync with that agenda,” floor leader Rep. Lee In-young told senior party members at the National Assembly, Thursday.The ruling party leader asked the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) to stand behind the party's request to the United States on the matter. “Over 95 percent of the South Korean public oppose the

Nov 14, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Ruling party proposes resolution for fair defense talks

Minister, Hyundai chief meet over Mt. Geumgang

In this file photo, local tourists walk on the trail at Mount Geumgang in North Korea. AP-YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulUnification Minister Kim Yeon-chul met with Hyundai Group chief Hyun Jeong-un at the minister's office in Seoul, Thursday afternoon, to explore ways to save South Korea-invested facilities at the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea.“Minister Kim discussed ways to protect properties at the resort in North Korea after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the complete dismantling of South-invested facilities and structures there. They had candid talks on all outstanding issues relating to the fate of the Mount Geumgang tourism project,” an official at the ministry said.Hyun is the chairwoman of Hyundai Group, which has Hyundai Asan as its core affiliate. Hyundai Asan previously invested, developed and operated inter-Korean projects at the mountain, though cooperation was closed in 2008 following the killing of a South Korean female tourist by North Korean soldiers. Hyundai Asan owns a 50-year exclusive license for the operation of the resort. It was said to have

Nov 14, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Minister, Hyundai chief meet over Mt. Geumgang

Moon prioritizes boosting regional economy ahead of polls

President Moon Jae-in visits a factory in Ulsan on Jan. 17. Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaeMultiple visits to provinces show Moon's focus on 'balanced growth'By Do Je-haeReviving regional economies will be at the forefront of President Moon Jae-in's priorities as Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea gear up for the general elections in April 2020. Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that the President has made 349 visits to regional areas since he was elected in May 2017. “The regional visits were organized for promoting balanced development, innovative growth and future industries. They were also designed for the President to get in touch with the people and hear their concerns,” the presidential office said in a document assessing Moon's regional visits. The document was released after Moon marked the beginning of the second half of his single five-year presidential term Sunday. The multiple visits to the regions showed Moon's focus on regional growth through more investments and innovation, according to Cheong Wa Dae. “For the past two years and a half, the Pr

Nov 13, 2019By Do Je-hae
Moon prioritizes boosting regional economy ahead of polls
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