North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Pyongyang "at an early date," South Korean officials said on Saturday, potentially setting up the first meeting of Korean leaders in more than 10 years. Any meeting would represent a diplomatic coup for Moon, who swept to power last year on a policy of engaging more with the reclusive North. The recent detente, anchored by South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympic Games, came despite an acceleration in the North's weapons programme last year and pressure from Seoul's allies in Washington. The invitation came during talks and a lunch Moon hosted with Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of the North Korean leader, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. Kim Jong Un wanted to meet Moon "at an early date", a spokesman for the Blue House said. Moon had said "let's create conditions to make it happen", the official said, an indication that Moon was likely to accept the invitation. Kim Yo Jong arrived in South … [Read more...] about North Korea’s Kim invites S Korean president for summit: S Korea
S korean president
UN chief could win S.Korean presidency, but contest would be bruising
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is the odds-on favourite to be the next president of South Korea - if he wants the job - thanks to high name recognition, a clean reputation and what is seen to be a lacklustre field of rivals. But vying for the December 2017 election would cast Ban into a political arena far more bruising than the genteel give-and-take of global diplomacy to which he is accustomed, exposing his family, finances and career to intense scrutiny. Ban is coy about his plans. He told Reuters on Friday that he will decide on his future when he returns to South Korea in January after his U.N. tenure finishes at the end of the year. But in his clearest statement yet on his intentions, he said he was conscious of "expectations from many people in Korea that I should make myself available for a better future of Korea." With the pride Koreans take in him as "president of the world" and absence thus far of strong competition, opinion polls show Ban as the front-runner … [Read more...] about UN chief could win S.Korean presidency, but contest would be bruising
S Korean president revamps cabinet after ferry targedy
The president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. (AFP/Sebastien Bozon) SEOUL: South Korean President Park Geun-hye revamped her cabinet Friday, replacing seven ministers in response to intense criticism over her administration's handling of April's ferry disaster. It was Park's first major cabinet shake-up since taking office in February last year and came as the mother of one disaster victim filed a damages suit against the government, as well as the ferry operator. The most high-profile change will see Choi Kyoung-hwan, a ruling party lawmaker, replacing Hyun Oh-seok as finance minister in charge of the economy, the presidential Blue House said. Park named six other new ministers responsible for security, education, labour, culture, gender equality and science. Chong Jong-sup, a Seoul National University law professor, is to head the ministry of security and public administration, which will take the lead in implementing promised reforms following the Sewol disaster, which claimed nearly … [Read more...] about S Korean president revamps cabinet after ferry targedy
N.Korea reports on ‘bitch’ S.Korean president’s trial
Pyongyang's state media on Thursday published their first report on the trial of ousted South Korean President Park Geun-Hye two days earlier, calling her an "arch-traitor" and "bitch". The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, printed an inside-page report headlined "Bitch Park Geun-Hye's shameless attitude sparks anger". Conservative Park took a hard line against the nuclear-armed North during her time in office, earning her its enduring loathing and abuse. The official Korean Central News Agency regularly referred to her as the "witch of Chongwadae", the South's presidential palace known as the Blue House. Rodong Sinmun cited media reports from the South for its article, which said Park had been arrested and indicted in "a scandal of an unprecedented scale". "A pathetic-looking bitch Park Geun-Hye who has been in jail after being kicked out of the Blue House as a result of mounting public anger and people's candlelight protests against the … [Read more...] about N.Korea reports on ‘bitch’ S.Korean president’s trial
New S.Korean president talks to China, Japan leaders
South Korea's new president Moon Jae-In spoke to the leaders of China and Japan Thursday, hours after a telephone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump, officials said, as he began shaping his approach to the nuclear-armed North. Moon favors engagement with Pyongyang to bring it to the negotiating table, unlike his conservative predecessors and the US Trump administration, which backs stronger sanctions and has threatened military action. But Moon also has to navigate a complex web of regional issues. Beijing -- the North's biggest trade partner and diplomatic protector -- is infuriated over the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in the South, and Seoul is embroiled in a row with fellow US ally Tokyo over wartime history. Moon had a 40-minute conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, his spokesman Yoon Young-Chan told reporters, with the two agreeing denuclearizing Pyongyang was a "common goal" between them. China and South Korea enjoyed an increasingly warm … [Read more...] about New S.Korean president talks to China, Japan leaders
S Korean president vows to push labour reform
S Korean president vows to push labour reformSEOUL — South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Thursday vowed to push through labour reforms to ease growing youth unemployment at what she termed a "make or break" moment for Asia's fourth-largest economy.Roughly halfway through her single, five-year term, Park warned during a live TV address that the coming three to four years were critical for placing the economy on a long-term, sustainable growth path.With a rapidly ageing population posing tough productivity challenges, Park said reforms were necessary to shake up the public and financial sectors, as well as the labour market and education."In order to resolve chronic structural problems... the economy needs a massive overhaul," she said.South Korea has posted four consecutive years of economic growth below 4.0 per cent – unusually slow by its own demanding standards, and Park warned that global competition was becoming "fiercer" every day."The coming three or four years … [Read more...] about S Korean president vows to push labour reform
S.Korean president revamps cabinet after ferry tragedy
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye revampedher cabinet Friday, replacing seven ministers in response to intensecriticism over her administration's handling of April's ferry disaster. It was Park's first major cabinet shake-up sincetaking office in February last year and came as the mother of onedisaster victim filed a damages suit against the government, as well asthe ferry operator. The most high-profile change will see ChoiKyoung-Hwan, a ruling party lawmaker, replacing Hyun Oh-Seok as financeminister in charge of the economy, the presidential Blue House said. Park named six other new ministers responsible for security, education, labour, culture, gender equality and science. ChongJong-Sup, a Seoul National University law professor, is to head theministry of security and public administration, which will take the leadin implementing promised reforms following the Sewol disaster, whichclaimed nearly 300 lives, mostly schoolchildren. The tragedystunned South Korea, knocking the … [Read more...] about S.Korean president revamps cabinet after ferry tragedy
South Korean president postpones US trip amid MERS crisis
South Korean President Park Geun-hye postponed a US visit on Wednesday amid an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), as two more people died and 13 new cases were reported, lifting the total number of patients to 108. AFP I The MERS virus outbreak in South Korea has sparked mounting public concern Park had been due to leave for the United States, her country’s closest ally, on Sunday and meet President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Her office said the coming week would be a “watershed” for . The outbreak has fuelled public anxiety, with thousands in quarantine and the number of schools closing rising to 2,474, including 22 universities. Many people on the streets are wearing face masks, while attendance at movie theatres and baseball games has dwindled. First identified in humans in 2012, MERS is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered China’s deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome … [Read more...] about South Korean president postpones US trip amid MERS crisis
S.Korea president revamps cabinet after ferry targedy
SEOUL — South Korean President Park Geun-Hye revamped her cabinet on Friday, replacing seven ministers in response to intense criticism over the handling of April's ferry disaster. It was Park's first major cabinet shake-up since taking office in February last year as South Korea's first female president. The most high-profile change will see Choi Kyoung-Hwan, a ruling party lawmaker, replacing Hyun Oh-Seok as finance minister in charge of the economy, the presidential Blue House said. Park also named six other new ministers responsible for security, education, labour, culture, gender equality and science. Chong Jong-Sup, a Seoul National University law professor, was named to head the ministry of security and public administration, which will take the lead in implementing promised reforms following the Sewol disaster, which claimed nearly 300 lives, mostly schoolchildren. The tragedy stunned South Korea, knocking the entire country off its stride and unleashing a wave of public … [Read more...] about S.Korea president revamps cabinet after ferry targedy
Tearful S Korea president says responsibility ‘lies with me’
SEOUL — South Korean President Park Geun-hye took tearful responsibility on Monday for the mishandling of last month's Sewol ferry disaster, admitting many lives were unnecessarily lost and vowing to dismantle the national coastguard. "The ultimate responsibility for the poor response to this accident lies with me," Park said in a televised address to the nation, during which she openly wept and twice bowed deeply in a display of contrition. Park's popularity ratings have been hammered by the April 16 disaster that claimed around 300 lives, most of them schoolchildren. She has voiced regret several times, but Monday's address was the first time she has explicitly accepted direct responsibility for what has become a defining moment of her presidency. "As the president responsible for the lives and safety of South Koreans, I offer my sincere apology for all the suffering," she said. Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned last month over the disaster, and while there have been few … [Read more...] about Tearful S Korea president says responsibility ‘lies with me’