Six-term lawmaker Rep. Chung Sye-kyun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was nominated for the post of prime minister on Tuesday. “The government has endeavored to reform old systems, and (establish an) innovative and inclusive economy to create a country (where) the people ‘live well together,’” President Moon Jae-in said in announcing the nomination. “To do this, the most important thing is concentrating the strengths of the people through unity and harmony,

The presidential office is looking into six-term lawmaker Rep. Chung Sye-kyun as a possible replacement for Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, local news outlets reported Thursday. According to reports, Cheong Wa Dae received written confirmation from Chung agreeing to be subjected to the presidential office’s vetting process, Wednesday. Chung is a six-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. He served as National Assembly speaker from June 2016 to May 2018. He has also served

President Moon Jae-in will make a two-day trip to China later this month for a Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. According to the presidential office, Seoul is also in talks with Beijing and Tokyo to arrange bilateral summits during the visit.  The trip is scheduled for Dec. 23 and 24, with the trilateral summit to be held on the second day in Chengdu, Sichuan province. “President Moon will discuss practical cooperation among the three countries, and pol

President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the National Assembly to process the budget and other pending bills, saying the country’s political arena is overwhelmed by “bad politics.” “Bad politics that puts the interests of the parties and political wrangling above the people have impeded normal politics,” Moon said at his weekly meeting with top aides. In an apparent barb aimed at the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Moon said that exploitation of the National Assem

President Moon Jae-in and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad held a summit meeting in Seoul on Thursday, agreeing in principle to upgrade bilateral relations to that of strategic partners next year. At the summit, Moon praised Malaysia’s rapid economic growth and expanding South Korea-Malaysia relations, going on to express hopes for further cooperation. “Malaysia’s Look East Policy and Korea’s New Southern Policy have come together harmoniously (enabling

President Moon Jae-in held a summit with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Seoul on Wednesday, and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties. After their meeting, three memorandums of understanding and a revised version of a treaty to prevent double taxation were signed by both sides. Moon welcomed the rapid development of South Korea-Vietnam relations and called for further strengthening cooperation. According to Seoul’s presidential office, Moon requested the Vietnam

BUSAN -- South Korea and the five Mekong nations adopted the Mekong-Han River Declaration on Wednesday, pledging to increase cooperation. The Mekong-Han River Declaration for Establishing Partnership for People, Prosperity and Peace was adopted at the first Mekong-Korea Summit in Busan on Wednesday, following on the heels of the two-day ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, which wrapped up Tuesday in Busan. The declaration outlines cooperation plans in seven areas -- culture and tourism, human resour

BUSAN – The ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit wrapped up Tuesday with the leaders agreeing to expand economic, political and social cooperation among the countries.  “Advancement of the ASEAN is Korea’s advancement. Cooperating over the past 30 years through friendship and trust, we have shown ‘potential of Asia,’ overcoming financial and foreign exchange crises,” President Moon Jae-in said ahead of announcing the joint press statement. “Now, we have t

BUSAN -- South Korea and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Tuesday adopted a vision statement stipulating that they will cooperate to build a “people-centered community of peace and prosperity.”The statement, titled “ASEAN-Republic of Korea Joint Vision Statement for Peace, Prosperity and Partnership,” was adopted at the first session of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the statement contains “the v

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday called for stronger cooperation among South Korea and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, saying the 21st century is the “era of Asia.”Addressing the leaders of ASEAN attending the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan, Moon urged closer cooperation and solidarity among the 11 nations in facing global issues.  “We face new challenges such as protectionism and cross-border crime, (as well as the) fourth industrial revolu

BUSAN -- South Korea and the Philippines on Monday signed an agreement opening their markets for selected products and resolved to conclude free trade negotiations within next year.  The agreement was signed after President Moon Jae-in and President Rodrigo Duterte’s summit on the sidelines of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan. Under the trade agreement, the Philippines will open its markets for selected automotive parts, pharmaceuticals and petrochemical products. In return

BUSAN – South Korea and Indonesia on Monday issued a joint declaration announcing the successful end of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement negotiations. The declaration was adopted after President Moon Jae-in’s bilateral summit with President Joko Widodo of Indonesia held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit that kicked off in Busan. The Korea-Indonesia CEPA negotations were effectively wrapped up in October, and the two sides have since been working o

President Moon Jae-in and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha held a summit Monday, seeking closer cooperation between the two countries. At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan, Moon stressed the importance of South Korean-Thai relations and thanked the Thai prime minister for his support in advancing Korea’s relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “Thailand is the most important partner in our government’s New

BUSAN -- Japan should refrain from provoking South Korea over the trade and military information sharing agreement, a high-level government official said Sunday. Chung Eui-yong, Seoul's national security office chief, also said that Seoul lodged a firm complaint over Japanese government’s announcement on Friday, and said that Tokyo offered an apology and confirmed that the Seoul-Tokyo agreement remains the same. Chung went on to issue a warning to Tokyo saying that he would like to say &ld

President Moon Jae-in held summit meetings with the leaders of Brunei and Singapore over the weekend, kicking off a flurry of bilateral and multilateral summits held on the occasion of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and the first Mekong-Korea summit. On Sunday, Moon met with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is visiting Korea on a state visit, in Seoul.  “The potential for cooperation between the two countries is limitless, from ICT, smart city, electronic government and

Hopes are rising that Seoul and Tokyo could be heading toward resolving their ongoing spat, with the two sides agreeing to arrange a bilateral summit. The agreement was reached at the meeting between Seoul’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers meeting in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday. According to the two countries’ foreign ministries, they will work together to arrange a summit between

Seoul and Tokyo have agreed to hold talks on thorny issues, staving off the end of the General Security of Military Information Agreement. “Our government, under the condition that the effect of GSOMIA can be ended at any time, decided to halt the effect of the announcement of the end of its validity on Aug. 23, and the Japanese government expressed its understanding,” said Kim You-geun, deputy director of the National Security Office. He said the two governments have agreed to

Top South Korean officials on Thursday continued reviewing Korea-Japan issues, with the looming expiration of the military intelligence sharing agreement with Japan. On Thursday, the National Security Council was convened, raising speculations that Seoul’s decision on the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan was likely to have topped the agenda.  GSOMIA is set to expire at midnight Friday following Seoul’s decision to forego the annual renewal in respons

President Moon Jae-in’s television appearance on Tuesday is being met with mixed reactions from the public and political arena. On Tuesday, Moon took part in an unscripted question-and-answer session televised live on major terrestrial and cable networks. The program invited 300 members of the public -- selected to represent South Korea’s demographics -- to pose any question to the president. Although the program gave members of the public a chance to address the president direc

South Korea needs to move to a volunteer military system, but the switch from the current conscription system will need time and preparation, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday. “(A volunteer system) is something our society must move toward. But at present, the conditions are not right to introduce a volunteer system, (the change) needs to be planned in the mid- to long-term,” Moon said, speaking in a live televised question-and-answer session with 300 selected civilians. Moon