Police will be authorized to close cases, and freed from prosecution’s command in conducting investigations, according to the government’s plans for restructuring criminal investigations Thursday. The plans were outlined in an agreement reached by the prosecution and the police agency. The agreement was submitted to the National Assembly’s special committee for judicial reform for review. The plans also include a number of measures to prevent either body from abusing its powers and ensure the tr

Politics June 21, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s latest meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is fueling speculations about Pyongyang’s intentions and the future of denuclearization talks. On Tuesday, Kim arrived in Beijing accompanied by a large entourage, and met with Xi for the third time in as many months. According to North Korean media, Kim declared that North Korea will cooperate closely with Chinese leadership in “the historic journey to open a new future on the Korean Peninsula and the region,” at

North Korea June 20, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday arrived in Beijing, where he is expected to discuss with Chinese leaders his future moves in dealing with the US. According to China’s state-run China Central Television, Kim arrived in Beijing on a two-day official visit. He is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While details of the trip remain undisclosed, Kim is widely expected to discuss his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump and other outstanding issues, including sancti

North Korea June 19, 2018

President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a summit in Moscow on Thursday, Seoul’s presidential office announced Monday. President Moon Jae-in speaks during Monday`s meeting with senior aides in Seoul. YonhapAccording to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon will visit Russia for a four-day state visit from Thursday, and meet with Putin shortly after his arrival. This is the first time a South Korean leader is making a state visit to Russia since late President Kim Dae-jung in 1999. Moon

Foreign Affairs June 18, 2018

Cheong Wa Dae’s online petition system is once again making headlines with petitions calling for tougher regulations on refugees rapidly gaining traction. The online public petition system is promoted by the Moon Jae-in administration and top presidential aides respond to petitions that gain more than 200,000 signatures within one month. The latest petition to attract over 200,000 supporters demands the government to revise the law on refugees and the visa waiver program for Jeju, following the

Social Affairs June 18, 2018

The governments of the US and the two Koreas are hailing Tuesday’s US-North Korea agreement as a historic step, but experts are divided on the issue. The agreement signed by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un states that the two countries will work together for denuclearization, and the US will provide security guarantees for the North.  US President Donald Trump walks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on Tuesday.

North Korea June 13, 2018

SINGAPORE -- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out any changes to the US military presence in South Korea for the time being. Speaking at a press conference after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump said US troops in South Korea will remain. “We are not reducing anything,” Trump said when asked about security guarantees promised to Kim that could involve the reduction of US military capabilities in South Korea. The US leader, however, said he hopes to consider taking

North Korea June 12, 2018

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday revealed that the US will halt joint military drills with South Korea following the new agreement he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump also said that North Korea appears truthful in its commitment to denuclearization and that Pyongyang had an understanding of the need to achieve complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear program before the summit. “We will be stopping war games,” Trump said, adding that stopping joint

North Korea June 12, 2018

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that sanctions on North Korea will remain until nuclear weapons are “no longer an issue.”In the press conference held after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, Trump said that he has no plans to ease any sanctions in the immediate future. Trump, however, hinted that lifting of sanctions may not necessarily coincide with the completion of the denuclearization process.  US President Donald Trump waves after a news conference (Reuter

North Korea June 12, 2018

SINGAPORE -- US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday agreed on denuclearization and providing North Korea with a security guarantee. These and other agreements are stipulated in a US-North Korea agreement signed by the two, which Trump described as a “very comprehensive” and impressive document. Speaking at the ceremony to sign the bilateral agreement after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump said that the meeting has borne results that are “b

North Korea June 12, 2018

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he and the North Korean leader had reached a significant agreement, and that a “very comprehensive” and impressive document was signed. Speaking at the ceremony to sign a bilateral agreement after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump said the meeting has borne results that are “better than anyone could have expected.”At the signing, Trump said they were signing a “very important document, a pretty comprehensive document.” Donald T

North Korea June 12, 2018

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been “really fantastic,” adding that they were heading to a signing ceremony. Speaking to reporters after the working lunch, Trump said that their meeting has gone better than expected and that “fantastic progress” has been made. Trump added that he and Kim were going to “a signing” ceremony, heading back toward the building of the Capella hotel in Singapore, where the summit convened earlier in t

North Korea June 12, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday expressed hopes for the success of the US-North Korea summit, saying that he had a sleepless night in anticipation of the meeting. “The North-US summit has started. Perhaps the minds of our people are on Singapore. I too spent a sleepless night,” Moon said at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. President Moon Jae-in thoughtful on the day of US-NK summit. (Yonhap) Moon Jae-in watches live broadcast of Trump-Kim summit from Seoul (Yonhap)The weekly meeting started with the

North Korea June 12, 2018

SINGAPORE -- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed confidence that the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be a “tremendous success.”Speaking in front of cameras ahead of the meeting with Kim, Trump said that the meeting would be a success and that “we will have a tremendous relationship, I have no doubt.”As for Kim, the North Korean leader said that the meeting was arranged in spite of differences, adding that “everything was overcome to make it to this place des

North Korea June 12, 2018

SINGAPORE -- The summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un got underway Tuesday. Ahead of the talks, Trump and Kim shook hands at 9:05 a.m. Trump and Kim approached from opposite sides to shake hands against the backdrop of North Korean and US flags. The two then walked a short distance to enter a conference room together, followed by US and North Korean officials and journalists. Kim arrived at the venue at about 8:54 a.m., carrying a folder in his lef

North Korea June 12, 2018