South Korea - The Korea Times

Satirical posters on Moon cover campuses

Posters from the “King Moon Jae-in series” are seen on a notice board at Sejong University in Seoul, Dec. 9. The National College Students' Council posted them at 100 universities nationwide to complain about President Moon's policies. / Courtesy of National College Students' CouncilBy Jung Hae-myoung Posters satirically calling President Moon Jae-in a “king” and criticizing his performance have been placed on more than 100 universities' notice boards nationwide, reflecting the prevalent negative perception of his policies among people in their 20s to 30s, predominately men.The posters, titled “King Moon Jae-in series,” display a sarcastic tone toward Moon's policies on the environment, the economy, North Korea and employment. One subtitle calls Moon the “King of the Economy,” stating, “He ruined small business owners and permanently sacked part-time workers by raising the minimum wage to 8,350 won.” Another calls him the “King of Donation,” claiming the President “donated” the whole country to North

Dec 18, 2018

Satirical posters on Moon cover campuses

64.1% against Moon: Why young men turn against President?

NK rejects UN human rights resolution

The United Nations General Assembly / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunNorth Korea disputed its alleged human rights violations record Monday (local time) after the United Nations passed a resolution condemning it. This is the 14th consecutive year for the U.N. to approve a resolution calling attention to the human rights situation in the North.Pyongyang reacted angrily to the resolution, which noted U.N. member states “condemn the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights,” claiming all the cases cited were made up.Estimating that over 10 million of the population is undernourished, the U.N. said there was “an unacceptably high prevalence of chronic and acute malnutrition” in the North.The resolution was drawn up by the EU and Japan, with contributions from member states including South Korea. Other countries including China, Russia and Cuba distanced themselves from the resolution, and many stated opposition toward singling out an individual country.North Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song said his country rejected

Dec 18, 2018By Kim Bo-eun

BMP lawmaker defects to LKP

Rep. Lee Hak-jae, left, shakes hands with Kim Byong-joon, the interim leader of the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), after joining the LKP at the National Assembly, Tuesday. Lee bolted from the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, a split from the LKP's predecessor Saenuri Party, to the LKP to seek the unification of conservatives, he said. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonRep. Lee Hak-jae of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party (BMP), chairman of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, announced his decision to defect to the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Tuesday.Lee, who was an LKP member before joining the BMP, said more BMP lawmakers, frustrated with the party's leadership and “lack of vision,” are preparing to move to the LKP.Dozens of BMP members scuffled with Lee as he left a press conference after announcing his defection. They called Lee a “traitor” and “turncoat.” The BMP demanded Lee's resignation as the Assembly committee chief, claiming the successor should be a BMP lawmaker. Earlier, Lee hinted that he may rejo

Dec 18, 2018By Park Ji-won

Era of hydrogen cars on the way: Moon

President Moon Jae-in speaks in an opening speech before being briefed about the trade ministry's 2019 management plans at the government complex in Sejong, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungKorea should make concerted efforts to preoccupy the market for hydrogen cars, as the industry is still in its infancy and the government is willing to turn the business into the nation's next growth engine, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday.“The government remains firm in its willingness to back up industries, such as hydrogen or electric vehicles, identifying them as the nation's next-generation growth engines,” Moon said in a year-end meeting with officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Vehicles fueled with hydrogen are the talk of the global automobile industry, as hydrogen cars are eco-friendly and their fuel cost is cheaper than traditional cars powered by internal combustion engines. Unlike electric cars, the hydrogen vehicle is still in an infant stage of development.The President underlined the need to remain swift in preoccupying the global hydrogen vehicle

Dec 18, 2018By Lee Min-hyung

North Korean leader's mom 'born in Mokpo,' now part of South

Ko Young-hui, birth mother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is pictured in an article in The Mainichi in this file photo. / Korea Times fileKo Yong-hui, the birth mother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was born in the southwestern city of Mokpo, a local report claimed Tuesday.Ko, who passed away in 2004, was believed to have been born in Osaka, Japan.The report by “The Fact” was based on testimonies from relatives of Ko, including a woman surnamed Hyeon. However, the report did not disclose the full name or photo of the relative.Ko's father was born in 1913 and moved to Japan at age 16 in 1929. He died in 1999 according to his tombstone.Ko is widely believed to have been born in Osaka in 1952 and her family moved to North Korea in 1961 or 1962.However, Hyeon said Ko's father moved to Mokpo and lived with his older brother there. She said he ran a milk factory there and Ko was born in Mokpo.Hyeon said Ko's parents took their daughter with them to Japan between 1957 and 1960. She said he sold milk to Korea from Japan.Another unnamed relative also said Ko's mother gav

Dec 18, 2018By Kim Bo-eun

North Korean leader's mom 'born in Mokpo,' now part of South

Military intelligence unit vows to abide by law

By Lee Min-hyungEmblem for Defense Security Support CommandThe Defense Security Support Command (DSSC) vowed Tuesday not to carry out any illegal and non-defense-related activities, months after its predecessor was disbanded in the wake of its involvement in political scandals. The replacement military intelligence unit ― headed by Lieutenant General Nam Young-sin ― started operations Sept. 1, after President Moon Jae-in ordered a complete overhaul of its scandal-ridden precursor.“The DSSC will establish itself as a trusted military intelligence and investigative organization,” Nam said. “It is time for us to live up to the public's expectation by standing at the center of national security and wiping out past disgraces.”After conducting the months-long reorganization, the DSSC also unveiled its new emblem and military anthem, as part of symbolic efforts to start military intelligence work from scratch.In particular, the DSSC underlined the need not to repeat the fiascos of its predecessor by unveiling a “not-to-do” list which includes political in

Dec 18, 2018By Lee Min-hyung

Military intelligence unit vows to abide by law

Koreas complete inspection of North's railway

Officials of the South and North inspect a railway track of the North's Donghae Line in this photo. / Courtesy of Unification MinistryJoint Press CorpsA team of South Korean officials who examined North Korea's railway line along its east coast, sometimes referred to as the Donghae Line in the South, returned home Monday after completing their inspection of the west and east coast networks that began Nov. 30. This was the first time a South Korean train has traveled the 800-kilometer line from Mount Geumgang to the Tumen River.Im Jong-il, a land ministry director who led the 28-member team, said the condition of the east coast line was similar to the one on the west coast (called the Gyeongui Line in South Korea).“The section starting from Mount Geumgang Station began construction in 1997 and 20 years have passed so it has deteriorated,” he told reporters at the Inter-Korean Transit Office in Goseong, Gangwon Province.“The train had to run at 30 kilometers per hour because of the condition of the tracks.”He said additional examinations were necessary, and that

Dec 17, 2018By Kim Bo-eun

Koreas complete inspection of North's railway

BMP lawmakers likely to defect to LKP

Sohn Hak-kyu, the leader of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, participates in a party meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe leadership of the Bareunmirae Party (BMP), Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu, is being challenged by an anticipated defection of his party members to the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).Rep. Lee Hak-jae of the BMP said he will announce his departure to join the LKP on Tuesday. Lee left the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the LKP, in 2016.“I have put my efforts into the Bareun Party and Bareunmirae Party outside the LKP for two years when the conservatives were struggling with the Choi Soon-sil scandal. But they failed to get support from the people and become united,” Lee was quoted as telling Yonhap Sunday. The move came after the LKP's interim leadership removed 21 incumbent lawmakers, including some loyalists of former President Park Geun-hye, from key party posts with the influence on nomination for local councils as part of reform measures.Lee, who has belonged to several conservative parties such as the Ba

Dec 17, 2018By Park Ji-won

US-NK stalemate likely to continue

By Lee Min-hyungU.S. President Donald TrumpNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-unThe current stalemate between the United States and North Korea in their denuclearization talks shows no signs of abating, as both sides continue to engage in a war of nerves.The outlook for their dialogue is apparently darkening since the U.S. slapped heightened human rights sanctions on the North last week. This also bodes ill for their negotiations over the proposed second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.North Korea criticized the move, saying it “may put a permanent end” to the regime's denuclearization.“It is a big misjudgment for Washington to believe that the intensified pressure can make Pyongyang scrap nuclear weapons,” the North's state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement Sunday.This is in response to the recent decision by the U.S. Treasury Department which imposed human rights sanctions on three ranking North Korean officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, the regime's de facto No. 2 figure and vice chairman of

Dec 17, 2018By Lee Min-hyung

Moon calls for pump-priming measures

By Lee Min-hyungPresident Moon Jae-inPresident Moon Jae-in called for measures to reinvigorate the economy during a meeting with senior economic officials at Cheng Wa Dae, Monday.This is the first time Moon has held an extended meeting with top economy policymakers since taking office in May last year.Participants include new Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, Fair Trade Commission Chairman Kim Sang-jo and a group of ministerial officials dealing with the economy.The meeting was arranged on Friday when President Moon was carrying out a major reshuffle of vice minister-level officials with a keen focus on bolstering the local economy.“To improve the lives of the public, we need to create more jobs and resolve difficulties the people and the self-employed are facing,” Moon said in an opening speech for the meeting.“Industry-wise, we need to enhance the competitiveness of our manufacturing industries, such as cars and shipbuilding, while at the same time introduce industrial policies to find next-generation growth areas and new businesses.”Starting this month, the pre