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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.

No red faces?: Chinese give Seoul mayor wrong portrait, take it back

Surprise gift: Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, left, holds a portrait from Guangdong Province governor Ma Xingrui at Seoul City Hall, Friday. The portrait turned out to be that of Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, not Park. From the look on Park's face, he didn't realize what went wrong. YonhapBy Oh Young-jin If somebody believes that Guangdong Province is being groomed to rival Silicon Valley and is ready to plunk money into it, think again. The Chinese rise may not be as promising as thought. The Chinese province governor Ma Xingrui, airspace engineer, handed over a portrait as gift during his meeting with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Friday. But it turned out not to be of Park but of Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province. It may be passed off as honest mistake but what made it a farce was the Chinese kept this portrait a secret, telling Seoul city that it had a "surprise" gift. The exchange of gifts was originally scheduled for Thursday but was delayed at the request of the Chinese. It proved a surprise but of the wrong kind.At first, Park apparently didn't know the po

Apr 5, 2019By Oh Young-jin
No red faces?: Chinese give Seoul mayor wrong portrait, take it back

North Korea possibly building new submarine

By Lee Min-hyungNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-unNorth Korea is possibly building a new submarine that can fire ballistic missiles, according to South Korean and U.S. defense officials, Friday.This could be a serious security threat to the United States as the submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) may reach as far as the U.S. mainland.“[SLBM technology] changes the defense equation in terms of where the origin could be,” U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood said Wednesday (local time) in a Senate hearing.The SLBMs are considered more threatening weapons than intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), as they are harder to detect and increase the regime's strike capabilities in a more secretive manner.According to recent Google Earth satellite images, components presumed to be used for developing a submarine capable of launching missiles have been detected near the North's shipyard in Sinpo. The materials were not detected in images taken last year.The South Korean military said it is closely monitoring the regime's recent movements in the region.

Apr 5, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
North Korea possibly building new submarine
  • US can consider 'good enough deal' as realistic option

USFK cost deal ratified without debates

A plenary session is underway at the National Assembly, Friday. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungThe National Assembly ratified Friday the administration's recent one-year deal with the United States to share costs for the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea, despite lingering controversies.The deal was endorsed in a plenary session, a day after the Assembly's committee for diplomacy and unification approved the deal as signed, considering the “importance of the alliance with the U.S.” The opposition parties did not object to the amount to be paid.Under the 2019 Special Measures Agreement (SMA), the government will pay 1.04 trillion won ($915 million), up 8.2 percent from the previous year, for the upkeep of the 28,500 members of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) here.The two countries signed the provisional contract on Feb. 8 and it went into effect Friday after lawmakers passed the deal in a 139-33 vote.This year's SMA was the first that the two countries had renewed since Donald Trump became president in 2017. Previous defense cost-sharing deals were signed every five year

Apr 5, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
USFK cost deal ratified without debates
  • US can consider 'good enough deal' as realistic option

'Kim Jong-un will never give up nuclear weapons'

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have dinner at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Feb. 27, as part of their two-day-long summit in the Vietnamese capital. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un will never give up nuclear weapons as the regime is seeking to reach some “vague” agreements with the United States apparently for sanctions relief, according to some experts.It has been more than a year since the North expressed its willingness for denuclearization and peace on the peninsula. Following the pledge made earlier last year, the regime has held rounds of discussions with Washington and Seoul to fine-tune details over the drive.Despite the outward gesture for peace, Washington and Pyongyang have recently hit a snag in their ongoing denuclearization talks in the wake of the failure of their second summit last month.With the mood for reconciliation showing no signs of progress between the two sides, skeptical voices are being raised here and abroad over the sincerity of the North's pledge for denuclearization.“The North has

Apr 5, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
'Kim Jong-un will never give up nuclear weapons'

PHOTOS Spring bursts into bloom with pinky-white petals

People enjoy the cherry blossoms in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. The Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, the nation's largest for the flower, continues through April 10. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulCherry blossom trees in full bloom beside a narrow stream in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPinky-white cherry blossom petals are a harbinger of spring. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPeople flock to the site of the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulAn excited woman jumps for joy amid the cherry blossoms. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA woman poses for a photograph. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulKorea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulKorea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulKorea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA woman looks at cherry blossoms painted on a wall. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulCherry blossom petals float on the surface of a stream. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Apr 5, 2019
Spring bursts into bloom with pinky-white petals [PHOTOS]
  • Bus, subway services to be extended over weekend for Yeouido cherry blossom festival

97 descendants of independence fighters to visit Korea next week

 This March 4 photo shows descendants of independence fighters from eight overseas countries on their visit to Cheong Wa Dae. Korea Times fileBy Jung Da-minNinety seven descendants of independence fighters opposing Japan's colonial rule will visit South Korea next week to participate in an event commemorating the centennial of the establishment of Korea's provisional government in China.According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the 97 people, all living abroad, are from 10 countries ― 46 from the United States, 23 from China, nine from Kazakhstan, five from Australia, four from Mexico, and two each from Russia, Austria, Japan, Cuba and the Netherlands.The invitees include Ralph Ahn, the youngest son of independence activist Ahn Chang-ho who served as acting prime minister and home affairs minister in the Korean provisional government, and Robert Ahn, son of Ralph Ahn.Nineteen descendants of key figures from the Korean provisional government, including Deputy Prime Minister Kim Kyu-sik, Prime Ministers Roh Baek-lin and Yi Dong-hwi, Vice Foreign Affairs Minister

Apr 4, 2019

By-elections a wake-up call for Moon, ruling party

Rep. Hong Young-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, center, prepares for a party meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonPolitical strife between liberal and conservative parties is expected to deepen following Wednesday's by-elections for two National Assembly seats, considered a barometer of voter sentiment for the general elections in April next year.The liberal Justice Party's Yeo Young-guk won in Seongsan-gu in Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, while the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP)'s Jung Jeom-sik won in the Tongyeong-Goseong district. However, the fact Yeo won by a narrow margin in Seongsan-gu, which was a liberal stronghold, is considered a de facto defeat for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which did not field a candidate to support Yeo as a unified liberal candidate.Rep. Park Jie-won, of the minor Party for Democracy and Peace, criticized the DPK, saying: “The DPK was too optimistic about the election result and arrogant. “There is no winner from the DPK in the election. I warned the DPK for months

Apr 4, 2019By Park Ji-won
By-elections a wake-up call for Moon, ruling party
  • Main opposition, leftist parties win seat apiece in parliamentary by-elections

Presidential chief of staff apologizes over nomination fiasco

Presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min, right, shakes hands with the country's main opposition Liberty Korea Party chief Na Kyung-won at the start of the National Assembly's session to inspect Cheong Wa Dae operations, Thursday afternoon. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresidential chief of staff Noh Young-min apologized over the ongoing controversy surrounding President Moon Jae-in's recent nominations for new Cabinet members.“I came here to offer a sincere apology about issues relating to the President's recent nominations for new Cabinet members,” Noh said at the start of the National Assembly's session to audit the presidential office, Thursday.“Cheong Wa Dae will apply stricter personal verification processes in the very early stages of searching for new Cabinet members and other top-level government officials,” Noh told reporters.The apology came a few days after President Moon withdrew his earlier choices of two Cabinet nominees out of seven over alleged ethical lapses. The main opposition party also called for the President to withdraw the nominations of Kim

Apr 4, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Presidential chief of staff apologizes over nomination fiasco

'Mentally-ill' Army major attempts to break into Cheong Wa Dae

By Kim Yoo-chulAn Army major suspected of having a mental illness was arrested Wednesday after a failed attempt to enter Cheong Wa Dae without permission, police said Thursday.In a statement, Jongno Police Station said an investigation the officer, identified only by his surname Kim, is under investigation.Kim drove his BMW sedan into a barricade around 10:30 p.m. before being stopped by security guards. He was immediately taken into custody, and was later transferred to the military police.An investigator at the police station said Kim asked for a face-to-face meeting with President Moon Jae-in. A DUI test showed he was not drunk, but his colleagues said he has been suffering from a mental breakdown. It was unknown whether he was carrying a weapon.“There was a problem in communicating with him,” the investigator said.Kim is scheduled to be discharged from the military in June this year. Cheong Wa Dae said it has no comment to offer about the incident.

Apr 4, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

Moon's approval rating falls to 47.5%

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating dropped slightly this week, a poll showed Thursday, following a controversy over some of his picks for new ministers that led to two of his nominees stepping down.In a survey by Realmeter, Moon's job approval rating came to 47.5 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from a separate, weeklong survey also conducted by the pollster.The latest survey was conducted Monday through Wednesday, involving 1,510 adults throughout the nation.The reading still marks a 1.2 percentage-point increase from the comparable survey conducted last week.The slight drop from the last survey follows Moon's withdrawal of his nomination for his earlier pick for the new science minister, Cho Dong-ho, who was found to have taken part in what is widely believed to be a fake international science conference.Choi Jeong-ho, Moon's original pick for the new transportation minister, has also stepped down after coming under fire for alleged real estate speculation.Despite the drop in Moon's job approval rating, the approval rating of the ruling Democratic Party gained 0.6 percen

Apr 4, 2019
Moon's approval rating falls to 47.5%
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