South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung declared Monday that he would not run for office in 2018, fueling speculation that he may have his sights on the ruling party leadership. An, currently serving his second term as South Chungcheong Province governor, is widely considered as a contender for presidential candidate. In the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate preliminaries earlier this year, An came second to eventual President Moon Jae-in.  South Chungcheong Province

Politics Dec. 18, 2017

The Supreme Court will pass its ruling on main opposition Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo’s alleged corruption case on Friday.Hong allegedly took 100 million won ($92,000) from the late Sung Wan-jong, who headed the construction firm Kyungnam Corp., ahead of the defunct Saenuri Party’s leadership election in 2011.  Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo attends a party event at its headquarters in Seoul on Monday. YonhapHong was initially found guilty, but the appeals court overtu

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for stronger ties with China, stressing the need to move on from the recent difficulties in the two nations’ diplomatic relations in the summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders agreed to four principles in handling North Korea’s nuclear issue. The first is that Seoul and Beijing will not allow war on the peninsula, the second is that the two sides will pursue denuclearization of the peninsula. Moon and X

Foreign Affairs Dec. 14, 2017

Two South Korean journalists, part of the traveling press corps accompanying President Moon Jae-in on his state visit to China, were beaten by Chinese security personnel while covering an event attended by Moon in Beijing on Thursday.  (Yonhap)The Foreign Ministry in Seoul confirmed the incident and said it had expressed regret to the Chinese government. According to accounts from another member of the Blue House press corps who witnessed the assault, some 15 Chinese security personnel surrounde

Foreign Affairs Dec. 14, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday kicked off his four-day state visit to China, focusing on economic issues as well as the need to shield Seoul-Beijing relations from “outside elements.”Speaking at a business event involving Korean and Chinese industry and government officials in Beijing, Moon highlighted the two countries’ economic cooperation and called for further developments. “Over the past 25 years, China has undergone brilliant economic growth, and Korea and China have become sturdy part

Foreign Affairs Dec. 13, 2017

President Moon Jae-in will arrive in Beijing Wednesday on a four-day state visit that will include his third summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Despite Seoul’s repeated statements about improving bilateral relations, a full thaw in relations before Seoul’s decision to deploy a US anti-missile system appears some way off.  (Yonhap)On Tuesday, Seoul’s presidential office revealed the results of Thursday’s summit meeting will be announced in separate statements to the press, recantin

Foreign Affairs Dec. 12, 2017

President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will hold a bilateral summit meeting in Beijing on Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. Moon, who will begin the four-day state visit to China on Wednesday, will be meeting with Xi for the third time, and discussions will focus on security issues and ways to improve bilateral ties, Cheong Wa Dae said. Seoul and Beijing, however, will not issue a joint statement in light of differences in the two sides’ positions on issues surrounding t

Foreign Affairs Dec. 11, 2017

The 2018 government budget passed Tuesday, with social security, defense, education and central and local administration spending receiving the biggest bumps. Of next year’s 428.8 trillion won ($392 billion) budget, about one-third, or 144.7 trillion won, has been allocated to areas concerning social security -- welfare, health and labor. The figure is an increase of 11.7 percent from this year, while the overall budget was increased by about 7 percent.  Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon addresses the

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2017

As North Korea’s provocations push the US and its allies to take steps to increase pressure on the rogue state, China appears to be growing increasingly uneasy. On Tuesday, the US and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force launched the annual bilateral command post exercise, on the heels of joint South Korea-US air force exercise Vigilant Ace that kicked off on Monday. US military aircrafts taking part in the Vigilant Ace South Korea-US joint exercise are seen at the Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province

North Korea Dec. 5, 2017

The threat of war is growing daily, with North Korea posing the greatest threat to world security, US national security adviser H.R. McMaster warned, as the North continued its rhetoric against Seoul and Washington. In an interview with Fox News, McMaster said that North Korea is making progress in its long range ballistic missile program and that the international community must cooperate in convincing the North’s leader Kim Jong-un that his actions are headed to a “dead end.” North Korea`s Hwa

North Korea Dec. 4, 2017

Military options and naval blockade of North Korea are not being discussed between Seoul and Washington, a high-level presidential official said Friday denying related news reports.(Yonhap)On Friday, a high-level Cheong Wa Dae official told the local media that President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump did not discuss any such measures during their earlier telephone conversations. Since North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in the early hours of Wednesday, Moon and

Defense Dec. 1, 2017

The US is seeking to tighten the noose around North Korea, while its president resumes his colorful insults against the North Korean leader. Following North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile launch on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump hinted at further sanctions against the regime.“I will only tell you that we will take care of it. It is a situation that we will handle,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday. US Pr

North Korea Nov. 30, 2017

North Korea on Wednesday fired a long-range ballistic missile and declared that it has completed its missile and nuclear armament programs. At about 3:17 a.m. on Wednesday, North Korea fired a long-range missile from a mobile launch platform some 30 kilometers north of Pyongyang. In an announcement later in the day, North Korea’s state news agency claimed that the missile was a Hwaseong-15 model, “tipped with (a) super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the US

North Korea Nov. 29, 2017

Seoul and its allies are on heightened alert with signs linked to missile launch preparations being detected in North Korea, local and foreign government officials said Tuesday. “Signs that match those leading up to a missile launch have been detected in North Korea, and surveillance of North Korea has been stepped up,” an unnamed government official was quoted as saying by the local media. Local news outlets also reported that North Korea operated radar equipment used to track missile trajector

North Korea Nov. 28, 2017

President Moon Jae-in will hold his first summit meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, continuing his plans for strengthening ties with South Asian countries. Sirisena, who began his three-day state visit on Tuesday, is the third foreign leader to come to Seoul on a state visit since Moon took office in May.  President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka (center) arrives in South Korea on Tuesday. YonhapSirisena will be welcomed in an official ceremony at Cheong Wa

Foreign Affairs Nov. 28, 2017