13.07.2019

KBS News

By Ee Minyeong

Japan reportedly expressed a negative opinion regarding the Korean government’s suggestion that an international organisation verify Japan’s proposed export control measures. Japanese media has responded by raising serious doubts about the export regulation.

When Japan stated that “the ultimate destination for Japan’s exported chemicals may be North Korea,” the Korean government suggested, with regret, that exports should be verified by an internationally-recognised organisation.

Gim Yugeun, NSC Secretary General said: “I propose to the UN Security Council panel, or appropriate international organisations, that they undertake a fair investigation of [any] violations of the four major export control systems in Korea and Japan.”

However, the Japanese government immediately responded negatively. A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said in an interview with the Sankei Shimbun newspaper that “I have never heard of international organisations judging the feasibility of a country’s trade administration.”

Meanwhile, the Japanese government began to roll back previous statements, saying that “inappropriate management” is not a matter of exporting goods to North Korea but a matter between [South] Korea and Japan. The Japanese media has continued publishing daily reports expressing anxiety around the export regulations.

Nihon Keizai, a leading economic magazine, pointed out that Japan’s [economic] presence could suffer because the export regulations are causing confusion in the semiconductor supply chain. The Sankei Shimbun, a right-wing newspaper, was concerned that Japanese companies’ stock prices are also showing signs of weakening due to “production disruptions as a result of export regulation.”

The Japanese media has also reported that China, Russia and other countries can benefit from this export regulation.

06.07.2019

KBS News

Yu Gwangseok

Another body has been found in the Danube river in Hungary during the search for passengers [who disappeared during the capsizing of the Hableány cruise ship in May 2019]. The joint [Korea-Hungary] rapid response team reported that a body had been recovered from the Merced area, about 66km from the crash site. The body has been identified as that of a Korean woman in her 60s. Hungarian police confirmed identity through records provided by the Korean side of the joint response team. The joint operation released a statement saying that is has searched throughout the Danube via land, air and water searches in adverse conditions including heatwaves and mosquitos. They will continue the search until the final missing person is found, they said. With today’s discovery, of the 33 passengers [who were on the Hableány] 25 bodies have been recovered, with one person still missing and seven having survived.

Analysis: As the Korean news cycle moves on from last week’s historic meeting between Donald Trump and Gim Jeongeun reports emerge of the continued search for missing people related to the Hableány boat accident. Koreans generally expect a high level of support from their government if they need assistance while travelling, and so it would be unthinkable for the joint task force to leave Hungary until all missing people are accounted for.

01.07.2019

KBS News

By Gim Minjeong

Chairman Gim’s invitation appears to be proposal in response to President Trump invitation to the White House. If talks were to be concluded in Pyeongyang and the White House, they are likely to be recorded as a singular instance case in the history of world diplomacy.

The entire world’s attention has been focused on Panmunjeom this weekend. When North Korea, the US and South Korea met in front of the “house of liberty” venue on the DMZ as a precursor to full-fledged summit talks, there was strident competition amongst the media who were competing to record the historical “surprise meeting” with cameras. And at the very moment when the three countries’ heads of state, their various security personnel, and world media were tangled together, Chairperson Gim made a surprise offer: President Trump was invited to Pyeongyang. Gim said: “When President Trump comes to Pyeongyang, it will be a huge event within world diplomacy.” As soon as Gim finished speaking, a North Korean translator relayed the invitation to Trump. Although Trump did not respond, he could be seen nodding. He then caused his own surprise by saying: “I’m inviting Chairman Gim to the White House right now.”

North Korea and South Korea’s heads of state [Gim and Mun Jaein] have both been offering significant concessions in theory; negotiations for denuclearisation are expected to resume in the future, but it is unclear whether the proposals of the two leaders will actually come to fruition. But as Gim says, if talks happen at the White House and in Pyeongyang, they will be a truly significant event in world politics.