President Moon Jae-in and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a summit meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, and adopted a joint declaration that outlines increased cooperation in a wide range of areas. The declaration, titled “A Vision for People, Prosperity, Peace and our Future,” is the first of its kind to be adopted by the two countries, Cheong Wa Dae said.“In the summit meeting, we shared the view that now is the right time for realizing the special strategic partnership between Korea and

Foreign Affairs July 10, 2018

President Moon Jae-in has ordered an independent probe into the Defense Security Command drawing up plans for martial law during the protests against Park Geun-hye administration, Cheong Wa Dae Tuesday. “The independent investigation team will be made up of non-Army, non-DSC military prosecutors. The team will not be commanded by the defense minister, and will conduct the investigation independently,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said. Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom announces Pre

Defense July 10, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Monday focused on highlighting the potential presented by South Korea-India ties. Moon began the second day of the state visit with a meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and discussed ways to improve ties between the two countries.“I have hopes to raise Korea-India relations to that with the four major powers surrounding Korea to match India‘s global standing,” Moon said.  President Moon Jae-in and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the mu

Foreign Affairs July 9, 2018

The presidential office will strengthen the department for monitoring the activities of high-level government officials. The move appears to be aimed at placing officials under closer scrutiny in light of the ruling bloc’s increased influence following its sweeping victory in the June 13 local elections.  President Moon Jae-in speaks at a meeting with his top aides at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. YonhapAccording to a Cheong Wa Dae official, the presidential office plans to increase the number of off

Social Affairs July 5, 2018

The inter-Korean basketball event held in Pyongyang is fueling hopes for further sports exchanges between the two Koreas. Basketball was chosen as the first inter-Korean sporting event since the April 27 summit due to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s love of the sport.  South Korean and North Korean basketball players during Wednesday`s match. YonhapFollowing the summit, Cheong Wa Dae revealed that Kim suggested beginning inter-Korean sporting events with basketball rather than soccer during th

North Korea July 5, 2018

South and North Korean basketball players played two friendly matches in Pyongyang on Wednesday as part of inter-Korean sports exchanges fulfilled in the spirit of the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration.　The games -- part of four matches scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday -- were played at Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium in the afternoon, contested between “peace” teams and “prosperity” teams made up of players from the two Koreas.Chung Ju-yung is the late founder of the Hyundai Group that ran a

North Korea July 4, 2018

South Korea‘s delegation for the inter-Korean basketball event arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday, reviving the inter-Korean sporting event after a 15-year hiatus. The South Korean delegation is led by Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, marking the first visit by a unification minister to the North in 11 years. Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon and members of the South Korean delegation sit aboard a military aircraft bound for North Korea on Tuesday. YonhapAlong with Cho, three governme

North Korea July 3, 2018

President Moon Jae-in will make state visits to India and Singapore starting Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. According to the presidential office, Moon will start the trip in India and then move on to Singapore.  President Moon Jae-in. Yonhap“President Moon will make a state visit to India from July 8 to 11 on invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and to Singapore from July 11 to 13 on invitation from President Halimah Yacob of Singapore,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-k

Foreign Affairs July 2, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the need to reduce working hours, saying it is a means to improve the quality of life and create jobs. Revised regulations limiting working hours to 52 hours per week -- 40 regular hours with 12 hours of possible overtime -- came into effect Sunday. President Moon Jae-in speaks at the weekly meeting with top aides at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. Yonhap“(The) working-hour reduction began yesterday. It will be an important opportunity in moving on from an overw

Social Affairs July 2, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday appointed three new senior aides and established a special committee for income-led economic growth. This is the first reshuffle of top presidential aides since Moon took office in May last year. “If the past year was focused more on setting the direction, and drawing the outline of (the policies of) the Moon Jae-in administration, the reshuffle reflects the president’s will to achieve results more quickly,” said Im Jong-seok, Moon’s chief of staff. The photos pr

Politics June 26, 2018

The Japanese government is considering plans for dispatching experts to North Korea to take part in denuclearization process, Japanese media reported Sunday. Japan’s Yomiuri Shinbum on Sunday reported that Tokyo is reviewing such plans, citing a number of government officials. According to the report, if realized, the plan will see a number of civilian Japanese experts on dismantling nuclear facilities taking part in scrapping Pyongyang’s nuclear program, as agreed by North Korean leader Kim Jon

North Korea June 24, 2018

US President Donald Trump and his top diplomat on Saturday reiterated their assessment that denuclearization of North Korea is an obtainable goal moving along on solid grounds. US President Donald Trump speaks at a Republican Party event in Las Vegas on Saturday. YonhapSpeaking after a rally in Las Vegas for US Sen. Dean Heller’s campaign, Trump said that his peace initiative with North Korea was already paying off despite criticism that his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

North Korea June 24, 2018

The investigation into allegations that the Supreme Court acted under pressure from the Park Geun-hye administration continues, with the prosecution set to continue its questioning and demanding records from the courts. According to reports, the prosecutors investigating the case plans to summon Cho Seok-je, the chief of the courts’ branch of the civil servants’ labor union, on Monday. The union had filed a criminal complaint against Yang Sung-tae, former head of the Supreme Court, and other hig

Social Affairs June 24, 2018

Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil’s funeral continued to draw mourners Sunday, with political heavyweights from both sides paying their respects. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Saturday paid his respects, and revealed that Kim Jong-pil is to be awarded a government medal in recognition of the part he played in modern Korean history. “(Kim) has long played a leading role in (Korea’s) modern history, and served as a prime minister, as such the government will commemorate his achievements,” Lee sai

Politics June 24, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday set out on a state visit to Russia, where he is expected to discuss economic cooperation and denuclearization with President Vladimir Putin. Moon will kick off his trip by addressing the State Duma for the first time for a South Korean president, and meet with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook wave before departing for Russia on Thursday. YonhapIn a summit with Putin, scheduled for Friday, Moon is expected

Foreign Affairs June 21, 2018