South Korea - The Korea Times

Cheong Wa Dae 'cautiously optimistic' about another inter-Korean summit

Korea Times fileA top Cheong Wa Dae official struck a "cautiously optimistic" note on the possibility of holding another inter-Korean summit in the not-so-distant future.Speaking to reporters on background, the official said, "(We) are cautiously attempting to contact" North Korea in connection with a push for the fourth summit between the two Koreas."The fact that we can't make public (relevant situations) and it's difficult to meet (North Korea) does not necessarily mean we are doing nothing," he said.He added the government is "moving busily as a matter of fact.""I think there could be a good result, about which we are cautiously optimistic." (Yonhap)

Jun 7, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae 'cautiously optimistic' about another inter-Korean summit

Trump keeps hopes of Korea talks alive by again defending Kim Jong-un

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport in Shannon, Ireland, Wednesday. Reuters-YonhapBy Park Ji-wonU.S. President Donald Trump has once again come to the defense of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, casting doubt on reports of a purge of key officials after the failure of their February summit in Hanoi, and expressing hopes of signing a deal with him. When asked whether he saw the reports of executions in the North of the people involved in the summit and was he worried about this, Trump responded: “I don't know if the reports are correct because one of the gentlemen who we deal with is ― this is North Korea they're talking about ― is somebody that we know well. He's a strong man. He's a strong person.”Claiming that reports prefer to blame Kim, he added, “They said he [Kim Hyok-chol] was killed, and he wasn't. He was at the theater the other night, so he wasn't killed.”Trump expressed hopes for a deal with the North and made it clear that Pyongyang's missile launches on May 4 and 9 were not “nuclear

Jun 6, 2019By Park Ji-won

Trump keeps hopes of Korea talks alive by again defending Kim Jong-un

Chinese leader Xi may visit Seoul this month

President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a summit in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 14, 2017. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungChinese President Xi Jinping is rumored to be visiting Seoul this month for a summit with President Moon Jae-in. The JoongAng Ilbo, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, reported Thursday that Xi will visit Seoul to meet Moon before going to Osaka, Japan, in late June to participate in the G20 meeting, scheduled for two days from June 28.Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “nothing has been decided” on Xi's possible trip to Seoul. They did however, say Seoul and Beijing have been working closely to realize his visit. “The Chinese government is known to be preparing a schedule for Xi's visit to South Korea on the last week of this month before he participates in the G20 summit,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying.If realized, this will be the first time for Xi to make his way to Seoul since July 2014 when he had a summit with then-President Park Geun-hye d

Jun 6, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Chinese leader Xi may visit Seoul this month

Ambassador Harris' sense of humor at Royal Asiatic Society party at 'residence'

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris Yonhap By Oh Young-jin U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris has put his sense of humor on public display.Last Saturday, the Royal Asiatic Society Korea held its annual garden party at Harris' Habib House residence. The envoys of the U.S. and the United Kingdom take turns in holding this annual “open house” event. The former U.S. Navy admiral displayed a sense of humor that at times had many guests, me included, in stitches and made his audience think awhile. He put everyone on the block: the audience, the host and himself. The first was Roman general, politician and historian Julius Caesar. As he started a six-minute welcoming speech, Harris reminded the audience of a book report he read about Caesar, saying, “Julius Caesar lived a long time ago. Julius Caesar was a general. Julius Caesar gave a long speech.“His best friend killed him,” Harris said, promising to keep the general in mind while delivering his speech. It was not just fun

Jun 6, 2019By Oh Young-jin

Ambassador Harris' sense of humor at Royal Asiatic Society party at 'residence'

Approval of #MeToo movement differs by gender, age

Nearly half of people surveyed are in support of the #MeToo movement. However, significant differences in the level of approval were seen among different groups according to age, gender and ideological stance. / GettyimagebankBy Kim Jae-heunNearly half of people surveyed are in support of the #MeToo movement. However, significant differences in the level of approval were seen among different groups according to age, gender and ideological stance.According to results released Wednesday of a survey of 3,873 adults last year by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 53.7 percent of respondents said they support the movement. Those who were against the movement only accounted for 15.7 percent, with others taking a neutral stance on the issue.By gender, women were more supportive of #MeToo than men, with 62.4 percent of women approving of the movement compared to just 45.2 percent of men.By age, the older the respondent, the less supportive they were. Those in their 20s showed the highest approval with 58.4 percent, and the rate became lower among people in their 30s at 57 per

Jun 5, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Approval of #MeToo movement differs by gender, age

Outbreak of African swine fever in North Korea may spur inter-Korean talks

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon speaks during a meeting at the Government Complex Sejong, Wednesday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonSouth Korea and the U.S. have held working-level talks over the outbreak of African swine fever in North Korea and the South's food aid to the country, officials here said Wednesday.Rhee Dong-yeol, director-general of the ministry's Korean Peninsula peace regime bureau, met with his counterpart Alex Wong, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for North Korea in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Seoul Government Complex on Tuesday. The working-level talks focused on discussing specific ways for the South to provide food to the North and preventing the virus from spreading here. Details have not been disclosed yet.However, Rhee reportedly briefed Wang, informing him that Seoul has asked Pyongyang to resume inter-Korean cooperation to prevent the virus and discuss the provision of food aid to the North, but the South is still waiting for a response. Rhee and Wang also reportedly talked about how the aid will influence the denuclearization negotiation in the fut

Jun 5, 2019By Park Ji-won

Outbreak of African swine fever in North Korea may spur inter-Korean talks

LKP urged to expel three lawmakers

A group of lawmakers from four major political parties, excluding the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), hold a press conference at the National Assembly, Wednesday, to urge the LKP to expel three lawmakers ― Kim Jin-tae, Kim Soon-rye and Lee Jong-myeong ― over disparaging remarks they made against victims of a brutal military crackdown during the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and their relatives. Over 150 lawmakers adopted a resolution to demand their expulsion. Yonhap

Jun 5, 2019

3 citizens awarded for bravery in saving lives

By Lee Min-hyungFrom left are Hwang Heung-seop, Kim Boo-geun and Choi Chang-hoThree citizens have been awarded for their acts of bravery in taking risks to save the lives of those in imminent danger, LG Welfare Foundation said. The recipients were Hwang Heung-seop, Kim Boo-geun and Choi Chang-ho, all of whom took immediate action to save those who were at the risk of drowning or being trapped in a fire, the LG subsidiary focusing on the group's philanthropic acts said last week.Hwang, 48, was working at his office in the nation's southeastern port city of Pohang last month when he saw a vehicle fall into the sea after crashing into an obstacle on the road.He immediately called the 119 emergency center and rushed onto the scene of the accident. He brought a hammer with him to break the window of the sinking vehicle. He rescued the driver by taking him out of the water, and Hwang was able to save his life.Kim, 56, also won the LG Righteous Person award for risking his life in saving a person from drowning in the sea near a dock in the southeastern industrial port city of Ulsan last mon

Jun 5, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

3 citizens awarded for bravery in saving lives

Medytox denies reports of China stopping approval screening for Medytoxin

By Nam Hyun-wooMedytox has denied reports that the Chinese government halted a review process for its botulinum toxin (BTX) product, Medytoxin, saying that it will hold those spreading false rumors legally accountable.The company said Wednesday it has never been told by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) that the agency stopped an approval screening for Medytoxin.“The CFDA has been conducting the screening as scheduled without any problem. The process is in its final stage,” a Medytox official said. “The recent false media reports were based on malicious rumors provided by former company employees working close with Daewoong Pharmaceutical. The ongoing legal dispute with Daewoong will come to an end when it discloses data on its botulinum toxin (BTX) strain used for Nabota and manufacturing processes.”Daewoong and Medytox have been in a legal battle in and outside Korea over the controversial BTX strain. Daewoong claims it found the strain in a barn in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, while Medytox argues it was stolen from them.In May, the U.S. Internati

Jun 5, 2019By Nam Hyun-woo

US envoy speaks of bilateral ties

U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris, left, and Korea-America Association Chairman Park Jin pose with the plaque of appreciation that was given to Harris after his speech about the two countries' relationship during the lunch hosted by the association at the Plaza hotel in downtown Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korea-America Association

Jun 4, 2019By Oh Young-jin

Moon, Pentagon chief agree that alliance is ironclad: Pentagon

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