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Japan Today
18 minutes ago
- Japan Today
North Korea says South Korea's overtures 'great miscalculation'
By Jack Kim North Korea has no interest in any policy or proposals for reconciliation from South Korea, the powerful sister of its leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday in the first response to South Korean liberal President Lee Jae Myung's peace overtures. Kim Yo Jong, who is a senior North Korean ruling party official and is believed to speak for the country's leader, said Lee's pledge of commitment to South Korea-U.S. security alliance shows he is no different from his hostile predecessor. "If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of (its actions) with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that," Kim said in comments carried by official KCNA news agency. Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called after the removal of hardline conservative Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed attempt at martial law, has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang that had reached the worst level in years. As gestures aimed at easing tensions, Lee suspended loudspeaker broadcasts blasting anti-North propaganda across the border and banned the flying of leaflets by activists that had angered Pyongyang. Kim, the North Korean official, said those moves are merely a reversal of ill-intentioned activities by South Korea that should never have been initiated in the first place. "In other words, it's not even something worth our assessment," she said. "We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested, and we will not be sitting down with South Korea and there is nothing to discuss." South Korea's Unification Ministry said Kim Yo Jong's comments "show the wall of distrust between the South and the North is very high as a result of hostile and confrontational policy over the past few years." South Korea will continue to make efforts for reconciliation and cooperation with the North, ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam told a briefing. There has been cautious optimism in the South that the North may respond positively and may even show willingness to re-engage in dialogue, particularly after Pyongyang also shut off its loudspeakers, a move Lee said was quicker than expected. Still, Lee, whose government is in the midst of tough negotiations with Washington to avert punishing tariffs that President Donald Trump has threatened against a string of major trading partners, has said U.S. alliance is the pillar of South Korea's diplomacy. Lee said on the anniversary of the Korean War armistice on Sunday Seoul would make efforts in all areas to "strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance that was sealed in blood." North Korea also marked the anniversary which it calls victory day with events including a parade in Pyongyang, although state media reports indicated it was at a relatively lesser scale compared to some previous years. Columns of soldiers marched holding portraits of commanders including state founder Kim Il Sung with spectators and frail veterans in historic army uniforms in attendance in state media photos, which did not show major weapons as part of the parade. A formation of military jets flew over the Pyongyang Gymnasium square in the night sky trailing streaks of flares and fireworks. State media made no mention of leader Kim Jong Un's attendance. The two Koreas, the United States and China, which are the main belligerents in the 1950-53 Korean War, have not signed a peace treaty. © (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Central government workers to get a pay bump of at least 3%, sources say
Central government workers are likely to get a monthly pay hike of at least 3%, the biggest increase in 34 years, sources said Monday. The National Personnel Authority, which makes recommendations for wage changes for national public servants, has found it necessary to raise their salaries by 3% or more to bridge the wage gap with private-sector workers, who have been enjoying robust pay increases amid labor shortages, people familiar with the matter said. Bonus payments are likely to be raised as well, marking simultaneous hikes in monthly salaries and bonuses for a fourth year in a row, they added. The authority, which is expected to make this year's recommendation next month, expanded the scope of its survey to compare wages between employees at central government agencies and private companies. The upcoming proposal will reflect this move's wage-increasing effects. Last year, the authority called for raising monthly salaries by 2.76% and bonuses by 0.1 month's salary.
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
South Korea pitches Trump on shipyards for last-minute trade deal
South Korea is pitching the U.S. on a shipbuilding partnership as a key proposal to seal a last-minute agreement to avoid a 25% tariff rate. While details remain unclear, Yonhap News reported that South Korea has proposed a multibillion dollar project dubbed "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.' South Korea's Industry Ministry declined to comment. "We confirmed the U.S. side's strong interest in the shipbuilding sector and the two countries agreed to work together to develop mutually acceptable terms that include shipbuilding cooperation,' South Korea's presidential office said in a statement Saturday. As countries across Asia clinched deals last week, Seoul's negotiators have been racing to stay engaged with their U.S. counterparts as Washington shifted its focus to the European Union and China. The U.S. and EU announced a pact Sunday that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports to the U.S., including automobiles. The latest agreement which follows a Japan deal last week, adds to the pressure on Asia's fourth-largest economy to clinch a deal. South Korea, where negotiations have been slowed by internal political turmoil, is one of the biggest Asian economies to still be without a deal. Aside from China, other major exporters in the region that are in the thick of negotiations include India and Taiwan. South Korea's finance and foreign ministers are set to meet with their U.S. counterparts this week in a last-minute bid to close the negotiations and the government in Seoul has said the two countries are committed to making a deal before U.S. President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Also on table is increased access to South Korea's agricultural market, as well as a fund to invest in American projects similar to an agreement Japan struck. Under the deal, the two sides touted a $550 billion fund as part of the agreement on the tariff rate dropping to 15%. The South Korean talks are similarly focused on reaching a 15% tariff rate, including for autos, and the recent proposals suggest a comparable structure. Putting agricultural imports on the table raises the stakes for South Korea's new government. Past efforts to open the country's beef market sparked nationwide protests and any shift on rice imports could face even stiffer resistance. Barring a deal, Bloomberg Economics estimates a 1.7% hit to South Korea's gross domestic product, with market volatility and uncertainty threatening to push the GDP losses beyond that. Overseas shipments were equivalent to more than 40% of South Korea's GDP last year. "Japan's trade deal paints a positive backdrop but also sets a high bar for others,' Morgan Stanley economist Kathleen Oh said in a note last week. "Korea and Taiwan may need to ramp up new investment schemes to increase agricultural and energy imports and expand market access, as seen in Japan's case.'
