North Korea appears to be hoping to increase pressure on Seoul over inter-Korean projects and human rights concerns ahead of the second US-North Korea summit.  This file photo shows a UN Security Council meeting convened to discuss North Korea's human rights condition. (AFP-Yonhap)North Korean media and propaganda websites on Monday said Seoul was being swayed by the US with regard to inter-Korean projects, while accusing the UN of creating friction between the two Koreas. A propaganda poster ca

North Korea’s chief negotiator in US-North Korea talks, Kim Yong-chol, will head to Washington on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday, sparking speculations a second US-North Korea summit may be imminent. According to the ministry, North Korean officials, including Kim, have booked tickets to Washington that depart from Beijing on Thursday.  Kim Yong-chol. YonhapKim is the vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee and the chief negotiator in US-North Kor

The prosecution’s decision on whether to seek an arrest warrant for former Supreme Court chief Yang Seung-tae appears likely to be pushed back, with Yang continuing his marathon review of the records of his interrogation. Yang, who is under investigation over power abuse allegations, has been questioned by prosecutors on three occasions, with the latest taking place Tuesday.  Former Supreme Court chief Yang Seung-tae seen after the first questioning on Jan. 11. YonhapIn the latest questioning, i

Tak Hyun-min, the presidential aide for protocol, has handed in his resignation, the presidential office confirmed Monday. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Tak handed in his resignation on Jan. 7. Tak’s resignation has not been accepted yet, and he has been on leave since Friday.  Tak Hyun-min (left) seen at the Cabinet meeting on Jan. 8. YonhapThis is the second time Tak has expressed hopes to resign from the post, having posted such wishes on his social media account in June. At the time, former pr

President Moon Jae-in will meet with leaders of conglomerates and large companies on Tuesday, continuing his efforts to highlight economic issues. The meeting, the second with business leaders in as many weeks, will be attended by top executives of conglomerates and large companies and chiefs of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and local chambers of commerce.  President Moon Jae-in at the meeting with startups and SMEs held on Jan. 7. YonhapAccording to Cheong Wa Dae, the chiefs of 22

North Korea will raise the issue of forced mobilization of Koreans during Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula should talks be held between Pyongyang and Tokyo, Japanese media reported Sunday. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho addresses the general debate of the General Assembly at the United Nations on Sept. 29 last year. UNAccording to Japanese news reports, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho informed Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar of the plans during their m

Former short track speedskating coach Cho Jae-beom may be questioned by the police over allegations of sexual assault as early as Wednesday, local media reported Sunday. According to reports, the investigators plan to question Cho at the prison in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where he is serving a 10-month sentence for habitually assaulting Olympic gold medalist Shim Suk-hee. Former short track coach Cho Jae-beom seen before his court appearance in June last year. YonhapThe assaults for which Cho i

Apartments are everywhere in Korea. The country’s first apartment block was built as housing for employees of a construction materials maker in 1956. At the time, this type of building was a sight most had only heard or read about. Apartment construction sites were unusual enough to warrant a visit by the president in the 1950s.Since then, apartments have become the most visible, preferred and coveted form of residence. The skylines of most major cities have long been dominated by apartment buil

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to China hints that the second US-North Korea summit is imminent and that Kim’s visit to Seoul is likely to follow in its wake. Speaking at a New Year’s press conference, Moon ruled out the possibility of North Korea’s denuclearization and a potential peace treaty being linked to the US military presence in South Korea, Japan and the Pacific. South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“To put it simply, Chairman K

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday named South Korean Ambassador to China Noh Young-min as his new chief of staff. He also appointed two new senior secretaries. The changes were announced by Im Jong-seok, the outgoing chief of staff. The new chief of staff, who begins his duties Wednesday, is considered one of Moon’s closest associates, having held key posts in Moon’s 2017 election campaign and also in 2012, when he lost to ousted former President Park Geun-hye. Noh Young-min, newly named chief of

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the importance of SMEs and startups in the Korean economy, continuing to place emphasis on economic issues. Moon dedicated much of his New Year’s message to economic issues, and one of his first engagements of the year was a visit to Maker Space, a shared industrial facility that provides equipment to its users.  President Moon Jae-in speaks at the meeting with businesspeople running SMEs and startups at the presidential office in Seoul on Monday. YonhapS

President Moon Jae-in may replace some of his top aides, including his chief of staff. as early as Tuesday.According to reports citing unnamed sources, Cheong Wa Dae is nearing the end of its selection process, and the new presidential aides are likely to attend Moon’s New Year press conference on Thursday.  South Korean Ambassador to China Noh Young-min (left), Ambassador to the US Cho Yoon-je (center) and former Minister of Culture and Tourism Jung Dong-chae. YonhapIt is speculated that South

South Korean Ambassador to China Noh Young-min may replace Im Jong-seok as President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff in a presidential secretariat reshuffle some time before the Lunar New Year, local media reported Friday. According to reports citing unnamed sources, Cheong Wa Dae is preparing for a reshuffle including a replacement of the chief of staff.  South Korean Ambassador to China Noh Young-min (left), Ambassador to the US Cho Yoon-je (center) and former Minister of Culture and Tourism Jung

Investigators looking into allegations against a former Cheong Wa Dae inspector secured documents and at least one computer hard drive from the suspect’s office, the prosecution revealed Friday. According to investigators of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office looking into allegations surrounding Kim Tae-woo, the suspect’s office at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office was raided on Dec. 31. Kim Tae-woo appears for questioning at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors` Office on Thurs

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday revealed that he received a “great letter” from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Trump said that he received a letter from Kim, and reiterated his belief that North Korea is seeking real changes, and once again stressed his part in North Korea-related developments. US President Donald Trump holds up the letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the White House on Wednesday. YonhapClaiming that his meeting with Kim in Singa

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday once again stressed the importance of peace on the peninsula, saying peace will lay the foundations for economic expansion for South Korea. “The peace that we have now is a tentative peace. In the new year, (I) will do my best to make the flow of peace an irreversible wave,” Moon said in his New Year’s speech at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Seoul.  President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)Saying that once peace and complete denuclearization are achieved, an era in whic

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday vowed to establish “irreversible peace” on the Korean Peninsula and to improve quality of life for the Korean people.“(I) will make peace irreversible so that peace can be of help to the lives of each and every one,” Moon said in a New Year’s message that he posted on social media, saying it was the people who had cleared the path toward peace that he had followed.  President Moon Jae-in addresses the people gathered to see the sunrise on Namsan in Seoul on Tuesd

For South Korea, 2019 is likely to be a year full of difficult tasks, involving issues ranging from diplomacy and North Korea to economic, social and political matters. The goals of achieving denuclearization in North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula also face critical events in the coming months.The most critical will be the second US-North Korea summit.  (Yonhap)US President Donald Trump has stated a number of times that he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a second time

An alleged blacklist of state-run organizations’ chiefs is stirring up the political arena, with the main opposition announcing plans to file criminal complaints against former and incumbent officials of Cheong Wa Dae and the Environment Ministry. According to the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, the Ministry of Environment compiled intelligence reports on former ministry officials and chiefs of state-run organizations under the ministry.  Rep. Kim Do-eup (center), the chief of Liberty Korea

Investigators looking into allegations surrounding a former inspector with the presidential office on Wednesday searched related Cheong Wa Dae facilities.According to the presidential office, investigators from the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office conducted the search as part of an investigation in response to a criminal complaint filed by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. (Yonhap)“Today, Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office prosecutors and investigators executed a search