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US to take a bigger role over Seoul-Tokyo friction

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a welcome ceremony in honor of new Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army General Mark Milley at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, Oct. 1 (KST). Reuters-YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungThe United States hinted at playing a “bigger role” in getting Seoul to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan as early as possible. The ending of the agreement was a blow to Washington's efforts to monitor North Korean activities, a U.S. government official said in a forum hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Tuesday (KST).Speaking at the forum, John Rood, undersecretary of defense for policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, urged Seoul to reconsider its decision to terminate the military information sharing pact as policy coordination among Washington, Tokyo and Seoul was “indispensable” in countering the North's threats and China's growing influence.The U.S. government official added Washington will “take a bigger role” if needed because the integ

Oct 1, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
US to take a bigger role over Seoul-Tokyo friction

Moon makes strong push for prosecution reform

Moon's messages seen as yet another strong warning to prosecutionBy Do Je-haePresident Moon Jae-in sent a direct order to Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, Monday, to come up with measures to increase the public's trust in the prosecution following a street rally in southern Seoul, Saturday, held in support of embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk's initiative for judicial reform.This is the second time in four days for Moon to send a strong message to the prosecution, which is carrying out an investigation into corruption allegations involving the former senior presidential aide for civil affairs. The message delivered Monday through spokeswoman Ko Min-jung carried a sterner tone in that it contained a direct message for the top prosecutor, who was not even present at a briefing given by Cho at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, on measures to overhaul the prosecution. Once again, Moon stressed the importance of regaining the public's trust. “I order the prosecutor-general to listen to the voices calling for the prosecution's reform and swiftly present measures for its transformation into a

Sep 30, 2019By Do Je-hae
Moon makes strong push for prosecution reform

President's support bouncing back

By Lee Min-hyungPresident Moon Jae-in's approval rating bounced back helped by growing public sentiment in favor of his drive to reform the prosecution, according to a poll released Monday.According to the Realmeter poll conducted for five days from Sept. 23, support for the Moon administration rose 2.1 percentage points from a week earlier to 47.3 percent. The survey of 2,506 adults nationwide also showed 50.2 percent of respondents remained negative over Moon's handling of state affairs, down 1.8 percentage points from the previous week.“Moon's approval rating increased thanks to the widening negative public sentiment of the prosecution's investigation into Cho and a series of positive outcomes in diplomacy on the sidelines of last week's United Nations General Assembly,” the agency said.Last week, Moon engaged in a hectic diplomatic schedule at the U.N. headquarters in New York, where he held a summit with President Donald Trump and claimed a non-official agreement from him in advancing denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea. Moon also delivered a spee

Sep 30, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
President's support bouncing back

Moon urges Kim Jong-un to join DMZ landmine removal

President Moon Jae-in speaks at the start of his meeting with the National Unification Advisory Council at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday afternoon. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to accept his proposal to create an “international peace zone” to replace the demilitarized zone (DMZ), stressing this would clearly give North Korea an irreversible security guarantee.“Replacing the demilitarized zone (DMZ) with an international peace zone is a process of building trust,” Moon said at the start of a meeting with officials from the National Unification Advisory Council at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday afternoon, according to press pool reports.“As I hope the United Nations will agree with the initiative, if the plan moves forward with the help of U.N. bodies, then that will satisfy the North's requests for security guarantees.”Moon also asked relevant government agencies to contact the international community to prepare “appropriate action plans” if the North takes visible steps to denuclearize.“On the si

Sep 30, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Moon urges Kim Jong-un to join DMZ landmine removal

Cheong Wa Dae's poor communication skills

President Moon Jae-in's Cheong Wa Dae has come under fire for poor communication regarding a range of domestic and diplomatic issues. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Cheong Wa Dae’s weak communication skills have come under fire following a series of questionable responses to controversial issues, internationally and domestically.From a global perspective, the presidential office’s shortcomings in communication are feared to hamper international trust in Korea and undermine its position in key security decisions concerning Northeast Asia.This poor communication has caused trouble particularly on the diplomatic front. First, Tokyo has lashed out at Seoul for breaking “international law” by “going against” bilateral agreements. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and key officials continue to claim that Korea is in breach of the 1965 normalization treaty, following 2018 Supreme Court rulings that ordered Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims forced to work for them during wartime.When looked at closely, Japan’s claim violates established rules in internati

Sep 29, 2019By Do Je-hae
Cheong Wa Dae's poor communication skills

Korea, Japan still poles apart over solution for conflict

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, right, shakes hands with her Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on the sidelines of this year's U.N. General Assembly, Friday (KST). This was the first time that Kang and Japan's new foreign minister met with each other since the latter took office on Sept. 11. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungSouth Korea and Japan have once again failed to remedy their substantial discrepancies in a full-scale row over history and economy, further clouding outlook for near-term restoration of bilateral relations. In a recent meeting between foreign ministers of the two countries, they ended up reiterating their positions over the issue of compensation for surviving South Korean victims of forced labor during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era, Seoul's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told South Korean correspondents in New York, Saturday (KST), after the meeting with her Japanese counterpart on the sidelines of this year's United Nations General Assembly.The remark came a day after she had a 50-minute-long dialogue on Friday wi

Sep 29, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
Korea, Japan still poles apart over solution for conflict

Collision to continue over Cho-related scandals at audits this week

National Assembly Secretary General Yoo Ihn-tae, third from left, poses with other guests after unveiling the signboard of the control room for the 2019 National Assembly audit sessions at the Assembly, Sunday. Yonhap By Yi Whan-wooThe annual National Assembly audit sessions will return this week, with rival parties anticipated to continue locking horns over the corruption scandals surrounding Justice Minster Cho Kuk and his family members.The sessions are scheduled from Oct. 2 to 21, during which 17 standing committees will question members of over 700 ministries, government organizations and public companies.At least nine of the 17 committees, each comprised of members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and opposition parties, oversee organizations that are linked to Cho-related scandals. This means much of the 20-day sessions will focus on Cho.The remaining parts of the sessions will also deal with many thorny issues over which the parties have been di

Sep 29, 2019By Yi Whan-woo
Collision to continue over Cho-related scandals at audits this week

Thumb up or down? Nation divided over scandal-hit justice minister

A protester holds a picket calling for the reform of the prosecution during a rally in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiHundreds of thousands of people rallied in southern Seoul, Saturday, to call for reform of the prosecution and to condemn the “unfair investigation practices” disclosed during its probe into the allegations involving Cho's family.It was the largest protest since the ones that took place at the end of 2016 to call for impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye over a massive corruption scandal.The public calls for prosecutorial reform may continue as the rally organizers plans to hold similar rallies every Saturday until the reform is complete.According to the organizer, around 1.5 million people took to the 1.6-kilometer street around the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong on Saturday evening. Although the number may not be accurate, it was far more than the organizers' expectation of 100,000, and the protesters filled the 1.6-kilometer section from Seoul St.

Sep 29, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
Thumb up or down? Nation divided over scandal-hit justice minister
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