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North Korean officials return to joint liaison office

Seen above is the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, North Korea. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungSome North Korean staff returned to the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, Monday, three days after Pyongyang made an abrupt decision to pull out all of its personnel there, according to the unification ministry.“At around 8:10 a.m., some North Korean officials came back to work at the office,” an official from the Ministry of Unification said.He added that the inter-Korean communication channel was now again working properly. The North delivered its willingness to cooperate in joint projects with the South in line with a series of recent inter-Korean agreements, the official said.The reason behind the sudden change of stance has not been confirmed, the ministry said. As of Monday afternoon, four to five North Korean officials were known to be working at the office.The latest move from Pyongyang came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of additional sanctions on the regime Friday (Washington local time). The order came after the U.S. Department

Mar 25, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

North Korean officials return to joint liaison office

Seoul hopeful about inter-Korean projects

DPK should learn more about the media

By Park Ji-wonMy mobile phone rang suddenly one afternoon last week. The call was from a senior member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) public relations section. I missed the call, but a text message followed.The message was simple. “I called you to ask the name of the chief of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC) and his mobile phone number.” The PR person was apparently trying to contact the organization.The DPK had earlier released a statement blaming a reporter by name over an article she wrote for Bloomberg in September, which appeared under the headline, “South Korea's Moon becomes Kim Jong-un's Top Spokesman at UN.”The country's main opposition Liberty Korea Party's (LKP) floor leader used the story to attack Moon's dovish policy toward North Korea. The DPK criticized the story, directly mentioning the reporter's name. The reporter's name went viral and she received insults from DPK loyalists for insulting President Moon. Later, the ruling party apologized for causing a misunderstanding for foreign correspondents and deleted the pe

Mar 24, 2019By Park Ji-won

Parties set to clash over unification minister nominee's hearing

Unification Minister Nominee Kim Yeon-chul answers questions at the Office of Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul, May 11. / Korea Times fileBy Park Ji-wonThe ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and opposition parties are set to clash at this week's confirmation hearing over unification minister nominee Kim Yeon-chul as the opposition is expected to ask the nominee to voluntarily step down given his repeated mixed stance on North Korea policy. The DPK is expected to defend Kim's nomination as the party officials view him as an “asset” to lead an early resumption of working-level discussions with North Korea over the latter's nuclear disarmament amid the continued impasse between the two Koreas since the failure of the Hanoi summit between the North and the U.S. But the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is expected to question the nominee's silence over two previous cases of hostility by the North which included the killing of a South Korean tourist.In a radio interview with a local broadcaster YTN, DPK ppokesman Rep. Kang Byung-won said Kim is qualified and the &ldq

Mar 24, 2019By Park Ji-won

Parties set to clash over unification minister nominee's hearing

1st lady joins exhibition for March 1 movement anniversary

First lady joins exhibition for March 1 movement anniversary: First lady Kim Jung-sook, right, takes a look at a porcelain jar, one of the pieces from the 918-1392 Goryeo Kingdom, during a special exhibition hosted by the Kangsong Art and Culture Foundation at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Friday. The exhibition, titled “A Collection for Korea: Kansong Special Exhibition for Centenary of March 1st Movement,” features 14 historical treasures protected by Kansong Chun Hyung-Pil (1906-1962) during Japanese colonial rule. The three-month long exhibition will last until March 31 and markd the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

Mar 24, 2019By Yi Whan-woo

1st lady joins exhibition for March 1 movement anniversary

Minister nominee raises need to explore various ways for N.K. diplomacy

Unification minister nominee Kim Yeon-chul on Friday raised the need to seek various ways to facilitate nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, including sending a special envoy to North Korea.In his written answers to questions from the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee ahead of his confirmation hearing, Kim also said that Seoul's role in diplomacy with Pyongyang has become more important amid concerns about a possible deadlock in the negotiations. On Friday, Pyongyang abruptly pulled out its staff from an inter-Korean liaison office in the North's border city of Kaesong, casting a pall over the prospects of cross-border cooperation projects and the nuclear talks between it and Washington."In order to stably manage the situation on the peninsula through inter-Korean dialogue and facilitate North Korea-U.S. negotiations, we need to seek various ways," Kim wrote in the document.He refused to mention who should be chosen as the special envoy to the North."I call for your understanding as it is difficult to talk about the concrete time and person," he said.Com

Mar 23, 2019

NK scoffs at Seoul's inter-Korean policy

By Lee Min-hyungPresident Moon Jae-inNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-unNorth Korean media outlets denounced what they called South Korea’s “two-faced” inter-Korean policy, Friday, urging the South to make efforts to stop the U.S. from intervening in Korean affairs.South Korea cannot be a mediator between North Korea and the U.S. because what the North is discussing with the U.S. are matters for the South’s own matters, they said.The reports are deemed as aimed to cause a rift in the alliance between Seoul and Washington as Pyongyang is trying to have sanctions lifted by Washington through their denuclearization talks.“The South’s unification ministry made it a goal (this year) to drive talks between Washington and Pyongyang through inter-Korean dialogues,” the North’s propaganda Uriminzokkiri said in a commentary.“But Seoul failed to live a lie by announcing that it would also come up with mediated settlements under close cooperation with Washington,” it said.The criticism came a day after the Ministry of Unification published

Mar 22, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

NK scoffs at Seoul's inter-Korean policy

Gov't seeks revision on laws concerning N. Korea

By Lee Min-hyungUnification Minister Cho Myoung-gyonThe Ministry of Unification plans to seek amendments to laws concerning North Korea to reflect the recent progress in inter-Korean reconciliation.This was included in the ministry's annual unification white paper released Thursday.“We plan to revise relevant laws on inter-Korean relations by institutionalizing recent agreements between the two Koreas,” the ministry said in the paper.The 2019 white paper highlighted inter-Korean reconciliation and exchanges initiated by the first meeting between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last April.In particular, the ministry will push for a swift ratification of the Panmunjeom Declaration adopted in the summit by teaming up with the National Assembly to pave the way for the law revision.Seoul and Pyongyang held three summits last year to discuss complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The latest one came last September when Moon and Kim reached a detailed agreement to disarm the border area and build lasting peace here.To reflect on the sudden s

Mar 21, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Gov't seeks revision on laws concerning N. Korea

US hit for trying to use USFK budget for border wall

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for a day trip to Ohio, Wednesday. UPI-YonhapSome $1.18 billion of US troops payment left unused By Lee Min-hyungOver 1.3 trillion won ($1.18 billion) from payments made by South Korea to the U.S. for the upkeep of its forces stationed here remained unused as of 2018, according to a National Assembly report, Thursday. The report suggested that Seoul develop a new method to calculate what it pays to Washington as the latter is pressuring it to pay more for the USFK presence. Media reports also showed that the President Donald Trump administration is even trying to use some of the money to build his border wall with Mexico.Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Defense unveiled a fact sheet on the “funding pool” for Trump's border wall plan. The sheet included information that the U.S. government will take $70.5 million from the USFK maintenance budget.The funding pool report states the money will come from the budgets for two U.S. bases here ― Camp Tango in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, an

Mar 21, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

US hit for trying to use USFK budget for border wall

S-Oil, Hyundai Oilbank plead guilty to overcharging US military

Ruling party calls for probe into Pohang plant linked to earthquake

Rep. Hong Young-pyo, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. Seen on the right is Cho Jeong-sik, a chief policymaker of the ruling party. YonhapBy Jung Da-minRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader Rep. Hong Young-pyo called for a thorough investigation into the geothermal plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday, one day after the government announced it triggered an earthquake there in 2017."The project to build the geothermal power plant started at the end of 2010, under the Lee Myung-bak administration," Hong said."We assume that the project proceeded without specific plans, resulting in the earthquake that caused about 1,300 to become homeless, about 300 billion won ($266 million) of property damage and even the postponement of the national college entrance test."The 2017 exam was delayed for the first time ever after the 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.Hong urged the government to investigate the approval procedures for the project thorough

Mar 21, 2019

Ruling party calls for probe into Pohang plant linked to earthquake

Moon has inspirational talks with Twitter CEO

President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on his visit to Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in received advice from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, on how to make the most of social media for communication, according to the presidential office.Discussions with Dorsey were inspirational for Moon who has a lot of interest in direct communication with the people, it said.Moon has 1.76 million Twitter followers. Cheong Wa Dae runs two official Twitter accounts _ @moonriver365 and @TheBlueHouseKR.Dorsey requested a meeting with Moon after wrapping up a visit to the firm's Singapore office, and Moon gladly accepted. It was the first time for Moon to invite the head of a global company to Cheong Wa Dae for a one-one-one meeting.“Moon had discussions with Dorsey on changes the social media has brought to society, and the future of digital communication,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said. “In particular, Moon shared his interest in the role social media plays in promoting the right

Mar 21, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

Moon has inspirational talks with Twitter CEO

'Seoul will discuss fine dust issue with Beijing': Ex-UN chief

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