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

President Moon Jae-in talks with former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulFormer U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, also chief of a newly established national committee to fight fine dust, said Thursday South Korea will “soon begin” discussions with China for “comprehensive measures” aimed at addressing the worsening air quality.“South Korea designated the worsening air pollution as a national disaster. Record levels of fine dust have blanketed most of the country. Yes, this is a national disaster. We have to address it by developing relevant talks with countries in Northeast Asia including China,” Ban said in a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae.President Moon Jae-in thanked the former U.N. chief for his decision to accept an offer to lead the committee upon his visit to the presidential office. The meeting lasted for 40 minutes from 2 p.m., Thursday, according to presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.The committee chief asked relevant government agencies to stand together to tackle the air pollutio

Mar 21, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

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

Moon has inspirational talks with Twitter CEO

President asks former UN chief Ban to help tackle fine dust pollution

Former U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon speaks in a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, after accepting South Korean President Moon Jae-in's offer to lead a new government organization tackling the country's rising air pollution caused by particulate matters. YonhapSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday sought the help of a former head of the United Nations to tackle the thorny issue of fine dust pollution, which could upset his country's fragile relations with China.In a meeting held at his office Cheong Wa Dae, the president renewed his request for former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to head a new government organization to be set up.Moon's initial request was made earlier in the month when his chief of staff, Noh Young-min, paid a visit to Ban, who stepped down as the U.N. secretary-general in late 2016.Following his meeting with the president, Ban said he has accepted the offer.Former U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, to discuss the country's rising air pollution caused by part

Mar 21, 2019

President asks former UN chief Ban to help tackle fine dust pollution

The dust storm - how the blame game costs lives

Anti-North Korea group protecting Kim Han-sol raises bitcoin fund

Kim Han-sol. Screen capture from YouTubeBy Lee Min-hyungFree Joseon, an anti-North Korea political group previously known as Cheollima Civil Defense, had over the past two years raised a 38 million won ($34,000) “bitcoin fund.” According to the group's website, Wednesday, it received 14.22 bitcoin between March 8, 2017, and March 18 of this year, from sponsors of its activities which include support for North Korean defectors.The group has made seven withdrawals accounting for almost all the bitcoin.Free Joseon is best known for protecting Kim Han-sol, the son of Kim Jong-nam who was assassinated in Malaysia in 2017. Jong-nam was the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. With the assassination apparently by the North Korean regime making headlines here and abroad, calls grew for the need to save the lives of Jong-nam's immediate family.The anti-North Korea group has since claimed that it is protecting the life of Han-sol. In 2017, the group released footage of an interview with him, drawing media attention.Established as Cheollima Civil Defense in March

Mar 20, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Anti-North Korea group protecting Kim Han-sol raises bitcoin fund

Moon meets US spy chief

President Moon Jae-in, left, shakes hands with Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats upon the U.S. intelligence chief's visit to Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in met U.S. spy chief Dan Coats at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, to discuss pending issues, according to presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.Without disclosing details, the spokesman said Moon and Coats shared views on “a wide range of issues in a candid manner.”Ahead of his visit to Cheong Wa Dae, Coats and South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Suh Hoon discussed ways to break the continued impasse in nuclear talks after last month's failed Hanoi summit, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks said.“Coats and NIS Chief Suh discussed coordinated efforts to advance North Korean denuclearization. They also shared a definition of verified denuclearization and what that means for North Korea,” one source said, asking not to be named.Coats arrived Tuesday evening at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul. His visit to Seoul was not made publi

Mar 20, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

North Korea should prove willingness: PM

By Lee Min-hyungThe time is ripe for North Korea to prove its willingness to denuclearize by responding to a proposal from the U.S., Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said in a National Assembly interpellation session Wednesday.“It appears North Korea was not ready to respond to a big proposal from the U.S. during their second summit in Hanoi,” Lee said.It is high time for North Korea to take concrete actions in a way to verify its firm determination for complete nuclear disarmament for the peninsula, according to the prime minister.On the second day of the four-day session, lawmakers took issue with the so-called “post Hanoi-summit” countermeasures in the wake of a failure at the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon also attended the session to share the South’s plans to rekindle the bilateral dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.Kang shared her views on continuing to impose sanctions on the regime unless it takes concrete steps toward denuc

Mar 20, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

North Korea should prove willingness: PM

Moon uses wrong greetings in Malaysia

President Moon Jae-in speaks during the joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on March 13, the second day of his three-day state visit to the Southeast Asian country. Joint Press CorpsBy Jung Da-minThe presidential office is in the hot seat after it was realized that President Moon Jae-in gave by mistake an Indonesian greeting while visiting Malaysia from March 12 to 14.Moon used the wrong greeting due to “confusion,” according to Cheong Wa Dae deputy spokesperson Ko Min-jung, Wednesday.“There was confusion in the process of writing the local greeting to express familiarity with the people in the host country,” Ko told reporters.After the meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on March 13, President Moon greeted the joint press briefing saying “Selamat sore,” which means “good afternoon” in Indonesian, instead of using the Malaysian expression “Selamat petang.”This could have been regarded as rude to the host country, but Malaysia did not make an issue of it, Ko said.“We

Mar 20, 2019

58% of South Koreans hopeful about US-North Korea talks: survey

This infographic shows the result of a recent survey of 1,000 South Koreans where 58.2 percent of the respondents said they are optimistic about the prospects for the denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea. Courtesy of the National Unification Advisory CouncilBy Jung Da-minMore than half of South Koreans are optimistic about the prospects for the denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea, according to a survey released Tuesday.In the survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the National Unification Advisory Council from March 15 to 16, 58.1 percent of the respondents said they expect the negotiations between the two sides to resume.Among them, 51.2 percent said they were "somewhat positive" and the remaining 6.9 percent "very positive." About 37.6 percent said they take gloomy views, with 28.9 percent being “somewhat pessimistic” and the remaining 8.7 percent “very pessimistic.”The results come while the talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled for three weeks after the unfruitful Hanoi summit in late February.South Ko

Mar 19, 2019

58% of South Koreans hopeful about US-North Korea talks: survey

After-school English education programs eyed for low graders in elementary school

By Lee Min-hyungThe Cabinet approved a plan to introduce English education after-school programs for first- and second-graders, Tuesday.The prior act stipulated that English education at public schools should start from the third grade.But there had been calls from parents to start public English education at an earlier age.The plan will take effect on March 26 after it is published in an official gazette, according to the government. Students will be able to receive after-school public English education as early as this May.The decision was made during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in presided over the meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. Last week, the National Assembly passed the revision bill in a plenary session.This will end the years-long controversy over public English education. In 2014, the Assembly passed the earlier bill, but it failed to go into effect immediately amid fierce opposition from parents and negative public opinion on the policy.Last October, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye said the earlier ban goes against the public's demand.

Mar 19, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

After-school English education programs eyed for low graders in elementary school

US sticks to dialogue with NK

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., Friday. / Xinhua-YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungThe United States has reaffirmed its determination to continue holding dialogue with North Korea under the precondition that the regime moves first with steps for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday (local time).The ranking U.S. diplomat also said that President Donald Trump's promise of a brighter future for the North was “very, very real,” but this can be realized only after the regime takes more verifiable measures for complete denuclearization.“It has to follow the verified denuclearization of North Korea,” Pompeo said in a local media interview.“And getting that sequencing right and getting it laid out in a way that each of the parties can agree to and take down the tension level along the North and South Korean border, it matters to the people of Japan and South Korea, our important partners, and it matters to the whole world.”The remar

Mar 19, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Moon orders thorough probe into Jang Ja-yeon, K-pop scandals

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with Cabinet members at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered a thorough investigation into a snowballing drug and sex scandal allegedly involving a former member of famous K-pop band BIGBANG.He also instructed officials to scrutinize allegations that a former vice justice minister received sexual service in exchange for a business favor in 2013 and the 2009 suicide of a late rookie actress Jang Ja-yeon."The current leadership of the prosecution and police should stake the fate of their organizations with responsibility on uncovering the truth and becoming a law enforcement agency that can reveal its own shameful acts so as to regain trust," Moon was quoted as saying by presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom."I am stressing that if we cannot fix it, we cannot call this society a just one," Moon added.The drug and sex scandal, involving Seungri of BIGBANG, shook the nation as he faces allegations that he arranged sexual services for potential investors from abroad at local nightclubs. He was a public relations

Mar 18, 2019

Politics

Politics

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

President asks former UN chief Ban to help tackle fine dust pollution

Anti-North Korea group protecting Kim Han-sol raises bitcoin fund

Moon meets US spy chief

North Korea should prove willingness: PM

Moon uses wrong greetings in Malaysia

58% of South Koreans hopeful about US-North Korea talks: survey

After-school English education programs eyed for low graders in elementary school

US sticks to dialogue with NK

Moon orders thorough probe into Jang Ja-yeon, K-pop scandals

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