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Sat, April 21, 2018 | 17:06

Opinion > Columnists > Tong Kim >

Insecure path to peace

It appears that North Koreans will not attend a second round of “high-level contact” at Panmunjeom on Oct. 30, as proposed by Seoul. A delegation of three ranking DPRK officials agreed to do so, when they came to attend the closing ceremony of the Asian Games at Incheon on Oct. 4. Since their visit to the South, a series of portentous events has unfolded to impact inter-Korean relations as well as U.S.-DPRK relations. These include border clashes between the North and the South, release of an American detainee, a subtle semantic change in Washington's position on nuclear talks, and an indefi...

Tong Kim | 2014-10-26 16:55

Reading North Korean Intent

The surprise visit of the three most powerful officials serving North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the South on Oct. 4 caught most people off guard.

Tong Kim | 2014-10-12 15:46

Diminishing prospect of denuclearization

After watching the implementation of the Park government’s North Korea policy for the last one year and a half, many people express growing concern that the policy has failed to improve inter-Korean relations, and make progress for denuclearization or to lay “a foundation for unification.” Now the question is whether and how the policy should be transformed.

Tong Kim | 2014-09-28 15:50

Should food aid to North Korea continue?

Last week the Guardian, a well-known British daily, published a panel discussion of experts about whether the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) should end its humanitarian food aid for North Korea. The WFP has been the largest consistent food provider since the 1994 North Korean famine, at times feeding up to a third of the population.

Tong Kim | 2014-09-14 17:03

Cracks opening in North Korea

As information is tightly controlled in North Korea, we are often attracted to speculation about what is happening in the secretive state. Many stories that emerge, but not all them, have turned out to be untrue. Last week Seoul’s major Korean language dailies again published a couple of unconfirmed, but curiosity arousing, news stories related to the North Korean regime. One was about a slush fund manager for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who allegedly fled to Russia with $5 million.

Tong Kim | 2014-08-31 16:46

To keep peace in Korea

As many expected, President Park's Liberation Day address on Aug. 15 has only confirmed that the Seoul government is not considering any fundamental readjustment to its North Korean policy, which so far has not been working. It has offered no new policy proposal that would reduce tension and improve North-South relations.

Tong Kim | 2014-08-17 16:28

Praying for a miracle

Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church will bring a message of hope, peace and reconciliation to the divided Korean Peninsula, when he visits the South from Aug. 14-18. It will be a third papal visit to South Korea. The Pope is widely known as an advocate of support for the poor, peace and nature.

Tong Kim | 2014-08-03 16:15

Roh's 'balanced diplomacy'

Last week I was asked to write a review of a new book published in Korean. After reading it, I felt obliged to share with my English readers some of the fascinating highlights of “Peace Hanging on the Blade of a Sword” authored by Dr. Lee Jong-seok, a former unification minister during the Roh Moo-hyun presidency.

Tong Kim | 2014-07-20 16:52

All because of Abe

Chinese President Xi Jinping's talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul last week signaled the start of a repositioning of allies and adversaries to meet the new challenges and opportunities of the shifting security and economic environment in Northeast Asia. While the intensity of Xi's aggressive overture to pull the South over directly against Japan and indirectly against the United States was somewhat extraordinary, it will not weaken or affect the strength or nature of Seoul's alliance with Washington, as long as the nuclear-armed North Korea remains a threat to the South.

Tong Kim | 2014-07-06 16:31

Xi Jinping comes to Seoul

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul next week will provide a critical strategic diplomatic opportunity for President Park to discuss with her friendly Chinese leader, among several other important areas, the impending issues of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the region.

Tong Kim | 2014-06-22 16:35

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Missile attack on Syria