President Moon Jae-in is set to hold a press conference Wednesday to personally explain his administration's policy objectives for the new year.
The press conference will be held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae from 10 a.m. and will involve over 200 journalists from local and foreign news outlets.
It will mark the second of its kind since Moon came into office in May 2017, following his victory in the presidential by-election caused by the ousting of his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye.
The file photo, taken Aug. 17, 2017, shows President Moon Jae-in (center) speaking in a press conference at his office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul that marked his first 100 days in office. (Yonhap)
First, the president will give a keynote speech, laying out the direction and tone of his major policies in 2018.
He will then take questions in three major areas: the economy, politics -- including security and foreign relations -- and social and cultural issues. The entire press conference is scheduled to take 80 minutes, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.
Moon's first press conference of the new year also follows the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue the day before.
Officials from the divided Koreas held talks at the joint security area of Panmunjom on Tuesday to discuss the North's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25. The talks were the first of their kind since December 2015.
North Korea has staged 11 missile tests, including several launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, since Moon took office. The reclusive state also conducted its sixth nuclear test Sept. 3.
South and North Korea technically remain at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty. (Yonhap)
