Sangwon Yoon south korean journalist reporting on asia and the middle eastskype:sangwon.yoon1
sangwon.yoon1@gmail.com
China-South Korea Summit to Focus on Free Trade Accord, North’s Success
By Shinhye Kang and Sangwon Yoon - Jan 5, 2012 South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao will consider a free-trade agreement at a summit next week that will also include discussion of North Korea’s leadership succession. “Both sides basically share the view that a free trade agreement between South Korea and China is needed,” South Korean [...]
South Korea to Focus Defense Strategy on Possible Border Island Conflict
By Sangwon Yoon - Jan 4, 2012 South Korea’s military will focus this year on defending against possible North Korean attacks on border islands while preparing to take over wartime control of its forces from the U.S. in 2015. “The possibility of a North Korean provocation still remains as Kim Jong Un is in the process of building [...]
South Korea’s Lee Says ‘New Era’ Is Possible After North Calls Him Traitor
By Sangwon Yoon - Jan 2, 2012 South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said a new era in inter-Korean relations is possible if the North is sincere about shedding its nuclear program, after Pyongyang accused him of “madcap saber-rattling.” “If North Korea comes forward with a sincere attitude, it will be possible for us to work together to open [...]
N. Korea Says South’s President Blocks Better Ties
By Sangwon Yoon - Dec 31, 2011 North Korea warned that there would be no change in inter-Korean relations as long as Lee Myung Bak is South Korea’s president, accusing him of “unethical rowdyism” for his policies after the death of Kim Jong Il. Lee’s “madcap saber-rattling” along the demilitarized zone between the two countries and his decision to limit [...]
N. Korea Vows ‘Human Shields’ for Jong Un
By Sangwon Yoon - Dec 31, 2011 North Korea said it will begin an era of prosperity in 2012 by resolving food and power shortages, and called on the people to become “human shields” to protect new leader Kim Jong Un “unto death.” “The whole party, the entire army and all the people should possess a firm conviction [...]
Kim Jong Un Weeps by Father’s Hearse in Funeral Meant to Boost His Image
Bloomberg News | December 28, 2011 Kim Jong Un, successor to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, walked weeping alongside a hearse carrying the body of his father through the snow-covered streets of Pyongyang ahead of a national memorial service tomorrow that ends two days of mourning meant to bolster the new leader. A black limousine [...]