[Newsmaker] White House official: N. Korea's denuclearization will be 'process'

WASHINGTON -- A senior White House official acknowledged Sunday that it will take time to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program even if the United States would like to see immediate denuclearization.Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, made the remark on Fox News as the two countries prepare for a high-stakes nuclear summit in Singapore June 12."I think at the end of that process, that's the goal, unilateral denuclearization, disarming them and so forth," Kudlow sai

North KoreaJune 4, 2018

[Newsmaker] Judges call for prosecutorial probe over ex-Supreme Court chief

The Supreme Court is embroiled in a swirling controversy after an investigation panel revealed that the judiciary under former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae had used politically sensitive trials to make a deal with the presidential office in return for support for establishing a new appellate court. The ever-widening scandal has sparked unprecedented calls from judges to conduct prosecutorial probes into the judicial bodies. Judges in Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province hel

Social AffairsJune 3, 2018

[Newsmaker] NK newspaper slams S. Korean participation in military exercises

North Korea on Sunday slammed South Korea's participation in joint multinational exercises, saying it ran counter to an inter-Korean declaration reached at a summit earlier in the year.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, took shots at South Korea's plans to take part in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise and the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises.The RIMPAC is scheduled to run from June 27 to Aug. 2 and will involve 20 countries, while the UFG, bringing to

North KoreaJune 3, 2018

[Newsmaker] S. Korean defense chief says N. Korea different from past

SINGAPORE -- South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo voiced optimism Saturday that the upcoming North Korea-US summit will be fruitful, saying Pyongyang, with its young leader, is apparently different now from how it was in the past.He was responding to a skeptical view publicly presented by Japan's defense chief, Itsunori Onodera, as they attended a plenary session at the Shangri-La Dialogue on "De-escalating the North Korea Crisis." It was joined by Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Singh

North KoreaJune 2, 2018

[Newsmaker] BOK, ministry dismiss economic skepticism

Amid ongoing claims that the country’s headline growth indicators fail to fully reflect the economic situation in Korea, officials are countering skeptical media reports, in apparent support of President Moon Jae-in’s economic growth initiative.Despite the economic upturn in the first quarter, as well as strong exports, the Moon administration has recently been criticized for failing to realize its vision of a “people-centered, innovative economy.”In a press briefing Frid

EconomyJune 1, 2018

[Newsmaker] Women's fears over spy cameras fueling outrage at 'biased' police probe

Choi Ra-eun -- not her real name -- a 29-year-old living in Seoul, remembers clearly the day last year at a local supermarket when she saw a man secretly taking photos of another woman from behind.Choi immediately informed the supermarket's security guards, and when the staff inspected the man's smartphone, they found photos of numerous women taken at various locations, from markets to bus stops."I was afraid to go shopping for quite a while after that incident," Choi told Yonhap News Agency. Sh

Social AffairsJune 1, 2018

[Newsmaker] Declaration of end to Korean War possible in Singapore

Experts cautiously raised the possibility Thursday that South Korea, North Korea and the US could declare an end to the Korean War in Singapore following a Pyongyang-Washington summit later this month, amid preparations in full swing for the historic summit.If the summit -- which US President Donald Trump earlier canceled only to say a day later that it could still take place -- is held as planned in Singapore, the possibility of a three-way summit involving the Koreas and the US there would be

Foreign AffairsMay 31, 2018

[Newsmaker] Activist expects N. Korea to conceal half of nuclear weapons

A renowned South Korean activist for North Korean human rights said Thursday that the North's regime will never give up its nuclear weapons under any circumstances.Activist Kim Young-hwan insisted that, while Pyongyang is expected to faithfully implement denuclearization measures as demanded by the United States, it may seek to conceal half of its nuclear weapons."In bilateral talks, North Korea will yield to the US in many areas. It may accommodate 80 to 90 percent of the US demands for closure

North KoreaMay 31, 2018

[Newsmaker] Kim Yong-chol, a man of mixed past in inter-Korean relations

With Kim Yong-chol set to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, expectations are rising that the conclusion of the talks on arranging a US-North Korea summit is in sight. The role Kim is playing in inter-Korean and Pyongyang-Washington talks in recent months is in stark contrast to the role he has played in the past. Kim, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party, has been central to the inter-Korean developments of recent months. Pyongyang was rep

North KoreaMay 30, 2018

[Newsmaker] US 'very engaged' on NK human rights issue

WASHINGTON -- The United States is "very engaged" in efforts to end North Korea's human rights abuses as the two sides prepare for a potential meeting between their leaders next month, a senior US official said Tuesday.Sam Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, told reporters the issue is being discussed at the highest levels ahead of the summit expected for June 12 in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. North Korean leade

North KoreaMay 30, 2018

[Newsmaker] Wife of Korean Air chief quizzed for 2nd time over assaults

Lee Myung-hee, the wife of the Korean Air Lines Co. chief, appeared for police questioning for a second time on Wednesday over multiple assault and abuse allegations.Her appearance at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency comes after she underwent a 15-hour interrogation by police on Monday.Police said the second questioning is to mainly supplement the ongoing investigation, as she has denied most of the charges and witnesses' statements show inconsistencies with hers.Police indicated Tuesday the

Social AffairsMay 30, 2018

[Newsmaker] Dog meat dealer resumes business at Moran Market

A dog meat dealer resumed business at Seongnam’s Moran Market by bringing back its butchery equipment which the city government removed last week, continuing a legal battle to maintain its business.Under an administrative order, city officials on Friday dismantled the last remaining dog slaughter facility in what used to be Korea’s largest dog meat market amid much media attention. City officials dismantle the last remaining dog slaughter facility in what used to be Korea’s largest dog meat mark

Social AffairsMay 29, 2018

[Newsmaker] BTS becomes first K-pop act to top Billboard 200

K-pop act BTS’ dream has become a reality, topping the Billboard 200 chart only a few days after the group named it as one of its goals.On Sunday, the group’s “Love Yourself: Tear” album, its third full-length album, ranked No. 1 on the Billboard main albums chart, making the seven-piece K-pop powerhouse the first K-pop act to do so.  K-pop boy band BTS performs "Fake Love" at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. (AP-Yonhap)“Love Yourself: Tear” album, performed mostly in Korean, is the first non-En

PerformanceMay 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] N. Korea won't give up nuclear weapons: Victor Cha

A former US nuclear negotiator on Sunday cast doubt on the prospects of North Korea's denuclearization, saying the communist regime is unlikely to give up its nukes in a potential summit with the United States.Victor Cha, former Asia director on the White House National Security Council, tamped down expectations that a June 12 meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could lead to a breakthrough in the nuclear conundrum.Victor Cha (Left) (Yonhap)"In terms of

North KoreaMay 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] Seoul’s pedestrian overpass gets mixed reactions one year on

For many cities, widening roads and building more flyovers can be a solution to traffic congestion. However, from the pedestrians’ point of view, it can lead to less walking space and missing links between buildings. When the Seoullo 7017 opened in Seoul last year, Mayor Park Won-soon’s goal was clear: making the city “more walkable” by creating bike paths, pedestrian-only roads and redesigned sidewalks to make them more pedestrian-friendly, all ways to reduce vehicle traffic. The former Seoul S

Social AffairsMay 27, 2018

[Newsmaker] Wide US-North Korea gulf over nuclear deal terms

WASHINGTON -- Even if conciliatory rhetoric revives US-North Korea summit plans, President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un must overcome a gaping disconnect over what a deal on the North’s nuclear weapons would look like. Observers of the soap opera-style Trump-Kim summit drama could be forgiven for thinking that a fragile courtship is underway, where the tenor of each side’s statements will determine whether the two can agree to sit down together. At the heart of the North’s negative rhetoric that

North KoreaMay 27, 2018

[Newsmaker] Mixed reactions in Singapore to Trump-Kim summit cancellation

SINGAPORE -- US President Donald Trump’s cancellation of his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore threw cold water on civil servants and people in the hotel industry here who had been preparing for the historic event. Singapore had already begun press accreditation to register foreign journalists wishing to cover the summit.Hotels which had blocked off or taken back rooms that were allocated to tour agencies in anticipation of a hike in visitors around the summit peri

North KoreaMay 25, 2018

[Newsmaker] Pompeo says dialogue efforts to continue: Seoul ministry

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday his country remains committed to dialogue with North Korea despite President Donald Trump's decision to call off his summit talks with the communist nation's leader next month, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.Pompeo made the remarks in his phone conversation with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to exchange views on related situations and coordinate a strategy.The secretary briefing Kang in detail on the background of Trump's move and also stres

North KoreaMay 25, 2018

[Newsmaker] Opposition scuttles Moon’s Constitution amendment plan

President Moon Jae-in’s constitutional amendment bill was scuttled Thursday, after voting at the National Assembly was declared void as the quorum could not be reached due to the opposition parties’ boycott.Amid public calls to revise the Constitution that was last amended in 1987, the Moon administration announced and submitted its amendment bill to the National Assembly on March 26. Thursday was the legal deadline for lawmakers to decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.Empty seats at

PoliticsMay 24, 2018

[Newsmaker] ‘Google thought Panmunjeom was in North Korea’

Over 300 Korea-related errors found in recent foreign media coverageWhile it is not uncommon for a foreigner to confuse South and North Korea, it appears that a number of foreign media outlets have also been dumbfounded by the complicated nature of the countries occupying the peninsula.The Korea Culture and Information Service announced Wednesday that it did an extensive study on news articles on Korea by foreign-based media published between April 2 and May 10 and found 312 errors in 253 storie

CultureMay 23, 2018