ROK and Inter-Korean relations
December 2018
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A massacre at the cliff of Monjugial
Posted on : Dec.28,2018 12:25 KST Modified on : Dec.28,2018 12:25 KST
Lee Jae-hu recalls the events of the Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre in which his father and sister were killed
Lee Jae-hu recalls the events of the Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre in which his father and older sister were killed. (all photos by Huh Ho-joon, Jeju correspondent)
Lee Hang-sook and his older in-laws from the same village stared quietly at the sheer face of western Monjugial, watching from hiding in a space among the rocks in Haedong, a community in the Bukchon Village of Jeju Township. A few other Bukchon residents were also there. It was around 5 pm on Dec. 11, 1948, when they heard the rat-a-tat of gunfire. Soldiers lined up women taken from Bukchon on the seaside bluff, pointed their weapons and pulled their triggers; the women dropped down the cliff face like falling leaves.
Haedong is one of the communities passed by Route 18 of the Jeju Olle trails as it winds around Seou Peak next to Hamdeok Beach. Located a little over a kilometer from Bukchon Elementary School, its seaside position affords it a clear view of western Monjugial’s cliff face.
The face of the cliff of Monjugial, which is now on Route 18 of the Jeju Olle trails
The 2nd Regiment soldiers withdrew sometime later, and Lee joined his in-laws and fellow villagers in carrying the body of his oldest daughter Seon-hwan, then 21, on a stretcher for a temporary burial west of the elementary school. She had been married for just over a year; her husband had been taken first, his fate still unknown.
As the soldiers began routinely engaging in abusing the villagers, Lee’s daughter had joined other young women in hiding in nearby caves. They were discovered by the soldiers anyway, and after suffering all sorts of brutal treatment, they were sent to their deaths on the cliff.
Later that evening after Lee buried his daughter, his wife Won Hee-hwa prepared dinner for him and the in-laws. Nine-year-old Lee Jae-hu was seated next to his mother. His father spoke.
“We buried our daughter with our own hands today, but who will bury us when we die?” he asked. The people seated at the table wept.
“With things developing as strangely as they were, I think my father predicted the fate that would befall him,” recalled Lee Jae-hu, now 79 and a resident of Bukchon in Jeju’s Jocheon Township.
The ones who massacred Lee Seon-hwan and the other young women were soldiers with the 2nd Regiment. They took the women they had found in the caves to the battalion headquarters at Hamdeok.
[Jeju massacre]
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Living with the permanent wounds of the Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre
Posted on : Dec.26,2018 19:00 KST Modified on : Dec.26,2018 19:00 KST
Kim Soon-hye, a survivor of the Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre, points to the boulders where a mortar shell exploded and sent shrapnel into her body at age 12.
Kim Soon-hye, an 82-year-old resident of the Yeondong neighborhood in Jeju City, is a disabled survivor of the Jeju April 3 incident of 1948–49 who carried two pieces of shrapnel in her body for 48 years. Deep, permanent scars remain on her right thigh and back. The wounds may have healed over the course of 70 years, but the visible scars give a hint of the suffering she experienced “that day.”
[Jeju massacre]
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S.Korea to Strengthen Support for Resettlement of N.Koreans
Arirang News
December 28, 2018 08:36
Lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to strengthen support for defectors from North Korea who settle here.
The bill will extend the time they have to apply for resettlement benefits when they arrive here from one year to three.
Those who did not come straight to South Korea but lived abroad for 10 years or more will now be eligible for housing subsidies like other defectors, and given priority in public housing.
The same will apply to those who missed the three-year window to apply. The one-time cash subsidy paid to single refugees when they arrive will be raised from W6 million to more than W7 million (US$1=W1,121).
[Refugee reception] [US$ 6,244]
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Living with the permanent wounds of the Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre
Posted on : Dec.26,2018 19:00 KST Modified on : Dec.26,2018 19:00 KST
Kim Soon-hye survived a mortar shell explosion and lived with shrapnel in her body for 47 years
Kim Soon-hye, a survivor of the Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre, points to the boulders where a mortar shell exploded and sent shrapnel into her body at age 12.
Kim Soon-hye, an 82-year-old resident of the Yeondong neighborhood in Jeju City, is a disabled survivor of the Jeju April 3 incident of 1948–49 who carried two pieces of shrapnel in her body for 48 years. Deep, permanent scars remain on her right thigh and back. The wounds may have healed over the course of 70 years, but the visible scars give a hint of the suffering she experienced “that day.”
On the afternoon of Dec. 17, I joined Kim on a visit to Seotgurinjil in the Ora #2 neighborhood of Jeju Township, the place where she had been living at the time. Urban development had erased any trace of how things looked on that day, but her recollection was clear. Standing on a sloping roadside, she pointed out different locations with her cane as she recalled the events.
[Jeju Massacre]
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NIS forfeits appeal of ruling on disclosure of documents on civilian massacre in Vietnam War
Posted on : Dec.24,2018 16:12 KST Modified on : Dec.24,2018 16:12 KST
Korean Central Intelligence Agency established list of related documents for long-term storage
The National Intelligence Service (NIS)
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) recently decided to give up appealing a court ruling ordering it to disclose information related to civilian massacres during the Vietnam War. Observers are now calling on the NIS to immediately release the related documents.
According to a Dec. 23 investigation by the Hankyoreh, the NIS did not submit its appeal to Seoul High Court’s 7th administrative division (under judge Kim Woo-jin) by the Dec. 20 deadline. Once an information disclosure revocation has been upheld, the institution in question must conduct a review on whether to disclose the information and is barred from refusing to disclose it on the same grounds as before. With institutions often losing subsequent administrative lawsuits when they attempt to keep the information classified on different grounds, the majority have ultimately opted to disclose it.
[Vietnam] [Massacre]
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Two Koreas hold ceremony for inter-Korean railway and road project
Posted : 2018-12-26 09:45
Updated : 2018-12-26 15:22
The two Koreas will hold a groundbreaking ceremony, Wednesday, in Gaeseong, North Korea, for a project aimed at modernizing and connecting roads and railways across the Demilitarized Zone. Joint Press Corps
South and North Korea were set to hold a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for an inter-Korean project to modernize and reconnect roads and railways across their heavily armed border.
A special train carrying some 100 South Korean participants left for Panmun Station in the North's border town of Kaesong, where the event will be held at around 10 a.m.
Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, parliamentary leaders, and other road and railway officials and experts are among them.
"The groundbreaking ceremony is meaningful in that it demonstrates the Koreas' willingness to actively cooperate on the modernization and connection project of their railways and roads going forward," the ministry said in a press release Monday.
Officials from the United Nations and neighboring countries, including Russia, China and Mongolia, will also attend the event that could be the start of an ambitious plan to connect the inter-Korean railway to the Trans Siberian Railway so as to create a transportation route from Korea all the way to Europe.
Ri Son-gwon, the chairman of North Korea's state agency in charge of inter-Korean ties, and Vice Railway Minister Kim Yun-hyok will lead North Korean participants in the event.
[Detente] [Railways]
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South Korea completes preliminary design of new submarine
Posted : 2018-12-26 10:20
Updated : 2018-12-26 16:08
South Korea has completed the preliminary design of a 3,000-ton indigenous submarine that features capabilities for longer-duration and speedier underwater operations, Seoul's arms procurement agency said Wednesday.
Since July 2016, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. took the lead in designing the Changbogo III-class Batch-II submarine, whose construction is set to begin in the latter half of next year, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.
The next generation submarine is to be equipped with a locally developed lithium battery, which will allow longer underwater operations, and advanced sonar and combat tools that will enhance its target detection capabilities and overall survivability.
"It is expected that by possessing the strategic weapons system designed based on local cutting-edge technologies, the country will be able to further strengthen the Navy's independent defense capabilities," the DAPA said in a press release.
[Submarine] [Military balance]
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Groundbreaking ceremony for inter-Korean railway linkage to be held on Dec. 26 in Kaesong
Posted on : Dec.25,2018 14:57 KST Modified on : Dec.25,2018 14:57 KST
Ceremony to be attended by representatives from the UN, China, Russia and Mongolia
South Korean soldiers install safety equipment in preparation for an inspection of South Korean railways at Dorasan Station in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 18. (photo pool)
Kaesong native Kim Kum-ok and four other divided family members are boarding a train at Seoul Station on Dec. 26 to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony at Kaesong’s Panmun Station for a railway and road linkage and modernization project for the Gyeongui (Seoul-Sinuiju) and Donghae (East Sea) lines.
Government officials attending the event are to include the South Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Minister of Unification and the chairman of North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF). Representatives are also to attend from the UN, China, Russia, and Mongolia.
“The groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 10 am and last for a little over one hour at Panmun Station in Kaesong, including a congratulatory address (groundbreaking address) followed by a railway tie signing ceremony, track linking ceremony, street sign unveiling ceremony, and commemorative picture-taking,” the South Korean Ministry of Unification announced on Dec. 24.
[Detente] [Railways]
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Seoul officials visiting North Korea to check road conditions
Posted : 2018-12-24 10:09
Updated : 2018-12-24 17:12
About 10 South Koreans, mostly from the unification and transport ministries, crossed into the North at around 8:30 a.m. via the western inter-Korean border to conduct the inspection of the 4-kilometer section of road along the North's Gyeongui line. Korea Times file
A team of South Korean officials left for North Korea on Monday to check the overall conditions of a road in western North Korea as part of a project to modernize and reconnect roads over the inter-Korean border, the unification ministry said.
About 10 South Koreans, mostly from the unification and transport ministries, crossed into the North at around 8:30 a.m. via the western inter-Korean border to conduct the inspection of the 4-kilometer section of road along the North's Gyeongui line, according to the ministry.
They will return home at around 5 p.m. on the same day, it added.
The visit is a follow-up to a joint on-site inspection in August of a 160-km section of road from Kaesong, just north of the inter-Korean border, to Pyongyang. This time the inspectors are not bringing survey equipment.
It also came right after the team visited North Korea for three days until Sunday to check a 100-km stretch along the North's eastern line.
[Detente] [Roads]
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Foreign minister 'invisible' in inter-Korean affairs
Posted : 2018-12-23 16:59
Updated : 2018-12-24 10:33
By Lee Min-hyung
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha
The foreign ministry is losing ground in the decision-making process on the ongoing inter-Korean affairs, as it is failing to win support from President Moon Jae-in's inner circle.
This comes at a critical time when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is advised to play a bigger role as a peace facilitator with other countries. But National Security Office (NSO) chief Chung Eui-yong holds the key in driving and assessing all procedures relating to inter-Korean peace, with the foreign ministry being excluded from playing a part in the affairs.
Officials say the ministry will continue to be excluded until Minister Kang Kyung-wha can win support from Cheong Wa Dae and from the ministry's inner circle.
"Officials from the foreign ministry have not been actively participating in meetings at Cheong Wa Dae regarding the denuclearization of North Korea and other North Korea issues. They have not been outspoken. Minister Kang should go through some leadership-related questions," a Cheong Wa Dae source said, Sunday.
"The foreign ministry needs to deliver its voice to the house. But this has not been made possible, as Kang is winning little support from the presidential office."
[Kang Kyung-wha] [SK NK Negotiations]
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Meditations on the word 'unification'
Posted : 2018-12-23 10:26
Updated : 2018-12-23 14:17
In this file photo taken on Dec. 24, 2009, an inter-Korean railways covered with snow at the Dorasan Station, Paju, Gyeonggi Province. As South Koreans dive deeper into the unification project, they need to consider what exactly might be the model for unification that lurks in the subconscious of the leaders in the government and business who are making the plans. Korea Times photo by Park Seo-gang
By Emanuel Pastreich
The debate about North Korea's future has been reduced to a fight between those on the one hand who favor expanding cooperation with North Korea and thereby increasing investment, business activities, transport networks, electric grids and energy ties, and those on the other hand who feel that North Korea has not completely denuclearized, that it cannot be trusted by the international community because it is run by a totalitarian government that does not embrace democracy, free markets and open borders like advanced nations do.
This simplistic argument has filled the media over the last year and it has been effective because of the near total collapse of debate among citizens concerning current affairs outside of what the media presents.
Unlike Korea before, there are no groups of dissent or students gathering in cafes in Insadong to discuss forbidden books like there were in the 1970s or 1980s, or regular debates at NGO meetings, or even debates on policy, the environment or the future of the country going on at home over the dinner table, or among friends at school, or even in cafes. The passive reception of information, entertaining and harmless information, via cell phone has become the norm for a passive population.
[Unification]
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NK media slam SK over participation in UN human rights resolution
Posted : 2018-12-23 10:49
Updated : 2018-12-23 14:44
North Korean men bow at the giant bronze statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il during the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War, which the country celebrates as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war" at Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 27. AP
North Korea's media on Sunday denounced South Korea for participating in the passage of a U.N. resolution condemning the communist state's human rights abuses, despite ongoing trust-building efforts.
The U.N. passed the resolution at a Dec. 17 meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, marking the 14th consecutive year such a document has passed the global body. It criticized the "long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights" by the North.
"The South Korean authorities expressed support for the U.S.' anti-Pyongyang ploy to condemn the human rights situation," Uriminzokkiri, the North's external propaganda website, said, calling Seoul's participation a "doubled-faced attitude."
"In front (of us), (South Korea) talks of trust and harmony, while it follows the foreign forces' ploy behind our back," it added.
[Softwar] [US dominance] [Detente] [Human rights]
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Top security adviser says N. Korean denuclearization process is irreversible
North Korea 17:51 December 21, 2018
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's denuclearization process has already passed the point of no return, Seoul's national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, said Friday, calling it one of most significant diplomatic achievements of South Korea and the United States in the year.
"The way I look at it, the denuclearization process of the Korean Peninsula has begun to enter an irreversible phase," said the head of the National Security Office at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
"North Korea too believes this process cannot be reversed," Chung added while speaking with reporters.
Chung's remarks come amid an apparent tug of war between Washington and Pyongyang over when the U.S. should begin providing benefits to the communist North for its denuclearization measures.
The North has long demanded corresponding measures from the U.S. for steps it has already taken that include the shutdown of its only known nuclear test site in Punggye-ri and missile engine test site in Dongchang-ri.
A Cheong Wa Dae official later explained that Chung was only speaking in the sense that a reversal of the steps taken by the North may be difficult physically, noting such steps still need to be verified by the international community.
[Denuclearisation] [Wishful thinking] [Unilateral disarmament]
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South and North are in agreement about necessity of another joint railway survey
Posted on : Dec.18,2018 17:04 KST Modified on : Dec.18,2018 17:04 KST
Survey team went as far as Korea Russia Friendship Bridge
Park Sang-don (in the gray jacket on the left), head of the Second Dialogue Division at the Inter-Korean Dialogue Office at South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, responds to reporters’ questions at Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) in Goseong, Gangwon Province, after returning from a joint survey of North Korean railways along the East Sea Line. (photo pool)
South and North Korea are “in agreement about the need for another survey that is more detailed and precise” on the North Korean sections of the Gyeongui (Seoul–Sinuiju) and East Sea railroad lines, said Im Jong-il, a co-leader of the South Korean team of an inter-Korean survey of the East Sea line, on Dec. 17. Im is the head of the Railroad Construction Division at South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
[Detente] [Railways]
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Prosecutors request dismissal of indictments against defendants connected with Jeju Uprising
Posted on : Dec.18,2018 17:09 KST Modified on : Dec.18,2018 17:09 KST
Jeju Prosecutors’ Office acknowledges complicated truth behind official narrative
The first retrial of defendants convicted in connection with the Jeju Uprising with their attorney in front of the Jeju District Court on Oct. 29
“It’s too late now, but I sincerely hope this occasion can be used for healing the pain of all of you here today, of all the people who suffered inerasable wounds to their bodies and minds and who have endured lives of frustration and tears. I request a decision to dismiss the indictments against all of the defendants.”
Prosecutors at a Dec. 17 hearing for the retrial of 18 people convicted in connection with the Jeju Uprising of 1948–49 made an unusual request: appearing before Hon. Jegal Chang of Jeju District Court’s second criminal division that day, they asked the court to dismiss their own indictment.[Jeju Massacre]
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A doctor released from clutches of police surveillance after 19 years
Posted on : Dec.18,2018 16:56 KST Modified on : Dec.18,2018 16:56 KST
Kang Yong-ju, a South Korean doctor who had been under police surveillance after serving 14 years in a trumped a spy case under the Chun Doo-hwan regime, has finally been freed from government surveillance. The Ministry of Justice made the order to end police surveillance for Kang on Dec. 17 during a regular session of its security surveillance review board. Kang also indicted by prosecutors for refusing to abide by the Security Surveillance Act in March of last year. The photo shows Kang after his third trial, where he was declared innocent, on Feb. 21. (Kim Myoung-jin, staff photographer)
[Chun Doo-hwan] [Repression]
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Concerns Remain After 2 Koreas Dismantle Guard Posts
By Yang Seung-sik
December 18, 2018 10:11
The South Korean Joint Chief of Staff on Monday said inspections of demolished guard posts in the demilitarized zone are complete and North Korea fully destroyed 11 of its guard posts as promised.
But South Korean guards in fact discovered intact crenels at five of the guard posts that would give troops cover to fire machine guns or other firearms.
We "judged that the North Korean side disabled its guard posts as we found them no longer fit for any purpose," said Suh Wook at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The two sides inspected the demolition of 11 guard posts on each side on Dec. 12.
A South Korean solider inspects a North Korean guard post in the demilitarized zone in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province on Dec. 12.
But a military officer here said the South Korean guards discovered "one or two intact crenel 100 to 200 m away from five of the North Korean guard posts."
"North Korean guards explained that they are either unused crenels in an area of unidentified mines or attached to nearby guard posts" that were not subject to the agreement, he added. The South Korean guards neither checked whether that was true nor asked for them to be destroyed.
The South Korean side completely destroyed its own guard posts and auxiliary facilities.
Kim Seung at the Korea Defense and Security Forum said, "South Korean guard posts are small fortresses in themselves, but at North Korean guard posts the automatic firearms crenels are key defense components. The North in effect only destroyed the outer buildings of the guard posts but kept them operational."
[Detente] [Pushback] [Conservatives]
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Moon's Approval Rating Keeps Plunging
By Hong Young-lim, Choi Seung-hyun
December 17, 2018 10:23
The approval rating of President Moon Jae-in has hit a record low as the second year of his administration comes to an end.
In a Gallup Korea poll last Friday, Moon's approval rating plunged to 45 percent, from 49 percent a week earlier, while disapproval was almost equal at 44 percent.
Twenty-five percent approved of his contribution to improving relations with North Korea and just 15 percent of his foreign policies. But 43 percent gave him bad marks for his economic policies and 20 percent of his cozy relationship with the North.
Moon Jae-in
The poll showed a significant drop in approval among people in their 20s, people in the Gyeongsang Provinces, and small business owners.
His approval rating among 20-somethings fell from 52 percent a week earlier to 49 percent, dropping below 50 percent for the first time. On his home turf in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, it plunged five percentage points to 41 percent.
Fifty-three percent of small business owners gave him a negative assessment, the highest among all occupational groups, while only 41 percent approved.
His approval rating also dropped significantly among those in their 50s (from 50 percent to 35 percent), in the conservative-leaning Chungcheong provinces (from 44 percent to 35 percent), and among moderates (from 53 percent to 46 percent).
Meanwhile, 59 percent had an unfavorable impression of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, more than double the 24 percent who said they had a favorable impression.
Among college students only seven percent liked Kim compared to a whopping 88 percent who actively disliked him. Asked whether they believe the North will implement inter-Korean agreements on denuclearization, 45 percent were skeptical, compared to 38 percent who said yes.
The poll was taken among 1,003 adults across the country on Dec. 11-13.
[Moon Jae-in] [Public opinion]
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64.1% against Moon: Why young men turn against President?
Posted : 2018-12-17 09:59
Updated : 2018-12-17 15:19
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell last week after a slight gain a week earlier, due largely to growing dissatisfaction among younger men over his policies, including introducing alternatives to mandatory military service, a poll showed Monday.
The approval rating came to 48.5 percent last week, down from 49.5 percent in the previous week, according to a Realmeter survey conducted between Dec. 10-14 on 2,509 people aged over 19.
[Moon Jae-in] [Public opinion] [Military service]
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Defectors 'amazed' by South Koreans' positive reactions to Kim's Seoul visit
Posted : 2018-12-16 09:34
Updated : 2018-12-16 10:21
On December 9, several North Korean refugees visited the Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) office at the invitation of a TNKR student studying in the organization. The refugees were in agreement in denouncing South Koreans for welcoming Kim Jung-un to South Korea.
[Defector industry] [Seoul visit] [Detente]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/12/103_260423.html
Trump says 'in no hurry' to negotiate with N. Korea
Posted : 2018-12-15 11:00
Updated : 2018-12-16 13:23
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un walk together before their working lunch during their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore, June 12. REUTERS-Yonhap
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. is "in no hurry" to negotiate with North Korea, as progress on dismantling the country's nuclear weapons program has stalled.
"Many people have asked how we are doing in our negotiations with North Korea," Trump tweeted. "I always reply by saying we are in no hurry."
He added, "There is wonderful potential for great economic success for that country" and that (North Korean leader) "Kim Jong Un sees it better than anyone and will fully take advantage of it for his people."
"We are doing just fine!" he claimed.
[Trump] [US NK Negotiations]
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2 Koreas to Break Ground on Railway, Road Projects
By Lee Yong-soo, Kim Myong-song
December 14, 2018 10:49
North and South Korea have agreed to hold a ground-breaking ceremony in Kaesong on Dec. 26 to reconnect railways and roads severed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
But actual work cannot start until sanctions against North Korea are lifted. The South Korean government believes that the ground-breaking ceremony itself will not violate sanctions and has sought no temporary waiver from the U.S., which has recently tightened sanctions over North Korea's human rights abuses.
The two Koreas in a last-minute meeting decided to invite 100 guests from each side. A survey of railway tracks along North Korea's east coast is still under way, while inspections of roads in the area have yet to begin.
[Detente]
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Troops cross North-South Korea Demilitarized Zone in peace for 1st time ever
Dec 12 / CBS/AP
INSIDE THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE -- Dozens of North and South Korean soldiers crossed over the world's most heavily armed border Wednesday as they inspected the sites of their rival's front-line guard posts to verify they'd been removed, part of inter-Korean engagement efforts that come amid stalled U.S.-North Korea nuclear disarmament talks.
It was the first time since the Demilitarized Zone was created in 1948 to divide the two Koreas that troops from either side crossed the demarcation line peacefully, South Korea's Ministry of Defense noted.
The inspections Wednesday were mostly symbolic -- the removals will leave South Korea with about 50 other DMZ posts and North Korea with 150, according to defense experts in South Korea, but they mark an extraordinary change in ties from last year, when North Korea tested a series of increasingly powerful weapons and threatened Seoul and Washington with war.
Soldiers from the two Koreas exchanged cigarettes and chatted as they inspected the dismantlement or disarmament of 22 guard posts -- 11 from each country -- inside the Demilitarized Zone that forms 155-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide border.
A small group of journalists was allowed to enter the zone to watch a South Korean team leave for a North Korean guard post Wednesday morning and a North Korean team come to a South Korean guard post later in the day.
Seven helmeted South Korean soldiers wearing backpacks, one carrying a camera and another a camcorder, approached the line separating the northern and southern sides of the DMZ. North Korean troops then walked in a row down a hill to meet them. The soldiers from the rival Koreas exchanged handshakes before moving up the hill together to go to the dismantled North Korean guard post.
Other groups of South Korean soldiers simultaneously visited 10 other North Korean guard posts. They inspected whether the guard posts and any underground structures have been completely dismantled and whether all troops, weapons and other equipment have been withdrawn, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.
Hours later, seven North Korean soldiers clad in olive-green uniforms crossed the same borderline and were then escorted by South Korean troops to the concrete and steel debris of a destroyed South Korean post. North Korean teams also visited 10 other South Korean sites.
[Detente]
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2 Koreas Inspect Demolition of Guard Posts
By Yang Seung-sik
December 13, 2018 09:43
Border guards of the two Koreas on Wednesday visited each other in the demilitarized zone to check on the demolition of guard posts.
It was the first time since the signing of the armistice agreement in July 1953 that border guards crossed the military demarcation line both ways.
According to the Defense Ministry here, some 154 guards from both sides walked along the narrow paths to visit 11 demolished or vacated guard posts in each other's side.
North Korean soldiers are greeted by South Korean soldiers as they cross the military demarcation line in the demilitarized zone in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province on Thursday.
The South Korean guards crossed over in the morning and the North Korean guards in the afternoon.
"They checked whether all firearms, equipment and personnel had been pulled out of the North Korean guard posts, whether watchtowers and crenels had been removed, and whether pathways to the underground facilities and retaining walls had been destroyed," a ministry spokesperson said.
"Both sides confirmed that each other's guard posts had been completely demolished to the extent that they could never be reused."
President Moon Jae-in visited a bunker under Cheong Wa Dae, to watch the process on a live feed.
Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said guards exchanged handshakes and cigarettes and chatted "in a friendly manner" before they crossed over.
[Detente]
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60% of Koreans Want to Retire Abroad
By Choi Jong-seok
December 12, 2018 13:10
Sixty percent of Koreans want to retire abroad if they can, with the most popular destination being Australia, a straw poll by Prudential Life Insurance said Tuesday.
Surveying 500 adults in Seoul and five other big cities, the poll found that 60.4 percent want to spend the autumn of their lives overseas.
More men (64.1 percent) than women (57 percent) want to live abroad. The desire was especially strong among younger people, with 68.8 percent of 30-somethings.
Australia was the most popular choice with 16.8 percent, followed by Canada (14.4 percent), Hawaii and Guam (11.8 percent), New Zealand (8.8 percent) and Switzerland (8.4 percent).
[Migration]
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Hopes Fade of Selling Helicopter to Philippines
By Yang Seung-sik
December 12, 2018 10:25
Korea's prospects of selling its first homegrown helicopter, the Surion, to the Philippines are dimming as the island country inclines toward buying a tried-and-tested U.S. model instead.
A high-ranking military officer here said Tuesday, "The Philippine government gave higher grades to the U.S.' UH-60 Blackhawk than the Surion in fuselage evaluations. We're trying hard to sweeten the deal by adding more incentives, but it looks like everything is pretty much set."
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the country concluded that purchasing Blackhawks is the "best option."
A Surion helicopter costs around W2.5 billion and the Philippines could purchase 10 with its allocated budget, the officer said, but Sikorsky offered to sell it 16 Blackhawks for the same price (US$1=W1,131).
But a staffer at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration claimed the fuselage evaluation "does not constitute a final decision."
Failure to clinch the deal caps a dismal year for Korea's defense industry. In September, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute failed to win a major contract to supply trainer jets to the U.S. Air Force, while a joint fighter jet development project with Indonesia is on the rocks after Jakarta failed to pay for its end of the deal.
[Arms sales] [Military industrial complex]
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NK leader unlikely to visit Seoul this year: presidential office
Posted : 2018-12-12 11:54
Updated : 2018-12-12 11:54
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wave during a car parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 18. A Cheong Wa Dae official said it would be difficult for Kim to visit Seoul this year. Joint Press Corps
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae thinks it would be difficult for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit Seoul this year, a presidential official said Wednesday.
There was speculation that the North's leader might make his first trip to Seoul before the end of this year, with Cheong Wa Dae saying that it plans to prepare for a potential visit, though nothing has been decided.
"We judge that it would be difficult for Chairman Kim to visit Seoul this year," a presidential official said.
[Seoul visit]
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Six South Korean citizens still detained in North Korea
Posted : 2018-12-12 15:38
Updated : 2018-12-12 15:38
The detainees include, from left, Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie, Choi Chun-kil and Ko Hyon-chol. Korea Times file
By Jung Da-min
Six South Koreans remain in North Korean detention despite government efforts to negotiate their release. A new campaign is under way to free them.
Three of the detainees are Christian missionaries ? Kim Jung-wook, who was arrested in October 2013, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-kil, who has been held since 2014. The other three are North Korean defectors who had South Korean citizenship.
While the plight of the six has received little public attention, a petition for their release is again on the Cheong Wa Dae website.
"The last petition has been dismissed as too few people joined," Yoo Ki-sung, pastor of the Good Shepherd Church in Korea, said recently. "Family members (of the detainees) are praying in tears, so join our Cheong Wa Dae petition."
Kim Jung-wook had been running up to three shelters in Dandong, China, since 2007 for defectors and North Koreans visiting China. Kim Kook-kie ran a shelter for defectors, Korean-Chinese and Kotjebi (begging children) since 2003.
[Detainees]
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Soldiers Shake Hands in the DMZ
Instead of pointing guns at each other, soldiers from North and South Korea shook hands at the demarcation line in the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two sides of Korea. These sort of things happened only in imaginative Korean movies, but is now a solid reality. Hope this welcoming momentum of genuine peace continues and spills over to multilateral negotiations, agreements and implementations to ensure lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula.
[Detente]
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Fighter Jets Scrambled as N.Korean Choppers Buzz Border
By Yu Yong-weon
December 10, 2018 09:48
South Korean fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday morning as two slow-flying North Korean helicopters flew south close to the tactical action line set by South Korea.
"Two slow-flying aircraft presumed to be MI-2 choppers were spotted flying from skies near Kaesong close to the TAL yesterday morning," a military source here said Sunday.
The South Korean military scrambled KF-16 fighter jets and FA-50 light attack jets over the Seoul metropolitan area.
The TAL was set by the South Korean military 20 to 30 km north of the military demarcation line and the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border.
[Provocation] [Pushback] [ROK Military]
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Bullet Train Derails En Route to Seoul
By Kwak Chang-yeol, Choi Won-woo, Kim Hyo-in
December 10, 2018 10:49
A KTX high-speed train derailed five minutes after leaving Gangeung Station in Gangwon Province en route to Seoul on Saturday morning.
There were no casualties since the train was doing less than 100 km/h when it derailed, but the damage could have been catastrophic if it had been near its top speed of 250 km/h.
This was only the second time a KTX derailed since services began in 2004. The last time was in 2011.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and KORAIL said Sunday that the accident appears to have been caused by a malfunctioning train track switch box.
The switch box signals trains to proceed when the track is clear or halt when there are obstacles. But it appears to have sent the wrong signal, causing the train to enter the tracks even though there was a problem.
A KTX train lies derailed near Gangneung Station in Gangwon Province on Saturday. /Yonhap
A series of smaller accidents have occurred recently. Last month there were six in the course of just one week. On Nov. 19 a KTX train crashed into an excavator as it approached Seoul Station, injuring three workers, while a power failure at Oseong Station the next day caused 129 high-speed trains to be grounded.
Critics say the ministry and KORAIL are more focused on inter-Korean railway projects than on railway safety here. KORAIL president Oh Young-sik and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee are politicians without expertise in railway operations.
One former ministry official in charge of railway operations said, "Safety should come first, but perhaps problems are happening because administrators are focused on other things."
The Gangneung-Seoul route returned to normal operation on Monday morning after two days of repairs.
[Railways] [HSR] [Conservatives] [Detente] [Pushback]
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Peace efforts will set stage for promoting human rights: Moon
Posted : 2018-12-10 14:49
Updated : 2018-12-10 14:49
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
President Moon Jae-in said Monday that efforts to bring permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula will help promote human rights.
Moon said in a speech to mark the 70th anniversary of Human Rights Day, which commemorates the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
"Clearing away the vestige of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and bringing permanent peace to the peninsula will promote human rights of all people," Moon said.
"This will set the stage for freedom, justice and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and in the world," Moon said.
[Moon Jae-in] [Human rights]
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Nearly half of South Koreans fine with NK leader speaking at their parliament: poll
Posted : 2018-12-10 11:11
Updated : 2018-12-10 15:42
Nearly half of South Koreans are in favor of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un making an address at the South's National Assembly. Yonhap
Nearly half of South Korean adults are in favor of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un making an address at the National Assembly if he comes to Seoul, a poll showed Monday.
The survey of 503 South Koreans nationwide by local pollster Realmeter showed 46.7 percent of respondents consenting to Kim's speech at the South Korean parliament, with 40.2 percent expressing the opposite view.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level. The favorable opinion for Kim's parliamentary address was dominant within the margin of error.
More than 70 percent of liberals were in favor and the address, and nearly 70 percent of conservatives opposed Kim's Assembly address.
By age, more than half of respondents in their 30s and 40s expressed agreement, whereas people in their 60s were predominantly opposed. Those in their 50s were evenly split.
A separate Realmeter poll released on Thursday showed that more than six out of 10 South Koreans are in favor of the North Korean leader visiting Seoul.
In the Pyongyang summit agreement in September, Kim agreed to visit Seoul "at an early date," which President Moon Jae-in says means within this year.
But the prospects for his trip in 2018 are uncertain as North Korea's denuclearization talks with the United States have made little progress. (Yonhap)
[Seoul visit] [Public opinion]
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Moon's approval rating rebounds for first time in 10 weeks
Posted : 2018-12-10 09:50
Updated : 2018-12-10 13:40
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wave during a car parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 18. Moon's approval rating rebounded for the first time in 10 weeks last week amid reports over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible trip to Seoul. Joint Press Corps
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rebounded for the first time in 10 weeks last week amid reports over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible trip to Seoul, a poll showed Monday.
Moon's support level came to 49.5 percent last week, up 1.1 percentage points from a week earlier and up from a record low of 48.4 percent, according to a weekly poll conducted by Realmeter on 2,516 adults across the country.
It rebounded from the rate's ninth consecutive weekly decline that was posted since hitting 65.3 percent in late September following his third summit with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang.
A slight rebound came amid media speculation that the North's leader may visit Seoul this week or next week in an effort to implement the inter-Korean summit agreement in September.
[Moon Jae-in] [Public opinion] [Seoul visit]
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Seoul prepares for every scenario on Kim's visit
Posted : 2018-12-09 17:04
Updated : 2018-12-10 09:50
People pose in front of a giant poster of President Moon Jae-in and Nort Korean leader Kim Jong-un near Cheong Wa Dae, Dec. 7. / Yonhap
No confirmation on date and how, but all possibilities open
By Yi Whan-woo
Cheong Wa Dae remained cautious on Sunday about mentioning North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible visit as speculation grew stronger that he may arrive in Seoul very soon.
North Korea is also keeping quiet about its leader's possible visit. However, rumors are circulating that talks between the two Koreas about Kim's visit are entering a critical phase.
On Sunday, presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan said there appeared to be "no sign of progress" regarding Kim's visit.
[Seoul visit]
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No signs of progress on NK leader's possible Seoul visit: Cheong Wa Dae
Posted : 2018-12-09 14:37
Updated : 2018-12-09 14:37
A visitor takes a photo of murals depicting the handshake between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un near Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
There appear to be no signs of progress in regard to a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Seoul following the Moon Jae-in government's official invitation, the presidential office said Sunday.
"No headway has been made so far, and there is nothing to announce," Yoon Young-chan, Cheong Wa Dae's top press secretary said in a message to reporters.
Speculation is rising in South Korea amid a slew of media reports claiming that Kim could be planning to make a three-day visit to Seoul this week and that South Korean officials are busy making secret preparations.
[Seoul visit]
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Gov't Discusses Preparations for Kim Jong-un Visit
By Lee Min-seok, Yoon Hyung-jun
December 07, 2018 11:08
President Moon Jae-in urgently summoned key officials on Thursday afternoon to discuss preparations for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Seoul. All other Cabinet meetings were canceled that day.
After returning to Seoul from the G20 Summit, Moon sent an official invitation to Kim to visit on Dec. 12-14. The government contacted North Korean officials several times recently to discuss Kim's visit and has apparently now received a positive response from the North.
"There are many signs pointing to an imminent visit by Kim," a source said. "I believe discussions are taking place over the itinerary and agenda based on a date that has been tentatively agreed through unofficial contacts."
But Cheong Wa Dae said no word has been received from North Korea, and both sides appear to be wary of announcing a firm date due to security concerns.
The government believes this week is a watershed moment and preparations are being made to accommodate Kim. Cheong Wa Dae proposed Dec. 12-14, because the North has a series of major events later this month, including the seventh anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il's death on Dec. 17 and Kim Jong-un's grandmother's 101st birthday on Christmas Eve.
North Korea often treats Kim's itinerary as a top secret and Cheong Wa Dae seems to be going along. His trips to China were announced either after he arrived in Beijing or even after they were over.
Cheong Wa Dae officials also contacted the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Thursday, possibly to inform it of the schedule. Officials on Wednesday held back-to-back meetings to discuss Kim's accommodation, sites to visit, and other details.
Opposition politicians criticized the government for fixating on Kim's visit without a game plan to get North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons. Kim Byong-joon of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said, "Cheong Wa Dae is not Kim Jong-un's official travel agent or publicity officer, and Kim touring Mt. Halla [on Jeju Island] and the N Seoul Tower will not resolve all of the problems."
Meanwhile, North Korea was busy Thursday accusing South Korea of "fabricating" the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan and appeared focused on the upcoming anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death.
[Seoul visit]
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NIS Director says date for Kim Jong-un’s Seoul visit not yet set
Posted on : Dec.6,2018 18:40 KST Modified on : Dec.6,2018 18:40 KST
Elaborates by saying Andrew Kim didn’t meet with Kim Yong-chol
NIS Director Suh Hoon at a plenary session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Dec. 5. (Yonhap News)
A date for a reciprocal visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not yet been decided because the matter is tied to dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Suh Hoon explained on Dec. 5.
Speaking in a briefing after a plenary session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee that day, Bareunmirae Party lawmaker and committee chair Lee Hak-jae quoted the NIS director as saying, “Because the matter of Kim Jong-un’s reciprocal visit is tied to North Korea-US dialogue, progress there will be shared with [progress in North Korea-US dialogue].”
“Since there have been numerous reports [placing the visit date] on the 10th or the 18th, I asked if the NIS had any information related to this report and he said nothing had been decided,” Lee explained.
Lee also quoted Suh as responding to reports of a failed attempt at a meeting between US Central Intelligence Agency Korea Mission Center chief Andrew Kim and Workers’ Party of Korea United Front Department Director Kim Yong-chol, who are coordinating talks between Pyongyang and Washington. According to Lee, Suh explained that the two of them “did not meet, nor did they ever have plans to meet,” adding that NIS and CIA were in “sufficient communication on who in North Korea they are meeting and what the US position is.”
The meeting on Dec. 5 was attended by NIS Director Suh Hoon. The committee also approved the 2019 NIS budget for submission to the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. While Lee said he could not disclose the size of the NIS budget because of its confidential status, he added that it had been “partially reduced.”
By Lee Kyung-mi, staff reporter
[Seoul]
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Kim Jong-un invited to Seoul Dec. 12-14, report says
Posted : 2018-12-07 14:14
Updated : 2018-12-07 15:32
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in with North Korean first lady Ri-Sol-ju, left, and her South Korean counterpart Kim Jung-sook next to them at Changgun-bong, the peak of Mount Paekdu, on Sept. 20, during the two leaders' third inter-Korean summit. Joint Press Corp
By Ko Dong-hwan
While it is still uncertain when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Seoul, his South Korean counterpart has invited him on Dec. 12-14, according to a Friday report.
Chosun Ilbo said South Korean President Moon Jae-in, shortly after returning from G-20 Summit in Argentina on Tuesday, sent an "official invitation" to Kim for those dates.
Signs of Kim's Seoul visit within this month have been seen from the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae's recent moves.
On Thursday, Moon held an unexpected meeting with presidential aides to discuss Kim's possible Seoul visit. Presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok even canceled his half-day vacation to attend. Other regular presidential meetings scheduled for that day were canceled.
Cheong Wa Dae also reportedly discussed with U.S. Embassy officials on Thursday possible dates for Kim's visit.
Cheong Wa Dae's latest official response regarding Kim's possible Seoul visit ? the first by a North Korean leader ? is, "We have not heard from Pyongyang yet."
[Seoul visit]
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Inter-Korean inspections for eastern tracks to begin Saturday
Posted : 2018-12-06 17:25
Updated : 2018-12-07 10:04
An inter-Korean inspection team examines train tracks in North Hwanghae Province in this photo. Courtesy of Unification Ministry
By Kim Bo-eun
Inspections of South and North Korean officials of the North's eastern railway line will begin Saturday, after the Koreas completed checking the main western line on Wednesday.
From Saturday to Dec. 17, officials will check 800 kilometers of tracks from Mount Geumgang to the Tumen.
It will be the first time a South Korean train will run on this section of tracks since the Koreas were divided in 1945.
About two-thirds of the officials on the team will be exchanged for the eastern inspection, considering their condition, a unification ministry official said, Thursday. Officials who completed the examination of the western tracks returned to Seoul on Wednesday, and a new team will depart Seoul on Saturday.
"The officials will be exchanged, under the condition that the consistency of the project remains unchanged," the official said.
The new team will first take a bus to the North and examine the tracks from Mount Geumgang Station to Anbyon Station by bus. From Anbyon, they will take the train.
The North reportedly requested South Korean officials examine that particular section by bus.
The South Korean trains that went to the North for the first inspection did not return, and headed straight from Pyongyang for Anbyon.
The team that returned from the first inspection stated the train tracks there were in poor condition, allowing trains to run up to only 60 kilometers per hour.
Lim Jong-il, director of the land ministry's railway construction division, said the tracks for the Gaeseong-Sinuiju route were more or less in the same condition as when inspections were conducted 11 years ago.
Lim was part of the inter-Korean inspection team in 2007.
He said the six-day inspection was too short to examine the tracks in detail, and that plans for repairs would be set up once detailed inspections take place.
Six South Korean carriages and five of the North carrying about 50 to 60 officials carried out the first inspection.
[Detente] [Railways]
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Orthodox Christian leader stresses importance of peace and unification during Seoul visit
Posted on : Dec.5,2018 18:05 KST Modified on : Dec.5,2018 18:05 KST
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, spiritual leader to 300 billion Orthodox Christians worldwide, talks with reporters at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul on Dec. 3.
“Does it make any sense for a South Korean to be opposed to peace and unification between North and South Korea?”
[Religion]
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Unification Ministry has thorny task of handling ties with North Korea
Posted : 2018-12-05 09:31
Updated : 2018-12-05 13:59
South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon walks to board a plane to leave for Pyongyang, North Korea, to participate in the inter-Korean basketball matches, at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, July 3. Reuters
South Korea's Unification Ministry, responsible for inter-Korean affairs, has seen its standing wax and wane along with relations between the still officially warring neighbours.
The ministry returned to prominence this year after three summits between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with pledges to defuse military tensions, restart economic cooperation and formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.
But those efforts have placed the ministry in a bind, with Washington wary of rapid progress between the two Koreas that may undermine international sanctions and efforts to dismantle the North's nuclear and missile programmes.
Here is a summary of the ministry's history, mission and how its work has evolved in line with changes in domestic political tides and diplomatic dynamics.
[SK NK Negotiations] [Bureaucracy]
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Seoul Lays out Step-by-Step Plan for N.Korean Denuclearization
By Kim Myong-song
December 04, 2018 13:06
The Unification Ministry on Monday unveiled a master plan for developing ties with North Korea focusing on "peaceful coexistence, joint prosperity, and sustainable development of inter-Korean relations."
The plan was supposed to come out in January, but events rapidly overtook it as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sat down for an unprecedented summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and the two Korean leaders met.
"It took more time to finalize the plan than we expected because we had to take the overall changes into consideration," a ministry spokesman said.
The new plan does not insist on making North Korea apologize for sinking the Navy corvette Cheonan in 2010, which Pyongyang still denies. "The new approach is part of efforts to create a favorable atmosphere for dialogue to peacefully resolve the crisis on the peninsula," a ministry official said.
Efforts to improve human rights in North Korea also take up a smaller portion than in similar plans in the past.
Denuclearization of the North is to be achieved by a "step-by-step approach," which to some observers sounds alarmingly like the North's own salami-slicing approach where small steps are rewarded with big concessions.
A former ministry official said, "This shows that the government has accepted Pyongyang's salami-slicing tactics aimed at dragging its feet as much as possible."
[Detente] [Conservatives] [Cheonan]
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Moon urges Kim Jong-un to visit Seoul before end of year
Posted on : Dec.3,2018 17:25 KST Modified on : Dec.3,2018 17:25 KST
Message relayed to reporters after G20 Summit in Argentina aboard presidential aircraft
South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with US President Donald Trump during the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 30. (Kim Jung-hyo, staff photographer)
South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a message on Dec. 1 strongly urging North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to pay a reciprocal visit to Seoul within the year.
“I am certain that if denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean peace are achieved through a reciprocal visit by Chairman Kim Jong-un, all South Koreans will truly welcome that with open arms,” he said.
Speaking with Blue House beat reporters on his presidential aircraft en route to his next stop in New Zealand after the G20 Summit concluded in Argentina earlier that day, Moon explained, “In itself, a reciprocal visit by Chairman Kim would express a message to the world about peace and a commitment to denuclearization and the advancement of inter-Korean relations.”
The meeting was Moon’s third with reporters on the presidential aircraft, following others after a visit to Washington, DC, in June 2017 and a UN General Assembly in New York in September of this year.
[Seoul visit]
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Moon’s North Korea policy in danger
27 November 2018
Author: Eun Hee Woo, Freie Universität Berlin
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s much praised North Korea policy is in jeopardy. Moon’s North Korea policy has been widely deemed a success. But unless he gets a handle on his country’s many domestic economic woes and boosts his approval rating, further progress with North Korea will be almost impossible.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers his speech on the government's 2019 budget proposal during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, 1 November 2018 (Photo: Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool).
Approval ratings are exceptionally important for South Korean presidents to maintain authority within their own ruling party and delay the almost inevitable arrival of lame-duck status, which leaves them politically paralysed. But the most important factor determining a president’s popularity is economic performance.
Many South Koreans list Cold War dictator Park Chung-hee as their favourite president because national GDP nearly quadrupled during his reign from 1961 to 1979. Rapid economic development, proudly referred to as the ‘Miracle on the Han River’, served to legitimise Park’s dictatorship despite grave constitutional violations. As long as the economy is booming, most other failures and transgressions are readily forgiven by the South Korean people.
Roh Moo-hyun is remembered as South Korea’s most democratic president — a clear contrast to Park Chung-hee. Although he went to great lengths to dispel an authoritarian legacy and instill democratic values, Roh’s approval rating dropped from 60 to 20 per cent in his first year and never fully recovered.
Some have concluded that this drop was intimately tied to the public’s economic anxiety. President Roh’s failure to stabilise property prices and reduce economic polarisation made his support base, and consequently his party, turn their backs on him. Let down by Roh’s failed economic policies, the public elected the conservative candidate Lee Myung-bak — one of South Korea’s most famous entrepreneurs.
A poorly performing economy could also become a serious obstacle for Moon Jae-in
[Moon Jae-in] [Economy] [Polls]
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What's the Hurry in Getting Kim Jong-un to Visit Seoul?
December 03, 2018 13:10
President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Argentina last week and agreed that a visit to Seoul by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would "offer additional momentum" to establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. A high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official said, "Kim has always lived up to his personal promises, and a visit to Seoul will take place, even if it does not happen this year."
Kim spent about 12 hours on the South Korean side of the border truce village of Panmunjom during his summit with Moon in April of this year, but that was it. A visit to Seoul would be of tremendous historical significance since it would be the first proper visit by a North Korean leader. For Kim just to see the sparkling reality of present-day Seoul could trigger a degree of openness in the North, and of course frequent exchange visits by the leaders of the two Koreas will contribute to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But Kim will have to face protests from the public here if he comes while the North's nuclear threat looms overhead, and if he is touchy such a visit could end up making the situation worse. Seoul too could be seen as an appeaser in the international community or even condoning the North's nuclear armament.
[Seoul visit] [Detente] [Pushback] conservatives]
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North Korea soldier defects to South Korea: JCS
Posted : 2018-12-01 10:44
Updated : 2018-12-01 15:07
A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the eastern land border, Saturday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
South Korean border guards detected the soldier crossing the military demarcation line at 7:56 a.m. with their surveillance equipment, the JCS said.
"Related agencies plan to question him regarding the details of how he came to the South," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters, adding that there were no "special activities" by the North Korean army on the border.
"Following the demolition of guard posts by the South and North, our security operations on the border have had no problem," a JCS official said. "The soldier is safely in our custody."
This is the first defection since the two Koreas completely each destroyed 10 border guard posts, and completed demining a ridge in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Friday. (Yonhap)
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Gov't Still Hoping for Visit from Kim Jong-un This Year
By Lee Yong-soo, Lee Min-seok
November 30, 2018 09:53
The government is still determined to bring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Seoul in December despite being given the brush-off by Pyongyang.
Seoul tried to invite Kim for Dec. 13 and 14 but shelved the plan when the North requested a delay. Now it has started talks with the U.S. to somehow make it happen.
"President Moon Jae-in is considering the option of persuading North Korea again after gaining the U.S.' understanding," a source said Thursday.
Moon is in Argentina for the G20 summit, where he plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines on Saturday to discuss the issue.
[Seoul visit]
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