ROK and Inter-Korean relations
September 2009
Return to DPRK indexpage
Return to ROK and Inter-Korean relations page
-
Reunion of Separated Families of North and South Begins
Pyongyang, September 28 (KCNA) -- The reunion of separated families and relatives of the north and the south began at Mt. Kumgang Resort on the occasion of the Harvest Moon Day.
Those from the north side had a group reunion with their kin from the south side on Sept. 26.
When the reunion started, those from the north and the south exchanged greetings and news of their families.
The Central Committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society gave a reception for the separated families and relatives from the north and the south on the same day.
Those from the north side had a family reunion with their kin from the south on Sept. 27 and exchanged their pent-up inmost thoughts.
-
Weak Political System Restrains National Power
Hansun Foundation for Freedom & Happiness has issued the 2009 Hansun Total National Power (TNP) Index. This is the third in a series of articles which analyze all aspects involving national power, and present tasks and strategies the nation should tackle to sharpen its competitiveness. ED.
By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
State-of-the-art factories, high-tech weapons, advanced information/communications infrastructure are the key components that a country must have for a stronger international competitiveness.
However, for these "hard power" ingredients to become true engines to propel the country's growth and prosperity, they must be backed by more sophisticated and highly efficient "soft power" that runs the hardware.
Unfortunately, South Korea is relatively weak in soft power ? the combination of governance, political power, diplomacy, culture and the administrative capability coping with internal and external changes.
It's the ability enabling a nation to accomplish its goals. It's not tangible.
[Softpower] [China rising]
-
Koreans Have Tearful Reunions With Split Families
Hundreds of Koreans Saturday had tearful reunions with relatives they had not seen for almost 60 years, as a South-North humanitarian program resumed after a two-year hiatus.
Sobbing relatives hugged each other tight, mostly speechless with emotion as the reunions at the North's Mt. Geumgang resort near the inter-Korean border were shown on a South Korean TV, according to AFP.
-
Lee Myung bak administration's North Korea policy: in need of a complete overhaul
Posted Date : 2009-09-24 (IFES Forum No.09-24-1)
by Moo-Jin Yang (Professor, University of North Korean Studies)
The Lee Myung Bak government has suggested a North Korea policy of ''mutual benefits and co-prosperity'' (based on the concept of denuclearization, opening, and raising the per-capita national income of North Korea to 3,000 USD) rather than the reconciliation and cooperation policy of the “People''s Government” (during the Kim Dae Jung presidency) or the peace and prosperity policy of the “Participatory Government” (during the Roh Moo Hyun administration). It is obvious that the current policy conforms to the previous administrations'' basic goals of peninsular peace, developing inter-Korean relations, and pursuing peaceful unification. The Lee government has explained that it "will inherit the successes of the North Korea policies of the People''s Government and Participatory Government, revising inadequate portions, to pursue a more concrete and realistic inter-Korean relationship of mutual benefits and joint prosperity." However, the chill in inter-Korean relations over the last 18 months has yet to subside.
[SK NK policy]
-
Korea to host G-20 summit in 2010
World leaders agree to make forum responsible for economic policy
September 26, 2009
Following an agreement between leaders of the world’s major economies to institutionalize the conference as a permanent council on global economic cooperation, South Korea will host the Group of 20 summit in November next year, President Lee Myung-bak announced yesterday.
-
JCS Chief Nominee Vows Surgical Strikes on NK
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea will conduct swift precision-guided attacks on nuclear facilities in North Korea in the event of war on the Korean Peninsula, a top military commander here said Thursday.
"North Korea's nuclear weaponry would pose the greatest threat to South Korea in time of war," Gen. Lee Sang-eui, nominee for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said during a National Assembly confirmation hearing.
"We'll mobilize all means available to precisely and swiftly strike major targets concerned," he said, adding that the military has a list of North Korean key targets.
[Military balance]
-
Graduates Struggle to Land Full-Time Jobs, Many Choose Military
Half of university graduates are having a hard time finding permanent jobs, and a rising number are choosing to join the military -- now four out of every 100 male graduates of four-year universities. The recession coupled with a growing preference among companies for contract workers rather than permanent employment is hitting new diploma holders hard.
-
Samsung, Hyundai Ranked Among World's Top 100 Brands
Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor have been included in Interbrand's annual ranking of the 100 most valuable global brands.
Samsung Electronics climbed two spots to 19th place while Hyundai Motor came in 69th, up three notches from 2008. The two recorded brand values worth US$17.5 billion and $4.6 billion respectively.
Interbrand said the two companies are maintaining their competitive edge despite the economic slowdown by introducing LED TVs and premium sedans through aggressive investment.
Coca-Cola topped the list, followed by IBM and Microsoft, the same top three as last year with all of them headquartered in the U.S.
[Brand] [IM]
-
The government’s dangerous illusions in this nuclear negotiation phase
Kim Ji-seok, Chief Editorial Writer
Discussions will soon begin between North Korea and the U.S. towards a resolution of the nuclear issue, but South Korean government is not at all prepared. It feels like we are seeing a replay of the Kim Young-sam administration over a decade ago. Back then, the government was shut out of the discussions for having merely criticized North Korea, and it ended paying the bill for the huge light water reactor.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il declared Friday that the country would participate in “bilateral and multilateral dialogue.” It is not clear what form these dialogues will actually take, but it seems the six-party talks framework may be maintained. What is clear is that the U.S. appears determined. In addition, South Korea and Japan, allies and sources of money have to be factored in. Recently, Frank Jannuzi, East Asia specialist for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that U.S. citizens will not want to shoulder all the costs that could arise if discussions with North Korea are successful, and that the burden should therefore be split among various parties.
[US NK negotiations] [SK NK policy] [Sidelined]
-
President goes to the U.S. for key UN, G-20 sessions
Korea plans to play a larger role in shaping world events in new era
September 21, 2009
By Ser Myo-ja
President Lee Myung-bak left for the United States yesterday to begin his six-day trip which includes his debut at the United Nations and opportunities to meet with global leaders to discuss economic and climate issues and the North Korea nuclear crisis.
-
Foreign Minister claims N. Korea will use nuclear weapons to threaten S. Korea
Remarks from S.Korea's top diplomat have raised concerns that S.Korea's position on the N.Korea nuclear issue has weakened while the divide over the issue widens with the U.S. and China
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said Friday that he believes North Korea’s goal is to unify the Korean Peninsula under communism, and that Pyongyang developed nuclear weapons as a means to attain that goal. He said the belief that North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons is a problem only for the United States and that they will never use them on South Korea is a dangerous one.
[SK NK policy] [Hardliners] [Nuclear weapons]
-
'Seoul Capable of Striking NK Nuclear Sites'
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
South Korea's defense-minister nominee said Friday the military has confirmed the location of North Korea's nuclear sites.
Kim Tae-young, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and defense minister-designate, gave the affirmative answer to a question from a ruling party lawmaker at his National Assembly confirmation hearing.
Asked about a possible preemptive strike on the Communist North, the nominee said the South is capable of striking target sites before it uses nuclear weapons.
[Military balance]
-
Private North university opens
September 18, 2009
Political and religious leaders gathered in North Korea Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the nation’s first international, privately funded university, reported the state Korean Central News Agency.
The campus of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology has been under construction for seven years. Plans are still afoot for a technology park. But it remains unclear when classes will start. The university was funded with money from individual South Korean donors, as well as contributions from other countries. South Korea’s Defense Ministry also contributed $1 million as a sign of goodwill. The Northeast Asia Foundation for Education and Culture said $35 million in total was collected. DPA
-
First-Phase Construction of University of Science and Technology Completed
Pyongyang, September 16 (KCNA) -- A ceremony for the completion of the first-phase construction of Pyongyang University of Science and Technology was held Wednesday.
Present there were Jon Kuk Man, vice-minister of Education, officials concerned and members of a delegation led by Chin Kyung Kim, founding-president of the university.
Speeches were made there.
After a certificate on nominating the co-managerial president of the university was conveyed to the founding-president, the participants looked round the building of the university completed as the first-phase construction.
[Training]
-
'N. Korea Resorts to Threats-for-Aid Tactic'
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
North Korea has resorted to the so-called tactic of threats-for-aid to earn cash abroad since the 1990s as the end of the Cold War plunged it into a more difficult situation to manage its survival, a North Korea expert said Wednesday.
``Since then, the North has shown enthusiasm in inter-Korean economic cooperation, exported missiles and related technology to other countries, and developed nuclear programs,'' said professor Cho Dong-ho of Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
At a seminar at the National Assembly, Cho called the North's approach a dangerous tactic aimed at ensuring its survival.
Attendees exchanged views on the roles that South Korea can play in helping the North achieve a better economy.
To help the Stalinist state become a nation that plays by the rules, Cho proposed that South Korea expand economic ties with its northern neighbor, saying it would help the communist state overhaul its flawed economic system and finally become part of the global market economy.
[SK NK policy] [Inversion]
-
Two Koreas Exchange Lists for Coveted Family Reunions
North and South Korea are a step closer to holding another round of reunions for families separated by the 1950s war. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans are desperate to see relatives before they become too elderly to make the trip.
-
TRC clears former HID officer of being a double-agent
Families seek justice for captured HID agents unjustly tried and executed for espionage
“It has been so hard living without a father all this time. How could my poor father and my brothers and sisters ever be compensated for our lives?”
Sim Han-un found it impossible to continue speaking. The 59-year-old is the son of Sim Mun-gyu, a man who had served as an Headquarters Intelligence Detachment (HID) agent in a South Korean counter- intelligence military unit and was framed as a double agent at a court-martial, and executed at an Army prison.
Sim had a favorable view of South Korea, and he joined the South Korean Army in the 6th division reconnaissance corps for the 17th regiment in December 1950, when the tide was turned by the South Korean Army with the Incheon landing (sic)
In Sept. 1955, he left behind his wife and three children and went to North Korea by way of the East Sea coast. “I heard that the Army coaxed him into it, telling him he would work as an officer when he came back,” Sim Han-un recalled.
Unfortunately, Sim Mun-gyu was caught by the North Korean army while carrying out his duties, and after going through one year and seven months of training as a spy against South Korea, he was assigned to “assassinate key figures” and sent back south. Sim, who had family in Seoul, turned himself in to HID as soon as he arrived back in South Korea, but military prosecutors at the time charged him with “surrendering under false pretenses.” In May of 1961, he was executed at Taegu Prison. “It seems that for senior military figures at the time, HID agents dispatched to North Korea who came back alive like Sim were nuisances who could not just be released back into society,” said an official with the TRC.
[Korean War events] [Espionage]
-
Lee administration’s use of NIS and lawsuit against Park Won-soon oversteps bounds
The government filed a defamation suit for 200 million Won in damages against Hope Institute Executive Director Park Won-soon, who alleged in June that the government was using the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to squeeze civic groups. It appears the Lee administration is targeting this civil society leader in order to make an example of him. This type of behavior puts President Lee Myung-bak’s talk of pragmatic centrism and reconciliation to shame.
This suit carries heavy implications as it could lead to the complete barring of criticism against the government.
-
Improving South Korea’s image abroad
Park No-ja, Professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Norway
Among the majority of ordinary people unconnected with any particular country, a country’s image is determined by its policies as reflected through the news. Although a language academy teaching Norwegian does not exist in Seoul, the image of Norway tends to be pretty positive in South Korea. Why is this? It is a result of how favorably people the world over view Norway’s welfare policies that have been implemented and maintained since the 1930s and produced such good results.
Why is it that there are always a majority of people, even in Islamic countries like Indonesia and Egypt, who hold favorable views toward China in spite of countless issues, such as the abuse of Muslim residents in Xinjiang? There are likely several reasons for this, but mainly there seems to be a positive reaction to China’s peace-oriented foreign policy of eschewing war since 1979, in contrast with that of the U.S. that launches wars as readily as one eats lunch.
Favorable attention toward South Korea did rise up temporarily in Norway at the start of the Sunshine Policy, around the time late President Kim Dae-jung was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
[Image] [SK NK policy] [Softpower]
-
President doubts North’s moves to improve relations
Lee reiterates invitation to Emperor of Japan to visit nation next year
September 16, 2009
Lee Myung-bak
President Lee Myung-bak yesterday expressed skepticism about the true intentions behind North Korea’s latest peacemaking gestures, urging the international community to coordinate policies and increase pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear arms program.
[Overtures] [SK NK policy]
-
The capitalist who loves North Korea
After making it as an entrepreneur in America, James Kim is fulfilling his dream of opening an university in North Korea that will offer, of all things, an MBA.
By Bill Powell, senior writer
September 15, 2009: 9:17 AM ET
(Fortune Magazine) -- James Kim, an American businessman turned educator, once sat in the very last place that anyone in the world would wish to be: a cold, dank prison cell in Pyongyang, the godforsaken capital of North Korea.
Kim, who had emigrated from South Korea to the United States in the 1970s, had been a frequent visitor to Pyongyang over the years in pursuit of what, to many, seemed at best a quixotic cause. He wanted to start an international university in Pyongyang, with courses in English, an international faculty, computers, and Internet connections for all the students.
[Training] [Media] [Cliché]
-
Pyongyang University of Science and Technology
-
Seoul approves N.K. trip to mark completion of tech university
Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea permitted a delegation from a private foundation to visit North Korea this week to celebrate the completion of a science and technology university jointly built with the North, Seoul's Unification Ministry said Monday.
The ceremony for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is scheduled for Wednesday, according to ministry spokesperson Chun Hae-sung. He said the 20-member delegation will make a three-day trip to the North beginning Tuesday.
[Training]
-
Restoring boldness and flexibility to U.S.-ROK coordination on North Korea
Song Min-Soon
September 2009 - Vol. 1, No. 8
The North Korean issue including its nuclear problem has been the most difficult of many challenges to bilateral policy coordination within the ROK-U.S. alliance. This is clear from the fact that since the first nuclear crisis in the 1990s, successive administrations in Seoul and Washington have alternated between periods of policy convergence and divergence. Pyongyang has since conducted two nuclear tests despite a series of bilateral and multilateral denuclearization efforts.
The boldness, creativity, and flexibility inherent in these principles, however, were no longer heeded when Lee Myung-bak came into office and hardliners prevailed in the final year of the Bush administration. A case in point is our insistence on adopting the verification protocol during disablement as a precondition for supplying remaining shipments of heavy fuel oil committed to North Korea in the February 13, 2007, implementing agreement. This move was an apparent shift from the intentional ambiguity that had characterized the earlier understanding to adopt the verification protocol at a point after disablement but before dismantlement.
[SK NK policy] [Renege]
-
President Lee remains steadfast on North Korea policy
Cheong Wa Dae maintains support for international sanctions while suggesting North Korea's recent moves may signal possible turning point
» Kim Yong-Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People‘s Assembly, meets Satoshi Ishikawa, the president of Kyodo News Agency, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, Sept. 10.
Regarding North Korea's recent act of appeasement, President Lee Myung-bak said, "We will be maintaining our current North Korean policy" on Sept. 11.
[Overtures] [SK NK policy]
-
Korea buys $6.4 bln in arms from abroad
Korea bought $6.4 billion worth of weapons from abroad between 2000-2008, a recent Congressional Research Service report shows.
The country spent $3.1 billion between 2001 and 2004 and $3.3 billion thereafter, according to the report. Last year's figure was$1.4 billion.
Korea signed contracts for the purchase of $228 million worth of weapons from the U.S. last year, including two Aegis destroyers, the report said. Korea also signed contracts for the export of $400 million worth of weapons to foreign countries.
[Arms sales] [Military balance] [Tribute]
-
Kim Jong-il Asserts Control
Why did North Korea's no. 2 Kim Yong-nam publicly announce that finding a successor to leader Kim Jong-il was "not being discussed at this point?" Given Kim Jong-il's absolute rule, the comments must be viewed as coming straight from the "dear leader" himself, in other words, there is a strong chance that Kim Jong-il personally took steps to quell rumors about the succession.
[Succession]
-
Lee advisor urges both Koreas to recognize former inter-Korean agreements
Lee Hong-gu calls on North Korea and South Korea to commit to denuclearization and unification by respecting all existing inter-Korean agreements
“I suggest that South Korea and North Korea confirm the principles underscored in former agreements, including the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement, the Agreement for a Nuclear-Free Korean Peninsula, the June 15 Joint Agreement, and the October 4 Summit Declaration without exception.”
[SK NK policy]
-
Korea Stronger in Hard Power Than Soft Power
Hansun Foundation for Freedom & Happiness has issued the 2009 Hansun Total National Power (TNP) Index. This is the first in a series of articles to dissect all aspects involving national power, and present tasks and strategies the nation should tackle to sharpen its competitiveness. ? ED.
By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
What is national power? It could be defined as a country's capability to accomplish what it seeks to achieve. More specifically, it is the nation's ability to practice its policies and strategies to achieve its long-term goals and visions by inducing cooperation and support from other countries through whatever steps, whether by enforcement or persuasion.
[Softpower] [Image]
-
South Korea’s Latest Export: Its Alphabet
By CHOE SANG-HUN
Published: September 11, 2009
SEOUL — South Korea has long felt under-recognized for its many achievements; it built an economic powerhouse from the ruins of a vicious war in just decades and, after years of authoritarian rule, has created one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies.
Now, one South Korean woman, Lee Ki-nam, is determined to wring more recognition from the world with an unusual export: the Korean alphabet. Ms. Lee is using a fortune she made in real estate to try to bring the alphabet to places where native peoples lack an indigenous written system to record their language.
Her project had its first success — and generated headlines — in July, when children from an Indonesian tribe began learning the Korean alphabet, called Hangul.
-
Seoul Must Prepare for Regime Collapse in N.Korea
The U.S. Defense Department is said to be seriously considering the inclusion of a regime collapse scenario for North Korea in the Quadrennial Defense Report to be delivered to Congress early next year. The QDR preparation team, led by Defense Under Secretary Michèle Flournoy, is studying how the U.S. should deal with 11 different scenarios, including loss of control by the Pakistani government over its nuclear weapons arsenal and a military confrontation between Taiwan and China. The fact that the possibility of regime collapse in North Korea is being studied under the QDR, a blueprint for defense policy, signals that the prospect of sudden changes in the North has become part of the U.S. government's official agenda.
[Collapse] [Takeover]
-
Unification minister questioned regarding Imjin flood incident
GNP conservatives suggest Imjin flood was caused by a North Korean ‘water attack,’ while others blame lack of inter-Korean cooperation and ineffectiveness of South Korea’s national emergency response system
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said Wednesday that he believes that North Korea intentionally released water from Hwanggang Dam, which lead to the deaths and disappearances of South Korean campers.
-
Giant hypermarket threatens little guy
Small traders are on the verge of bankruptcy and have asked the courts for an injunction to block the hypermarkets from opening up stores in traditional markets.
[IM]
-
Samsung launches new green project
September 10, 2009
Samsung Electronics will launch its “green memory project” with mass production of the world’s first 2-gigabit, 40-nanometer DDR3 (double data rate 3) dynamic random access memory chips, which began production in July.
On Tuesday the company launched a homepage (http://www.samsung.com/DDR3) to explain the pro-environment elements of the new chip and vowed to give technical support to partner firms in the U.S., EU and Japan that are involved in energy-saving programs.
According to Samsung yesterday, the chip saves around 73 percent of the energy used by 60-nano 1-gigabit chips, on top of being faster and able to store more data.
[Green] [IM]
-
Samsung Green DDR3
[Green] [IM]
-
Pyongyang May Weaponize Water
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea learned a bitter lesson from its northern neighbor's release of 40 million tons of water from a dam without prior notice last weekend. Water can be used as a weapon.
-
Cyber Defense Command May Debut This Year
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea could establish a cyber defense command that will defend military networks against computer attacks by the year's end, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.
[Cyberwar]
-
Was N.Korea's Dam Release a Shot Across the Bow?
North Korean defectors say the Stalinist country's National Defense Commission could be behind the decision to release a huge amount of water from a dam on the Hwang River early Sunday morning. Six South Koreans died in flash floods caused by the unannounced release on the southern side of the border.
-
Trusting North Korea Could Prove Disastrous
North Korea's Hwang River Dam, which discharged 40 million tons of water on Sunday morning, holds between 300 million to 400 million tons of water, and the North has built two dams each above and below it. Each dam is believed to hold 35 million tons of water. The five dams hold between 420 million and 520 million tons of water and allow the North to control the flow of water down the Imjin River that cuts through the demilitarized zone.
Blindly entrusting our national security on the good will of another country, with no preparation whatsoever to deal with unexpected incidents, amounts to gambling with the lives of citizens. Despite our experience with North Korea's erratic behavior, the only conclusion we can reach is that our government, military and public are sorely lacking in awareness of national security. Only when we are fully prepared to deal with the worst-case scenario will the other side become more cautious. We must take a close look at whether we are partly to blame for this tragedy by having trusted North Korea.
-
Peninsula Peace Forum holds inaugural meeting
Paik Nak-chung and Lim Dong-won chair new forum on mutual prosperity and peaceful reunification to organize against Lee administration’s “anti-Sunshine Policy assault”
» Participants salute the Korean national flag at the inaugural meeting of the Korean Peninsula Peace Forum at the Korea Press Center located in Seoul’s Jung district, Sept 7.
A collection of former high-ranking officials, scholars and civic group figures that support the continuance and development of a policy of engagement with North Korea have officially launched the Korean Peninsula Peace Forum, and held its inaugural meeting on Monday.
[SK NK policy]
-
Outgoing commissioner attempts to secure TRC’s rulings on war crimes
As Ahn’s term comes to a close, concerns mount as Lee administration seeks TRC term extension and possible reversal on decisions by conservative commission
» Bereaved family members of victims who were found in Keumjung Tunnel located in Goyang city, Gyeonggi Province in 1995 hold a memorial service at Seoul National University Hospital’s bone depository, Sept 7. The victims are assumed to be civilians who were massacred by South Korean soldiers during the Korean War.
Ahn Byung-wook, the Commissioner of South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, held an unusual press conference on Sept. 7. He solemnly began with, “Since my term is nearing its end, I want to make my opinion on the TRC’s work clear.” His two-year term will finish in November.
He said, “The TRC will continue to work five months beyond the completion of my term as commissioner, and during that time, the TRC has important work to carry out, including publishing the final report under a new commissioner.” Ahn added, “Although I do not know who will be the new commissioner, my hope is that the TRC’s record of accomplishments will not be shaken.”
[War crimes] {Korean War events]
-
[Editorial] ‘Imjin disaster’ highlights importance of inter Korean cooperation
One cannot help but express regret over the fact that the disappearance and death of six South Koreans in Imjin River flood waters could have been prevented if only there had been advance notification from North Korea. North Korea’s conduct runs counter to the 1971 Declaration of Asuncion on the Use of International Rivers, which calls on members to do other countries no harm when using international rivers and to cooperate with one another in the development and use of water resources. It also runs counter to a 1997 accord on the non-navigational use of international rivers. North Korea must take steps to sufficiently explain what happened and cooperate in order to prevent another disaster like this from occurring in the future.
-
Indonesian Minority Tribe Adopts Hangeul as Official Script
Hwang Cheol-hwan
Staff Reporter
Yonhap News Agency
Domestic academia`s effort to globalize Hangeul has achieved its first major achievement with the decision of an Indonesian minority tribe to adopt the Korean script as its official writing system.
According to the Hunminjeongeum Research Institute and related scholars, the city of Bau-Bau on Buton Island in Sulawesi, Indonesia, has decided to adopt Hangeul as the official writing system for the native language, Cia-Cia.
[Bizarre]
-
Korea's Top Sommelier on Music and Wine
As more Koreans appreciate wine, the number of sommeliers is also increasing. In France, the Union de la Sommellerie Française brings together people with a sommelier's license based on rigorous training, and the competition hosted by the union, le Concours du Meilleur Sommelier de France, is the channel by which the union discovers and cultivates young talent. And for the last eight years, the Korean equivalent of the competition, Concours du Meilleur Sommelier de Corée en Vins de France, has been held under the sponsorship of SOPEXA. [Wine]
-
Seoul workers toil 27 minutes for one Big Mac
The average laborer in Chicago and Tokyo works just 12 minutes for their burger.
September 08, 2009
By Jung Ha-won
How long do you have to work to afford a Big Mac?
That’s the question Swiss bank UBS began to ask after the British magazine Economist introduced its “Big Mac index,” comparing the price of the McDonald’s burger around the world.
The average Seoulite works 27 minutes to afford the burger, while a person living in Tokyo or Chicago needs only put in 12 minutes of effort.
The UBS report gauges the purchasing power of people in 73 global cities by comparing hourly wages and the local price of the famous sandwich.
Hong Kong followed Tokyo and Chicago at 14 minutes, while workers in Berlin and Paris had to work for 19 and 20 minutes, respectively, to buy themselves the greasy treat.
[IM]
-
Dam in North suspected in Imjin camping deaths
September 07, 2009
An emergency rescue team searched for missing campers yesterday at Imjin River in northern Gyeonggi after a sudden rise in water levels. [YONHAP]
South Korean authorities suspect that water released unexpectedly from a dam north of the border might have been the cause of the flash flood that yesterday swept away six South Koreans camping yesterday along a river flowing out of North Korea.
The victims were camping beside the Imjin River, which originates in North Korea and flows across the border into the Han River, when they were caught in surging waters in the early hours of the morning, according to the police in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi.
The Defense Ministry said it hadn’t received any word from Pyongyang before the suspected dam move. The ministry also said there were 10 Army tanks stationed along the Imjin River for exercises early yesterday and they retreated from the scene as the river continued to rise.
Yeoncheon police also said they discovered the body of a boy who might have been washed away from North Korea. The police said the boy appeared to be about four or five years old dressed in a black shirt.
An official at the county office said there’s no official channel in place to communicate with North Korean authorities regarding their dam use.
-
North’s succession campaign halted, Pyongyang watchers say
September 07, 2009
North Korea’s Kim Jong-il has suspended a propaganda campaign to promote his youngest son as future leader after apparently winning the regime’s support for the succession plan, analysts say.
After securing acceptance of Jong-un’s position as eventual heir, Kim may be concerned with not weakening his own authority in the interim, they say.
[Succession] [Spin] [Inversion]
-
Winterless Korea Becoming Reality
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
The advancement of global warming may result in a "subtropical" Korean Peninsula, making the country winterless by the end of the century and more susceptible to super hurricanes.
[Climate change] [IM]
-
N.Korea's Conciliatory Gestures 'Merely Tactical'
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek on Wednesday said North Korea's recent charm offensive toward the U.S. and South Korea represents "tactical changes" but notably omits the most important issue. "I think the conciliatory gestures represent tactical rather than any fundamental changes because despite some differences in its attitude, North Korea has not budged on the six-party talks and the nuclear issue."
[SK NK policy] [Overtures]
-
Korea to Start Ageing a Decade from Now
A decade from now, Korean society will be characterized by a smaller population, ageing, and poverty among the elderly, with a high academic background for many people and an even bigger income gap.
[Ageing society] [IM]
-
Report Predicts Older, Multicultural Korea on Stilts
The Korea of 40 years hence will look very different from now, an aged, multicultural society with a small population.
By 2050, nearly 10 percent of the Korean population will be foreigners, and the proportion of the population aged 65 or older will increase more than threefold to 38.2 percent. The predictions come from a report released by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements on Thursday.
[Ageing society] [IM] [Climate change]
-
Inter-Korean Red Cross Talks Held
Pyongyang, August 28 (KCNA) -- The north-south Red Cross talks took place at Mt. Kumgang resort from August 26 to 28.
Present at the talks from the north side were members of the delegation headed by Choe Song Ik, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society, and from the south side members of the delegation with Kim Yong Chol, secretary general of the south Korean Red Cross, as chief delegate.
At the talks, both sides decided to arrange the reunion of separated families and their relatives in the north and the south between September 26 and October 1, the event which had been agreed to hold on the coming Harvest Moon Day, and reached an agreement on the technical matters concerning it.
The north and the south also agreed to pursue consultations about Red Cross humanitarian issues including the issue of separated families and their relatives in the north and the south from the standpoint of developing the inter-Korean relations.
-
Reconciliation, integration
[EDITORIAL]
Following the state funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung, everyone is talking about "reconciliation" and "integration" and they seem to mean it.
President Lee Myung-bak saw so much potential for tolerance and accommodation in our society from the outpouring of grief that came from all sides during the state funeral, which he willingly endorsed despite there being no precedent. In his radio/internet address the day after the funeral, he said he realized that "reconciliation and integration is the spirit of the times."
-
After the Sunshine Generation
John Feffer
| August 21, 2009
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Asia Chronicle on 8/21/09.
The "sunshine generation" is coming to an end. In South Korea, Kim Dae-Jung's death comes hard on the heels of Roh Moo-Hyun's suicide. In North Korea, meanwhile, Kim Jong-Il has been planning for his own succession. These three men were responsible for two inter-Korean summits and a host of agreements, exchanges, and political breakthroughs. As the "sunshine generation" — named after the "sunshine policy" of Kim Dae Jung — they worked together to show Koreans a glimpse of the light at the end of the long tunnel of the Cold War. The recent progress in North-South relations — a released South Korean detainee, an agreement to reenergize several key projects — suggests that the policies of this generation are still bearing fruit.
-
Kim Dae-jung fought for an elusive dream
By Donald Kirk
WASHINGTON - Kim Dae-jung leaves a legacy of controversy over his "Sunshine" policy towards North Korea that is likely to go on dividing Americans and South Koreans as surely as it did during his presidency.
[Kim Dae-jung]
-
Kim Dae-Jung’s Failed Legacy
August 18th, 2009 at 4:55 pm by Peter Worthington | 2 Comments |Share What is likely to be most remembered about former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, dead at the age of 85, is that he won a Nobel Peace Prize and was snookered by North Korea’s nutbar leader, Kim Jong Il.
Although President Obama praises Kim’s “tireless efforts to promote peace” on the Korean peninsula, his efforts were rewarded by the other Kim to sucker concessions and aid from the South in the name of reconciliation.
Regarding President Obama’s tribute that Kim’s celebrated “Sunshine Policy” towards the North was “inspirational and should never be forgotten,” the reality is that they mostly inspired North Korea and were quickly forgotten.
[Kim Dae-jung] [Bizarre]
-
N.Korean Press Strikes Polite Note on Lee
The North Korean state media for the first time gave President Lee Myung-bak his official title when they reported on a North Korean delegation's visit to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday, the Unification Ministry said Monday. The North Koreans were in Seoul last week for the funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung, who died on Aug. 18.
[SK NK relations] [Overtures]
-
Shifting Ties with N.Korea Will Be a Long Game
Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee Dong-kwan on Monday said the government believes that the old ways in inter-Korean summits or dialogue "are no longer permissible" and called for a change in inter-Korean relations described by the media as "paradigm shift." "Inter-Korean relations must not be viewed as a special relationship and remain trapped in that framework, but must be subject to international principles in order to progress," he said.
-
Seoul Faces Balancing Act in N.Korea Policy
The U.S. official tasked with ensuring compliance with UN sanctions against North Korea met with senior South Korean officials in Seoul on Monday. Philip Goldberg arrived a day after a North Korean delegation met with President Lee Myung-bak in an apparent attempt to improve relations as the sanctions begin to bite.
[SK NK policy] [Sanctions]
-
Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and the reform camp
Political analysts say how reform forces make sense of the two former presidents’ death and whether they can take the center will be seen in October by-elections
The two of them were like a pair of wings. When they joined together, Che Guevar’s famous words, “Be realistic. Ask the impossible” became South Korea’s reality. While Roh Moo-hyun was on the side presenting ideas that seemed like “impossible dreams,” Kim Dae-jung was the realist adept at developing strategies for making things realizable. At times, the idealist was criticized as incompetent, while the realist was criticized for not shying away from illicit alliances. These two men, one with a fiery heart and the other with a cool head, have now left us.
-
North Korean thaw may benefit cash-starved Pyongyang
Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:26pm EDT
By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has reached out to South Korea in recent weeks, with its leader Kim Jong-il sending envoys to the South for the first time since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008.
North Korea had all but severed ties with South Korea in anger at Lee's policy of ending unconditional aid and instead linking handouts to progress Pyongyang makes in ending its nuclear arms program.
Here are some steps that may come as a result of the thaw:
-
Funeral offers new chance for inter-Korean thaw
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek (right) holds talks with North Korean official Kim Yang-gon in Seoul on Saturday. [Joint Press Corps]
During the last months in his life, former President Kim Dae-jung anguished watching his life-long efforts for peace unraveling. Inter-Korean ties remained chilled, the nuclear crises were escalating, and tension reminiscent of the Cold War era loomed large over the Korean Peninsula.
Partisan feuds caused parliamentary democracy to crumble, ideological divides deepened and violent clashes between police and protesters were common.
His death on Tuesday, however, is giving his unfulfilled dreams new life.
The two Koreas held the first meeting in nearly two years after a top-level delegation visited Seoul to pay respects to Kim. They dedicated a wreath of tribute from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
[Kim Dae-jung]
-
Inter-Korean Talks Hint at 'Paradigm Shift' in Ties
A senior South Korean official on Sunday spoke of a "paradigm shift" in inter-Korean relations after President Lee Myung-bak met a senior North Korean delegation who extended their stay after paying their respects to the late former President Kim Dae-jung.
The Lee administration has charted a different course in North Korea policy compared to the previous two administrations under Kim and Roh Moo-hyun and intends to continue that way
[SK NK policy]
-
Seoul Must Not Waver in the Face of N.Korean Overtures
President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday met a delegation of high-ranking North Korean officials who came to South Korea for the funeral of former president Kim Dae-jung. It was the first time since Lee's inauguration that a meeting with a North Korean official took place at Cheong Wa Dae. Lee said, "I hope South and North Korea can cooperate and resolve all our problems" and asked that his administration's "consistent and firm North Korea policy" be conveyed to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee Dong-kwan. The North Koreans had also delivered a message from their leader, but the presidential office did not disclose details citing its "sensitivity."
The delegation delivered a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il which said, "I want to meet President Lee Myung-bak," a government official said.
[SK NK policy] [NK SK policy] [Overtures]
-
Experts Urge Caution Over Friendly Signs from N.Korea
North Korea's sudden charm offensive has met with a cautious welcome from experts but also calls for a careful analysis of the North's intentions and tactics. On Sunday, President Lee Myung-bak in the first high-level inter-Korean meeting of his presidency spoke with a delegation from North Korea who were in the South to attend the funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung. They met separately with Unification Minister Hyun In-taek.
[SK NK policy] [NK SK policy] [Overtures]
-
President Kim’s state funeral
S. Korea expresses gratitude and longing for departing president, and mourners keep his last wishes close to their heart
He has gone far away, this man whose aching legs and swollen feet that made it difficult for him to walk even a few steps. He was accompanied on his way by mittens and chestnut-colored socks knitted by his wife for his hands and feet that had grown colder with every step. Where is he going without his cane, the one that helped him walk whenever democracy, human rights and peace between South Korea and North Korea lost their legs? Aug 23, a day of the year normally associated with the end of the summer heat, was particularly cheerless and carried a sorrowful energy.
[Kim Dae-jung]
-
[Editorial] S. Korea’s responsibility to move inter-Korean relations from confrontation to cooperation
President Lee Myung-bak met with the North Korean mourning delegation at the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) yesterday, and received a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il delivered verbally from one of the envoys and conveyed a message of his own. This was the first indirect contact between the two leaders since the launch of the Lee administration. The high-level meeting the day before between Unification Minister Hyun In-taek and Kim Yang-gon, director of the United Front Department of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), was also a first. It is said that during the two contacts, inter-Korean relations and pending issues were comprehensively discussed, and the overall mood was good. North Korea and South Korea now stand at a different starting point to end the deadlock in inter-Korean relations.
North Korea’s active intention towards talks is worth noticing.
[SK NK policy] [Overtures]
-
Lee sends Kim Jong-il detailed plan
August 25, 2009
President Lee Myung-bak explained details of his North Korea policy to Pyongyang’s envoys during their meeting on Sunday in an attempt to convince the country to give up its nuclear arms program, a Blue House official said yesterday.
[SK NK policy]
-
Halal food and more nestled next to the Itaewon mosque
Glimpse of Business in Seoul 59th in a series: Itaewon Islamic Street
August 25, 2009
Salam Bakery, a small store on the left side of the road leading toward the Seoul Central Masjid in the Yongsan District, was crowded with customers last Thursday afternoon.
Among those waiting were two Muslim men from Sudan in line to purchase bread and a Korean couple with curious eyes who were gazing at the baklava, bite-sized cakes made with nuts and honey.
[Halal]
-
Kim Jong-il’s Message Conveyed to President Lee
A high-level North Korean delegation conveyed a message from their leader Kim Jong-il to the South Korean president during a rare meeting Sunday at the presidential Blue House, the AP reported.
President Lee Myung-bak and the North Korean officials discussed inter-Korean cooperation during the half hour meeting, the agency quoted presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan as saying. He said he could not provide details about the contents of Kim's message.
[SK NK relations][Overtures]
-
North Korea Calls for Better Ties With South
Meeting Suggests 'Paradigm Shift' Between the Two Countries
By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, August 24, 2009
TOKYO, Aug. 23 -- A North Korean delegation met Sunday in Seoul with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and delivered a personal call for improved ties from leader Kim Jong Il, the first high-level meeting between the countries in nearly two years.
[SK NK relations] [Overtures]
-
S. Korea to hold large-scale weapons exhibition next month: air force,
South Korea will host one of Asia's largest arms exhibitions next month, drawing officials from 26 nations and an audience of 300,000, the Air Force said Wednesday.
The Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2009, featuring a joint air show by South Korean and U.S. demonstration squads, will take place from Oct. 20-25 at an airfield south of Seoul, the Air Force said in a release.
The exhibition will display dozens of high-tech military weapons, including F-15s, F-18s, K-2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled guns, KF-16s, KUH helicopters, Global Hawks, C-17 transports, naval training simulators, and P-3C naval reconnaissance aircraft.
Twenty-six nations will participate in the six-day exhibition, with 271 companies marketing their products to weapons procurement officials and top military commanders, the Air Force said.
Defense ministers, army and air force chiefs of staff and defense procurement heads will take part, it said.
"It is likely to be Asia's largest defense exhibition ever, also drawing a general audience of 300,000 civilians," the Air Force said.
The air show will be performed jointly by the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, and their South Korean counterparts, the Black Eagles, at Seongnam Airfield.
Among the participating defense officials will be Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, German Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Klaus Peter Stieglitz and Malaysian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tan Sri Muhammad Ismail Bin HJ Jamaluddin.
[Arms sales] [Military balance]
Return to ROK and Inter-Korean relations page