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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.

Moon's shortcomings and his incompetent aides

President Moon Jae-in, right, and his chief of staff Noh Young-minBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in's incomprehensible response to the scandal surrounding Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family raises serious questions about whether he is getting a detailed and accurate assessment of the situation and timely advice from his aides.An increasing number of Koreans are starting to place the blame on Moon for the "severe division" in Korean society as seen by the raging protests against his management of state affairs, particularly the appointment of his close aide Cho as justice minister last month despite the mounting allegations of wrongdoings by the former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. But all this cannot be blamed on the President alone. At uncertain times like this, he really needs to surround himself with aides and officials to advise him on what is truly the best for the country, even though it may not be something he wants to hear. This is particularly urgent when considering the growing fears that he is repeating the mistakes of his failed predecessor, forme

Oct 9, 2019By Do Je-hae
Moon's shortcomings and his incompetent aides
  • PHOTOS Massive rally held against justice minister

Korea, US, Japan discuss security coordination after Sweden talks

Seen above is North Korea's new submarine-launched ballistic missile launched in waters off the country's eastern city of Wonsan, on Oct. 3. YonhapEuropean members of the United Nations Security Council issue warning; NK rebuffs the meeting By Lee Min-hyungKorea, the U.S. and Japan began to coordinate their response to the unsuccessful U.S.-North Korea talks in Sweden last Saturday, amid rising concern about weakened cooperation among the U.S. and its two closest Asian allies following Seoul's decision not to renew a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan.The U.S. State Department confirmed in a statement released Oct. 8 that representatives from the three countries met in Washington D.C., Wednesday (KST) in addition to bilateral meetings to discuss how to proceed after the no-deal talks in Stockholm. The failure of the talks in the Swedish capital has cast doubt on the prospects for a third summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un within the year to advance denuclearization negotiations. “Special Representative for North Korea Steph

Oct 9, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
Korea, US, Japan discuss security coordination after Sweden talks
  • Moon takes cautious approach as 'facilitator'

Conservatives stage massive street rally opposing justice minister

Hundreds of thousands of people stage a rally to demand the resignation of Justice Minister Cho Kuk at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulKorea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSouth Koreans opposed to scandal-ridden Justice Minister Cho Kuk held a massive rally in central Seoul on Wednesday to call for his ouster and the resignation of President Moon Jae-in.Participants, many holding Korean national flags and some holding American flags as well, crowded the 10-lane boulevard running from the Gwanghwamun gate all the way to the Sungnyemun, or Namdaemun, gate near Seoul Station.They later marched in front of the presidential office, chanting slogans like "Arrest Cho Kuk" and "Moon Jae-in out."Police mobilized around 5,000 officers to prevent possible incidents at the rally, but no violent clashes or arrests were reported.It was the second mass rally that conservatives have held to demand Cho's ouster. The first was held on the National Foundation Day holiday last week. Wednesday is the Hangeul Day holiday that marks the promulgation of the K

Oct 9, 2019
Conservatives stage massive street rally opposing justice minister
  • PHOTOS Massive rally held against justice minister

Conservatives to stage huge street rally opposing justice minister

Conservative activists will hold a large-scale rally to call on President Moon Jae-in to remove Justice Minister Cho Kuk from office in central Seoul Wednesday. YonhapA conservative civic group critical of the Moon Jae-in administration is to hold a large-scale rally in the heart of Seoul on Wednesday to demand the resignation of Moon and his controversial Justice Minister Cho Kuk.In an apparent countermove, a liberal civic group plans to hold a massive candlelight vigil in southern Seoul Saturday to express their support for Cho, as well as for Moon's drive for prosecutorial reform.The conservative group, which calls itself the Pan-National Alliance for Moon Jae-in's Resignation, said it will begin its second outdoor rally against Moon and Cho at the Gwanghwamun square at 1 p.m., aiming for attendance of 1 million people.Wednesday is the annual Hangeul Day, a national holiday to celebrate the invention and proclamation of the Korean alphabet in 1446.The conservative alliance, launched on Sept. 20 by Jeon Gwang-hoon, a pastor and the chairman of the Christian Council of Korea, and Le

Oct 9, 2019
Conservatives to stage huge street rally opposing justice minister

UN grants sanctions waiver on equipment for inter-Korean football match

South and North Korean men's under-15 team members leave the stadium after their match in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Nov. 2 last year. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungThe United Nations granted sanctions exemptions on equipment that a South Korean football delegation plans to take to Pyongyang for next week's inter-Korean World Cup qualifier, the Ministry of Unification said Tuesday.Under the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions completed on North Korea, some sports equipment and medical devices are not allowed to be brought into the North. But the U.N. ended procedures for the sanctions waiver last week in consideration that they are necessary for the match scheduled on Oct. 15, according to the ministry.“The waivers were issued on items related to the sports squad and management of the upcoming match,” a ministry official said.Despite the sanctions waivers, the North is still keeping a low profile in arranging other details, remaining quiet over a series of South Korea's proposals and requests regarding the match.The details include the South Korean delegation's travel rou

Oct 8, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
UN grants sanctions waiver on equipment for inter-Korean football match
  • Europeans urge strict sanctions enforcement on North Korea

PM Lee awaits Cheong Wa Dae's 'call' for Japan coronation event

President Moon Jae-in, left, and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon participate in a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonChances are high that Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon will participate in the Oct. 22 coronation of Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo instead of President Moon Jae-in, political and diplomatic sources said, Tuesday.“[The administration] is considering sending the PM for the upcoming enthronement ceremony held in Japan. But this is not a final call,” a diplomatic source who is familiar with the matter said.“As the coronation date is nearing, it is largely expected that the final decision will be made next week at the earliest possible date. Still, there are chances that the South would send another politician instead of Lee,” another source said.However, the Prime Minister's Office declined to comment. “Nothing has been decided,” the office said, adding it is waiting for Cheong Wa Dae's decision.Amid escalating tensions between South Korea and Japan over the handling of a historical issue related to wartime forced l

Oct 8, 2019By Park Ji-won
PM Lee awaits Cheong Wa Dae's 'call' for Japan coronation event

DPK chief declines to join meeting hosted by Speaker

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, center, and other chairpeople of the country's political parties stand together before participating in a regular bipartisan meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. From left are Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the Justice Party; Hwang Kyo-ahn of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party; Moon; Sohn Hak-kyu of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party and Rep. Chung Dong-young of the Party for Democracy and Peace. Rep. Lee Hae-chan, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea refused to take part, citing people's negative sentiment on current political issues. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Hae-chan, refused to participate in a regular meeting with chairpersons of the other political parties and the National Assembly speaker, blaming the political wrangling over embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk.Speaker Moon Hee-sang suggested the meeting of senior party officials amid a deepening political feud between the country's main political parties. “Lee decided not to participate in the meeting due to the

Oct 7, 2019By Park Ji-won
DPK chief declines to join meeting hosted by Speaker

Moon brushes aside 'public division'

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in is brushing aside mounting concerns over “severe divisions” in society in the wake of his appointment last month of Cho Kuk, his former senior secretary for civil affairs, to justice minister. The President defined the show of diverging views on Cho-related issues through rallies as an “act of democracy.” The rather positive assessment of the rallies is seen as part of Cheong Wa Dae's efforts to distance itself from criticism that the social division, which in part stems from the appointment of Cho, is reminiscent of a similarly extreme division in public sentiment over the impeachment of his predecessor Park Geun-hye. “I have taken to heart the people's diverse voices,” Moon said during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, according to press pool reports. “It is not out of the ordinary for people's opinions to be divided on certain political issues. In particular, I believe that the peopl

Oct 7, 2019By Do Je-hae
Moon brushes aside 'public division'
  • Parties wrangle over parliamentary probe into Cho
  • Massive rally against justice minister, President rocks Seoul
  • Supporters of justice minister hold rally, demanding reform of prosecution

North Korea likely to return to nuclear dialogue table with US

Kim Myong-gil, North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, answers questions from reporters at the Beijing Capital International Airport en route to Pyongyang after ending a working-level dialogue with the United States, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungNorth Korea will return to nuclear disarmament talks with the United States despite last week's breakdown in Sweden, as it intentionally made the decision to leave the first negotiations early to increase its political leverage, experts said Monday.Ending a months-long hiatus in their denuclearization dialogue, officials from Washington and Pyongyang met in Stockholm amid expectations of a possible breakthrough in the suspended talks.But Pyongyang declared a breakdown just hours after the meeting started in the Swedish capital. It stepped up criticism of Washington for sticking to an “old-fashioned” attitude, even after the fiasco of the failed Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February.Local experts said such rhetoric was nothing more than a “politically-calculated&rdqu

Oct 7, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
North Korea likely to return to nuclear dialogue table with US
  • Seoul still preparing for Kim Jong-un's Busan visit in November
  • Pyongyang media slams Seoul after Stockholm talks break down

Seoul still preparing for Kim Jong-un's Busan visit in November

President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a surprise meeting in Panmunjeom in the inter-Korean border area, June 30. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyung, Kim Yoo-chulWhile North Korea said its working-level nuclear disarmament talks with the United States in Sweden over the weekend failed to meet expectations, the government here is still hoping to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Busan.Diplomatic sources told The Korea Times, Monday, that preparatory work was still underway for Kim's possible visit to Busan in November, though the chances of it actually happening are considered low.“We were hoping for Washington and Pyongyang to see progress in their denuclearization talks as Kim's visit to Busan depends somewhat on the negotiations,” an official at Cheong Wa Dae said. The government has yet to send an official invitation to the North, as it is basing this on results from the nuclear dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.Tak Hyun-min, President Moon Jae-in's planning advisory committee member, said earli

Oct 7, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
Seoul still preparing for Kim Jong-un's Busan visit in November
  • North Korea likely to return to nuclear dialogue table with US
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