NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a summit meeting in New York on Tuesday (US time), expressing hopes for stronger bilateral ties and cooperation in wider range of fields. “The friendship between the two nations has led to active economic exchange, and advanced into a relationship of cooperation in energy resources and infrastructure,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung. “I hope for cooperation t

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday (US time) proposed transforming the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas into an “international peace zone.”The idea was put forward in Moon’s keynote speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.  “Today I propose making the DMZ that cuts the Korean Peninsula across the middle into an ‘international peace zone’ based on these three principles,” Moon said, highlighting that the idea is based on

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in on Monday held a string of meetings with world leaders, seeking closer cooperation with international society on issues ranging from climate change to his administration’s peace drive. Moon kicked off his day with a summit meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda. At the meeting, Moon expressed hopes for wider economic ties between the two nations. “Trade between the two countries has passed $5 billion, setting a record, and bilateral relation

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday pledged stronger bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including climate change.“It is clear that cooperation is needed in the area of climate change,” Frederiksen was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae.   “If the two countries cooperate closely, it will be a very good thing not only for the two countries but for the world.” Moon praised Denmark’s sus

NEW YORK -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump agreed during their summit in New York on Monday on the need to obtain results in North Korean denuclearization talks, Cheong Wa Dae said. However, the two leaders did not discuss the security guarantees that Pyongyang is demanding or broach Trump’s “new method” of handling North Korean issues. Seoul’s presidential office also said Moon and Trump had discussed the importance of the South Korea-US

NEW YORK -- US President Donald Trump on Monday hinted that Washington is seeking further changes to trade-related issues with South Korea. Speaking at his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York, Trump said that that the two countries are working on “tremendous trade deals,” while touting revisions to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. “We are working on tremendous trade deals. We -- as you know, we‘ve completed a trade deal, and that’

NEW YORK -- US President Donald Trump on Monday once again downplayed the significance of North Korea’s short-range missiles, saying that such weapons have never been part of US-North Korea discussions. Speaking ahead of his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York, Trump said that North Korea’s short-range missiles are on the South Korea-US summit agenda, but downplayed their significance hinting that the matter is of little concern to the US. “We didn&r

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in on Monday announced Korea’s hosting of the P4G Summit next year, and the country’s plans to speed up efforts to fight climate change. Addressing the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, Moon put forward three related pledges, and proposed designation of “International Day for Blue Sky” calling for international cooperation to address air pollution.  “First, we will explore a variety of measures for transition to a sustainable,

President Moon Jae-in on Monday requested the UN to continue to play a role in the Korean Peninsula Peace Process in a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. Moon is visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly, on the sidelines of which he is holding a series of summit talks with world leaders including US President Donald Trump.  At the meeting with Guterres, Moon highlighted the role the UN has played in engaging North Korea, and requested his presence at

NEW YORK – President Moon Jae-in on Monday (US time) asked for increased economic cooperation with Poland in a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda. At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Moon also expressed hopes for expanding economic cooperation with Poland.  “Trade between the two countries has passed $5 billion setting a record, and bilateral relations are expanding beyond the manufacturing sector to cutting edge industries,&rdquo

South Korea will highlight the importance of multilateralism and Korea’s role in international issues such as climate change and poverty at the UN General Assembly, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said Sunday.  “Our government will clearly emphasize the country’s status as one that practices the values of UN – peace, human rights, development – in an exemplary manner,” Kang said. “Our contributions and resolve to expand our r

NEW YORK -- Drawing up a road map for the denuclearization of North Korea will be the biggest hurdle in working-level talks between the US and North Korea, even though all parties share a common definition of denuclearization, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said Sunday. Speaking in New York, where she arrived as part of President Moon Jae-in’s entourage at the UN General Assembly, Kang said she believes the two Koreas and the US share the same idea of denuclearizat

The country’s political parties are once again seeking to revamp parliamentary confirmation hearings for government posts, driven by the controversies surrounding Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Rather than being a stage for vetting nominees for high-level posts, confirmation hearings have often been marred by partisan clashes, and personal attacks. Problems and shortcomings of parliamentary confirmation hearings have long been subjects of discussion. The issues raised include lack of regulation

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday set out on a five-day trip to the US to attend the UN General Assembly.On the sidelines of the event, Moon is scheduled to hold a summit with US President Donald Trump and a number of other world leaders.  According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon’s meeting with Trump -- scheduled for Monday there -- will focus on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as well as the South Korea-US alliance. “President Moon will discuss cooperation measures for the compl

Current and former university professors on Thursday called for the resignation of Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.The declaration was announced by an association of current and former university professors -- roughly translated as professors for social justice. The association on Thursday held a press conference outside Cheong Wa Dae and called for Cho’s resignation, and urged President Moon Jae-in to seek a replacement more fit to represent justice and ethics. “Today, we are witne

Ahead of his trip to the US, President Moon Jae-in’s role in resolving North Korean issues is once again in the spotlight as Pyongyang reaches out to Washington for a dialogue. The South Korean president is set to head to the US to attend the UN General Assembly and hold a summit with US President Donald Trump on Sunday.  “The unchanging trust among the leaders of the South, the North and the US and resolve for peace will be the power that drives the Korean Peninsula peace

President Moon Jae-in on Monday appointed six minister-level officials, including controversy-ridden Cho Kuk for the post of justice minister. Choi Ki-young was appointed as the minister of science and ICT, and Lee Jung-ok as the minister of gender equality and family. In addition, Han Sang-hyuk was appointed to head the Korea Communications Commission, Joh Sung-wook as the head of the Fair Trade Commission and Eun Sung-soo as the new Financial Services Commission chief. In appointing the o

Top US officials are urging North Korea to return to talks, stressing that failing to achieve denuclearization of the regime could have wider consequences. On Friday, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun called on Pyongyang to resume talks with the US as agreed on by the two countries’ leaders.  The North, meanwhile, has been highlighting its close ties to China, and has issued several warnings to South Korea and the US. “At this moment, to achieve further pr

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday denied news reports that he had suggested an alternative solution to the forced labor issue.A local daily had earlier reported that Lee suggested resolving the issue with funds raised from Korean and Japanese companies, with input from the Korean government. Lee made the suggestion to Takeo Kawamura, a member of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party who serves as a senior official in the Japan–Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, the report said

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk continue to dominate local headlines for starkly different reasons, with shifting support from liberals and conservatives.  Yoon gained fame as a lead investigator in the allegations that the National Intelligence Service interfered in the 2012 presidential election. He was then pushed away from the center of power at the prosecution, only to return to the public eye in 2016 as one of the lead investigators in the massiv