South Korea - The Korea Times

Moon to step up 'economic drive' in February

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with chiefs of seven venture firms at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Moon called on the businessmen to play roles in creating jobs and boosting the economy. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunPresident Moon Jae-in will hold a series of meetings with entrepreneurs and economic policymakers this month, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said Thursday.This is part of his efforts to expand communication with the business community.Moon had a meeting with chief executives of venture startups at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, to address their difficulties in doing business here.He will meet with the chiefs of local governments at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, to discuss the central government's economic policies.Next week, he will invite self-employed businesspeople for another meeting.He will be briefed on “smart city” models in the third week of this month.On Thursday, Moon spoke with the chiefs of seven leading venture companies including Naver's founder Lee Hae-jin and NCSOFT CEO Kim Taek-jin.Also present were the heads of “unicorn” startups worth more than

Feb 7, 2019By Kim Bo-eun

Moon to step up 'economic drive' in February

Japan cancels plan for Izumo's port call in S. Korea

By Lee Min-hyungJapan's helicopter carrier JS IzumoJapan has canceled a plan to send its Self-Defense Force helicopter carrier JS Izumo to an upcoming international maritime joint exercise off Busan amid diplomatic friction. The lead ship of the Izumo-class was scheduled to anchor in the port city in April for the exercise, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting.But Tokyo decided not to send the vessel reflecting the country's worsening relations with South Korea.According to Japan's Defense Ministry, Japan will participate in the exercise, but some vessels, such as the Izumo, will not join the event.It is “most appropriate” for the country not to have the vessels arrive in the South, Kyodo News quoted the ministry's press secretary, Hajime Aoyagi, as saying during a press conference, Tuesday.The months-long conflict started in mid-December when a Japanese P-1 maritime patrol plane carried out what the South viewed as a “highly intimidating” low-level flight near the Gwanggaeto the Great destroyer, which was o

Feb 6, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Japan cancels plan for Izumo's port call in S. Korea

Trump, Kim to meet in Vietnam on Feb. 27-28

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his 2019 State of the Union address to Congress in Washington, D.C., Tuesday (local time). / AFP-YonhapBiegun leaves for Pyongyang to fine-tune agendas for Trump-Kim meetingBy Lee Min-hyungU.S. President Donald Trump said he will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for two days from Feb. 27 in Vietnam to inject fresh momentum into their countries' stalled nuclear negotiations.“Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam,” Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday (local time). “Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one.”Trump, however, did not mention which city will host the summit. The likely venues for the meeting include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the coastal city of Danang.The two leaders held their first historic meeting last June in Singapore, reaching a broad agreement outlining bilateral pledges for sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.But as the agreement was mostly symbolic without specific clauses regarding

Feb 6, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Trump, Kim to meet in Vietnam on Feb. 27-28

Trump upbeat about talks with Kim

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address in Washington, Tuesday, local time. AFP-YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunU.S. President Donald Trump positively evaluated the current process to denuclearize North Korea and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, in his State of the Union address Tuesday (local time).“As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Trump said.“Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months.”The U.S. leader said the country would have been in a “major war” with North Korea if he had not become president.Trump also said he had a “good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, although he added, “much work remains to be done.”Last week, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said Trump was ready to end the 1950-53 Korean War.President Trump is committed to “bringing an end to 70 years of war and hostility on the Korean Peninsula,&rdq

Feb 6, 2019By Kim Bo-eun

Defense cost deal reached in principle: US State Department

The U.S. Forces Korea's Camp Humphreys headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Korea TimesBy Kim Bo-eunSouth Korea and the United States appear to have nearly concluded a new deal on defense costs the former will pay for U.S. troops here.The U.S. State Department was cited by Yonhap News Agency as saying in an email that a deal has been reached “in principle,” and the two sides are focusing on working out the details as quickly as possible. CNN also reported Washington and Seoul had reached a “preliminary agreement” under which South Korea would pay close to $1 billion (1.13 trillion won) for stationing around 30,000 U.S. troops here.South Korea's foreign ministry has not yet confirmed these reports.The CNN report said this would be a one-year agreement with a possible one-year extension. It appears the U.S. accepted South Korea's call to cap its contributions to below 1 trillion won, while the U.S. insisted that the deal expire after only one year. This would allow Washington to call for additional increases in the amount South Korea would pay for the

Feb 6, 2019By Kim Bo-eun

Defense cost deal reached in principle: US State Department

National Assembly to face bumpy road in Feb. amid deepening partisan wrangling

South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo heads to a detention center in Seoul on Wednesday, after being found guilty of involvement in a massive case of rigged online comments. YonhapThe National Assembly is expected to face a bumpy road in February as rival parties clash over a series of political scandals and the detention of a confidant of President Moon Jae-in.By law, an extraordinary parliamentary session automatically convenes in February, April and June.But the February session is not likely to go ahead smoothly because the parties have yet to agree on the assembly schedule, putting at stake a set of bills on people's livelihoods and reforms.In January, the National Assembly sat idle as rival parties wrangled over several issues that ranged from electoral reform to alleged real estate speculation by a former ruling party lawmaker.Tensions further flared after South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo was found guilty Wednesday of involvement in a massive case of rigged online comments.Kim, a Moon confidant, was sentenced to two years in prison for colluding wi

Feb 3, 2019

National Assembly to face bumpy road in Feb. amid deepening partisan wrangling

President likely to reshuffle Cabinet after holiday

President Moon Jae-in attends a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Korea Times filePresident Moon Jae-in will likely start replacing some Cabinet members soon after the Lunar New Year holiday, largely to allow his lawmaker-turned-ministers to run in next year's parliamentary elections, informed sources said Sunday."A Cabinet reshuffle is inevitable because many of the ministers who are also incumbent lawmakers will likely seek to run in the National Assembly elections," an official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Seven government ministers are also sitting members of the National Assembly.A second Cheong Wa Dae official noted that a Cabinet reshuffle will probably begin shortly after Lunar New Year's Day on Tuesday, but said the process would likely be spread over weeks or even months."It will not be a one-time deal," the official said, citing the large number of ministers who may wish to return to the National Assembly for re-election.Parliamentary elections are set to be held April 15 next year. Any government offic

Feb 3, 2019

President likely to reshuffle Cabinet after holiday

Japan's spy official meets with pro-NK group's de facto chief in Tokyo

Seen is the headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, in Tokyo in this Feb. 23, 2018 file photo. / Korea Times FileBy Park Ji-wonA top Japanese intelligence official met with the top figure of a pro-North Korean organization in Japan at the end of last year in a possible move to restore relations with the North according to media reports Friday.South Korean news outlet Newsis reported Friday that Shigeru Kitamura, the head of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, had a secret meeting with Nam Seung-woo, vice chairman of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, in Tokyo at the end of last year.The report says their agenda was not disclosed but seemingly it touched on restoration of diplomatic ties and the Japanese abductee issue, a controversial dispute blocking the two's relations. Chongryon's senior officials are allegedly connected directly to senior North Korean officials, exchanging goods and information. The pro-North Korean group's headquarters serves as the de facto North Korean embassy in Japan.The K

Feb 1, 2019By Park Ji-won

Japan's spy official meets with pro-NK group's de facto chief in Tokyo

Moon's approval rating rises amid economic drive

President Moon Jae-in / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in's job approval rating slightly increased this week, a poll showed Friday, amid his stepped-up efforts to revitalize the economy.The president's job approval rating came to 47 percent in a weekly poll conducted by Gallup Korea, up 1 percentage point from a week earlier.The latest poll was conducted on 1,004 adults throughout the nation. The weekly poll is conducted from Tuesday through Thursday.The rise apparently follows Moon's continued efforts to revamp the economy amid concerns that Asia's fourth-largest economy may grow at a slower pace than last year.The Bank of Korea has slashed its growth outlook for the local economy to 2.6 percent from its 2.7 percent forecast in October. The South Korean economy is estimated to have expanded 2.7 percent in 2018.Moon has held a series of meetings with various economic players, ranging from top executive officers of the largest conglomerates to self-employed business people, since the beginning of the year to ask for their support in creating more jobs and making fresh investments.He even tr

Feb 1, 2019

Moon's approval rating rises amid economic drive

Trump sees 'decent' chance of denuclearization

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Jan. 25. AP-YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulU.S. President Donald Trump dubbed senior U.S. intelligence officials “extremely passive” on North Korea and dismissed their assessment of threats from Pyongyang after they contradicted his views in testimony to the Senate.“Decent chance of denuclearization,” Trump tweeted early Thursday (KST). “Time will tell what will happen with North Korea. A decent chance. That, folks, is what people in the political world call moving the goalposts.”Trump admitted a threat remained and that it was not guaranteed to go away anytime soon. The annual “Worldwide Threat Assessment” report, which was released early Wednesday (KST), by the chiefs of the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency (NSA) and many other federal agencies, stated that North Korea “is unlikely to give up all of its (nuclear) stockpiles, delivery systems and production capabilities,” adding that “North Korean leaders view nuclear arms as critical to r

Jan 31, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

Politics