President Moon Jae-in flew to Singapore on Tuesday, ahead of summit meetings with the leaders of Brunei, Laos and Russia the following day.According to Seoul’s presidential office, Moon will meet with Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of ASEAN and East Asia Summit events. Moon is in Singapore on a four-day visit to attend a series of multinational summits, and will move on to Papua New Guinea

A top Cheong Wa Dae official on Wednesday criticized the Japanese government’s response to a recent South Korean court ruling, saying that actions taken by Tokyo officials are aggravating the situation.Since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Korean plaintiffs seeking compensation from Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, which had forced them to work for the company during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Tokyo has vehemently criticized the ruling and is pressing Seoul to take action.  Japa

President Moon Jae-in will hold summit meetings with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip to Singapore and Papua New Guinea, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.Seoul is also working on arranging meetings with US Vice President Mike Pence and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the trip. President Moon Jae-in. YonhapAccording to Cheong Wa Dae, a meeting with Pence is being arranged at the request of the US, while Seoul and Beijing are discussing

The country’s five political parties on Monday agreed to cooperate on economic and political issues to aid people’s livelihoods and businesses in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in.The agreement was reached in the first meeting of the state affairs negotiation group comprising the ruling and opposition parties as well as the government.  President Moon Jae-in and floor leaders of the five political parties hold a meeting at the presidential office on Monday. From left: Justice Party’s Rep. You

President Moon Jae-in will set out on a six-day trip to Singapore and Papua New Guinea on Nov. 13, to pitch his New Southern Policy and economic policies and highlight the drive to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday .“President Moon Jae-in will visit Singapore and Papua New Guinea on a six-day schedule from Nov. 13 to Nov. 18 to attend ASEAN-related summit meetings and the APEC summit,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said. (Yonhap)During the trip, M

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates agreed to strengthen ties and arrange a visit to Seoul by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi early next year, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. 　According to Seoul’s presidential office, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak met with Im Jong-seok, President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff, in Seoul and discussed related issues. (Yonhap)At the meeting, Im and the UAE official agreed to cooperate to arrange Crown Prince Moham

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed job creation and welfare, and making peace with North Korea, promising to build an “inclusive nation” in his budget speech at the National Assembly. The government’s budget bill for next year requests 470.5 trillion won ($413.8 billion), up 9.7 percent from this year. The increase is the largest year-on-year rise seen since 2009. According to Moon, the increase reflects his administration’s drive to create jobs, support job seekers and to offer more wel

South Korea and the US have agreed to launch a working group for coordinating on North Korea-related issues, sparking criticism from conservatives that it is evidence of a rift in the allies’ stance.On Tuesday, the US Department of State revealed that Seoul had agreed to form a working group during US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegen’s trip to Seoul.According to State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino, the working group will “strengthen our close coordination o

The Pyongyang Declaration was posted on the official government gazette Monday, promulgating the declaration and bringing the agreement to effect. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party, meanwhile, immediately filed for an injunction to suspend the agreement taking effect, claiming that the government has violated the Constitution.The Pyongyang Declaration, announced during President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Pyongyang last month, calls for an end to military hostilities and improved inter-Korean

President Moon Jae-in ratified the Pyongyang Declaration and the inter-Korean military agreement for the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration on Tuesday after the Cabinet approved the two agreements earlier in the day.　　The summit agreement will be published in the government gazette for public notice soon, a Cheong Wa Dae official said, while the military agreement will be exchanged with the North before the public notification is made.　Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said the e

Cheong Wa Dae on Monday issued a warning against fraud using the names of President Moon Jae-in and his close aides. According to the presidential office, Moon ordered the presidential office to disclose a number of examples of such cases and urged the public to report related developments to the police.Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom announces the warning from the presidential office on Monday. YonhapIn fraud cases uncovered so far, the suspects claimed ties to the president, or three of

The Pope effectively accepting the invitation to North Korea conveyed by Moon Jae-in on Thursday will aid the denuclearization process, and is evidence of international society’s support for peace, ruling Democratic Party floor leader Rep. Hong Young-pyo said Friday. Floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party Rep. Hong Young-pyo speaks at the party`s supreme council meeting on Friday. YonhapAccording to Cheong Wa Dae, Pope Francis responded positively to North Korean leader Kim jong-un’s sugges

The Korean government is considering lifting the May 24 measures against North Korea, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday. Speaking at the parliamentary audit by the diplomatic and unification committee of the National Assembly, Kang also said that tours to North Korea are banned for South Koreans not by international sanctions, but by measures enforced by Seoul.  Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha speaks at the parliamentary audit in Seoul on Wednesday. YonhapIn response to D

The second US-North Korea summit will be held after the US midterm elections, with three or four locations being considered, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday.“I just can’t leave now,” Trump was quoted as saying aboard Air Force One, referring to his campaign activities that do not allow for a summit before the Nov. 6 elections. Earlier in the day at the White House, Trump also said that “three or four locations” are being considered by his staff, and once again stressed his vision of North

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would “passionately welcome” Pope Francis, should the pontiff visit Pyongyang, Seoul’s presidential office said Tuesday. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, the North Korean leader revealed such intentions to President Moon Jae-in during the inter-Korean summit in North Korea. Moon and Kim held their third summit in Pyongyang from Sept. 18 to 20.  (Yonhap)The spokesman added that Moon intends to relay the North Korean leader’s words to the Pope dur

President Moon Jae-in on Monday said the geopolitical order on the Korean Peninsula was taking on a new form, citing developments concerning North Korea. President Moon Jae-in speaks at the Cabinet meeting on Monday. Yonhap“Separately from the North-US summit, Chairman Kim Jong-un is set to visit Russia, and a visit to North Korea by President Xi Jinping is expected in the near future,” Moon said at Monday’s Cabinet meeting.“In addition, the possibility of a North Korea-Japan summit is open. A n

Pyongyang and Moscow are working to arrange an official visit to Russia for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a top Russian politician revealed Friday.  Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council,shakes hands with Seoul’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. Yonhap“(I) attended North Korea’s 70th foundation anniversary event on orders from President Putin,” Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council,

President Moon Jae-in on Friday tapped Cho Myung-rae for the post of environment minister. If appointed, Cho would replace Kim Eun-kyung. Cho is currently the chief of the Korea Environment Institute, and chairs an association of chiefs of environmental research organizations. Cho studied urban development and planning in university and graduate school, and taught related subjects at Dankook University.  Cho Myung-rae. Cheong Wa Dae“Cho is a scholar who has (worked) with environmental civic move

A South Korean who has been missing in Indonesia since last week’s earthquake has been found dead, Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. The deceased, identified by the surname Lee, was found under the debris of the hotel where he was staying in Palu, which was hit by a tsunami.  Emergency personnel approach a collapsed hotel in Palu, Indonesia. YonhapLee is the only South Korean identified to have been killed in the earthquake, which has so far claimed more than 1,420 lives. “The b

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday highlighted the role of the private sector in job creation, admitting to the shortcomings of his administration’s related policies so far. President Moon Jae-in speaks at the meeting of the job creation commission at the SK hynix plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province Thursday. YonhapSpeaking at a meeting of the job creation committee held at SK hynix’s new plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Moon said job creation is ultimately up to the priva