US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is willing to engage North Korea, but emphasized the “right conditions” as a prerequisite, Seoul’s special envoy said. Hong Seok-hyun, a former chairman of JoongAng Media Network who also served as an ambassador to the US, met with Trump on his first day of a visit as President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy. During the 15-minute talk, the sides discussed what would be the first summit between the two leaders, slated for late June in Washington. They are

Foreign Affairs May 18, 2017

With a trade of phone calls and special envoys, President Moon Jae-in is kick-starting top-level diplomacy, bringing an end to a monthslong vacuum that sparked concerns about Seoul’s weakened voice on North Korea and other pressing foreign policy and security issues. Moon’s messengers to the US and Japan, former Chairman of JoongAng Media Network Hong Seok-hyun and senior Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Moon Hee-sang, respectively embarked on their trips early Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in

Foreign Affairs May 17, 2017

President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump are expected to hold their first summit next month in Washington, as they seek to coordinate North Korea policy following their respective leadership transitions, officials said Tuesday. A visiting delegation of White House officials in charge of Korea affairs met with a group of foreign affairs and security advisers for Moon, chaired by former Ambassador to Geneva Chung Eui-yong. The representatives, led by Matt Pottinger, senior directo

Foreign Affairs May 16, 2017

North Korea said Monday it had successfully tested a new type of a mid- and long-range missile capable of carrying a “large, heavy nuclear warhead” a day before, warning it could strike the US mainland. The Hwasong-12 flew 787 kilometers, reaching an altitude of 2,111.5 kilometers as planned, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Witnessing the launch, leader Kim Jong-un called it a “great success,” ordering additional development of “highly sophisticated, various nuclear weapons

North Korea May 15, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Friday tapped Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as chief of his delegation to attend a forum in Beijing amid spats over a US missile shield, government and party officials said Friday. The five-term lawmaker will steer Seoul’s delegation for the Belt and Road Forum, slated to open in Beijing on May 14. The two-day event is designed to discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping’s initiative to build a new Silk Road, dubbed “One Belt, One Road,” which

Foreign Affairs May 12, 2017

President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday agreed to take steps to restore the two countries’ relations strained by a dispute over Seoul’s decision to house a US missile shield.　In their first, 40-minute phone call, Moon raised the issue of China’s economic retaliation over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here, offering to dispatch a delegation to solely discuss the matter. Xi, who requested the call in celebration of Moon’s inaugura

Foreign Affairs May 11, 2017

President Moon Jae-in faces an uphill battle in navigating through a bleaker-than-ever diplomatic security landscape with diminishing strategic space in the face of North Korea’s rapidly evolving threats. Fresh off the grueling snap election, he now has to rapidly switch gears as the new commander in chief to manage the volatile situation on the peninsula while regrouping institutions that have been in tatters in the wake of his predecessor Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. President Moon Jae-in (Yon

Foreign Affairs May 10, 2017

Tens of millions of South Koreans flocked to polling stations to elect their next president Tuesday, hoping for lasting political and economic reform, as well as national unity, following months of disarray. At 6 a.m., voters started to trickle into nearly 14,000 stations across the country, braving fine dust and rain in some regions. In Gangwon Province, victims of this week’s massive forest fire resorted to booths nearby their makeshift shelters.  Voters form a long queue at a polling station

Politics May 9, 2017

After basking in its peak years, the relationship between South Korea and China has been going downhill rapidly in recent months, as Beijing embarks on economic retaliation over Seoul’s decision to host the US’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile shield. Concerns are growing the diplomatic strains may spill over into sociocultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries despite their deepening economic interdependence. Alarming signs have already surfaced from both sides

Foreign Affairs May 7, 2017

The US is ready to ramp up pressure against North Korea through additional penalties, secondary sanctions and a tighter implementation of UN resolutions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday, adding “a lot of work” is left to maximize its strategy. “So it’s a pressure campaign that has a knob on it. I’d say we’re at about dial setting five or six right now, with a strong call of countries all over the world to fully implement the UN Security Council resolutions regarding sanctions, be

North Korea May 4, 2017

Rekindled by his demand for Seoul to pay for the THAAD anti-missile system, US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach centered on unrefined, unilateral remarks and Twitter posts is fanning concerns it may undermine the two countries’ 60-year alliance. On the campaign trail, he repeatedly argued that allies should shoulder a greater share of defense costs and the “job-killing” South Korea-US free trade agreement needs to be negotiated.Just over 100 days into the Trump presidency, signs

Foreign Affairs May 1, 2017

US President Donald Trump on Friday called for South Korea to pay $1 billion for a missile shield’s deployment here, and vowed to renegotiate a bilateral free trade pact, stirring heated reactions in South Korea. Amid intense debate at home and diplomatic friction with China, key components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system including a radar, launchers and interceptors were brought Wednesday to the planned deployment site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Seoul secured use o

Foreign Affairs April 29, 2017

The Donald Trump administration is seeking to step up sanctions and pressure as its key drivers to tackle North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, while engaging the regime through diplomacy, top US officials said Wednesday. Following a two-month review, the administration is said to have recently settled on its North Korea policy, dubbed “maximum pressure and engagement.” Trump hosted a rare closed-door briefing for all 100 senators at the White House, after which Secretary of State Rex Till

North Korea April 27, 2017

The de facto inception of the installment of a US missile shield on Wednesday was met with mixed responses from South Korea’s presidential candidates, prompting even some advocates to take issue with the unanticipated move and the lack of a related environmental impact assessment. The planned stationing of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system has been one of the biggest sources of debate in the election race, with security and foreign policy ascending on the agenda in the face of North

Politics April 26, 2017

Former US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert has joined US aviation giant Boeing as vice president of international affairs, a news report said Monday.The Politico report did not provide any details on the timing or conditions of his new position, but his diplomatic and military experiences were likely taken into account in his appointment.Former US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert (Yonhap)Boeing has longstanding ties with South Korea, not only as one of the biggest suppliers of passen

Foreign Affairs April 25, 2017