Trump, Kim agree to resume nuclear talks at historic DMZ meeting

Trump becomes 1st sitting US president to step into NK, invites Kim to White HouseThe US will resume working-level dialogue with North Korea, US President Donald Trump said Sunday following his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Panmunjom. Following his summit with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, Trump flew to Panmunjom, where he met with Kim and stepped over the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas, becoming the first incumbent US president to e

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Moon emphasizes Korea-US alliance, Trump’s role in NK issues

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday said that normalization of US-North Korea relations and the North’s denuclearization should be carried out simultaneously, and stressed the close cooperation between Seoul and Washington.Speaking at the joint press conference that follow his summit with US President Donald Trump in Seoul, Moon said that the two countries are in sync on North Korean issues, and that the Korea-US alliance will be expanded beyond boundaries of national security.  “To

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Surprise meeting of Moon-Trump-Kim coordinated in secret at midnight

The historic trilateral meeting of leaders of the two Koreas and the United States on Sunday was realized with the US point man on North Korea and North Korean officials working behind the scenes well into the night on Saturday.US Special Representative for North Korea Biegun met Saturday with North Korean officials at Tongilgak, or Unification Pavilion, on the northern side of the Joint Security Area to coordinate the surprise meeting. With Alison Hooker, a US National Security Council official

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Gracias Choir teams up with classical musicians

Gracias Choir has teamed up with classical musicians for its nationwide tour, titled “Svobodno,” which will entail six concerts in five cities.Classical musicians joining the tour include pianist Mikhail Benediktov, former guest soloist of the Mariinsky Theater; violinist Chingiz Osmanov, grand prize winner of the International Jascha Heifetz competition; and oboist Liang Wang, a former member of the New York Philharmonic. The concerts will feature choral and classical music pieces,

PerformanceJune 30, 2019

Trump 5th US president to visit DMZ, first to cross to North

US President Donald Trump made history when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone on Sunday, becoming the first sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader at the DMZ and to cross into the North. Trump was the fifth US president to visit the border area separating the two Koreas, some seven years after Barack Obama’s visit in 2012. Every US president since Ronald Reagan has visited the border area, except for George H.W. Bush, wh

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Mercedes-Benz CSR committee embracing diversity, reaching out further

The Mercedes-Benz corporate social responsibility committee is celebrating its fifth anniversary and is now reaching out to a wider range of communities in need, as part of an effort to increase social acceptance of gender and cultural diversity.Saying the CSR program had reached its “adolescence,” Dimitris Psillakis -- chairman of the Mercedes-Benz CSR committee, which is made up of the carmaker and its dealers -- said the multibillion-won charity platform would expand its education

MobilityJune 30, 2019

[Bio Startup] Avellino Labs aims to set example for Kosdaq listing of US firms

Thinking of undergoing vision-sharpening surgery but scared if things would go awry as you grow older? Taking cue of such concerns among people contemplating lasik surgery, genetic services provider Avellino Labs, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has developed a DNA diagnostic kit which the company claims has protected 1,108 people from blindness as of June 2019 from the 743,969 patients thus far tested.With the addition of coming keratoconus test, Avellino Labs can help millions of

IndustryJune 30, 2019

[Newsmaker] Minister Kang, Ivanka Trump stress women’s role in economy, peacebuilding

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Sunday shared outcomes of the two country’s measures aimed at enhancing women’s participation in economic development and the challenges ahead.Some 60 female civic workers and government officials and businesswomen attended the meeting, titled “The ROK-US Women’s Empowerment Forum,” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seoul.  Ivanka accompanied her father, US President Donald Trump, who wa

Foreign AffairsJune 30, 2019

[David Ignatius] Trump’s showdown with Iran weak

Sometimes in foreign policy, the best course of action for a powerful country is the most limited, at least visibly. That may be the case now in America’s confrontation with a cornered but potentially venomous Iran. The US-Iran showdown is a classic test between a strong nation and a much weaker one. An embattled Tehran has seemingly tried to goad America, shooting down a US spy drone, allegedly mining ships near the Persian Gulf, and allowing proxies to fire missiles at civilian airports

ViewpointsJune 30, 2019

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] America’s economic blockades and international law

US President Donald Trump has based his foreign policy on a series of harsh economic blockades, each designed to frighten, coerce and even starve the target country into submitting to American demands. While the practice is less violent than a military attack, and the blockade is through financial means rather than the navy, the consequences are often dire for civilian populations. As such, economic blockades by the United States should be scrutinized by the United Nations Security Council under

ViewpointsJune 30, 2019

Soccer-playing stars splash across small screen

On the coattails of Son Heung-min’s memorable outing in the UEFA Champions League finals and the Korean national team’s second-place finish in the U-20 World Cup, the country’s soccer scene is now being celebrated on the small screen, with an array of programs related to the kick-happy sport.Leading the way is a documentary series on the Tottenham Hotspur forward himself, a documentary series “Sonsational: The Making of Son Heung-min” on tvN. The six-part docum

TelevisionJune 30, 2019

Trump, Kim hold historic DMZ meeting

The leaders of the two Koreas and the US gathered for the first time Sunday at the border village of Panmunjom, making history in Korean Peninsula issues. In a manner similar to President Moon Jae-in’s summit with Kim in April last year, Trump and Kim met at the Military Demarcation Line, respectively on the South Korean and North Korean side. After a brief greeting across the MDL, Trump and Kim walked several steps into North Korea, after which they came back to the South Korean

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Samsung conducts first human rights impact inspection at Vietnamese plants

Samsung Electronics has conducted its first inspection on human rights at its smartphone manufacturing plants in Vietnam, where health, safety and labor violation issues regarding female workers have been raised. According to the company’s recently released sustainability report 2019, Samsung said it had run on-site inspections, including interviews and document reviews, for Human Rights Impact Assessment from last year to earlier this year, as part of the procedure for due diligence

IndustryJune 30, 2019

[Feature] Korean banks ready to work less but pressured to hire more

Starting Monday, local banks and financial companies come under the 52-hour workweek rule, becoming late starters in South Korea’s initiative to reduce long working hours and improve the quality of life.Due to the one-year grace period, the financial sector is apparently off to a better start than the manufacturing sector which had undergone radical changes in the labor environment last year, simultaneously with the double-digit hike in the nation’s hourly minimum wage.Their core dil

MarketJune 30, 2019

[Photo News] Photo News: Trump meets Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom, inter-Korean border village

     

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Rallies welcoming, protesting Trump held in central Seoul

Civic groups continued to hold rallies opposing and welcoming US President Donald Trump’s visit to Seoul on Sunday as Trump held a summit with President Moon Jae-in and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Demilitarized Zone.　Trump arrived in Seoul on Saturday after attending the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. On Sunday, Trump held bilateral talks with Moon at the presidential office and met with Kim at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Koreas.

Social AffairsJune 30, 2019

Moon, Trump visit DMZ observation post together

US President Donald Trump visited an observation post along the inter-Korean border, overlooking North Korea, and received a briefing from front-line troops Sunday. The trip to the Observation Post Ouellette came just ahead of Trump's planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the truce village of Panmunjom, also known as the Joint Security Area, located not far away from there.Wearing a suit, Trump looked at the northern side across the DMZ with no binoculars, according to TV foota

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

NPMK shines light on short-lived crown prince of Joseon, ‘patron of arts’

An ongoing exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea shines a light on the life and accomplishments of Crown Prince Hyemyeong, a 19th century regent of the Joseon era (1392-1910) considered a patron of the arts who was gifted in poetry and literature. Opened last week, “Hyomyeong: Crown Prince and Patron of Arts” is being held through Sept. 22 at the museum located inside Gyeongbokgung in Seoul. The exhibition is themed around how Hyomyeong (1809-1830) worked to promote the a

CultureJune 30, 2019