President Moon Jae-in on Thursday denounced former President Lee Myung-bak’s accusations of political revenge as an “insult.”“President Moon Jae-in said that he cannot hold back outrage at the fact that former President Lee Myung-bak raised the death of President Roh Moo-hyun in talking of political revenge,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.  Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun conveys President Moon Jae-in`s reaction to former President Lee Myung-bak`s announcement at the president

Politics Jan. 18, 2018

While the government celebrates Wednesday’s inter-Korean agreement on the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games as a step forward in creating a “peace Olympics,” controversies and potential pitfalls remain. Players from both South Korea and North Korea pose for group pictures after their game at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women`s World Championship Division II Group A tournament at Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung, Gangwon Province in April 2017. (Yonhap)On Wednesday, the two Koreas

North Korea Jan. 18, 2018

Former President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday called on the prosecution to question him in various investigations, accusing the Moon Jae-in administration of taking revenge for the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun. “It is clear that the investigations into Cheong Wa Dae officials and government officials who worked with me have been aimed at me from the very beginning,” Lee said, describing the investigations into alleged wrongdoings of past administrations as “political plots, revenge for t

Politics Jan. 17, 2018

Former President Lee Myung-bak is being pushed into an increasingly tight corner as authorities delve deeper into allegations surrounding previous administrations.  Former President Lee Myung-bak. YonhapOn Wednesday, investigators looking into allegations surrounding auto parts maker DAS raided the office of another parts maker, IM, and homes of an undisclosed number of company’s officials. Lee’s eldest brother Lee Sang-eun is the official majority shareholder of DAS, but it has been alleged the

Politics Jan. 17, 2018

The outlook for Moon Jae-in administration’s drive to reform organs of state power appears bleak with conservative opposition hitting back immediately after the plans were announced.  (Yonhap)On Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae revealed reform plans for the National Intelligence Service, National Police Agency and the Public Prosecutors’ Office, aiming to increase transparency and prevent one body wielding too much power. The gist of the plans is to limit the NIS to North Korea and overseas intelligence, r

Politics Jan. 15, 2018

The National Intelligence Service will be stripped of its powers in domestic affairs and the prosecution’s investigative role will be reduced, the Moon Jae-in administration’s reform plans showed Sunday. The measures are part of the Moon administration’s efforts to prevent abuse of power and friction among various government bodies with investigative powers -- the NIS, National Police Agency and Public Prosecutors’ Office. The plans, revealed by Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Ch

Social Affairs Jan. 14, 2018

Hopes for a lasting thaw in inter-Korean relations and decreasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rising, with South Korean and US leaders expressing willingness to talk directly with North Korea. On Thursday, Moon also spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who expressed support for Seoul’s efforts to improve relations with North Korea.“The two leaders agreed to increase strategic communication and cooperation so that the recent inter-Korean talks can go beyond the Olympics and lead to p

North Korea Jan. 11, 2018

Hopes for a lasting thaw in inter-Korean relations and decreasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rising, with South Korean and US leaders expressing willingness to talk directly with North Korea. In a late-night telephone conservation with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said that he is willing to talk with Pyongyang if conditions are met, and reassured of no military actions while the two Koreas are engaged in dialogue. President Moon Jae-in and

North Korea Jan. 11, 2018

The US has no plans to take military action against North Korea, and is willing to engage the regime in talks should conditions be met, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. According to South Korea’s presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, Trump confirmed that the US will not take military action during the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games in a telephone conversation with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in late Wednesday.   President Moon Jae-in speaks to US President Donald Trump on Wedn

North Korea Jan. 10, 2018

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that South Korea will approach the North Korean nuclear issue with both engagement and pressure, and that cooperation with the US has been critical in inter-Korean relations. “The purpose of sanctions and pressure is to bring North Korea to dialogue, (but) it cannot be said that dialogue is the only solution,” Moon said at the New Year’s press conference held Wednesday at the Blue House.While Seoul will engage the North and endeavor to resolve the North Korea

Politics Jan. 10, 2018

High-level inter-Korean talks were held at Panmunjeom on Tuesday.At the talks, the two sides earnestly discussed the matter of the North Korean delegation’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games, and issues surrounding improving inter-Korean relations in accordance with the hopes and expectations of the Korean people, and agreed to the following. 1. South and North agreed to actively collaborate for the success of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games a

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

North Korea on Tuesday confirmed its participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and agreed to hold military talks with South Korea. The agreement came in the first inter-Korean talks to be held in more than two years. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (left) exchanges a joint press statement with the head of North Korean delegation Ri Son-gwon at their meeting at the Panmunjeom in the DMZ in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018. (AP-Yonhap)South Korea’s delegation, led

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

The two Koreas on Tuesday held their first talks in more than two years, with the South hoping to lay the foundation for further dialogue, while the North focused on its participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. 　South Korea’s delegation, led by Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, and the North Korean delegation met at Panmunjeom at 10 a.m. The North Korean delegation was led by Ri Son-gwon, the chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country. CPRC is North K

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

South Korea is making preparations for North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, as the two sides prepare for a rare meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Tuesday’s meeting will be the first high-level dialogue between the two Koreas since December 2015. The agenda is expected to focus on North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang games that will run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday, a working-level taskforce has b

North Korea Jan. 8, 2018

A visit to South Korea by a leading United Arab Emirates figure on Monday has raised more speculations surrounding presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok’s visit to the UAE last month. Khaldoon Khalifa al-Mubarak of Abu Dhabi -- chief of Abu Dhabi’s Organization & Administration Department and a key associate of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan -- arrived in Seoul on Monday.However, with the exception of his meeting with National Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Sye-kyun, little

Foreign Affairs Jan. 8, 2018