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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.

'NK wants sanctions relief due to food shortage'

John Everard, former U.K. ambassador to North Korea, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the President Hotel in central Seoul, March 1. Courtesy of Global Peace FoundationKim regime fears uprising: former UK ambassador to PyongyangBy Kim Bo-eunNorth Korea is keen to have sanctions eased, as the country faces a dire food shortage, a former U.K. ambassador to North Korea said.After a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi last month failed to produce an agreement, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters that Pyongyang had asked for sanctions relating to the people's livelihoods to be eased.North Korea has asked the U.N. for food aid, stating it is facing a production shortfall of 1.4 million tons of food this year.Last year, North Korea's food production fell to its lowest in more than a decade, according to a recent U.N. report.“The North Korean economy is in deep trouble,” said John Everard, who served as U.K. ambassador to Pyongyang from 2006 to 2008.“Kim said in his first speech to his

Mar 10, 2019By Kim Bo-eun
'NK wants sanctions relief due to food shortage'
  • Kim Jong-un says economic growth 'urgent task'

Trump says he would be disappointed if Pyongyang resumed testing

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in Washington D.C., March 8, leaving for Alabama to survey areas devastated by powerful tornadoes,. Xinhua-Yonhap U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he would be "very disappointed" if North Korea resumed the testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, but insisted his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains good.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump appeared to address a question about recent reports of rebuilding observed at a key North Korean missile test site."Well, time will tell, but I have a feeling that our relationship with North Korea, Kim Jong-un and myself, Chairman Kim, I think it's a very good one. I think it remains good," he said."I would be surprised in a negative way if he did anything that was not per our understanding, but we'll see what happens."Trump and Kim held their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, last week but failed to produce any agreement on the North

Mar 9, 2019By Ko Dong-hwan
Trump says he would be disappointed if Pyongyang resumed testing
  • US says ready for dialogue with North Korea
  • Seoul to consult closely with US for peace on peninsula: envoy to Washington
  • Kim Jong-un touts economic growth amid rocket launch speculation

USFK cost deal formally signed

Military vehicles are parked inside Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, last month. Camp Humphreys is home to United States Forces Korea headquarters. / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungSouth Korea has formally signed a deal with the United States to share cost for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha signed the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris, Friday, ending an almost year-long negotiation.Under the 2019 SMA, Seoul will pay 1.04 trillion won ($915 million), up 8.2 percent from the previous year. The deal is valid for just one year, so both sides will soon resume negotiations for the 2020 revision. The two countries used to sign up to five-year contracts before the latest SMA.The 2019 SMA will take effect upon ratification by the National Assembly. The government plans to finish the process by the end of next month.U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly pressured the South to pay more of the USFK upkeep costs. He has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction that U.S. allies, inc

Mar 8, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
USFK cost deal formally signed

President replaces seven ministers

From left, President Moon Jae-in's picks for seven new ministers, Friday, are Chin-young for the Ministry of Interior and Safety, Park Young-sun for Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Park Yang-woo for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kim Yeon-chul for the Ministry of Unification, Cho Dong-ho for the Ministry of Science and ICT, Choi Jeong-ho for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Moon Seong-hyeok for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. / YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooPresident Moon Jae-in nominated seven new ministers Friday ― the largest Cabinet shakeup since he took office in May 2017.The move came amid public criticism toward his economic policies, and geopolitical uncertainty surrounding the Korean Peninsula after the summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States ended without any agreement.Moon will ask the National Assembly to hold confirmation hearings for the nominees soon.Kim Yeon-chul, head of the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), was named as the new unification minister.Kim, 55, if confirmed by the Assembly, will repla

Mar 8, 2019By Yi Whan-woo
President replaces seven ministers
  • US says ready for dialogue with North Korea

US says ready for dialogue with North Korea

Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, arrives at the Incheon International Airport on Friday after ending his U.S. trip. He met with his U.S. counterpart Stephen Biegun there to discuss ways to continue bringing the North to the dialogue table despite the recent breakdown of the Washington-Pyongyang summit. / YonhapS. Korea's envoy meets with Biegun after failed summitBy Lee Min-hyungWashington is ready to hold “constructive” talks with Pyongyang, the U.S. State Department said Thursday (local time), as North Korea appears to be taking steps to rebuild a missile testing facility.“We remain ready to engage North Korea in constructive negotiations,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters. “Our message here publicly and privately for that matter is, we are ready.”This comes amid growing uncertainty in the denuclearization talks between the United States and the North in the wake of the failure of the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last

Mar 8, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
US says ready for dialogue with North Korea
  • President replaces seven ministers
  • Trump says he would be disappointed if Pyongyang resumed testing

President names 7 new ministers in Cabinet reshuffle

From top left, Chin Young, Park Young-sun, Park Yang-woo, Kim Yeon-chul, (right bottom) Cho Dong-ho, Choi Jeong-ho and Moon Seong-hyeok.President Moon Jae-in on Friday named seven new ministers in a move to set his administration up for the second half of his term that will also replace the country's point man on North Korea.Kim Yeon-chul, currently the head of the Korea Institute for National Unification, has been tapped as the new unification minister, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.Kim, 55, will replace Cho Myoung-gyon."Unification Minister nominee Kim holds great expertise and knowledge in inter-Korean economic cooperation and the North Korean nuclear issue as one of the few experts in inter-Korean relations with vast experience in both academics and the field," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a press briefing."He is the right person to realize the New Korean Peninsula Regime aimed at building a joint community of peace and cooperation by pushing for the speedy implementation of inter-Korean declarations," the spokesman added.Cho Dong-ho, a professor from K

Mar 8, 2019
President names 7 new ministers in Cabinet reshuffle
  • Moon changes North Korean point man. What does this signify?

Moon changes North Korean point man. What does this signify?

Unification minister nominee Kim Yeon-chul enters Institute for National Unification on Friday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in's decision to replace his point man on North Korea appears to indicate his increased emphasis on inter-Korean relations as he pushes for more active cross-border cooperation on the belief that it could help advance the stalled nuclear talks, experts said Friday. Kim Yeon-chul, professor and chief of the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification think tank, was nominated Friday as the new unification minister handling inter-Korean affairs. He is to replace Cho Myoung-gyon, a career policymaker, who has served at the post since 2017.The nomination, which is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing, comes as the Moon government appears to be renewing its push to expand cross-border cooperation after the breakdown of last week's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump."Armed with a solid theoretical base and field experiences, he appears to be well-suited for the post in terms of his understanding of President

Mar 8, 2019
Moon changes North Korean point man. What does this signify?
  • President names 7 new ministers in Cabinet reshuffle

President to replace several ministers: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in will name new ministers Friday, his office Cheong Wa Dae said, in a Cabinet reshuffle that is expected to replace several ministers, including the country's point man on North Korea.The list of nominees for new ministers will be announced at 11:30 a.m., according to the presidential office.The Cabinet reshuffle was expected to replace at least six ministers, including Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, as well as the internal affairs minister and minister for small and medium-sized firms.The reshuffle partly comes as four lawmaker-turned-ministers are expected to run in the general elections slated to be held next year but also as the Moon Jae-in administration seeks to enhance its reform drive in the latter half of its single five-year term that will begin later in the year.The four lawmaker-turned-ministers, if replaced, will return to the ruling Democratic Party as they still maintain their parliamentary seats. (Yonhap)

Mar 8, 2019
President to replace several ministers: Cheong Wa Dae

Orange farm workers joined Korea's independence movement in US

Korean Americans, including children and families of Korean independence martyrs, celebrate the March 1 Independence Movement at Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 1. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiBy Park Jin-haiLos Angeles, Calif. ― Some 200 Korean Americans, including children and families of Korean independence martyrs, gathered at Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, on March 1. They shouted “manse” and avidly waved national flags of both Korea and America to pay tribute to their ancestors. Among those independence fighters were orange farm workers from Riverside, California. They stood up against the Japanese occupation of Korea and fought for the freedom of their mother country from thousands of miles away. “Recalling the works of our ancestors, I cannot even guess how it could be possible at that time. The Korean immigrants, who had been barely living, working over 10 hours a day in plantations and farms, voluntarily donated their hard-earned money for the independence movement,” said Kwon Young-shi

Mar 7, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Orange farm workers joined Korea's independence movement in US

Foreign Minister calls for continued dialogue with North Korea

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks during a ruling Democratic Party of Korea seminar on the prospects of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the role of the National Assembly, Thursday, after the breakdown of a second summit between North Korea and the U.S. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonForeign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for continued dialogue with North Korea for a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue, Thursday.Speaking to lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Kang said the country should pursue the end goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula persistently, despite the disappointing outcome from a second summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders in Hanoi.“It is an important task for the country to peacefully resolve the North Korea nuclear issue through dialogue. The government will do its best to achieve complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and establish peace,” Kang said in a keynote speech at a seminar.The DPK hosted the seminar to discuss the prospects of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the role

Mar 7, 2019By Park Ji-won
Foreign Minister calls for continued dialogue with North Korea
  • US baffled by reports on NK missile sites
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