[Newsmaker] Verification key to testing denuclearization promise

With North Korea and the US having wrapped up a historic summit with a vague promise to work toward “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” how far North Korea accepts verification will be the barometer for Pyongyang’s willingness to denuclearize, analysts say.　In the agreement signed by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Tuesday’s summit in Singapore, there was no mention of how irreversibly and verifiably Pyongyang will dismantle its nuclear weapons p

North KoreaJune 13, 2018

[Newsmaker] Trump retreats from US moral leadership stance

WASHINGTON -- Beaming in the moments after his summit with Kim Jong-un, President Donald Trump was asked about North Korea’s history of human rights horrors. “It’s rough,” he allowed. Then he added, “It’s rough in a lot of places, by the way. Not just there.”Trump’s verbal shrug in Singapore represented a striking change from the way US presidents have viewed their job, a shift from the nation’s asserted stance as the globe’s moral leader in favor of an approach based more on trade-offs with adv

North KoreaJune 13, 2018

[Newsmaker] Formal end to Korean War not part of Singapore meeting

Speaking to reporters at a post-summit press conference following the historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said he hopes the Korean War will finally end. (Yonhap)Bringing a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, is widely thought to be a first step to guaranteeing the North Korean regime’s security. 　“While the armistice was agreed to, the war never ended to this day, never ended. But now we can all h

North KoreaJune 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] South Koreans hope Trump-Kim meeting brings lasting peace

With the world watching US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, the eyes and ears of South Koreans were fixed to the live TV footage.Watching a summit thought unimaginable just months ago, South Koreans raised both hope and concerns for future relations with the “brethren” North, which has been separated from the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.At Seoul Station in the morning, busy passers-by stopped to watch the two leader

North KoreaJune 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] Who joined Trump, Kim at summit table?

The first session of the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was joined by only the two leaders’ respective translators, but they were joined by their aides at the expanded bilateral meeting. (Yonhap)Trump was flanked by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton, as previously announced by the White House. Sitting across the table from the US team were North Korean leader Kim, Kim Yong-chol, fir

North KoreaJune 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] Pompeo due in Seoul this week with outcome of US-NK summit

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit South Korea this week to personally explain the outcome of the US-North Korea summit to his South Korean counterparts, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.The top US diplomat is set to arrive here Wednesday, one day after the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore."He is expected to visit Cheong Wa Dae on (June) 14th and explain the outcome of the North Kor

North KoreaJune 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] Trump, Kim Jong-un ready for history-making summit with top aides by side

After months of on-again, off-again speculation, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will finally sit down for a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday aimed at ending a nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula.  　Accompanying Trump and Kim in Singapore for the high-stakes meeting are the leaders’ trusted foreign policy officials who have been leading the closed-door meetings in the flurry of diplomacy that culminated in Tuesday’s summit. 　With the roster of who will be s

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2018

[Newsmaker] Wife of Korean Air chief grilled over alleged illegal hiring of foreign housekeepers

Lee Myung-hee, wife of Korean Air Lines Co. chief, on Monday appeared for questioning once again, this time over allegations that she hired housekeepers from the Philippines without due visas.Lee, 69, arrived at the Seoul office of the Korea Immigration Service at around 10 a.m.She is accused of hiring some two dozen maids from the Southeast Asian country for at least the past decade by sponsoring them with traineeship visas in violation of the law.To work as housekeepers in Korea, a foreigner m

Social AffairsJune 11, 2018

[Newsmaker] Singapore expels KBS reporters

Two reporters from South Korean state-run broadcaster KBS returned to Korea on Saturday night, after being accused of criminal trespassing into the residence of the North Korean ambassador in Singapore. According to the Singapore Police Force, “Two South Korean men, aged 42 and 45, who were representing the Korean Broadcasting System News were arrested in relation to the case,” which occurred at about 3:50 p.m. on Thursday. Apart from the two arrested and expelled, a 31-year-old South Korean man

North KoreaJune 10, 2018

[Newsmaker] 20.14% of voters cast early ballots for local elections

More than 8.64 million South Koreans cast ballots during the two-day early voting for the June 13 local elections, the election watchdog said Saturday.The final turnout stood at 20.14 percent, as 8.64 million out of 42.90 million eligible voters participated in the early voting that ran through Saturday for the upcoming local elections slated for next Wednesday, according to the National Election Commission.Up for grabs are 4,016 local administrative, legislative and educational posts, including

PoliticsJune 9, 2018

[Newsmaker] Ruling party enjoys sweeping lead in parliamentary by-elections

As two-day early voting period for the June 13 local elections kicked off on Friday, citizens in 12 regions are also casting additional votes for their parliamentary representatives.The results of the by-elections could affect the status of political parties at the National Assembly. Local polls forecast the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to keep its position as the biggest negotiating bloc, as they estimate it has a sweeping lead in all 11 regions where they have fielded a candidate -- even i

PoliticsJune 8, 2018

[Newsmaker] UN rights expert urges N. Korea prisoner amnesty

GENEVA  -- A top UN rights expert called Thursday for North Korea to begin freeing prisoners under a “general amnesty” ahead of next week’s historic nuclear summit.Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, called on Pyongyang to “issue a general amnesty to release hundreds of prisoners.”He hailed North Korea’s recent release of three US prisoners, and urged the country to broaden its “amnesty” to anyone being arbitrarily detained there, which he said was ba

North KoreaJune 8, 2018

[Newsmaker] Tobacco firms rebut ministry’s claim that HNB cigarettes produce more tar

Heated debate ensued after the announcement by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of its safety results on recently popular heat-not-burn e-cigarettes on Thursday, which found the products to be equally, if not more, harmful compared to traditional cigarettes. “I have always thought a HNB cigarette is a better option for chain smokers like me. I have invested some 100,000 won ($93) for getting the device in the beginning, and now I’m thinking about reselling the device,” said 37-year-old Kim D

IndustryJune 7, 2018

[Newsmaker] Imagery shows North Korea razes missile test stand: report

WASHINGTON -- Satellite imagery shows North Korea razed some facilities used for testing ballistic missiles last month after declaring it was suspending nuclear explosions and missile launches, a US website reported Wednesday.A stand used for missile ejection tests was demolished near Kusong in the country’s northwest, according to North Korea expert Joseph Bermudez. Ejection tests are to test the initial launch of a missile from a canister and firing up its first-stage engine rather than a full

North KoreaJune 7, 2018

[Newsmaker] Talk of peace stalls Korea's defense reform drive

When the leaders of North Korea and the United States meet in Singapore next week for a historic summit, people around the world will hold their breath in hopes of a peace deal to end a decades-old global security threat.For young men in South Korea, there's another reason, associated with their careers and personal lives, to wish for the success of the meeting between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump: conscription.A chatting app message spread recently that read, "We'd

DefenseJune 7, 2018

[Newsmaker] Judiciary split on prosecutorial probe of own power abuse scandal

The judiciary is divided over whether the prosecution should investigate it after Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su expressed the firm determination to investigate his predecessor‘s alleged abuse of power and consorting with the government on sensitive cases.While those supporting Kim’s drive believe it is important to conduct a thorough prosecutorial investigation of the alleged irregularities committed by those working under former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, opponents s

Social AffairsJune 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] Could opposites attract at Trump-Kim summit?

When US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sit down in Singapore next week it will be among the most improbable diplomatic summits in history, with principals who could not be more different -- but who also share some surprising similarities.Trump was the oldest US president ever to take office when he was sworn in last year, and will turn 72 two days after the meeting.The North Korean leader is still in his mid-thirties and remains among the youngest heads of government

North KoreaJune 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] NK leader wants to test US seriousness at summit: ex-envoy

WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un probably wants to test the United States' commitment to any nuclear deal when he meets with US President Donald Trump next week, a former US envoy said Tuesday.Trump and Kim are set for a historic summit in Singapore next Tuesday, a meeting that will focus on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for security guarantees for the regime."I believe he wants the summit to see the seriousness on the US side," Joseph Yun, former US

North KoreaJune 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] What are remaining variables ahead of NK-US summit?

As North Korea and the US finalize preparations for their historic summit, expectations are rising that the June 12 meeting is on course and the leaders of the two countries will reaffirm their shared goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at the summit. 　But with only days to go before the meeting, analysts say there are remaining issues that could still derail the on-again, off-again summit or lead to US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walking away during t

Foreign AffairsJune 5, 2018

[Newsmaker] Top court to reveal controversial documents related to scandal involving ex-chief

The Supreme Court on Tuesday unveiled 98 documents related to allegations that its former chief justice used trials as leverage to gain presidential approval for organizational changes.An internal probe by the National Court Administration under the top court has found the NCA wrote about 410 documents in March 2015 on how to take advantage of high-profile cases so as to persuade senior presidential aides to support then-Chief Yang Sung-tae's plan to establish a court of appeals. The agency's of

Social AffairsJune 5, 2018