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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.

National Assembly speaker urges continued talks with North Korea

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang speaks during a meeting with Vietnam's National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at the National Assembly, Thursday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonNational Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang stressed the importance of continued talks with North Korea for unification, urging the international community to help to build peace on the Korean Peninsula. “We should continue to engage with the North and seek to achieve unification eventually,” Moon told foreign correspondents in his opening remarks at a press conference in Seoul.“We are in desperate need of the support of the international community to get this fragile sapling of peace to take root.”His remarks came amid stalled denuclearization talks between the North and U.S. as well as the decreasing chances of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting Seoul this year.His involvement as the Assembly speaker is likely in line with the Moon Jae-in government's moves to prioritize improving inter-Korean relations.While praising the role of the international community for denuclearizati

Dec 11, 2018By Park Ji-won
National Assembly speaker urges continued talks with North Korea
  • New sanctions darken outlook for US-North Korea talks

Foreign ministry seeking to create China bureau

Foreign Ministry building / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunThe foreign ministry is seeking to create a new bureau that will only deal with China-related affairs.This is in line with increasing demand within the ministry for a greater focus on China considering its increasing global influence.The bureau, if set up, will deal with the aftermath of a conflict over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, as well as trade issues, according to sources. The ministry said discussions are taking place with the interior ministry for a partial organizational shakeup.Currently, the Northeast Asian Bureau takes care of China affairs. Under the bureau are three divisions, the first in charge of Japan, the second China and the third Mongolia.A report on Monday stated that the ministry will create a single bureau for China, and put Japan with India and Australia under a different bureau.The only bureau within the ministry focusing on a single country is the North American Affairs Bureau.The fact that the ministry has been considering a plan to create a bureau to focus

Dec 11, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
Foreign ministry seeking to create China bureau

'Inter-Korean railway ceremony to be held this month'

A trail carrying South Korean officials crosses the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, as it heads to the North for railway inspections on Nov. 30. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunThe South and North are discussing where to hold a ceremony marking the launch of inter-Korean railway and road projects, with the aim of holding the event within this month, the unification ministry said Tuesday.“We are discussing with the North our proposition and theirs,” a ministry official told reporters.Leaders of the Koreas agreed at their summit in September to hold the ceremony within the year. Because the plan to inspect the North's train tracks had been put on hold for months, holding the ceremony by December appeared impossible.However, the plan has become more feasible with inspections of the North's railways beginning on Nov. 30, after receiving exemptions from the U.N. Security Council on sanctions on the North for the project.The official clarified that the ceremony, which has been referred to as a groundbreaking ceremony, does not signal the start of actual cons

Dec 11, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
'Inter-Korean railway ceremony to be held this month'

New sanctions darken outlook for US-North Korea talks

From left are Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, State Security Minister Jong Kyong-thaek and Pak Kwang-ho, director of the party's propaganda department. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungThe outlook for a second Washington-Pyongyang summit is dimming amid an escalation of diplomatic tit-for-tat, after the U.S. imposed sanctions on three ranking North Korean officials Monday. The U.S. Treasury Department cited “serious human rights abuse and censorship” as reasons for the sanctions on the North's de facto No. 2 figure, Choe Ryong-hae. The two others are State Security Minister Jong Kyong-thaek and Pak Kwang-ho, director of the Workers' Party's propaganda department.The decision drew a strong backlash from the North, as this is the first time the U.S. has imposed human rights sanctions against the regime since the leaders of the two countries met in June to discuss peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.The first-ever Washington-Pyongyang summit in Singapore raised hopes to put an end to their decades of hostility. But there ha

Dec 11, 2018By Lee Min-hyung
New sanctions darken outlook for US-North Korea talks
  • National Assembly speaker urges continued talks with North Korea

Hanwha Systems wins W80 bil. contract for military intelligence system

By Lee Min-hyungSeen above is the Hanwha headquarters building in Seoul. / YonhapHanwha Systems has won an 80 billion won ($70.9 million) from the nation's defense procurement agency to provide military intelligence systems for the armed forces here, the Seoul-based defense firm said Tuesday.Under the contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Hanwha affiliate will establish a state-of-the-art military intelligence management system (MIMS) for the Army, Air Force and Navy.The system will allow the military to collect and analyze information in a more effective way, helping commanders make more accurate decisions, according to the company.The achievement is the first meaningful outcome since Hanwha S&C, the system integration affiliate of Hanwha, was merged into Hanwha Systems this August.“Hanwha Systems believe the latest contract will help the military modernize its intelligence systems in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” a company official said.The company plans to build a data-based intelligence analysis system, enabling the milit

Dec 11, 2018By Lee Min-hyung
Hanwha Systems wins W80 bil. contract for military intelligence system

W1 trillion set for inter-Korean cooperation next year

President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands after signing a set of agreements at their summit in Pyongyang in September. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunThe government has allocated 1.1 trillion won ($977 million) for inter-Korean affairs for next year, according to the unification ministry, Monday.This is up 15 percent from the 959 billion won fund this year, reflecting the reconciliatory mood that developed between the Koreas, as the leaders held three summits and reached agreements to promote peace.“The budget was drawn up to give an impetus to carrying out agreements reached between the South and North and develop sustainable inter-Korean ties,” a unification ministry official said.The budget includes 5.9 billion won that was set up to enable video meetings between family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed at their summit in September to enable separated family members to have video meetings to see each other more often, as they are elderly and in-person meetings cannot

Dec 10, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
W1 trillion set for inter-Korean cooperation next year
  • Kim Jong-un's visit seems unlikely this year

Minor parties continue hunger strike demanding electoral reform

Sohn Hak-kyu, left, the leader of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, and Lee Jeong-mi, the leader of the Justice Party, stage hunger strikes for five days at the National Assembly, Monday. The two urged the two largest parties to support electoral reform by introducing a proportional electoral system. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe leaders of two minor opposition parties continued their hunger strike for the fifth consecutive day, Monday, demanding talks with the two biggest parties for electoral reform.Bareunmirae Party (BMP) Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu and Justice Party leader Rep. Lee Jeong-mi braved cold weather to continue the strike in the lobby of the National Assembly, calling for the introduction of a new proportional representation system that is viewed as more advantageous to minor parties.In his speech to commemorate his 100th day as chief of the BMP, Sohn said his won't stop his fight until his demand is met.“The proposed system better reflects the people's choice in general elections. That is the way to reinforce the power of the Assembly and reduce the tyranny of the i

Dec 10, 2018By Park Ji-won
Minor parties continue hunger strike demanding electoral reform

S. Koreans want to see Kim Jong-un deliver Assembly address

President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un listens in front of Pyongyang citizens during the mass games performance titled “The Glorious Country” at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang in this Sept. 19, file photo. / Korea Times file.By Park Ji-wonAlmost half of the South Koreans surveyed want for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to deliver an address at the National Assembly if he visits Seoul, according to results released Monday.The survey, conducted by Realmeter, showed 46.7 percent of the respondents said they want to see North Korean leader Kim Jong-un deliver a speech at the National Assembly, while 40.2 percent opposed it. The remaining 13.1 percent were unsure or declined to answer. The poll was conducted among a random sample of 503 adults aged over 19 across the nation.The figure came amid speculation that the North's leader may visit the South soon to implement inter-Korean agreement made in September. During a joint declaration between two Korean leaders held on sidelines of the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un announced h

Dec 10, 2018By Park Ji-won
S. Koreans want to see Kim Jong-un deliver Assembly address
  • Kim Jong-un's visit seems unlikely this year

Two Koreas to discuss forest cooperation

Korea Forest Service Deputy Director Park Jong-ho, right, shakes hands with Kim Song-jun, deputy director of the North's Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, during an inter-Korean forestry talk at a liaison office in the North's border city of Gaeseong on Oct. 22. / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungA South Korean delegation embarked Monday on its trip to Pyongyang for a working-level discussion on inter-Korean forestry cooperation, the Ministry of Unification said.The 10-member delegation ― led by Korea Forest Service managing director Lim Sang-seop ― will arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday via Beijing and stay there for three days.A planned schedule for the team includes a visit to a tree nursery in Pyongyang.The move came as part of a follow-up to an inter-Korean forestry agreement in October when they agreed to modernize 10 nurseries in the North and make concrete efforts to ensure the preservation of nature across the peninsula.“The delegation's Pyongyang visit will serve as an opportunity for us to understand the current status of the North's forest conservation and restoratio

Dec 10, 2018By Lee Min-hyung
Two Koreas to discuss forest cooperation
  • Kim Jong-un's visit seems unlikely this year

'Diplomatic efforts need to be doubled for NK issues'

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks at an opening ceremony for a week-long meeting with South Korean ambassadors stationed abroad, at the ministry building in Seoul, Monday. A total of 181 ambassadors and consul generals are attending the annual meeting. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunForeign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday called on the country's envoys to boost diplomatic efforts for denuclearization and consolidation of peace on the Korean Peninsula.“Diplomatic efforts need to be doubled so that inter-Korean relations and denuclearization create a virtuous cycle and lead to complete denuclearization and establishment of a lasting peace regime,” she said at an opening ceremony for a week-long meeting in Seoul of South Korean ambassadors to foreign countries.Kang said the global community is focusing on South Korea's diplomatic role to lead talks between Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington, as efforts to achieve peace and prosperity on the Peninsula.The minister said “we are now facing a critical opportunity to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue” and stated &ldquo

Dec 10, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
'Diplomatic efforts need to be doubled for NK issues'
  • Kim Jong-un's visit seems unlikely this year
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