Moon honors UN Korean War veterans, vows to make Korea 'peaceful, prosperous'

President Moon Jae-in pledged efforts Wednesday to make South Korea "peaceful and prosperous," paying respects to war veterans on the occasion of the International Memorial Day for UN Korean War Veterans. "The more we reflect on their spirit of dignity, the more we are humbled by their solemn sacrifice," Moon wrote on his social media accounts. "I pay tribute to those who dedicated themselves to freedom and peace, and pray for the souls of those who sacrificed their own

Nov. 11, 2020

[News Focus] Will new investigative entity have authority to indict?

SEJONG -- A coming independent investigative unit in South Korea is drawing close attention as it is seen as a way to identify corrupt prosecutors and high-profile government officials. Its launch was initiated by left-wing politicians from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as part of their prosecutorial reform efforts. It is tentatively dubbed the Senior Civil Servant Crime Investigation Unit. Though the main opposition People Power Party eventually agreed to the installation of the

Nov. 10, 2020

Parties in process to pick inaugural chief of new anti-corruption probe body

Eleven seasoned legal professionals have been nominated to lead an envisioned organization tasked with investigating corruption among high-ranking government officials, as doubts remain over whether the organization will be launched anytime soon amid a drawn-out partisan strife. The nominations were filed earlier this week by a seven-member panel of government officials and outside experts, entrusted to designate two final candidates for the top post of the Corruption Investigation Office for H

Nov. 10, 2020

Watchdog asks police to refrain from handcuffing suspects from the back

The nation's civil rights watchdog on Tuesday urged police to refrain from handcuffing suspects behind their backs to help reduce the possibility of human rights infringements. The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission said it has sent a recommendation on amending law enforcement guidance related to the use of handcuffs to the National Police Agency (NPA). In the recommendation, the commission asked that police officers always put on wearable cameras before arresting criminal suspects

Nov. 10, 2020

Moon to join ASEAN-related summits this week

President Moon Jae-in plans to participate in a series of ASEAN-related summits this week, via video links, with a focus on Seoul's cooperation with Southeast Asian nations and the greater Asia-Pacific region, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Moon will hold an online group summit with leaders of ASEAN, a regional intergovernmental organization comprised of 10 Southeast Asian nations, on Thursday to discuss Seoul's cooperation with member nations in various fields. During the summit, Moon plans to a

Nov. 10, 2020

PM congratulates Biden, calls for unwavering progress of Korean Peninsula peace process

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun congratulated Joe Biden Tuesday on his US presidential election victory and called for steadfast progress of the Korean Peninsula peace process under the next American administration. "(The Seoul government) should communicate closely with the incoming (US) administration to push ahead with the Korean Peninsula peace process," Chung said during a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul. He also stressed the need to prevent any "vacuum&qu

Nov. 10, 2020

Spy chief in Japan to discuss thorny issues

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service chief Park Jie-won is in Japan to discuss bilateral issues with top officials, local media reported Monday. According to reports, Park arrived in Japan on Monday to discuss outstanding issues, including the matter of Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during Japan’s occupation of the country in the first half of the 20th century. After the Korean Supreme Court sided with the victims, ruling that concerned Japanese firms were

Nov. 9, 2020

Moon hopes for new opportunities with Biden on peninsular issues

President Moon Jae-in on Monday pledged to continue working closely with the US, both the current and incoming administrations, to ensure security and to push the Korean Peninsula peace process forward. Speaking at a weekly meeting with his senior aides, Moon said his administration will work closely with the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden on bilateral and international issues. “In particular, there will be no gaps in strengthening the Korea-US alliance, and makin

Nov. 9, 2020

Presidential library discloses letters exchanged by Kim Dae-jung, Joe Biden

The Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library and Museum in Seoul on Monday disclosed letters sent between late former President Kim and US President-elect Joe Biden during Kim's struggle to achieve South Korea's democracy in the early 1980s. The two letters were disclosed for the first time by the presidential museum at Yonsei University in the wake of Biden's recent election victory. In a letter dated Sept. 30, 1983, Biden, then a US senator for Delaware, thanked Kim for sending information on "

Nov. 9, 2020

Ex-UN chief sends congratulatory letter to Biden

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent a letter to US President-elect Joe Biden congratulating Biden on his election victory and hailing his pledge to return to multilateralism. "I am confident that this would not only restore the United States' international leadership but also, with the close cooperation with the UN system, reinforce multilateralism that has been undermined over the past several years," he said in the letter released by the Ban Ki Moon Foundation on Monda

Nov. 9, 2020

Moon vows close communication with Biden, efforts to prevent any 'vacuum' in alliance, Korea peace process

President Moon Jae-in said Monday his government will have "multi-sided" communication with US President-elect Joe Biden in order to ensure that there is no "vacuum" in the alliance and the Korea peace process. He expressed hope for the creation of a "new opportunity and resolution" in inter-Korean relations as well, making his first official verbal statement on the election of Biden. "In particular, (the South Korean government) will make sure that there won

Nov. 9, 2020

Ruling party calls for early summit between Moon, Biden

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party stressed the need Monday for early talks between President Moon Jae-in and his incoming US counterpart Joe Biden. "It's necessary to hold a South Korea-US summit at an early date following President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration," the party's floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon said during a meeting of the top party council. He added, "It's important for (South Korea) to have close diplomatic communications (with the US) so that the South Kore

Nov. 9, 2020

Half of S. Koreans expect no major change in inter-Korean ties due to Biden presidency, poll shows

Nearly half of South Koreans believe that there will be no major impact on inter-Korean relations when US President-elect Joe Biden takes office early next year, a poll showed Monday. In the Realmeter survey of 500 people nationwide, aged 18 or older, conducted last Friday on prospects for Seoul-Pyongyang relations during Biden's term, 48.8 percent said there would be "little difference." Only 16.4 percent betted on an improvement in relations, while 26.5 percent said relations are l

Nov. 9, 2020

Parties welcome Biden victory, hope for enhanced alliance

South Korean political parties said Sunday that Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election will help further enhance the South Korea-US alliance. Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election on Saturday after a stunning upset victory in Pennsylvania, which gave him 20 electoral college votes to surpass the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. "In the era of Biden as president, I believe that the Korea-US alliance will become more solid," Rep.

Nov. 8, 2020

Moon to seek new teamwork with Biden over N. Korea, 'top-down' diplomacy in doubt

South Korean President Moon Jae-in faces a daunting task of moving practically in lockstep with Joe Biden, who won the US presidential election, in the Korea peace process. Washington is expected to reset its strategy on Pyongyang under Biden's presidency scheduled to start early next year. Moon and Biden agree on the ultimate goal of denuclearizing Korea and bringing lasting peace to the region. Biden said he wants the two Koreas to be reunited. At issue is how. While Moon has favored th

Nov. 8, 2020

Moon sends congratulatory message to Biden, says he has 'great expectations' for alliance's future

President Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory message to US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, expressing expectations for joint efforts to develop Seoul-Washington ties. "Congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Our alliance is strong and the bond between our two countries is rock-solid," Moon wrote on Twitter. "I very much look forward to working with you for our shared values," Moon added. "I have great expectations of advancing a

Nov. 8, 2020

S. Korean professor elected as member of UN commission

A South Korean professor has been elected as a member of the International Civil Service Commission, becoming the first South Korean to join the key United Nations commission, the foreign ministry here said Saturday. Kim Pan-suk, a global public administration professor at Yonsei University, is set to serve at the independent expert body established by the UN General Assembly from 2021-2024. Kim had served as minister of personnel management and a presidential secretary for personnel policy.

Nov. 7, 2020

Moon congratulates CFC on 42nd founding anniversary

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed gratitude to the Combined Forces Command (CFC) between South Korea and the United States for helping Seoul tackle the coronavirus pandemic as he congratulated the command on its 42nd founding anniversary. In a message sent to a ceremony held in Yongsan to mark the anniversary, Moon said that South Korea's anti-COVID-19 measures could become a role model for the world as all members of the command endured inconveniences to prevent the spread of the virus

Nov. 6, 2020

Moon honors heroes, vows efforts for safer nation on Firefighters' Day

President Moon Jae-in on Friday reiterated his promise to upgrade the nation's disaster response system and improve the safety and welfare of firefighters during a ceremony to mark the 58th Firefighters' Day. About 200 people, including government officials, firefighters and bereaved families of those who died in the line of duty, attended the event at the National Fire Service Academy in Gongju, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the first Firefighters' Day since the government upgrad

Nov. 6, 2020

Moon says Seoul to continue to seek denuclearization, permanent peace on Korean Peninsula

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea will never give up efforts for the denuclearization of the peninsula and establishment of permanent peace in the region, as he underlined the need to revitalize the Korea peace process. "Even though the Armistice Agreement was signed, without a peace treaty in place, the Korean War has not ended yet, and neither has the pain and sorrow of the war," Moon said in a prerecorded speech delivered at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity,

Nov. 6, 2020