US President Donald Trump has no plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his trip to South Korea, a White House official confirmed Monday. In response to questions from the media about the possibility of Trump meeting Kim later this week, a senior White House official said “there are no plans for the meeting that you just mentioned,” adding that the purpose of the trip is for Trump to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in.  The answer from the White House echoes t

For President Moon Jae-in, the G-20 Summit -- set to be held in Osaka, Japan, later this week -- will be an opportunity to further his agenda on dealing with North Korea and to strengthen and mend ties with G-20 countries.Moon has a number of bilateral summit talks scheduled on the sidelines of the event, including meetings with leaders of Canada, China, Indonesia and Russia.  The meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders come at a critical point, as Moon hopes to establish permanent peace

Controversy over a North Korean boat has spread to the political arena, with the main opposition turning up the heat on President Moon Jae-in. Controversy began earlier this month when it was revealed that the military had announced inaccurate information about four North Koreans who arrived in the South on June 15. In revealing the information, government agencies initially stated that the wooden boat carrying four North Koreans was detected near Samcheok port in Gangwon Province. The mili

US President Donald Trump will visit South Korea on a two-day schedule from Saturday, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. The visit was arranged at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, conveyed during the Moon-Trump summit in Washington in April, Cheong Wa Dae said.  “President Trump will arrive in the afternoon of June 29, and hold a summit at Cheong Wa Dae on the next day,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. “(Moon and Trump) will hold in-depth discussions on w

President Moon Jae-in will hold summit meetings with leaders of Canada, China, Indonesia and Russia on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit next week, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung, the four summit meetings have been confirmed and the presidential office will announce further meetings if they are arranged.  Moon is set to visit Japan on a three-day schedule from Thursday, a day ahead of the G-20 Summit. “President Moon will stress the need

Kim Sang-jo, chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, was on Friday named as the new chief of staff to the president for policy.He will replace Kim Soo-hyun, who has held the post since November last year. “(Kim Sang-jo) has made significant contributions to establishing a fair economy as the administration’s first FTC chairman,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. Kim Sang-jo has served as FTA chairman since June 2017. He has built a career as an economics scholar

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday began a two-day state visit to North Korea, fanning speculation about changes in the geopolitical dynamics on the Korean Peninsula, as well as denuclearization talks. Xi touched down in Pyongyang at about 11:40 a.m., beginning his first state visit to the North. He is also the first Chinese leader to make a state visit in 14 years. Although this is Xi’s first visit to Pyongyang as president, he has held four summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday voiced support for North Korea and its approach to denuclearization, fanning speculation that Beijing will take a more direct hand in North Korean issues. In an op-ed piece published in North Korea’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, Wednesday -- a day before he begins a state visit to North Korea -- Xi highlighted China’s support for Pyongyang. “We will actively contribute to peace and security, development and prosperity of the

The prosecution on Tuesday assigned the complaint brought against President Moon Jae-in by Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to a criminal investigation department. In the complaint, filed June 13, Kwak alleges that Moon violated related regulations by calling for an investigation into former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui, as well as other current and past cases.  On March 18, Moon called on the police and the prosecution to look into the Kim Hak-eui case a

Yoon Seok-youl, a well-known prosecutor who participated in major investigations linked to conservative administrations, was tapped for the post of prosecutor general Monday.If appointed, he will replace Moon Moo-il as the country’s top prosecutor. Yoon, currently serves as the head of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and came to public attention in 2012 when he headed the investigation into allegations that the National Intelligence Service interfered with the presidentia

President Moon Jae-in has returned back from a three-nation tour of Europe, but his comments regarding North Korea have gained more public attention than Seoul’s relationship with Nordic countries. On the tour to Finland, Norway and Sweden, Moon not only put a timeline on his desired meeting with Kim Jong-un, but also urged Pyongyang to take concrete steps, while voicing his views on the groundwork necessary for US-North Korea dialogue.  “(I think) working-level negotiations sho

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressed hopes on meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks, further fueling speculation surrounding inter-Korean and US-North Korea dialogue. “I am prepared to meet Chairman Kim at any time. In the end, whether we meet, or setting the time of the meeting, is down to Chairman Kim’s choice,” Moon said at the Oslo Forum on Wednesday. “President Trump is visiting Korea at the end of June, and if possible, meeting Chairman

US President Donald Trump’s comments regarding a personal letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are fanning speculations that US-North Korea dialogue may resume. On Tuesday, Trump revealed that he had received a letter from Kim the previous day and that he expects positive developments between the two countries. “I just received a beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un,” Trump said, describing the letter as “very personal, very warm, very nice.”“I think

Lee Hee-ho was most often in the spotlight as late President Kim Dae-jung’s wife in the later parts of her life, but Lee was a champion of women’s rights whose beliefs and actions have left a lasting mark on Korean society.Lee was born into a wealthy family in 1922 during the Japanese occupation of Korea. While Korea was a patriarchal society where women took second priority to men, Lee’s parents are said to have raised her without such bias. Lee studied at a girl’s high

President Moon Jae-in on Monday held a summit with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, where they agreed to engage in bilateral cooperation on energy and industrial innovation. The two countries also agreed to boost cooperation on policies related to gender equality and quality of life.  Moon is currently in Finland on a state visit, the first stop in his three-nation tour of northern Europe. From Finland, Moon will move on to Norway and Sweden. According to Seoul’s presidential office,

The presidential office and the ruling party on Monday urged the main opposition to resume parliamentary proceedings, saying that the supplementary budget needs to be implemented by July at the latest. Officials who attended a high-level meeting between Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling Democratic Party and the government said discussions on the supplementary budget must begin early this week if it is to be implement next month. The 6.7 trillion won ($5.6 billion) supplementary budget bill has been held

South Korea on Friday denied reports that it was not participating in international efforts to prevent North Korean ships from circumventing sanctions by transferring cargo at sea. “(South Korea) is actively participating in enforcing UN Security Council resolutions related to sanctions on North Korea,” a Ministry of National Defense official said Friday in response to a Voice of America report. On Thursday, Voice of America had cited a Japanese Foreign Ministry official as sayi

The South Korean presidential office on Thursday denied reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed plans to visit Seoul before the G-20 summit. A Cheong Wa Dae official was quoted as saying by local media that related reports could not be confirmed and plans for Xi’s visit to Seoul had not been finalized.  Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied the report, but said the two countries are working closely on a matter regarding a “high-level exchange,&rdq

A proposed meeting between the president and the leaders of five political parties -- suggested to resolve the parliamentary deadlock -- has worsened the tug of war between the ruling and opposition blocs. On Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae revealed plans for a meeting between President Moon Jae-in and the leaders of the five parties, to be followed by a one-on-one meeting with Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn. Cheong Wa Dae said it had suggested the meeting be held Friday, in a bid to fac

Rhyu Si-min and Hong Jun-pyo on Monday took to social media to debate social and political issues, confirming the deep divide in the views of the liberal and conservative blocs on most issues. A video of the debate, uploaded on Rhyu’s and Hong’s platforms late Monday, has been viewed nearly 1 million times.  Rhyu, who served as environment minister under the late President Roh Moo-hyun, is currently the chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation. Hong is a former presidential candi