1/30/2018

AMBASSADOR/NOMINATIONS/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP POSITION CHANGES: “The Trump administration is searching for a new candidate to be the ambassador to South Korea, after U.S. officials said Tuesday [1-30-18] that its previous pick, Victor Cha, is no longer under consideration. The Trump administration notified the South Korean government in December that Mr. Cha would be its […]

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1/17/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “Athletes from North and South Korea will march together under a single flag at the Winter Olympics next month, the South said Wednesday [1-17-18]—part of a sweeping agreement on the Games that marks Seoul’s most ardent and public embrace of its nuclear-armed rival in a decade. The accord comes after a […]

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1/10/2018

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA: “President Moon Jae-in of South Korea warned on Wednesday [1-9-18] that North Korea would face stiffer sanctions if it resumed weapons tests, while crediting President Trump with helping force the North to resume dialogue and strike a broader agreement to improve Korean ties… His comment reflected a tactful maneuver for Mr. […]

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1/9/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA: “South Korea sought unsuccessfully to raise the North’s nuclear program during bilateral talks, but the two sides reached a deal for Pyongyang to participate in next month’s Winter Olympics and agreed to hold military talks, providing a small opening to the stalemate on the peninsula. The face-to-face discussions on Tuesday [1-9-18] […]

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1/8/2018

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/POPE FRANCIS/SOUTH KOREA: “Pope Francis Monday [1-8-18] called for stronger efforts for nuclear disarmament, particularly on the Korean Peninsula, the day before representatives of South and North Korea are due to meet in Seoul for their first official bilateral talks in two years. ‘It is of paramount importance to support every effort at […]

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1/8/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “South and North Korea are scheduled to begin their first official face-to-face talks in two years on Tuesday [1-9-18], with hopes the discussions could ease tensions on the peninsula stemming from the North’s nuclear-weapons program. The talks come as the Trump administration leads a global push to isolate the North Korean […]

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1/5/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/SOUTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration and South Korean officials will meet on Friday [1-5-18] to begin formally renegotiating a free-trade pact that has served as a source of conflict between the two allies. The meeting comes at a moment of heightened tension in the Korean Peninsula and unease in the broader […]

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1/4/2018

MILITARY/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed not to hold springtime military exercises during the Olympics, the South Korean president’s office said Thursday [1-4-18], a move that could cool tensions with North Korea. The agreement came during a 30-minute phone call between the two presidents, Seoul’s presidential Blue […]

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1/4/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “With all of the failed ‘experts’ weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total ‘might’ against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!” […]

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1/2/2018

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “Sanctions and ‘other’ pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not – we will see!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Jan. 2, 2018 09:08am […]

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12/12/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS: “Researchers in Washington and South Korea have identified a number of business transactions that they say show North Korea’s international financing web is more sophisticated than what was widely known previously. A report by the researchers also concluded that Pyongyang’s illicit global financial network remains highly vulnerable to international sanctions, […]

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12/11/2017

MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “Amid fears that North Korea is rapidly developing its submarine-launched ballistic missile technology, the United States, Japan and South Korea are teaming up for a drill to track such hard-to-detect missiles, military officials said Monday [12-11-17]. The drill is taking place over two days in waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, […]

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12/11/2017

AMBASSADOR/NOMINATIONS/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration will nominate as ambassador to Seoul a prominent Korea expert who favors a tough line on Pyongyang, filling a yearlong vacancy at the front lines of President Donald Trump’s biggest foreign-policy challenge. The appointment of Victor Cha, a Georgetown University professor who served in the George W. Bush […]

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12/7/2017

NIKKI HALEY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/UN: “The American envoy to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, said on Wednesday [12-6-17] that it was an ‘open question’ whether American athletes would be able to attend the Olympics in South Korea in February given the tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Winter Games are to be held Feb. 9-25 […]

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12/4/2017

MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. and South Korean militaries began five days of simulated war drills on the peninsula Monday [12-4-17], involving bombers, fighters and thousands of troops, less than a week after North Korea tested its most advanced missile. The annual drills, known as Vigilant Ace, are aimed at developing interoperability […]

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11/28/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA: “North Korea has been conducting missile engine and fuel tests in recent weeks, with the goal of achieving nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities as early as next year, a senior South Korean official said on Tuesday [11-28-17]. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, South Korea’s lead official on North Korea, also said his […]

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11/28/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA: “North Korea test-fired a missile towards the east in the early hours of Wednesday [11-29-17] morning, South Korean authorities said, ending a more than two-month hiatus from Pyongyang and threatening to increase tensions with the U.S. and in the region. The missile, which South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said was […]

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11/7/2017

CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Getting ready to make a major speech to the National Assembly here in South Korea, then will be headed to China where I very much look forward to meeting with President Xi who is just off his great political victory.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 7, 2017 08:00pm […]

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10/25/2017

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The head of South Korea’s conservative opposition party is urging the Trump administration to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to help counter threats from North Korea and change the dynamics on the peninsula. Hong Joon-pyo, head of the Liberty Korea party, is making his pitch for weapons in […]

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10/23/2017

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has no current plans to visit the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea during his trip to Asia next month, a White House official said Monday [10-23-17]. Instead, Trump is slated to speak with U.S. troops at Camp Humphreys, which is south of Seoul, the […]

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10/16/2017

MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “The United States military said on Monday [10-16-17] that it would practice evacuating noncombatant Americans out of South Korea in the event of war and other emergencies, as the two allies began a joint naval exercise amid heightened tensions with North Korea. The evacuation drill, known as Courageous Channel, is scheduled from […]

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10/10/2017

CYBERWAR/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “Suspected North Korean hackers stole sensitive military secrets, including joint U.S.-South Korean plans detailing how to eliminate the Pyongyang leadership, during an attack on Seoul’s defense data system last year, a South Korean lawmaker said. Rhee Cheol-hee, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, said in an interview with local media published […]

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9/21/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “South Korea’s government said it would send $8 million in new humanitarian aid to North Korea, despite the nuclear standoff on the peninsula. The left-leaning administration approved the new aid tranche Thursday, after a meeting of government officials chaired by unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon. Since taking office in May, President Moon […]

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9/18/2017

DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/​MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/UN: “The U.S. has military options available for North Korea that won’t put South Korea at grave risk of counterattack, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday [9-18-17], but he refused to spell out what those are. Mr. Mattis also said in an impromptu meeting with reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. […]

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9/6/2017

MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “The United States military plans to complete the deployment of an advanced missile-defense system in South Korea on Thursday [9-7-17], days after North Korea detonated what it called a missile-delivered hydrogen bomb in an underground nuclear test, the South Korean Defense Ministry said. Despite angry protests from China, Seoul and Washington have […]

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9/5/2017

SOUTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS: “Senior U.S. Republicans and Democrats on congressional committees overseeing trade policy on Tuesday [9-5-17] said that while improvements were needed in South Korea’s compliance with a U.S.-Korean free trade deal, the United States ‘must not withdraw from the agreement.’ The chairmen and senior Democrats on the House of Representatives Ways and Means […]

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9/5/2017

JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS: “I am allowing Japan & South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September 5, 2017 07:36am […]

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9/3/2017

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September 3, 2017 06:46am […]

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8/20/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “A new cycle of escalation on the Korean Peninsula looked set to begin this week as the U.S. and South Korea kicked off annual military exercises that have a history of enraging Pyongyang. The long-planned drills follow weeks of belligerent rhetoric between the U.S. and North Korea that stoked fears of […]

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8/17/2017

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “South Korea’s leader said President Donald Trump agreed to discuss options, including a U.S. military strike, with him before taking any action to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. President Moon Jae-in’s remarks Thursday came as the latest round of warlike rhetoric over North Korea’s weapons tests appeared […]

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8/17/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/SOUTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS: “U. S. and South Korean negotiators will meet next week in Seoul to potentially amend a five-year-old trade agreement, which President Donald Trump has called ‘horrible’ and blamed for a larger American trade deficit. The agreement, known as Korus FTA—which has been in place since 2012—has been a source of tension […]

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8/15/2017

IRAN/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “During his rise to power, President Trump proved he has a finely honed sense of what threats, intimidation and bluster can accomplish. In recent days, he has received reminders — including from South Korea, Iran and Venezuela — that geopolitics operates with a different set of rules than real estate or […]

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8/14/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States’ top general and South Korea’s president both said on Monday [8-14-17] that they hoped to avoid war with North Korea over its nuclear weapons, with the American commander stressing that the Pentagon was preparing military options only as a last resort. In a meeting with President […]

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8/6/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/SOUTH KOREA/UN: “Just completed call with President Moon of South Korea. Very happy and impressed with 15-0 United Nations vote on North Korea sanctions.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 6, 2017 08:22pm […]

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7/6/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA: “Great trilateral meeting & dinner w/ President Shinzō Abe of Japan & President Moon Jae-in of South Korea @ the @usconshamburg this evening. https://t.co/fX6qC3XEog” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, July 6, 2017 04:15pm […]

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7/5/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “The top American general in South Korea said Wednesday [7-5-17] that self-restraint was all that kept the United States and South Korea from going to war with North Korea, as the South’s defense minister indicated that the North’s first intercontinental ballistic missile had the potential to reach Hawaii. The unusually […]

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7/3/2017

CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/JAPAN/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Hard to believe that South Korea… and Japan will put up with this much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!” […]

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6/28/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The newly elected South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, will arrive at the White House on Thursday [6-29-17] for his first meeting with President Trump. The meeting will center on a pressing problem that vexes both countries: North Korea. The Trump administration calls North Korea’s growing weapons capabilities its top foreign […]

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6/9/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/SOUTH KOREA: “A top South Korean national-security official sought to tamp down concerns about the government’s commitment to a controversial U.S. missile-defense system, days after Seoul raised alarms about whether it would proceed with the deployment. Chung Eui-yong, the head of South Korea’s presidential National Security Office, said the new left-leaning government under President […]

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4/26/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. military started moving parts of an anti-missile defense system to a deployment site in South Korea on Wednesday [4-26-17], triggering protests from villagers and criticism from China, amid tension over North Korea’s weapons development. The earlier-than-expected steps to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system […]

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04/18/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “The US and South Korean militaries are teaming up for a massive 11-day exercise featuring a large portion of their fighter aircraft fleet. On Monday [4-17-17], Exercise Max Thunder kicked off to ‘enhance interoperability’ between the US and South Korean forces, according to US Pacific Command. The event goes until Apr. […]

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4/12/2013

SOUTH KOREA: “I can’t believe we are not asking South Korea for anything. They make a fortune on us while we spend a fortune defending them-how stupid!”  – 4/12/2013, Donald Trump, Twitter.com, trumptwitterarchive.com, 4/12/2013 […]

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4/6/2013

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “When is South Korea going to start paying us for the massive amounts of money we are spending to protect them from the North?”  – 4/6/2013, Donald Trump, Twitter.com, trumptwitterarchive.com, 4/6/2013 […]

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4/2/2013

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “I ask again, how much is very wealthy South Korea paying the United States for protecting it against North Korea?”  – 4/2/2013, Donald Trump, Twitter.com, trumptwitterarchive.com, 4/2/2013 […]

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3/30/2013

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA: “What do we get from our economic competitor South Korea for the tremendous cost of protecting them from North Korea? – NOTHING!”  – 3/30/2013, Donald Trump, Twitter.com, trumptwitterarchive.com, 3/30/2013 […]

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