South Korea - The Korea Times

'Kim-Trump summit will determine S. Korea's fate'

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, center, arrives at Incheon International Airport, Sunday, after wrapping up an eight-day visit to the U.S. with floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties. YonhapAssembly leaders return from US visitBy Yi Whan-wooThe second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam, will have a huge effect on South Korea's fate, according to National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang.He was interviewed on Fox 11 TV in Los Angeles, Friday (local time), before he ended his eight-day U.S. visit with the leaders of South Korea's ruling and opposition parties. The delegation returned home on Sunday.“I understand there is a level of skepticism with regards to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and changes the second summit will bring,” Moon said.The tour included meetings in Washington, D.C., with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, U.S. Special Representative for North

Feb 17, 2019By Yi Whan-woo

'Kim-Trump summit will determine S. Korea's fate'

Will Kim Jong-un inspect Samsung factory in Vietnam?

Growing number of people accept homosexuality: survey

In this July 15 file photo, a Seoul Queer Parade participant who claims to support the Rael movement ― a UFO religion that teaches life on Earth was created by an extraterrestrial species ― offers a free hug at Seoul Plaza. Korea Times fileBy Jung Hae-myoung The ratio of people opposing homosexuality has dropped below 50 percent for the first time, a survey showed, Sunday, indicating Korean society is becoming more accepting of sexual minorities.According to the survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration of 8,000 people aged from 19 to 69 in September and October, 49 percent of respondents said they do not accept homosexuality.It was the first time for less than half of the respondents to say so: the ratio of people against homosexuality was 62.1 percent in 2013, 56.9 percent in 2014, 57.7 percent in 2015, 55.8 percent in 2016 and 57.2 percent in 2017.For other minority groups, 12.6 percent people said they cannot accept North Korean refugees, 5.7 percent are against immigrants and foreign workers, and 6.7 percent against ex-convicts.By gender, men were less acc

Feb 17, 2019

Growing number of people accept homosexuality: survey

Assembly speaker's US visit raises eyebrows

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang answers reporters' questions after giving a keynote speech at the Korea Society in New York, Thursday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonA South Korean parliamentary delegation led by National Speaker Moon Hee-sang may leave the U.S. empty-handed, failing to spur cooperation from its counterpart that could help mediate between North Korea and the U.S. before the planned summit between the North's Kim Jong-un and U.S.' Donald Trump in Hanoi. According to press releases, in his speech made at the end of the U.S. tour, Moon said Thursday (local time) that he saw positive reactions from his U.S. counterparts after they met with the South's parliamentary delegation. “I felt that the U.S. officials, who were pessimistic (of the fate of the North-U.S. summit), became more hopeful,” he said.“I hope we will have more opportunities to boost communication with each other like this time as I believe it will lead to strengthening the alliance between Seoul and Washington.”He also said Thursday during a speech at the Korea Society that the North

Feb 15, 2019By Park Ji-won

Assembly speaker's US visit raises eyebrows

Moon orders to overhaul prosecution, police

President Moon Jae-in speaks at the start of a meeting with the chiefs of the country's leading law enforcement agencies at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in has ordered a wide-scale overhaul of the country's powerful law enforcement agencies such as the police, prosecution and intelligence agencies as the country is asked to recover “democratic values.”“My request is simple. This year should become the first year after the hidden shadows of rampant power abuse by powerful law enforcement agencies during and after the Japanese rule on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said in a meeting with the chiefs of leading law enforcement agencies including the National Intelligence Service (NIS) at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday.The President claimed that the prosecution and police were “partners” that supported and helped Japan's occupation of Korea, citing their apparent wrongdoings to prosecute and suppress independence activists. “We have to make checks and balances happen between top law enforcement agencies as they have to exerci

Feb 15, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

Moon orders to overhaul prosecution, police

LKP to put 1 lawmaker to vote for expulsion

Rep. Hong Young-pyo, fourth from left, the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and youth representatives from four political parties ― the DPK, the Bareunmirae Party, the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and the Justice Party ― rally at the National Assembly, Thursday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonRep. Lee Jong-myeongThe main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) decided Thursday to vote on whether to expel one of the three lawmakers accused of defaming victims of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising in 1980 from the party.The LKP's Ethics Committee said Rep. Lee Jong-myeong will be kicked out of the party. It will also hold a meeting to decide on the fate of the remaining two, Reps. Kim Jin-tae and Kim Soon-rye, after the party's convention on Feb. 27 because they are running in the leadership election.“The committee concluded that Lee's remarks have violated the spirit of the democratization movement and our core conservative values,” LKP secretary general Rep. Kim Yong-tae told reporters.Lee can appeal the decision within 10 days, Kim said. If not, the pa

Feb 14, 2019By Park Ji-won

LKP to put 1 lawmaker to vote for expulsion

Campaigns for LKP leadership begin

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP)'s leadership candidates, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, left, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center, and Rep. Kim Jin-tae wave during their first joint election campaign in Daejeon, Thursday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe main opposition Liberty Korea Party's (LKP) election campaign for the party leadership officially started, Thursday.The three candidates ― former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Rep. Kim Jin-tae ― had their first joint campaign, in Daejeon, laying out their political visions. The LKP will hold a national convention on Feb. 27 near Seoul to elect its new leader and Supreme Council members.“Due to the tyranny of the Moon Jae-in administration, people's lives fell into misery,” Hwang said.“I will prioritize seeking the unification of the LKP. I will build guidelines on conducting a fair party reshuffle. I will make a consultation group to seek unification of the party based on common policies.”“It is not enough to win nonpartisan voters with Hwang and Kim who a

Feb 14, 2019By Park Ji-won

Better law for child support

Civic group members call for a better law that can better force divorced spouses to pay child support, during a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, Thursday. They asked the court to decide whether the National Assembly was derelict of duty in not establishing such a law, because the current regulation barely enforces child support payments with weak punishment for violators. / Yonhap

Feb 14, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

Defense chief visits UAE for ties in arms industry

By Lee Min-hyungDefense Minister Jeong Kyeong-dooDefense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo kicked off Thursday his six-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to enhance defense industrial ties by joining a global defense exhibition there.On his UAE visit, Jeong will participate in the biennial International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) where he plans to meet with a group of defense chiefs from not just the country, but Oman, Egypt and Greece, according to Korea's Ministry of National Defense.More than 1,500 defense companies from 70 countries will take part in the global event, seeking defense industrial ties. In Korea, thirty defense players, including Hanwha, LIG Nex1 and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), will exhibit their products during the five-day fair which will begin on Sunday in the UAE's capital city of Abu Dhabi.“UAE Defense Minister Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi sent an official invitation for Jeong to join the defense fair where he will spare no efforts in promoting Korean defense firms,” a defense ministry official said.Upon taking office in September

Feb 14, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Defense chief visits UAE for ties in arms industry

Skepticism persists over North Korea-US summit

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Missile Defense Review announcement at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17. AFP-YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulU.S. President Donald Trump has claimed to have averted a major conflict with North Korea through a blend of engagement, economic sanctions and threats of military action. But some U.S. politicians and experts appear skeptical about the North's “genuine intentions” as a second summit between Trump and North Korean leader KimJong-un looms.The outcome of the second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be determined more by the ability of each side to respond to each other's weaknesses than by the ability to project strength, they said. Scott Snyder, a director of the program on U.S.-Korea Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), said both Trump and Kim may view their second summit as a mutual affirmation of strength, in which Trump gives the North Korean leader further international legitimacy.“North Korea has made superficial gestures but resisted U.S. demands and waited for the va

Feb 14, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

Skepticism persists over North Korea-US summit

Kang, Pompeo discuss denuclearization ahead of NK-US summit

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunForeign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa met with her U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo in Warsaw, Thursday, to discuss measures regarding North Korea's denuclearization ahead of a second summit between Pyongyang and Washington later this month.The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East held there.The two spoke about discussions U.S. Special Representative Stephen Biegun had in Pyongyang last week on the agenda of the summit. Negotiations narrowing down Pyongyang's denuclearization steps and Washington's corresponding measures are set to follow next week.The ministers also discussed South Korea's share of defense costs in the Special Measures Agreement that covers the cost of stationing U.S. troops here.After the two countries signed an agreement Sunday for Seoul to pay 1.03 trillion won this year, U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that South Korea needed to pay more, and stated it agreed to pay an additional $500 million.

Feb 14, 2019By Kim Bo-eun

Kang, Pompeo discuss denuclearization ahead of NK-US summit

Skepticism persists over North Korea-US summit

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