Journalist

Jun Sung-min
  • NIS: North Koreas Constitution Affirms Two States but Reduces Hostility
    NIS: North Korea's Constitution Affirms Two States but Reduces Hostility The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported on May 7 that North Korea's constitutional amendments clarify the existence of two states but significantly reduce hostility towards South Korea. After a meeting of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, ruling party lawmaker Park Sun-won stated that the NIS provided an assessment of the new constitution. According to Park, the NIS noted that while the new constitution establishes a territorial clause stating that North Korea's territory includes areas adjacent to South Korea, it does not label South Korea as an enemy or mention the need to subdue it during wartime. The NIS also indicated that although there is a clause asserting the inviolability of territory adjacent to South Korea, there are no hostile statements directed at the South. Park added that the NIS interprets the constitutional changes as a clear indication of North Korea's separation from South Korea, emphasizing that this reflects a focus on maintaining the status quo rather than aggressive actions. Additionally, the NIS reported that references to the achievements of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in state-building and unification have been removed, consolidating Kim Jong-un's leadership authority. The revised constitution, released the previous day, includes a new clause stating that the chairman of the State Affairs Commission has command over North Korea's nuclear forces. Lee Jong-suk, the NIS director, explained that this clause serves as a clear declaration that North Korea will not abandon its nuclear arsenal.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-07 21:47:13
  • President Lee Jae-myung says price stability is top priority, urges steady supply of key goods
    President Lee Jae-myung says price stability is top priority, urges steady supply of key goods President Lee Jae-myung said May 7 that stabilizing prices must be the government’s top priority, calling for full use of available measures to secure supplies of crude oil and other key raw materials and to keep supply and demand steady for major goods. Chairing a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee warned that prolonged inflation would deepen the hit to livelihoods, weaken consumer sentiment and weigh on the economic recovery. He said price pressures were rising as global oil prices remained volatile, noting that fuel prices climbed more than 20% amid uncertainty over ceasefire negotiations and that the consumer price increase in April widened from March. Lee said active government management had kept Korea’s inflation increase relatively smaller than in other major countries, but added that was no reason for complacency. While it is unclear how long the war will last, Lee said, how the country overcomes the crisis will shape the future of the economy. He urged the public, businesses and the government to pull together, saying the crisis could ultimately strengthen the economy. Applications for the first round of “high oil price damage support payments” for vulnerable groups — including basic livelihood recipients, near-poor households and single-parent families — are open through May 8. Lee said the central and local governments’ detailed preparations helped keep confusion and inconvenience low during the first round. He called for thorough checks and publicity so the second round, set to begin May 18, proceeds without disruption. Lee also spoke about a 600 billion won citizen-participation National Growth Fund set to launch May 22, saying the world is engaged in a “war without gunfire” for leadership in future industries. He said active public investment to foster advanced industries could inject new and dynamic energy into Korean industry. Growth that does not share results with the public is not sustainable, Lee said. He said the fund could help expand productive finance and serve as a solid catalyst for developing future advanced industries and helping people build stable assets. He urged officials to step up outreach and closely review any institutional shortcomings so more people can join and share in the gains.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-07 15:48:17
  • Poll: President Lee Jae-myung approval at 67%; Democrats 46%, PPP 18%
    Poll: President Lee Jae-myung approval at 67%; Democrats 46%, PPP 18% President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rating stood at 67%, down 2 percentage points from the previous survey, according to results released May 7 by the National Barometer Survey (NBS). The poll, conducted May 4-6 among 1,001 adults ages 18 and older by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research, found 67% rated Lee’s performance positively, 2 points lower than two weeks earlier. By age, positive ratings topped 50% in every group except those in their 20s and younger. In that youngest group, 37% approved, 27% disapproved and 36% said they did not know or gave no answer. By ideology, approval was 92% among progressives and 69% among moderates, while 48% of conservatives disapproved. In party support, the Democratic Party was at 46% and the People Power Party at 18%. Compared with the prior survey, Democratic support fell 2 points while the People Power Party rose 3 points. The Cho Kuk Innovation Party stood at 3%, the New Reform Party at 2% and the Progressive Party at 1%. Asked about the character of the June 3 local elections, 54% said the ruling party should be strengthened for stability, compared with 32% who said the opposition should be strengthened to keep the government in check. From the previous poll, support for boosting the ruling party fell 4 points, while support for boosting the opposition rose 2 points. On a recently discussed plan to hold a constitutional referendum at the same time, 59% supported it and 27% opposed it. Another 14% said they did not know or gave no answer. The NBS survey was conducted through telephone interviews using mobile phone virtual numbers (100%). The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The response rate was 19.8%. More details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-07 14:27:10
  • South Korea’s KF-21 Fighter Cleared for Combat Use, Air Force Delivery Set for Second Half
    South Korea’s KF-21 Fighter Cleared for Combat Use, Air Force Delivery Set for Second Half South Korea’s domestically developed KF-21 Boramae fighter has received a final determination that it is suitable for combat use, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Wednesday. DAPA said the decision marks completion of verification of all performance requirements for the KF-21 Block-I after about three years of follow-on testing and evaluation since a “provisional combat suitability” determination in May 2023. The KF-21 program formally entered full-scale system development in December 2015. Flight testing began in May 2021, and through February this year the program conducted about five years of ground tests to verify durability and structural integrity, DAPA said. DAPA said about 1,600 test flights validated flight performance and stability across about 13,000 test conditions, including aerial refueling and weapons-release tests. The agency said it expanded test airfields from Sacheon to Seosan and, for the first time in South Korea, introduced aerial refueling into flight testing, improving efficiency and scope. It said the development flight-test schedule was completed two months earlier than planned. DAPA said the KF-21 meets the Air Force’s required operational capabilities and has secured the technology level and stability needed to carry out missions in real battlefield conditions. The program is set to complete system development in June. The first mass-produced KF-21, rolled out in March, is scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force in the second half of this year, with subsequent aircraft to be deployed in sequence, DAPA said. No Ji-man, head of DAPA’s Korea Fighter Program Division, said the combat suitability determination was achieved through close cooperation among the Defense Ministry, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Air Force, Korea Aerospace Industries and the Agency for Defense Development. He called it a symbolic achievement showing South Korea has fully secured an independent fighter-development capability. No said the agency will push ahead with mass production and fielding without disruption to further strengthen the Air Force’s operational capability. DAPA said it plans to deliver 40 initial mass-produced KF-21s focused on air-to-air capability to the Air Force by 2028. It also plans to produce an additional 80 aircraft by 2032 with air-to-ground and air-to-ship capabilities, for a total of 120 deliveries. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-07 11:14:57
  • South Koreas Cho Hyun, Jordan foreign minister discuss Middle East reconstruction cooperation
    South Korea's Cho Hyun, Jordan foreign minister discuss Middle East reconstruction cooperation South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke by phone on Tuesday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Hussein al-Safadi at Jordan’s request, exchanging views on bilateral ties and recent developments in the Middle East, the Foreign Ministry said. Cho expressed condolences over damage suffered by Jordan amid the war in the Middle East and said he hoped peace and stability in the region would be restored soon, noting the impact of regional stability on global security and economic conditions, the ministry said. Al-Safadi thanked Cho for the message and asked for South Korea’s continued support and attention toward stability and peace in the Middle East. He also said he hoped the two countries would cooperate on regional reconstruction projects, the ministry said. The ministry said the two ministers agreed to stay in close communication on related issues. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 20:36:13
  • Lee Says Nonfarmers Should Not Be Allowed to Own Farmland
    Lee Says Nonfarmers Should Not Be Allowed to Own Farmland President Lee Jae-myung said the government should strengthen enforcement so that people who do not farm cannot own farmland. Lee made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting he chaired at Cheong Wa Dae on May 6 after receiving a report from Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Song Mi-ryeong on a plan for a full survey of farmland. He said the Constitution and the Farmland Act clearly intend that those who do not actually farm should not hold farmland. Lee instructed officials to build a system that uses artificial intelligence to analyze satellite images to identify land that is not being farmed, and to expand and make better use of rewards for reporting violations. He said it is “almost impossible” for public officials to find idle farmland one by one. Lee added that when he was mayor of Seongnam, he checked the issue and found that, legally and institutionally, it was difficult to issue actual sale orders and that people could be exempted if they merely appeared to comply, while there were not enough investigators. “So I actually gave up,” he said, adding that this likely encouraged speculation. He also criticized the rule that when a duty to dispose of farmland arises because it is not cultivated, the obligation disappears if the owner corrects the problem within three years. “If you do nothing for two years and farm in the third year, you’re exempt, aren’t you?” he said, calling it a system that is “there in name only.” In a closed session, the Cabinet also deliberated and approved 38 bills for promulgation, 12 presidential decrees and one general agenda item, in addition to discussions and ministry reports. A total of 26 items were laws tied to state policy tasks, including promulgation of partial amendments to the Act on Special Cases Concerning Confiscation and Recovery of Corrupt Property, the Special Act on Support for Victims of Jeonse Fraud and Housing Stability, and the Act on Management of Real Estate Development Projects. Lee also ordered a review of strong steps targeting hoarding of medical products such as syringes, including immediately confiscating the stockpiled goods. He called for effective measures to encourage private reporting, including sharply raising whistleblower rewards to 30% of recovered funds, and asked officials to consider introducing an administrative fine system. Separately, Lee praised Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is serving as the governmentwide control tower, saying the number of deaths by suicide has declined for five straight months since the new government took office, senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said in a written briefing. Lee also noted that the suicide prevention hotline 109 receives about 350,000 counseling calls a year but has only about 100 counselors. “Given the nation’s fiscal capacity and the Republic of Korea’s historic standing, it doesn’t make sense that calls go unanswered because there isn’t enough money or staff,” he said. He instructed officials to find ways to raise the response rate, whether by securing private support or through a supplementary budget. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 17:48:24
  • South Korea says it is unclear whether ship fire in Strait of Hormuz was an attack
    South Korea says it is unclear whether ship fire in Strait of Hormuz was an attack Wi Sung-lac, head of the Cheong Wa Dae National Security Office, said Tuesday that it was not clear a South Korean ship fire in the Strait of Hormuz was caused by an attack. Wi also said there was no longer a need to review participation in “Project Freedom,” a U.S. Trump administration effort to help commercial ships leave the Strait of Hormuz that was halted after two days. Speaking at a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae’s Chunchugwan press center, Wi described the situation involving a fire that broke out May 4 on the South Korean-flagged Namu, which had been anchored in the strait. “We had been reviewing the ‘maritime freedom initiative,’ and we were also going to review Project Freedom,” he said. The HMM Namu, which suffered an explosion and fire in the Strait of Hormuz, was reported to be awaiting towing. Cheong Wa Dae said the tow was expected to be completed between early morning and morning May 7, Korea time, but stressed the situation remained fluid. Wi said the possibility of an attack was raised early on and officials considered holding a working-level National Security Council meeting, but added that further review of information suggested an attack was “not that certain.” He said there was no flooding and the ship was not listing. He added that U.S. comments about participation appeared to assume the ship had been attacked, but said that point required further confirmation. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 16:29:02
  • North Korea Revises Constitution to Define Territory, Drop Unification Clause
    North Korea Revises Constitution to Define Territory, Drop Unification Clause North Korea has revised its constitution to reflect the “two states” line advanced by State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, adding a new territorial clause that defines only the North as its territory and deleting provisions on national reunification. The revision also defines the commission chairman as “head of state” and, for the first time, specifies authority over the use of nuclear weapons. According to the text of the revised constitution disclosed at a briefing for reporters covering the Unification Ministry on Tuesday, the territorial clause was added as Kim declared in late 2023 that inter-Korean relations had become those of “two hostile states,” and as he signaled in January 2024. Article 2, newly added alongside Article 1 on the country’s name, states that the territory includes land bordering China and the Russian Federation to the north and South Korea to the south, as well as territorial waters and airspace set on that basis. Terms and concepts tied to ethnic kinship and reunification, including “the northern half,” “national reunification” and “the complete victory of socialism,” were removed from the preamble and main text of the previous constitution revised in September 2023. While the “two states” approach is broadly reflected, the revised text does not declare South Korea a “hostile state,” contrary to Kim’s earlier remarks. At the Supreme People’s Assembly in January 2024, Kim said it would be right to write into the relevant article that education and indoctrination should be strengthened so South Korea is regarded “thoroughly as the No. 1 hostile state” and an “unchanging principal enemy.” The revision is also seen as strengthening the commission chairman’s authority and status. In the ordering of state institutions, the commission chairman appears first and is defined as “head of state.” It is the first time the chairman has been placed ahead of the Supreme People’s Assembly in the constitution. The constitution also, for the first time, spells out the chairman’s exclusive command authority over nuclear forces and adds a clause providing a basis for delegation. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said the changes make clear a separation line by stating that the southern half of the Korean Peninsula is South Korean territory and the northern half is the territory of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He said there is no international legislative precedent for defining another country as a hostile state, and that North Korea appeared to have considered the possibility of international isolation if it codified South Korea as such. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 15:19:19
  • South Korea to Expand Compensation to Independence Activists’ Descendants
    South Korea to Expand Compensation to Independence Activists’ Descendants “This revision reflects a strong commitment for the state to take responsibility to the end for the descendants of independence patriots who, because of the system’s limits over the past 53 years, have been left outside the scope of proper recognition,” said Kwon O-eul, minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Kwon made the remarks as he explained the significance of a revision to the Act on the Honorable Treatment of Independence Patriots, approved Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting, that expands compensation eligibility for descendants of independence patriots. The revision is expected to be promulgated in May and take effect Jan. 1, 2027. About 2,300 additional descendants are expected to newly receive compensation payments. Under the system in place since 1973, compensation has been paid to a patriot’s spouse and children. If the patriot died before Korea’s liberation, compensation could also be paid to one grandchild. As a result, grandchildren of patriots who died after liberation were excluded, creating unequal eligibility based on the date of death. Under the revised law, that difference will be eliminated, and grandchildren will be eligible for compensation regardless of when the patriot died. Separately, when a patriot’s child dies without receiving compensation, payments have been made to one closest direct descendant. But for patriots recognized in recent years, compensation has often ended with a single generation of survivors, prompting criticism that the state was not meeting its responsibility. The revision also expands the definition of eligible survivors so that even when the first recipient is a direct descendant at the grandchild level or below, one child of that recipient will also be included, ensuring at least two generations can receive compensation. “The government will continue to do its utmost so that the descendants of independence patriots who sacrificed and devoted themselves for the nation’s independence can live with pride and honor,” Kwon said. The ministry also said it is cooperating on efforts to re-enact a Justice Ministry law, the Special Act on the State Vesting of Property of Pro-Japanese Collaborators, to expand honor and support programs for independence patriots and their descendants through active recovery and sale of pro-Japanese assets. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 11:28:21
  • South Korea reviewing U.S. call to join Hormuz operation, citing legal steps and readiness
    South Korea reviewing U.S. call to join Hormuz operation, citing legal steps and readiness South Korea’s government said May 5 it is reviewing U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Seoul to take part in a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz following an explosion and fire involving a South Korean vessel, citing readiness on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures. The government also said it will move quickly — and accurately — to determine the cause of the incident and disclose findings transparently to the public. The presidential office said the government’s position is that the safety of international sea lanes and freedom of navigation serve the common interests of all countries and must be protected under international law. It said South Korea is actively participating in international efforts to stabilize, restore and normalize global maritime logistics networks as soon as possible. “In that context, we are also paying attention to President Trump’s remarks,” it added. On the U.S. military’s launch of “Project Freedom,” aimed at helping merchant ships leave the Strait of Hormuz, the presidential office said South Korea and the United States have remained in close communication on the stable use of major sea lanes, including the strait. The presidential office held a meeting chaired by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik to discuss response measures related to the South Korean ship incident that occurred in Hormuz the previous day. Attendees included the head of the crisis management center, the secretary for oceans and fisheries, the secretary for foreign policy, and the head of the national situation room. For the investigation, the government plans to move the vessel to a nearby port using a tugboat contracted by the ship’s operator, berth it, and then immediately dispatch personnel from the Dubai branch of the Korean Register to conduct a safety inspection. To ensure a more objective and reliable determination of the cause, it also plans to send investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and forensic experts from the National Fire Agency, separate from the operator’s own inquiry. The presidential office said the analysis is expected to take several days, given the time needed to deploy the tugboat, berth the ship, dispatch investigators from South Korea and conduct analysis. Diplomatic efforts are also underway. South Korea is sharing relevant information and maintaining close communication with the United States, Iran and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, it said. Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social on May 4 that Iran had fired several times toward “unrelated countries,” including a South Korean cargo ship, over ship movements linked to “Project Freedom,” adding that it seemed time for South Korea to join the operation. Yoo Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said that at this stage, with the cause of the explosion and the party responsible not clearly identified, confirming the facts should come first. He said that rather than immediately joining combat operations, it would be preferable to maintain a balance between alliance cooperation and preventing escalation through limited, noncombat contributions such as information sharing, maritime surveillance and dispatching liaison officers.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-05 16:30:16