The judiciary is divided over whether the prosecution should investigate it after Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su expressed the firm determination to investigate his predecessor‘s alleged abuse of power and consorting with the government on sensitive cases.While those supporting Kim’s drive believe it is important to conduct a thorough prosecutorial investigation of the alleged irregularities committed by those working under former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, opponents s

When US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sit down in Singapore next week it will be among the most improbable diplomatic summits in history, with principals who could not be more different -- but who also share some surprising similarities.Trump was the oldest US president ever to take office when he was sworn in last year, and will turn 72 two days after the meeting.The North Korean leader is still in his mid-thirties and remains among the youngest heads of government

WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un probably wants to test the United States' commitment to any nuclear deal when he meets with US President Donald Trump next week, a former US envoy said Tuesday.Trump and Kim are set for a historic summit in Singapore next Tuesday, a meeting that will focus on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for security guarantees for the regime."I believe he wants the summit to see the seriousness on the US side," Joseph Yun, former US

Differences over the denuclearization process and timeline, North Korea's human rights and China remain major challenges ahead of US-NK summit

The Supreme Court on Tuesday unveiled 98 documents related to allegations that its former chief justice used trials as leverage to gain presidential approval for organizational changes.An internal probe by the National Court Administration under the top court has found the NCA wrote about 410 documents in March 2015 on how to take advantage of high-profile cases so as to persuade senior presidential aides to support then-Chief Yang Sung-tae's plan to establish a court of appeals. The agency's of

WASHINGTON -- A senior White House official acknowledged Sunday that it will take time to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program even if the United States would like to see immediate denuclearization.Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, made the remark on Fox News as the two countries prepare for a high-stakes nuclear summit in Singapore June 12."I think at the end of that process, that's the goal, unilateral denuclearization, disarming them and so forth," Kudlow sai

The Supreme Court is embroiled in a swirling controversy after an investigation panel revealed that the judiciary under former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae had used politically sensitive trials to make a deal with the presidential office in return for support for establishing a new appellate court. The ever-widening scandal has sparked unprecedented calls from judges to conduct prosecutorial probes into the judicial bodies. Judges in Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province hel

North Korea on Sunday slammed South Korea's participation in joint multinational exercises, saying it ran counter to an inter-Korean declaration reached at a summit earlier in the year.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, took shots at South Korea's plans to take part in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise and the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises.The RIMPAC is scheduled to run from June 27 to Aug. 2 and will involve 20 countries, while the UFG, bringing to

SINGAPORE -- South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo voiced optimism Saturday that the upcoming North Korea-US summit will be fruitful, saying Pyongyang, with its young leader, is apparently different now from how it was in the past.He was responding to a skeptical view publicly presented by Japan's defense chief, Itsunori Onodera, as they attended a plenary session at the Shangri-La Dialogue on "De-escalating the North Korea Crisis." It was joined by Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Singh

Key economic offices defend macroeconomic indicators, advocate ‘J-nomics’

Choi Ra-eun -- not her real name -- a 29-year-old living in Seoul, remembers clearly the day last year at a local supermarket when she saw a man secretly taking photos of another woman from behind.Choi immediately informed the supermarket's security guards, and when the staff inspected the man's smartphone, they found photos of numerous women taken at various locations, from markets to bus stops."I was afraid to go shopping for quite a while after that incident," Choi told Yonhap News Agency. Sh

Experts cautiously raised the possibility Thursday that South Korea, North Korea and the US could declare an end to the Korean War in Singapore following a Pyongyang-Washington summit later this month, amid preparations in full swing for the historic summit.If the summit -- which US President Donald Trump earlier canceled only to say a day later that it could still take place -- is held as planned in Singapore, the possibility of a three-way summit involving the Koreas and the US there would be

A renowned South Korean activist for North Korean human rights said Thursday that the North's regime will never give up its nuclear weapons under any circumstances.Activist Kim Young-hwan insisted that, while Pyongyang is expected to faithfully implement denuclearization measures as demanded by the United States, it may seek to conceal half of its nuclear weapons."In bilateral talks, North Korea will yield to the US in many areas. It may accommodate 80 to 90 percent of the US demands for closure

With Kim Yong-chol set to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, expectations are rising that the conclusion of the talks on arranging a US-North Korea summit is in sight. The role Kim is playing in inter-Korean and Pyongyang-Washington talks in recent months is in stark contrast to the role he has played in the past. Kim, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party, has been central to the inter-Korean developments of recent months. Pyongyang was rep

WASHINGTON -- The United States is "very engaged" in efforts to end North Korea's human rights abuses as the two sides prepare for a potential meeting between their leaders next month, a senior US official said Tuesday.Sam Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, told reporters the issue is being discussed at the highest levels ahead of the summit expected for June 12 in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. North Korean leade