Interior minister nominee a seasoned legal, administrative expert

Lee Sang-min, who was tapped to serve as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s first minister of interior and safety, is a certified lawyer with years of experience serving in local courts and in state-run agencies. The current head of local law firm Kim Chang Lee was chosen to serve due to his ample experience in administrative works despite serving most of his career in the judiciary branch, Yoon said in announcing his pick. Lee joined the legal sector by graduating the Judicial Research

PoliticsApril 13, 2022

N. Korea seeks counterspace, electronic warfare capabilities against enemies: DIA

North Korea will continue focusing on enhancing and operating nonkinetic counterspace and electronic warfare capabilities to attack and disrupt the US and other adversaries’ space systems, the US military said, defining the country as an emerging challenge to the US’ space posture. The US Defense Intelligence Agency on Tuesday released a special report called “2022 Challenges to Security in Space” to address the threats to the US’ space capabilities. The report

DefenseApril 13, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Japan’s Indo-Pacific, Vision, Region, or Strategy?

As the recent US-China competition intensifies, the strategic significance of the Indo-Pacific region is also rising. In this situation, major countries are presenting new Indo-Pacific Strategies with the purpose of strengthening their respective political, economic, and military influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The US Biden administration has set its Indo-Pacific vision as its main diplomatic policy in order to maintain the US’ influence within Asia and to check China’s growin

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2022

Yoon picks Park Jin as foreign minister in second round of Cabinet choices

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol tapped eight new minister nominees for his Cabinet and a chief of staff on Wednesday, following his first eight nominations Sunday. For foreign minister, Yoon named four-term Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party, who led his policy consultation delegation to Washington. Park is a diplomacy expert who started his career by passing the state’s foreign service exam in 1977. He served as the press secretary for foreign media at the presidential office for

PoliticsApril 13, 2022

Presidential transition team opposes Democratic Party’s prosecution reform push

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition team on Wednesday criticized the Democratic Party of Korea’s plan to deprive the prosecution of its investigative power, calling on the liberal party to stop “destroying the Constitution.” Rep. Yoo Sang-beom, a senior member of the presidential transition committee, told reporters Wednesday that the committee is clearly against the plan to strip the prosecution of its powers, saying the move is directly against the Constitution

PoliticsApril 13, 2022

Drones, cyberattacks suggested as deterrence against NK nukes at Seoul forum

A South Korean government researcher on Wednesday floated the idea of using drones, cyberattacks and high-power microwave (HPM) weapons to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Speaking at a security forum, Cho Nam-hoon of the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses stressed the need to devise various contingency measures, including building "left-of-launch" capabilities to defeat a North Korean attack even before its launch. His proposal followed a recent report by

North KoreaApril 13, 2022

Incoming government to consider expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine: spokesperson

The incoming government of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is considering expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine, his spokesperson said Wednesday, after the country's president asked for weapons support. In a virtual address to South Korean lawmakers on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for military equipment support to help the country fight off Russia's invasion, though Seoul has already turned down a request for weapons. "We know that the current government has also exp

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2022

No details confirmed for Yoon-Biden summit: spokesperson

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's team has not received confirmation of details for a possible summit with US President Joe Biden, his spokesperson said Wednesday. A summit could take place in late May shortly after Yoon takes office if Biden stops in South Korea before or after a trip to Japan to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting around May 24. "On the timing and schedule, I believe the relevant departments are holding consultations," Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2022

Prosecutor general denounces prosecution reform bill as 'direct violation of Constitution'

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo pledged Wednesday to do everything he can to derail the ruling Democratic Party's push for a bill depriving the prosecution of its investigative power, denouncing the move as a "direct violation of the Constitution" that would be welcomed only by criminals. The DP has been pushing for what it calls a "complete deprivation of the prosecutorial investigative right" as part of efforts to reform the powerful law enforcement agency long accused of abu

Social AffairsApril 13, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 200,000; govt. to ease virus curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 200,000 on Wednesday, continuing the downward trend after last month's peak, with the government set to further ease virus curbs to regain normalcy. The country added 195,419 more COVID-19 infections, including 37 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 15,830,644, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is a drop from Tuesday's 210,755, marking a steady decline in the virus curve from the March 17 peak

Social AffairsApril 13, 2022

[Newsmaker] [Feature] Not everyone is ready to unmask

Omicron appears to be losing its grip in South Korea, raising hopes for a return to pre-pandemic life. For many Koreans, this would entail a farewell to face masks, a daily nuisance that they had to get used to for the past two years.  But not all are happy to ditch their masks. Some say masks are one of the good things that came out of the pandemic in a society obsessed with looks.  “After two years (of wearing masks), it doesn’t bother me too much to wear one for a l

Social AffairsApril 13, 2022

Transition team seeks to modify carbon neutrality plans, discard nuclear phase-out policy

The transition team's push to modify carbon neutrality plans of the current Moon Jae-in government will likely include reversal of its nuclear phase-out policy and changes in energy mix, officials said Wednesday. The transition committee called Tuesday for overhauling the country's carbon neutrality scheme, claiming that policies from the Moon administration actually increased greenhouse gas emissions and sticking to its plans will prompt electricity rate hikes and even lower the country's gross

PoliticsApril 13, 2022

Transition team considers legalizing tattooing by nonmedical professionals

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition team has been considering legalizing tattooing by nonmedical professionals, an official at the team said Wednesday, as tattoos are increasingly popular among young people. In South Korea, tattoo artists operate illegally because tattooing is currently governed by the Medical Service Act that only allows those with a medical license to provide tattoo services. "Under the current law, not only tattooists, but also people receiving treatment from them

PoliticsApril 13, 2022

Yoon to announce additional Cabinet nominations

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will announce a second round of Cabinet nominations Wednesday, his spokesperson said, a list that is expected to include at least seven minister nominees and his chief of staff. The nominations will be for the remaining 10 positions -- ministers of education, foreign affairs, unification, justice, interior and safety, labor, small and medium-sized enterprises, maritime affairs, agriculture and the environment. Yoon will announce the nominees at a press conference

PoliticsApril 13, 2022

S. Korea to send additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine: source

South Korea plans to provide Ukraine with additional non-lethal aid worth 2 billion won ($1.6 million) this month to help the war-torn country, an informed source said Wednesday. Seoul is preparing to start sending to Ukraine such items as bulletproof vests, helmets, medical supplies and meals, ready-to-eat (MREs), as early as next week, according to the source. The new package has been arranged following South Korea's shipment last month of non-lethal military and medical supplies -- worth 1 bi

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2022

N. Korea uses space program to disguise ballistic missile development: US military intelligence

WASHINGTON -- North Korea uses its space program as a disguise to test and advance its ballistic missile capabilities, a US military intelligence report said Tuesday. The report also noted the North may be trying to acquire space and weapons technologies by hacking into aerospace companies. "North Korea has placed two satellites in orbit and has articulated further space ambitions. Its space program has also enabled testing of technology used in ballistic missiles under the guise of peacefu

North KoreaApril 13, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases bounce back to more than 200,000

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to more than 200,000 on Tuesday after falling to the lowest level in seven weeks a day earlier amid the government's efforts to return to normalcy. The country reported 210,755 new COVID-19 infections, including 33 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 15,635,274, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The public health agency reported 171 new COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, raising the death toll to 19,850. The nu

Social AffairsApril 12, 2022

S. Korea provides $2.86b in ODA last year: OECD

South Korea provided $2.86 billion in official development assistance (ODA) last year, up 26.9 percent from a year earlier, marking the biggest increase since it joined the international aid forum of donor countries, data showed Tuesday. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released the tentative statistics on 29 member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), an OECD organization tasked with coordinating aid policy for developing countries. Bilat

Diplomatic CircuitApril 12, 2022

Korea-Sweden Arts and Culture Society’s leader meets with Swedish Speaker of Parliament

Swedish Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlen and his wife Helena Norlen, on an official visit to Korea at the invitation of National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, met with President Lee Sang-kyun of the Korea-Sweden Arts and Culture Society (KOSACS) to share views on cultural ties and exchanges between the two countries. President Lee said at the meeting, “Artistic and cultural exchanges between countries awaken citizens’ cultural sensibilities and passions, while providing th

Social AffairsApril 12, 2022

‘Bill to benefit criminals’: Legal experts slam Democratic Party of Korea’s prosecution reform push

Top legal scholars and societies have hit back at the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s push to strip the prosecution completely of its investigative powers, warning the move will end up benefiting criminals and hurting victims. Last week the Democratic Party leadership said the party would legislate the prosecution reform bill before the end of Moon Jae-in administration in early May. During a session Tuesday, the party agreed on reform of the prosecution -- “complete forfeiture

Social AffairsApril 12, 2022