Ahead of his trip to the US, President Moon Jae-in’s role in resolving North Korean issues is once again in the spotlight as Pyongyang reaches out to Washington for a dialogue. The South Korean president is set to head to the US to attend the UN General Assembly and hold a summit with US President Donald Trump on Sunday.  “The unchanging trust among the leaders of the South, the North and the US and resolve for peace will be the power that drives the Korean Peninsula peace

North Korea Sept. 16, 2019

President Moon Jae-in on Monday appointed six minister-level officials, including controversy-ridden Cho Kuk for the post of justice minister. Choi Ki-young was appointed as the minister of science and ICT, and Lee Jung-ok as the minister of gender equality and family. In addition, Han Sang-hyuk was appointed to head the Korea Communications Commission, Joh Sung-wook as the head of the Fair Trade Commission and Eun Sung-soo as the new Financial Services Commission chief. In appointing the o

Politics Sept. 9, 2019

Top US officials are urging North Korea to return to talks, stressing that failing to achieve denuclearization of the regime could have wider consequences. On Friday, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun called on Pyongyang to resume talks with the US as agreed on by the two countries’ leaders.  The North, meanwhile, has been highlighting its close ties to China, and has issued several warnings to South Korea and the US. “At this moment, to achieve further pr

North Korea Sept. 8, 2019

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday denied news reports that he had suggested an alternative solution to the forced labor issue.A local daily had earlier reported that Lee suggested resolving the issue with funds raised from Korean and Japanese companies, with input from the Korean government. Lee made the suggestion to Takeo Kawamura, a member of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party who serves as a senior official in the Japan–Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, the report said

Foreign Affairs Sept. 5, 2019

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk continue to dominate local headlines for starkly different reasons, with shifting support from liberals and conservatives.  Yoon gained fame as a lead investigator in the allegations that the National Intelligence Service interfered in the 2012 presidential election. He was then pushed away from the center of power at the prosecution, only to return to the public eye in 2016 as one of the lead investigators in the massiv

Politics Sept. 2, 2019

The US Forces Korea will end all services at a major military base in the heart of Seoul within this year to prepare the return of the land to the South Korean government, military officials said Saturday. The US military has been moving its bases from around the country to a refurbished garrison in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, since 2017. While the USFK headquarters and the Eighth Army have moved to the new headquarters, called Camp Humphreys, the US military has been preparin

Defense Aug. 31, 2019

North Korea’s hopes for talks with the US is fading, a senior North Korean official said Saturday, accusing the US of pushing Pyongyang to reconsider its measures. “Our hopes for talks with the US is gradually fading, and (the US is) pushing us into a situation where we cannot but reconsider all measures taken until now,” North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement on Saturday.  Referring to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement

North Korea Aug. 31, 2019

The confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk appears unlikely to be held on schedule, with the ruling and opposition parties failing to agree on witnesses who will be called to the stand. Cho’s confirmation hearing was scheduled to be held Monday and Tuesday. On Friday, the parliamentary Legislation and Judiciary Committee met to discuss the issue, but the meeting ended within minutes. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party is demanding that members of Cho’s fa

Politics Aug. 30, 2019

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered retrials for former President Park Geun-hye, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil. The top court ruled that the ruling in Park’s appeal trial was unlawful as the lower court had not considered the bribery charge separately from other crimes of which she was convicted.Park had been sentenced to a 25-year prison term, with 20 billion won ($16.4 million) in fines for various forms of corruption, includin

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2019

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday renewed his criticism of the Japanese government, calling on Tokyo to face history, returning to his earlier hard-line stance after weeks of calling for dialogue. “Japan must be honest. Japan has yet to even state an honest reason for its economic retaliation. The Japanese government is trying to rationalize its economic retaliation by baselessly shifting its rhetoric as frequently as necessary,” Moon said, referring to Tokyo’s removal of

Politics Aug. 29, 2019

The investigation into Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk is expanding, along with controversy and partisan strife surrounding related developments. On Tuesday, the prosecution raided locations linked to allegations involving Cho and his family, launching the first-ever criminal investigation into a ministerial nominee.  Unlike other investigations into high-profile allegations, the probe got off to a swift start. The prosecution secured search warrants the previous day and conducted simultan

Politics Aug. 28, 2019

Seoul could reconsider its decision on the General Security of Military Information Agreement if Japan reverts “unjust measures,” Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday. This is the second time in as many days that Lee has spoken of the possibility, in an apparent message to Tokyo. “There are about three months until Nov. 23, when GSOMIA expires. I think it is possible that a solution could be found in that time, and Japan’s unjust measures could be reversed and we

Politics Aug. 27, 2019

About half of the Korean public approve of the government’s decision to end the military intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, a survey showed Monday. On Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae announced that the General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA with Japan would not be renewed, citing Japan’s trade-curbing measures. The agreement will remain valid until Nov. 22.  In the survey, conducted by local pollster Realmeter, 54.9 percent of the respondents said they agre

Politics Aug. 26, 2019

South Korea and Japan must make separate efforts to address history and must maintain a relationship of cooperation to resolve the current diplomatic issues, says Korean Culture and Information Service Director Kim Tae-hoon. “Just like domestic politics, international politics need compromise. Fundamentally, trust (between Korea and Japan) must be rebuilt based on (mutually acceptable) historical views,” Kim said, describing the current situation as a case where trust has been damage

Foreign Affairs Aug. 25, 2019

South Korean and US chief negotiators on North Korea met in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss how to push the denuclearization dialogue forward. On Wednesday, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun met with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon.  “(We) discussed ways to achieve practical progress (in North Korean denuclearization talks),” Lee said, describing the current situation as an “important juncture” in restarting US-North Korea working-level

North Korea Aug. 21, 2019