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Olympic Judo legend Ha Hyung-joo named 14th KSPO chairman
Minister Yoo In-chon handed over the letter of appointment to Ha
UNJournal Jon Lee | Ha Hyung-joo (62), a 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medalist and Korean judo legend, has been appointed as the 14th chairman of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO). Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon handed over the letter of appointment to Ha at a conference room at the Seoul Pavilion of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 18. Ha is the first former Olympian to hold the position and will serve a three-year term from Nov. 18, 2024, to Nov. 17, 2027. Appointed by the President at the recommendation of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon, Ha was selected through an open recruitment process and a review by an executive recommendation committee comprised of athletes, businessmen and lawyers. He was deemed to be the right person to lead the organization, a legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, to address a variety of issues, including promoting sports welfare and fostering the sports industry. Ha Hyung-joo, Korean judo legend Ha Hyung-joo, a native of Jinju, Gyeongnam, graduated from Busan Sport High School and Dong-A University before becoming the first Korean judo man to win a gold medal in the men's under 95 kg category at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He went on to win gold medals at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul and other international competitions, raising the profile of Korean judo worldwide. After his retirement, he continued to contribute to the development of the sport as a professor of physical education, sports administrator, and politician. He also became a symbol of inter-Korean unity at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, where he lit the flame alongside North Korean judo hero Kye Soon Hee. This year, his achievements were highlighted once again when he was named a 2024 Korean Sports Hero by the Korea Sport and Olympic Committee. Leading the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation with athletic expertise Ha served as the permanent auditor of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation for about a year and four months, contributing to the creation of a transparent organizational culture. This experience is regarded as a strength in maintaining the continuity of the foundation's work and increasing trust within and outside the organization. “I will do my best to inherit the noble spirit of the Seoul Olympics and contribute to the welfare of athletes and the development of the sports industry,” Ha said, adding that his top priority will be to stabilize the publicization of “sports toto,” which will be implemented from next year. Korea Sports Promotion Foundation was established with the surplus from the Seoul Olympics and is a key organization responsible for more than 90% of Korea's sports finances. It serves as the backbone of Korean sports by supporting various fields such as daily sports, sports industry, and sports talent development through the National Sports Promotion Fund, which is about KRW 2 trillion annually. Aiming to foster the future sports industry and normalize daily physical activity Ha plans to strengthen the welfare of athletes and foster the sports industry as the country's future growth engine through the convergence of sports and high technology. In particular, he will focus on creating a sports environment to address the declining birthrate. “Based on his expertise and external recognition in the field of physical education, he will help redefine the identity of the organization and create an environment where everyone can easily enjoy physical activities,” said an official from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. “I feel a great sense of responsibility as a sports expert, and I will do my best to meet the expectations of athletes,” said Ha. It will be interesting to see what his leadership will bring to the future of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and Korean athletics.
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Leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan hold a summit in Peru
A joint statement of Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. issued
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The leaders of the three countries – South Korea, the U.S. and Japan--, who are visiting Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, held a trilateral meeting at the Lima Convention Center on Nov. 15. President Yoon expressed his gratitude to U.S. President Joe Biden, saying, “Since last year's Camp David Summit, which was held under the leadership of President Biden, trilateral cooperation has been growing stronger day by day.” “High-level consultations between the three countries, including at the summit level, have become annualized, and experience in trilateral cooperation is being accumulated at a rapid pace, leading to tangible results,” he said. The following is the excerpts of the joint statement of – South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. –Ed. We, the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United States, convened in the spirit of Camp David to commemorate the remarkable progress our three countries have made since our Trilateral Leaders’ Summit in 2023. Japan, the ROK, and the United States stand united in our dedication to promote human rights, democracy, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. We remain determined to align our collective efforts to ensure the continued success of our peoples, the region, and the world. We remain steadfast in our support for a free and open rules-based international order. The actions that we take together will continue to bolster regional and global peace and security well into the future. During the past 15 months, we have constructed a trilateral partnership that is built to last. Today, we announce the establishment of the Trilateral Secretariat responsible for coordinating and implementing our shared commitments. This new secretariat will seek to ensure that the work we do together further aligns our objectives and actions to make the Indo-Pacific a thriving, connected, resilient, stable, and secure region. We applaud our expanding trilateral security cooperation, including the successful first two iterations of the trilateral multi-domain exercise Freedom Edge and the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework to institutionalize trilateral cooperation among our defense authorities. Our trilateral defense engagements are expanding to annual Chiefs of Defense and ministerial meetings that build upon existing senior-level policy consultations, information sharing, trilateral exercises, and defense exchanges. Japan, the ROK, and the United States are promoting trilateral interoperability by sharing data in real time about ballistic missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and by working to strengthen our ballistic missile defense capabilities. We are enhancing junior officer exchanges to further build interoperability and people-to-people ties among our defense forces. President Biden reiterates that the U.S. commitments to the defense of the ROK and Japan are ironclad and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to strengthen extended deterrence cooperation through the ROK-U.S. and Japan-U.S. alliances. These actions underscore our three countries’ shared commitment to consult on regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security. We strongly condemn violations of multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions by the DPRK and Russia, especially in light of the DPRK’s decision to deploy troops to Russia for combat against Ukraine. Japan, the ROK, and the United States strongly condemn the decisions by the leaders of the DPRK and Russia to dangerously expand Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Deepening military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including munitions and ballistic missile transfers, is particularly egregious given Russia’s status as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. We remain resolute as ever in supporting Ukraine as it exercises its inherent right to self-defense as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, consistent with UNSC resolutions. We commit to respond firmly to violations and evasions of DPRK-related UNSC resolutions as well as any attempt to undermine the global non-proliferation regime. Japan, the ROK, and the United States are committed to the work of the new Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team responsible for conducting comprehensive and effective sanctions monitoring and reporting efforts regarding UNSC sanctions on the DPRK. We express grave concern over the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation methods, including its use of arms transfers, malicious cyber activities, and the dispatch of workers abroad, to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. We are committed to expanding trilateral efforts to counter the DPRK’s malicious cyber program and illicit revenue generation, including by collaborating to build capacity across the Indo-Pacific region to better protect against illicit DPRK activities. Our three countries continue to call for adherence to shared international norms and responsible behavior in the cyber domain to protect public critical infrastructure placed at risk by disruptive or destabilizing cyber activities. Prime Minister Ishiba and President Biden acknowledge their support for President Yoon’s vision of a free, peaceful, and prosperous Korean Peninsula and reiterate their support for a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace. With a clear recognition of the inextricable link between DPRK human rights issues and international peace and security, we promote the advancement of human rights in the DPRK and call for the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war. We reaffirm the importance of maintaining peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific region. We reaffirm our unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and for the ASEAN-led regional architecture. We are committed to working closely with ASEAN to support robust implementation and mainstreaming of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We express concerns about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and we take this opportunity to announce a new Trilateral Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation Framework that will strengthen our cooperation on shared regional challenges and protect rules-based approaches to the maritime domain. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, and we recognize the importance of opposing unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea. We steadfastly oppose the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels and coercive activities in the South China Sea. We express support for the global maritime order, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, based on international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. We recognize that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. There is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and we call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. Japan, the ROK, and the United States are committed to deepening our trilateral economic partnership, including through continuing our close coordination on economic security. Japan and the United States look forward to the ROK’s hosting of APEC in 2025 and welcome the ROK’s chairmanship of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). Japan and the United States are committed to closely coordinating with the ROK to accelerate MSP projects. We recognize the MSP as a crucial institutional forum to develop a more diverse and sustainable critical minerals supply chain. We welcome the progress made by the Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE) partnership. We commend the Trilateral Economic Security Dialogue for deepening trilateral engagements on economic security issues, and we welcome regularized, active consultation among our countries to exchange early warning information on supply chain disruptions. We applaud the successful first trilateral meeting between our finance ministries and look forward to the next convening. We commit to continue cooperating to promote sustainable economic growth and financial stability, as well as orderly and well-functioning financial markets. We commend the successful launch of the first trilateral Commerce and Industry Ministerial Meeting and look forward to the next convening. We reaffirm our longstanding commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment, including through the upcoming 2024 Trilateral Women’s Economic Empowerment Conference in Washington. We applaud women leaders in STEM who are working to address barriers to entry and advancement. In addition, we are committed to enhancing cooperation within the Crisis Response Network established under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Supply Chain Agreement—with the ROK as the Chair and Japan as the Vice Chair—to ensure members maintain access to vital supplies during emergencies. We concur on the need for trilateral collaboration on technology security, standards, and trusted ecosystems, and we commit to develop a trilateral framework to further advance our next generation critical and emerging technology cooperation. We hail the successful launch of the Trilateral Technology Leaders Training Program, which has served to train and connect policymakers focusing on semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, digital economy, biotechnology, cybersecurity, energy, and space. In addition, Japan, the ROK, and the United States are working to accelerate the development of a trusted AI ecosystem across our three countries. We are strengthening commercial collaboration around AI chips in addition to enhancing protections for critical technology and strengthening engagement on AI safety. We are working to build resilient supply chains for active pharmaceutical ingredients through the “Bio-5” coalition. As founding members of the Quantum Development Group, we look forward to further strengthening cooperation on supply chains and trusted investment in our quantum ecosystems. We are proud of the launch of a new quantum workforce program by IBM, in partnership with Japanese, Korean, and U.S. universities, which aims to train 40,000 students over the next decade. We also welcome trilateral cooperation among our national research institutes, and we stress the significance of the successful launch of the Disruptive Technology Protection Network, which is essential for combatting illicit technology transfer. Japan, the ROK, and the United States also are expanding our cooperation on development and humanitarian assistance across the globe, including through a senior-level biennial policy dialogue. Together, Japan, the ROK, and the United States have expanded trilateral development assistance to the Philippines and Ukraine. We commit to further advance collaboration in critical sectors across the Philippines, including ports modernization, energy infrastructure, agribusiness, and large-scale transportation projects. We support trilateral digital infrastructure and telecommunications initiatives in Southeast Asia, including through the expansion of digital infrastructure using Open RAN approaches across the region. People-to-people ties between Japan, the ROK, and the United States are rapidly expanding, and we are discussing ways to maintain and build upon this momentum. We applaud the successful first Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit this year and look forward to the 2025 Youth Summit in Japan as the next iteration of what we hope will become an annual convening of youth delegates focused on tackling our shared security, economic, and environmental challenges. Furthermore, we support the newly launched Young Trilateral Leaders program, which aims to foster dialogue between our countries and concrete action by young people on global challenges. Our cooperation has soared to new heights in every corner of our governments, and we have created a brighter, safer, and more prosperous future for our people. We are proud of the partnership we have built and believe that the Japan-ROK-U.S. relationship will be a ballast of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for years to come.
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(Breaking News) Democratic Party leader Lee sentenced to 1 year in prison, 2 years of probation
In the court’s first trial for violating the Public Offices Election Act
UNJournal Kayla Lee | Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung has been sentenced to one year in prison and two years of probation and disqualified from holding office in the first trial for violating the Public Offices Election Act. The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 34 (Deputy Chief Judge Han Sung-jin) sentenced Lee to one year in prison and two years of probation on Dec. 15. If the ruling is confirmed by the Supreme Court, Lee will lose his seat in the National Assembly and will be barred from voting for five years, making it impossible for him to run for President. The court said the offense was serious because Lee's comments were related to a suspicion that was of public concern and “may distort public opinion by publicizing false facts to voters.” Lee was accused of falsely stating, “I did not know Kim when I was mayor,” in reference to Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Development 1 Chief Kim Moon-ki, when he was a candidate in the 2021 presidential election, and of saying that he was “pressured by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport” during a Gyeonggi-do state audit over the alleged preferential rezoning of the site of the Korea Food Research Institute in Baekhyun-dong, Gyeonggi Province. The prosecution sought two years in prison, claiming that Lee intentionally published falsehoods to distance himself from the Daejang-dong scandal, but Lee denied any wrongdoing.
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