Articles by Ji Da-gyum
Ji Da-gyum
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com-
[일문일답] 김영호 장관, “김주애 외 다른 후계자 등장 시, 내부 혼란 초래할 것”
[코리아헤럴드=지다겸기자] 김영호 통일부 장관은 23일 본지와의 인터뷰에서 김정은 국무위원장의 딸인 김주애 외에 다른 후계자가 나타날 경우 북한 내부에 "오히려 혼란을 불러올 수도 있다"고 전망했다. 김 장관이 "김주애가 후계자가 될 가능성을 배제할 수 없다"는 기존 입장을 유지하면서도, 다른 후계자가 나타날 가능성을 낮게 평가한 것이다. 이어 김 장관은 “북한 정권이 내부적으로 상당히 불안정해지니까 후계 구도를 가시화하고 있다”며 김주애 조기 등판의 배경을 설명했다. 김 장관은 김씨 일가가 경제 성장을 위한 개혁과 개방이 불가능한 내재적 모순에 빠져 있다고 지적했다. 그는 이러한 상황을 "세습적 독재 권력 딜레마"라고 표현하며, 경제 침체와 군사력 증강을 위한 자원 조달의 악순환에 빠져 체제를 장기적으로 유지할 수 없을 것으로 전망했다. 북한 내 백두혈통 이외에 새로운 권력이 부상할 가능성에 대한 질문에 대
한국어판 Feb. 28, 2024
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Seoul doesn't oppose NK engaging with US, Japan: unification minister
The Yoon Suk Yeol government "does not oppose North Korea engaging with the United States and Japan," the South Korean unification minister said, concurrently acknowledging that obstacles remain for North Korea to overcome to improve relations with the two countries. "The resolution of issues pertaining to Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea appears to be a prerequisite for the advancement of relations between Japan and North Korea," Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho sa
North Korea Feb. 28, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Rival heir to Kim Ju-ae unlikely to appear: unification minister
Another heir emerging for North Korea besides Kim Jong-un's publicly promoted preteen daughter Ju-ae is unlikely because it would spark confusion within the isolated totalitarian society, according to South Korea's unification minister. During an exclusive 90-minute interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 23, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho underscored the "considerable internal instability" brewing within North Korea, a situation catalyzing the early debut of Ju-ae as candi
North Korea Feb. 28, 2024
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S. Korean, Japanese FMs agree on NK, differ on historical issues
The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan agreed to strengthen cooperation on North Korean issues, while expressing lingering differences in historical matters, including compensation for forced labor victims during Japan’s colonial rule of the peninsula and South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, met for the first time Wednesday for a 30-minute meeting, starting at 11:10 a.m. local time, on the
Foreign Affairs Feb. 22, 2024
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S. Korea to designate July 14 as day for N. Korean defectors
The Yoon Suk Yeol government will officially designate July 14 as a day to commemorate North Korean defectors, symbolically coinciding with the day when the law ensuring support for their resettlement in South Korean society took effect in 1997. South Korean Unification Minister Kim Young-ho announced the official designation on Wednesday while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Special Committee for Accompanying Residents with Backgrounds from North Korea established under the auspices
North Korea Feb. 21, 2024
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Putin's car gift to Kim showcases 'special' bond, defying UN sanctions
Russian President Vladimir Putin presented North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a gift of a Russia-produced car exclusively "for his personal use," North Korean state media reported Tuesday. The South Korean government decried the gift as a breach of UN Security Council resolutions. The Rodong Sinmun, which primarily targets internal audiences as North Korea's most widely circulated newspaper, featured the news on its front page without disclosing specifics about the vehicle gifte
North Korea Feb. 20, 2024
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Decade after UN report, NK human rights 'worst in world': Turner
The human rights situation in North Korea has remained the worst in the world, even 10 years after the UN released its first report unveiling systematic human rights abuses and violations by the North Korean regime, the US special envoy for North Korean human rights said Monday. One defector, however, asserted that North Korean people have started to adopt the notion of "human rights violations," attributing this shift to the international community's concerted efforts to shed lig
North Korea Feb. 19, 2024
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Trump's NATO barbs spark concerns of return to 'transactional' alliance
Former US President Donald Trump's outspoken criticism of NATO and its collective defense resonates deeply with implications for South Korea's security, a cornerstone being the US commitment to defense, especially amid escalating North Korean threats. After Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, intensified his rhetoric on Saturday, the possibility of his return to power raised concerns about the revival of his transactional approach to the Sou
Foreign Affairs Feb. 15, 2024
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Seoul side-eyes N. Korea while forging ties with Cuba
The surprise establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba marks the culmination of Seoul's diplomatic endeavors with socialist countries that have historically maintained friendly ties with North Korea, according to the presidential office on Thursday. South Korea and Cuba on Wednesday evening officially announced that they had forged diplomatic relations, fulfilling Seoul's decadeslong aspiration to engage with the socialist country. Seoul believes the move deliv
Foreign Affairs Feb. 15, 2024
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Yoon delays trips to Germany, Denmark
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has postponed his scheduled overseas trip to Germany and Denmark, according to Yoon's office on Wednesday. The presidential office had initially prepared for a week-long trip to the two European countries beginning on Sunday. Detailed schedules were being coordinated with each country. However, after careful consideration, the presidential office has reportedly decided to postpone the trip. Yoon's office, however, did not provide further details or
Foreign Affairs Feb. 14, 2024
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S. Korea open to Japan joining nuclear consultative group: ex-security advisor
South Korea is "open-minded" about expanding the existing bilateral nuclear consultative group with the United States to a trilateral framework including Japan, a former South Korean national security advisor said Monday. Kim Sung-han, President Yoon Suk Yeol's former top national security advisor from 2022 to 2023, acknowledged that during his tenure, he had the opportunity to discuss the idea of the expansion of the framework with his Japanese counterpart. The Nuclear Consultati
Foreign Affairs Feb. 13, 2024
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China invites S. Korean top diplomat, calls for ‘positive, objective’ policy
South Korea's newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul received an invitation to visit China from his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during their first phone call Tuesday, according to Seoul. Beijing concurrently revealed that Wang expressed expectations for South Korea to adopt a "positive, objective and friendly policy" toward China. Cho and Wang engaged in a 50-minute phone conversation, discussing matters of mutual interest, including high-level exchanges, supply chain coop
Foreign Affairs Feb. 7, 2024
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Criticism of hereditary succession grows in N. Korea: report
Discontent among North Koreans toward the hereditary succession of the country's leadership has grown over time, coupled with a pervasive negative public assessment of the performance of leader Kim Jong-un, according to a report from the Unification Ministry in Seoul. South Korea's Unification Ministry unveiled a 280-page report comprehensively detailing the reality of economic and social conditions in North Korea. This first-ever report of its kind is based on in-depth interviews with
North Korea Feb. 6, 2024
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Over 60% of S. Koreans lack trust in US nuclear umbrella: survey
Over 60 percent of South Koreans are skeptical that Washington would use its nuclear weapons in the event of a Korean Peninsula contingency, according to a survey conducted by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies on Monday. The research institute in Seoul, named after SK Group founder Chey Jong-hyun, released the findings of an in-person interview survey conducted on 1,043 Koreans from Dec. 15 last year to Jan. 10 this year, in collaboration with Gallup Korea. According to the survey results,
North Korea Feb. 5, 2024
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S. Korea, EU, others condemn Myanmar atrocities
Eight countries including South Korea, together with the European Union, joined forces on Thursday to denounce the atrocities and human rights violations committed by Myanmar's junta in a joint statement on Thursday. A joint statement was issued on the same day Myanmar's military seized power in a dawn coup on Feb. 1, 2021, and overthrew the democratically elected government. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the military regime’s ongoing atrocities and human right
Foreign Affairs Feb. 1, 2024
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