ROK and Inter-Korean relations
December 2009
Return to DPRK indexpage
Return to ROK and Inter-Korean relations page
-
Next 60 Years
The Korea Times' History Goes With Nation's Fortune
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War and also the foundation of The Korea Times.
The shared anniversary is symbolic indeed, considering the nation's first English daily was born in the midst of the first and biggest crisis the Republic of Korea has confronted, in order to make the adversity the young nation was undergoing better known to the world.
-
2 Koreas Open Modern Military Hot Lines
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Military hot lines between South and North Korea opened Wednesday after being connected using fiber-optic cables, the Ministry of Unification announced.
The lines will be used when the two sides need to exchange lists of visitors and discuss whether to approve departures to and from North Korea, a ministry official said.
"South and North Korea are expected to exchange information on border-crossings in a prompt and stable way," the official said, requesting anonymity.
-
North Korea New Year Wish: Tear Down Imaginary Wall
By REUTERS
Published: December 30, 2009
Filed at 2:09 a.m. ET
Skip to next paragraph SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's New Year's wish of seeing the destruction of a massive concrete wall dividing the Korean peninsula never seems to come true -- mostly because there is no such barrier.
Mentioning the wall by the North has been an odd New Year tradition begun by state founder Kim Il-sung and kept alive by a fawning propaganda machine that dares not correct a person revered as a deity. Kim died 15 years ago and is considered the state's "eternal president."
The Korean peninsula is divided by a 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with razor wire fences on the North and South side, but with no huge, concrete barrier as claimed by the North.
[Unification]
-
Concrete wall dividing Korea
Dear friends,
Warm Greetings from the Korean Committee for Solidarity with the world People!
The “Security Walls” built by the Zionist entity have already been branded as illegal by a decision of the International Court of Justice and a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
There is something the world should be aware of.
Concrete walls with which Zionist State’s “Security Walls” cannot stand comparison to wall that have already existed on earth for a long time.
They run along the southern edge of the Military Demarcation Line, which cuts across the small Korean peninsula for 240 kilometres long.
[Unification]
-
Korean-Made Green Products Popular Overseas
Energy-saving green products made in Korea are faring well around the globe, according to a recent report by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) on trends associated with green industries worldwide.
A food waste processor made by a Korean firm is hugely popular in the U.K., and companies that manufacture light-emitting diodes have gained sales by targeting regional governments in various countries.
Other products such as energy-saving extension cords and instantaneous water heaters have also seen a jump in sales.
A KOTRA official said that Korean companies must continue to aggressively tackle the green market as environmentally-friendly products are becoming increasingly popular around the world.
[Green]
-
Lee administration worst in inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation
Use of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund for aid to North Korea and inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation projects recorded its lowest level since 2000. While North Korea’s nuclear test had an impact on the first half of the year, the Lee administration’s hardline policies have served as considerably greater factors in producing these results. If the situation continues, even the phrase “inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation projects” will be on the verge of disappearing.
[SK NK policy]
-
Winds of change are blowing in Northeast Asia and S. Korea remains adrift
Park Min-hee, Hankyoreh Correspondent in China
As the red tinges of dawn swept over the sky, a bright red sun rose up suddenly over the distant city of Sinuiju in North Korea. A steady stream of wet fog billowed over the Amnok (Yalu) River. Above it stood the Amnok River Railroad Bridge (Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge), connecting the Chinese city of Dandong with Sinuiju, and the old Amnok River Bridge that had been severed by bombing during the Korean War.
China and North Korea appear ready to join hands once again and actively pursue economic development in the border region. However, where does South Korea fit into this activity, which is set to bring major changes to Northeast Asia?
[China NK] [SK NK policy]
-
U.S., China and Japan heralding the new “Three Kingdoms”
Oh Tae-gyu, Editorial Writer
Twenty years after the disintegration of the Cold War system, the strategic map of the world is once again undergoing major changes. The starting points for this change include the unjustified invasion of Iraq by the U.S., the U.S.’s loss of international trust, the global financial crisis sparked by Wall Street and the weakening of U.S. control over the economy, and the resulting birth of the Barack Obama administration. As the U.S.’s unilateral militarism and economic hegemony recede, we are seeing movement toward multipolarity. These cries are growing in force not only among heavyweights like China, the European Union (EU) and Japan but also among developing countries. Clear indications of this include the talk of a U.S.-China G2 era and a new system of G4 advanced nations, and the attention focusing on the replacement of the G7 with the G-20.
Northeast Asia is no exception to this trend. Indeed, one could call this a major turning point. The image of the three major powers of the U.S., China and Japan grappling for the initiative brings to mind a 21st century version of the “Three Kingdoms” period
[Decline] [Realignment] [US Japan China] [Sidelined]
-
Destroyer Named Best Gun Ship
The Yang Man Chun (DH-973) KDX-I class destroyer was recognized as the top gunnery ship of the year, the Navy said Tuesday.
The 3,200-ton destroyer of the 3rd Navy Command received the highest score in the annual evaluation of ship-to-air/ship-to-ship firing capability among the Navy's destroyers, frigates and patrol ships, it said in a news release.
The ship has a 32-cell strike-length Mk 41 Vertical Launch System for SM-2 Block IIIA area-air defense missiles, a 21-round RAM inner-layer defense missile launcher, a 30mm Goalkeeper close-in weapon system, and a Mk 45 Mod 4 127MM gun.
It is also armed with eight Haeseong anti-ship missiles and two triple 324mm anti-submarine torpedo tubes.
[Military balance]
-
Repositioning the Korea Brand to a Global Audience:
Challenges, Pitfalls, and Current Strategy
by Dr. Keith Dinnie
Temple University, Japan
With the Korean Wave, South Korea is at the forefront of a new era in nation branding, where countries adopt corporate-style brand management of their nation’s image to boost profile and create goodwill overseas. Whereas before, Korea in the popular imagination meant “North Korea” and the “Korean War,” South Korea has changed that and, in Dr. Keith Dinnie’s words, “committed significant resources and engery to position the Korea brand as a vibrant, dynamic democracy, creative and open to the world.”
[Image] [Spin]
-
Korea's Brand Value Stuck in the Middle
Korea ranked 19th among 50 countries in a survey of national brand value released by the Presidential Council on Nation Branding and Samsung Economic Research Institute on Monday. The U.S. topped the list.
Korea was among the top 10 nations in three categories -- science and technology (4th), contemporary culture (8th), and celebrities (10th). But it ranked low in the other four areas evaluated in the survey -- government efficiency (24th), infrastructure (25th), people (33rd), traditional culture and nature (37th).
[Image] [Brand]
-
Seoul to Open Services Sector Wider in 2010
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter
The Lee Myung-bak administration plans to open its currently "underdeveloped" medical, educational and other high-value services sectors wider to foreigners in 2010.
The move comes as Asia's fourth-largest economy faces a substantial fall in economic growth potential in coming years, with domestic demand for the manufacturing industry close to saturation while the nation remains far behind advanced economies in the service sector.
[Services]
-
Where did Asians migrate from?
A new study shows all Asians probably originated from Southeast Asia and migrated northward, indicating Japanese landed in their present location via the Korean peninsula.
In a paper titled "Mapping Human Genetic Diversity in Asia," published online in Science on Dec 10, members of the Human Genome Organization's Pan-Asian SNP Consortium reported on the genetic patterns of 1,923 individuals from 73 Asian populations, including 90 Koreans.
[Migration]
-
Is Korea Ready for the Demographic Revolution?
The World's Most Rapidly Aging Society
with the Most Rapidly Declining Fertility Rate
by Florence Lowe-Lee (fll@keia.org)
The world is about to experience a demographic revolution. Throughout history, the elderly population (people aged 65 and over) never amounted to more than 2-3% in any country. Today, in developed countries, the elderly population accounts for 15% of the total population. The United Nations projected that by 2030 the elderly population will increase to 25% and nearly 30% by 2050. Soon, the elderly population will outnumber children under age 5 for the fi rst time in human history.
[Ageing society]
Return to ROK and Inter-Korean relations page