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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.

'US eager to move to next stage of NK talks'

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun speaks to reporters after a working group meeting with South Korean officials at the foreign ministry building in Seoul, Friday. / YonhapInter-Korean railway, road projects to proceed next weekBy Kim Bo-eunU.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun stated his country wishes to move to the next stage of denuclearization talks with North Korea, Friday.A sanctions issue has been cleared, making way for holding a ceremony next week to mark the launch of inter-Korean railway and road projects, Biegun's counterpart Lee Do-hoon said. He added issues have been cleared in joint excavations of Korean War remains by the South and North.The remarks came after a working group meeting between South Korea and the U.S. led by Lee and Biegun.“We are eager to move to the next stage of discussions with our North Korean partners,” Biegun told reporters after the meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul.“We expect in the course of those discussions we would be able to talk about some of the details around Preside

Dec 21, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
'US eager to move to next stage of NK talks'
  • Seoul seeks wider sanctions exemptions for North Korea
  • Pompeo 'counting on' second Trump-Kim summit

Cheong Wa Dae, LKP clash over surveillance claims

Rep. Choi Gyo-il of the main opposition Liberty Korea reads the list of alleged Cheong Wa Dae inspection reports on civilians made by a former member of the presidential office's special inspection team during a party meeting for a fact-finding at the National Assembly. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonCheong Wa Dae and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) clashed, Thursday, over claims by a former presidential staffer that the presidential office has spied on politicians and a conservative newspaper.The LKP and other conservative parties are going all-out to raise political offensives against key aides of President Moon Jae-in who they believe were behind the alleged surveillance activities. However, the ruling camp claims the conservatives are engaged in excessive political maneuvering based on groundless allegations raised by a former staffer who is now under a corruption investigation.LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won revealed documents showing the names of figures allegedly spied on by Kim Tae-woo, a prosecution investigator who worked with the presidential office's special inspect

Dec 20, 2018By Park Ji-won
Cheong Wa Dae, LKP clash over surveillance claims

Moon urges stronger readiness for peace

President Moon Jae-in salutes the national flag before the start of a briefing on the defense ministry's policies for next year, held at its headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, Thursday. At left is Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, and right, Hong Young-pyo, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea floor leader. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in said Thursday South Korea will maintain a strong military although a potential peace process is underway.“How to maintain strong troop readiness is a top priority under my watch. We should maintain continuity and keep a strong defense because I believe peace can be achieved when we have a stronger military,” Moon said during a meeting with top generals and commanders. This was held on the sidelines of the President's participation in a briefing on the Ministry of National Defense's priorities for next year, held at its headquarters in Yongsan, downtown Seoul.Moon added that his summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year were momentous in terms of progress in talks regarding the North's denuclearization. But despite t

Dec 20, 2018
Moon urges stronger readiness for peace

US may resume North Korean humanitarian aid

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun speaks to reporters after arriving at Incheon International Airport, Thursday. YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunHopes are growing for a possible breakthrough in the stalemate in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington, after a key U.S. official visiting South Korea referred to possible resumption of humanitarian aid to the North.U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said the U.S. is reviewing possible exemptions to the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to North Korea regarding humanitarian aid. He also referred to improving 70 years of hostile relations after arriving at Incheon International Airport. “We will also review American citizens' travel to North Korea for the purpose of facilitating the delivery of aid and ensure that monitoring in line with international standards can occur,” he said.Improving bilateral relations is among the agreements North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump reached at their historic summit in June.The U.S. official had refrained from makin

Dec 20, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
US may resume North Korean humanitarian aid

Koreas to inspect road along east coast

The road along the Korean Peninsula's east coast seen from Goseong, Gangwon Province. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunThe South and North will begin a four-day examination of sections of roads in North Korea today. The main inspection will be of the 100-kilometer road from Goseong in South Korea to Wonsan in the North along the east coast.Officials will also check a four-kilometer stretch of road in the Gaeseong region in the west. This is a follow-up of inspections of the western road that took place in August, the ministry said.Ten South Korean officials led by directors of the unification and land ministries will take part in the inspection, as well as meetings to discuss follow-up examinations.The team will return after finishing inspections of the east coast road on Sunday and head back to the North on Monday to check the Gaeseong road.The inspections are seen as a hasty move to complete road inspections before holding a ceremony marking the launch of inter-Korean railway and road projects planned for Dec. 26.The Koreas completed the railway inspections on Monday, but has yet to

Dec 20, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
Koreas to inspect road along east coast

Cheong Wa Dae reels from insider's claim of tapping civilians

Mired in an allegation of having illegally investigated intelligence from civilians and politicians, South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during the Ministry of National Defense's debriefing on its 2019 agenda at its headquarters in Yongsan-gu District in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapThe presidential office Cheong Wa Dae remained on the defensive Thursday amid a controversy raised by one of its own former staff members who confessed to having illegally investigated civilians.The attacks began shortly after Kim Tae-woo, a special inspector from the prosecution, was ordered to return to his original post for allegedly attempting to interfere with a police investigation involving one of his acquaintances.The former Cheong Wa Dae official denies the allegation and instead claims he was relieved of duty because his reports had included corruption allegations against those close to President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party (DP), including Woo Yoon-keun, a former lawmaker of the DP and the incumbent ambassador to Russia.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party floor leader Na Kyun

Dec 20, 2018
Cheong Wa Dae reels from insider's claim of tapping civilians

'North Korea's denuke needs to be on track by March'

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon. YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunDenuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States need to be put back on track by early next year, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said Tuesday. “Whether the denuclearization process gets on track by February or March will determine the direction of events surrounding the Korean Peninsula in 2019 and 2020,” he told reporters.The remarks come at a time when the nuclear disarmament negotiations have hit a stalemate, despite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledging to work toward complete denuclearization at summits held this year.At the inter-Korean summit in September, Kim said his regime would take steps such as the permanent shutdown of its key Yongbyon nuclear facility if the U.S. took corresponding measures.A high-level meeting was scheduled for November to address these, but has been postponed indefinitely.The minister said the denuclearization process would affect inter-Korean exchanges and projects.“While inter-Korean relations are meaningful with regard to denuclearization, if there

Dec 19, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
'North Korea's denuke needs to be on track by March'
  • US regards N. Korea as major factor for 2019

Electoral reform has a long way to go

Members of the minor opposition Party for Democracy and Peace participate in a rally calling for electoral reform in Seoul on Dec. 13/ YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe major political parties agreed in principle last week to introduce a new proportional representation system to better represent voters’ party preferences.However, there is still a bumpy road ahead for them to reach a consensus on the details of the new system because they all have different interests.The question is whether the big parties are really willing to revise the proportional representation system.Civic activists and smaller parties have been calling for the introduction of a system similar to the German-style mixed-member proportional representation system (MMPRS) to prevent “dead votes” in elections.Under the MMPRS system seats are allocated to parties according to the proportion of ballots won by their candidates.Currently, out of the 300 National Assembly seats up for grabs, 253 seats are given to the winners of elections in constituencies. The remaining 47 proportional representation seats are di

Dec 19, 2018By Park Ji-won
Electoral reform has a long way to go

US regards N. Korea as major factor for 2019

North Korean men walk past portraits of nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang, Tuesday. AP-YonhapBy Park Ji-wonU.S. experts consider North Korea one of the top nine factors that will affect U.S. interests in 2019, according to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).The council’s annual report titled “Preventive Priorities Survey: 2019,” stated that North Korea’s nuclear issue was one of the top conflict prevention priorities and will possibly have a critical impact on U.S. interests as it is likely to trigger military involvement or threaten the supply of critical strategic resources.Specifically, the report pointed out there was a possibility of renewed tension on the Korean Peninsula following a collapse about the denuclearization negotiations.Paul Stares, who wrote the report, told Radio Free Asia that experts considered North Korea the biggest threat last year. He added that the fact that North Korea was again selected as one of the top-tier conflicts for next year reflects skepticism of denuclearization talks. Pyongyang

Dec 19, 2018By Park Ji-won
US regards N. Korea as major factor for 2019
  • 'North Korea's denuke needs to be on track by March'

President Moon welcomes new South Korean head of Interpol

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, congratulates the newly-elected head of Interpol Kim Jong-yang, center, for the appointment on Nov. 21 at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Korean National Police Agency's Commissioner General Min Gap-ryong attended the meeting as well. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in on Wednesday welcomed the recent election of a South Korean as the new head of Interpol, calling it a victory for the entire nation."I sincerely congratulate and welcome your election as (Interpol) president," Moon said while meeting Kim Jong-yang, the newly elected head of Interpol, formerly the International Criminal Police Organization."I understand Interpol is the largest international organization with 194 member countries, bigger than the United Nations in terms of the number of member countries. You are a great source of pride for our nation since you were also elected by a large margin," the president said in the meeting held at his office Cheong Wa Dae.In this photo provided by South Korea National Police Agency, South Korea's Kim Jong Yang speaks during the 87th Interpol General

Dec 19, 2018
President Moon welcomes new South Korean head of Interpol
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