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Korea Herald
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Seoul hosts 1st remembrance ceremony for Korean War abductees, vows to address humanitarian issues
The government on Saturday held its first official memorial ceremony for those abducted by North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, reaffirming its commitment to resolving long-standing humanitarian issues stemming from the country's division. The inaugural Korean War Abductees Remembrance Day event was held at Imjingak Peace Park in the border city of Paju, north of Seoul. It marked the first official observance of Korean War Abductees Remembrance Day, which was designated by law last year to be held annually on June 28. "Resolving humanitarian issues caused by the division of the Korean Peninsula is a fundamental duty of the state and a top priority," Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung said during a speech at the event. Kim described the issue of wartime abductions as "one of the darkest legacies of division and war," stressing that any future-oriented approach to inter-Korean peace and coexistence must also include efforts to heal past wounds. "We can no longer delay the urgent task of confirming the fate of abducted loved ones and easing the pain carried by their families," Kim said. He added that the unification ministry under the new Lee Jae Myung administration will do its utmost to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and establish sustainable peace, ensuring that the tragedy of war is never repeated. "We will address the problems born out of national division and war one by one by reopening channels of communication with the North and work to resume dialogue," Kim said. "In moving from confrontation to reconciliation, we will make efforts to heal the pain of national division and suffering of families of wartime abductees." The Seoul government estimates that nearly 100,000 South Koreans have been kidnapped by the North since the war. (Yonhap)
UPI
a day ago
- Politics
- UPI
Seoul asks North Korea for advance notice of dam release
A visitor looks through binoculars across the Imjin River to North Korea in a photo from 2021. South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday asked the North to give advance notice before releasing water from a dam across the river. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo SEOUL, June 27 (UPI) -- South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday asked North Korea to give advance notice before releasing water from a dam across the border on the Imjin River, citing safety concerns for residents living in nearby areas. "We request that North Korea notify us in advance of dam discharges to prevent flood damage in the border area during the rainy season on humanitarian grounds," ministry spokeswoman Chang Yoon-jeong said at a press briefing. "Joint response to natural disasters is a humanitarian issue, and the South and North have agreed several times to cooperate to prevent flooding in the Imjin River." Chang said that the dam issue is directly related to the life and safety of residents in border areas. She noted that an unannounced discharge from the North's Hwanggang Dam in September 2009 led to damage that killed six South Korean citizens. The following month, North Korea agreed to provide prior notice before discharging water. Pyongyang sent notices on a handful of occasions in 2010 and 2013, but has not done so since. The North cut off communications with the South in April 2023, and Chang said sending a message through a press briefing was a form of "indirect communication." Recently elected President Lee Jae-myung has said he aims to improve frayed inter-Korean relations. On Wednesday, he called for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula as both countries commemorated the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. "The most certain form of security is a state where there is no need to fight -- in other words, creating peace," he wrote in a social media post. "The era of relying solely on military power to protect the country is over. What matters more than winning a war is preventing one." He has vowed to restore a military pact aimed at defusing military tensions along the border and reestablish a communications hotline with Seoul's recalcitrant neighbor. Earlier this month, Lee ordered the suspension of propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the DMZ to North Korea in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang. While requesting advance notice on Friday, the ministry did not mention the North's most recent suspected dam discharge. Seoul's Environment Ministry warned Wednesday that the water level near Pilseung Bridge on the Imjin River, just south of the inter-Korean border, had risen to 3.2 feet -- the threshold for evacuating visitors in the area. The ministry said it believed the result was due to a discharge from the Hwanggang Dam. As of Friday morning at 8 a.m., the water level at Pilseung Bridge stood at 2.5 feet, the Unification Ministry's Chang said.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Defense minister nominee says to review inter-Korean military pact from scratch
Defense Minister nominee Ahn Gyu-back said Friday he will reconsider a now-scrapped military tension reduction agreement, if appointed, as part of efforts to seek peace on the Korean Peninsula. Ahn, a five-term lawmaker, was tapped as President Lee Jae Myung's first defense minister earlier this month. He is the first civilian defense chief to be nominated in 64 years for the post that has been generally taken by retired military generals. "I believe that dialogue is the most important," Ahn told reporters as he prepares for a parliamentary confirmation hearing. "North Korea is our enemy yet our people. We need to deal with the North in a multitrack approach. The 2018 military pact should be reviewed from the starting point." During his presidential campaign, Lee had said he will revive the now-suspended inter-Korean military tension reduction pact and ensure peace in the border area. South Korea fully suspended the agreement in June last year in response to the North's repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons. Ahn, however, said he will consider various circumstances to seek the "most peaceful approach" rather than restoring the agreement immediately. When asked about how he plans to respond to growing pressure to hike defense spending and speculations over Washington seeking "strategic flexibility" of US Forces Korea, Ahn said he will handle the issues based on the national interest. "I believe we need to cope with such issues in a proactive and positive manner, rather than a passive manner. I will assess where our national interest lies and approach issues in such a proactive manner," Ahn said. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Deterrence vs. dialogue
Middle East ceasefire calls into question whether peace is possible without power In the uncertain wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran — a truce brokered in part by US President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to enter the conflict — the physical ruins offer more than a lesson in escalation. They reflect a deeper, more enduring question for another tense region: the Korean Peninsula, where policymakers in Seoul are left to assess not triumph but strategic exposure. The 12-day confrontation between Israel and Iran came to a halt not through negotiation but through a decisive show of force. Israel's initial strikes eliminated senior military leaders and targeted nuclear infrastructure. The US followed with precision attacks on three of Iran's key enrichment sites. Although Tehran maintained a defiant tone, its acceptance of the ceasefire has largely been viewed as an admission of its limits. This was not a victory for diplomacy but a stark illustration of what peace might demand when secured by overwhelming power. For South Korea, a country that has lived in the shadow of conflict for more than seven decades, the implications are difficult to ignore. Some in Seoul argue that recent events validate a 'strength before peace' approach. If military superiority can neutralize threats and bring adversaries to the negotiating table, then perhaps the path to lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula requires a similar stance. The conservative opposition People Power Party has embraced this view, emphasizing that peace must be undergirded by the capacity to deter aggression. South Korea, they argue, should invest in the kind of advanced military and intelligence infrastructure that shaped the outcome in the Middle East. Iran's case underscores the value of intelligence dominance and precision capability — tools that may prove indispensable when dealing with North Korea's opacity and intransigence. A credible deterrent can protect borders and sharpen diplomatic leverage. President Lee Jae Myung, however, has chosen a different path. Marking the 75th anniversary of the Korean War's outbreak on Wednesday, he framed security as the creation of conditions that make conflict unnecessary. His administration's approach — including the nomination of Chung Dong-young as unification minister, a longtime advocate of inter-Korean dialogue — suggests a pivot back to engagement. The objective is to reduce tensions, reopen communication channels and gradually de-escalate the decadeslong standoff through reciprocal measures. Yet North Korea shows little sign of reciprocating. On the same anniversary, Pyongyang organized mass rallies denouncing the US and invoking grievances rooted in the Korean War. Meanwhile, Washington reiterated its goal of denuclearizing North Korea — an aim increasingly complicated by the precedent set in Iran. Tehran's lack of nuclear weapons arguably made it more vulnerable. For Pyongyang, the takeaway may be that it has no reason to consider disarmament, since nuclear capability appears to offer effective protection. The geopolitical context is also shifting. North Korea continues to deepen its strategic ties with Russia, both militarily and economically, insulating itself from Western influence. The instruments once considered essential to denuclearization — dialogue, summitry, economic incentives — now appear blunted. South Korea faces a hardening reality: how to reconcile a policy of peace with an adversary that grows more entrenched and emboldened. To be sure, President Lee's preference for diplomacy is not without merit. Past moments of engagement have, at times, defused tensions and opened limited windows for progress. But recent developments underscore the limitations of outreach when met with unyielding opposition. North Korea's current posture, shaped by years of isolation and increasingly acknowledged nuclear status, leaves little room for optimism. The ceasefire in the Middle East offers no tidy template for the Korean Peninsula. But it serves as a sobering reminder: security cannot be conjured through hope alone. It must be built deliberately, with vigilance and resolve. Peace remains essential — but without the means to defend it, it risks becoming a wish, not a policy.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
South Korea's President Lee calls for lasting peace on 75th anniversary of Korean War
SEOUL, June 25 (UPI) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for establishing lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula Wednesday as the country commemorated the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. 'Creating a country that will never experience war again is the right way to respond to the sacrifices and dedication of so many people,' Lee wrote in a Facebook post. 'The most certain form of security is a state where there is no need to fight -- in other words, creating peace,' he wrote. 'The era of relying solely on military power to protect the country is over. What matters more than winning a war is preventing one.' The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, when North Korean troops invaded South Korea across the 38th parallel -- a story that UPI Seoul bureau manager Jack James was the first in the world to report. The United States and 20 other countries fought on the side of South Korea under the U.S.-led United Nations Command. The conflict ended in a ceasefire three years later and left millions dead, including more than 36,000 U.S. soldiers. Lee paid respects to fallen soldiers and veterans in his statement, saying that modern South Korea's transformation into a global economic powerhouse would have been impossible without their sacrifices. 'Today's Republic of Korea was not created on its own,' he wrote, using the official name of South Korea. 'It was made possible through the sacrifices and dedication of the soldiers who defended the battlefield, the veterans and their families, and all our citizens who endured the scars of war.' 'I pledge to firmly establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula so that the economy can be stabilized and the people can live secure and safe lives,' he added. Lee, who won a snap election on June 3 to replace impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, campaigned on improving frayed inter-Korean relations. He has vowed to restore a military pact aimed at defusing military tensions along the border and reestablish a communications hotline with Seoul's recalcitrant neighbor. Earlier this month, Lee ordered the suspension of propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the DMZ to North Korea in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
