South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Monday that it would explore all possible ways to help relief efforts in North Korea’s flood-hit eastern regions. “We will leave all the possibilities open, including cooperation through state and civilian channels and international organizations, and then come up with concrete cooperative measures,” ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo told reporters. “Our basic stance is that humanitarian cooperation between the two Koreas

North Korea Aug. 9, 2021

The Korean government on Thursday pledged to inject 2.2 trillion won ($1.92 billion) over the next five years into development and production of COVID-19 vaccines, designating vaccines one of the nation’s three key strategic technology areas along with semiconductors and batteries. The planned investment will be launched later this year with aims to debut the nation’s first locally developed COVID-19 vaccine by the first half of 2022 and to make the country one of the world’s

Politics Aug. 5, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday nominated Song Doo-hwan, a former Constitutional Court justice, as the new chief of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said. Song, 70, a senior attorney at law firm Hankyul, has devoted himself to human rights issues throughout his career. He served in leadership positions at the Korea Bar Association and Minbyun, an association of lawyers fighting for democracy movements and human rights. Back in 2003, he also led a special counsel

Politics Aug. 5, 2021

Japan’s No. 2 diplomat in South Korea has returned home after causing a stir with remarks disparaging President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to improve relations between the bickering neighbors, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, has been criticized both in Seoul and Tokyo after telling a Korean reporter last month that Moon’s reconciliatory efforts were unrequited, likening the overtures to “masturbat

Foreign Affairs Aug. 4, 2021

It was North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who first reached out to reopen the severed hotlines between the two Koreas after a hiatus of almost 14 months, according to Seoul’s spy agency on Tuesday. As for Kim’s health condition, the officials said there is no sign of abnormality, citing his light manner of walking and other gestures. His younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, also seems to maintain her No. 2 status in the regime as a top diplomatic strategist, they added. Officials of the Nat

North Korea Aug. 3, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae is considering setting up a virtual meeting system for inter-Korean talks, signaling that working-level talks could start soon following Tuesday’s restoration of the hotlines between the two Koreas after a 13-month hiatus. “The direct hotlines may not be enough for intensive talks and negotiations,” President Moon Jae-in’s senior secretary for public communication, Park Soo-hyun, said during a radio interview on Wednesday. “Building a virtual meeti

North Korea July 28, 2021

Following Cheong Wa Dae’s surprise announcement on the hotline restoration between South and North Korea earlier in the day, questions poured in on its official KakaoTalk chat room for registered reporters only. Due to the heightened social distancing rules, its Chunchugwan press center is currently shut down, with all official communications being done online. After answering to the first batch of questions in the morning, the presidential office received another batch of questions late

North Korea July 27, 2021

South and North Korea have reopened direct communication lines as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, with President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreeing to restore mutual trust and improve the soured inter-Korean relationship. “The two leaders shared an understanding to recover mutual trust and again push their relationship forward,” said Park Soo-hyun, Moon’s senior secretary for public communication. According to Cheong Wa Dae sources, the leaders started exchanging p

North Korea July 27, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Monday touted last week’s bipartisan approval of a 34.9 trillion won ($30.2 billion) extra budget, pledging prompt execution of a new round of COVID-19 relief funds for people in urgent need. Parliament on Saturday endorsed the extra budget larger than the government’s proposed budget of 33 trillion won as the country plans to provide stimulus checks totaling 11 trillion won to people in the bottom 87.7 percent income bracket. About 20.3 million household

Politics July 26, 2021

President Moon Jae-in has canceled his summer holiday for a third consecutive year as COVID-19 cases surged again recently, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources on Sunday. “The president had planned to take his holiday in early August but the plans were canceled,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. Even though Moon might take time off “later,” she said, that seems unlikely for now with COVID-19 showing no immediate signs of abating here. This is the

Politics July 25, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae is upping pressure on Japan over summit talks as it has started discussions about President Moon Jae-in’s possible attendance at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics later this month. Until last week, the presidential office had remained mum about the president’s Tokyo visit amid a flurry of news reports from Japan. But this week there has been a shift in tone as Moon’s key aides are starting to speak out that the ball is in Japan’s court. “We

Foreign Affairs July 8, 2021

President Moon Jae-in and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday pledged to further bolster cooperation on semiconductor production, a crucial partnership in the global supply chain for the most cutting-edge chips. Their virtual summit came as the two nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties this year. It is the third summit between the two leaders, following their two in-person talks held on the occasions of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and a G-20 summit, both in 2018

Foreign Affairs July 7, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday pledged to play a bigger role in the international community, touting the nation’s recent status upgrade as an “advanced nation” as recognized by an UN agency last week. “I’m very proud that the status change is the first of its kind since the establishment of the UN Conference on Trade and Development in 1964,” the president said at the start of a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. “We will continue to move for

Politics July 6, 2021

It may take more time for South Korean people to travel to Italy without a 10-day quarantine requirement as the nation has been excluded from an initial list of countries that are subject to the Italian government’s new quarantine-free travel scheme, called certificazione verde, or green pass. Starting this month, quarantine-free travel is allowed in Italy for people from the US, Canada, Israel and Japan as well as those from EU countries if they present a digital health certificate that

Foreign Affairs July 5, 2021

Issues surrounding real estate continue to plague President Moon Jae-in, with yet another property speculation scandal adding a new name to the growing string of top aides who have resigned from their positions. On Sunday, Kim Gi-pyo, Moon’s anti-corruption secretary, offered his resignation, just two days after allegations were raised over his recent property declaration involving loans worth billions of won. According to the declaration, he owns assets worth 9.12 billion won ($8.05 mi

Politics July 1, 2021