People Power Party to hold national convention Mar. 8 to pick new leader

The ruling People Power Party decided Monday to hold a national convention on March 8 to pick a new leader. The upcoming convention will be the first time the PPP applies a set of revised rules, including choosing a leader only by a vote of party members, not by a ratio of 70 percent from party members and 30 percent from a public opinion survey. The party will also hold a runoff if none of the candidates wins a majority. "Even if there is a runoff, we will make our final decision by March

Dec. 26, 2022

[Newsmaker] Kim Keon-hee expands role as first lady

Kim Keon-hee is expanding her role as first lady, straying from her earlier promise that she would not play a role “beyond that of a spouse.” While Yoon Suk-yeol was still a presidential candidate, the couple had said that Kim would not serve as first lady in the traditional sense if he is elected. Kim told a press conference held last year that she would not have a formal presence as first lady during her husband’s tenure in office, and that she would “not have a role be

Dec. 25, 2022

Yoon considering New Year's address on economy, reform plans: officials

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to deliver a New Year's Day speech to be broadcast live nationwide on his major policy plans for the coming year, his aides said Sunday. Yoon is positively considering issuing his message for the new year on Jan. 1, an official at the presidential office said. A related schedule will likely be fixed through the president's weekly meeting with his senior aides on Monday. If the event is held, Yoon is expected to use it to reveal his major policy direction and v

Dec. 25, 2022

Nat'l Assembly passes 2023 budget, cuts corporate tax

The National Assembly on Saturday passed the 638.7 trillion won (US$497 billion) of government budget for 2023 as well as bills to cut corporate tax rate and delay financial investment income tax amid signs of economic slowdown. 　 　The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) approved the Yoon Suk Yeol administration‘s first budget, 22 days after its legal deadline of Dec. 2. 　 　The bill passed 251-4, with 18 abstentions, in an assembly where the DP h

Dec. 24, 2022

Former President Lee, ex-South Gyeongsang Gov. tapped for presidential pardons

The Ministry of Justice decided Friday to recommend year-end presidential pardons for former President Lee Myung-bak, former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo and other high-profile politicians, sources said. The ministry's amnesty review committee held a meeting and finalized the list of candidates for presidential clemency, which will be granted next Wednesday. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon plans to report the list soon to President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is widely expected to ac

Dec. 23, 2022

Parties compromise on 2023 budget

Floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea have reached a compromise over the budget bill proposal of 638 trillion won ($499 billion) for next year. The two parties are anticipated to pass the bill at the extraordinary plenary session of the National Assembly at 6 p.m. on Friday, with the amount reduced by nearly 5 trillion won, according to the floor leaders, a belated move as the deadline for the passage of the budget bill was Dec. 2. The c

Dec. 22, 2022

First lady reunites with Cambodian boy in Seoul

First lady Kim Keon-hee on Wednesday reunited with the 14-year-old boy with heart disease she met in Cambodia during President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to Southeast Asia, despite some criticism from the opposition party. Kim met with Aok Rotha, a Cambodian boy recovering from heart surgery at Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, according to Lee Jae-myoung, vice spokesperson of the presidential office, in a written statement the same day. “I am so happy to see Rotha reco

Dec. 22, 2022

Speaker to convene parliamentary plenary session Friday to pass 2023 budget bill

The parliamentary speaker said Wednesday he will convene a plenary meeting later this week to handle the national budget bill much delayed by a protracted partisan standoff. The plenary session will be held at 2 p.m. Friday to vote on the 2023 budget plan, according to National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. Since the parliament missed the Dec. 2 legal deadline to handle the government's proposed budget of 639 trillion won ($496.12 billion), rival parties have yet to narrow their gaps on

Dec. 21, 2022

Doctor-lawmaker blasted for hitching ambulance ride to Itaewon disaster

Doctor-turned-lawmaker Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea has been reported to the police for the second time on Wednesday for hitching a ride on an ambulance heading to the scene of the crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, on Oct. 30. Seoul councilor Lee Jong-bae filed a police report against Shin, accusing her of “interfering with emergency services,” just a day after a group of public welfare activists reported her to the police for abuse of power. Shin faces the alle

Dec. 21, 2022

Seoul searches for China's 'secret police station’

The South Korean government is looking into alleged operations of China's undeclared "overseas police service center" here, following revelations by an international human rights group that Beijing has been operating more than 100 entities to suppress dissidents around the world. According to Yonhap News Agency, the military, police counterespionage organizations and related government ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have all been mobilized to check whether

Dec. 20, 2022

Yoon mulls New Year Cabinet reshuffle

President Yoon Suk-yeol is considering reshuffling in January his first Cabinet for the second year of his term, according to multiple senior officials, with the ministers of industry, culture and interior specifically mentioned. The presidential office recently completed a performance evaluation of all ministers and vice ministers. Some ministries, including industry and culture, received relatively low scores in their evaluations, local media reported. A senior presidential official confirme

Dec. 20, 2022

People Power Party proposes alternative holiday for when Christmas, Buddha's Birthday fall on weekends

The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday proposed applying the alternative holiday bill to Christmas and Buddha's Birthday, allowing the designation of a substitute holiday for the two public holidays when they fall on weekends. People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young made the formal proposal to the government during a party meeting, saying it is time to consider expanding the designation of alternative holidays in consideration of the need to boost domestic demand and people's ri

Dec. 20, 2022

Yoon focuses on economy amid recovering approval ratings

The Yoon Suk-yeol government and ruling People Power Party said Monday they will focus on an economic goal of reaching a GDP of $40,000 per capita by 2027, the president's final year. The party’s policy committee leader Sung Il-jong said in a press briefing that the government and the ruling party agreed to “focus the most on economic management” starting next year with the vision of opening an era of “$40,000 in GDP per capita in 2027.” The goal of $40,000

Dec. 19, 2022

Yoon's approval rating rises to 41.1%: poll

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating rose to 41.1 percent, breaking through the 40 percent threshold for the first time since June, a poll showed Monday. The positive assessment of Yoon's performance added 2.7 percentage points from the previous week, while the negative assessment slipped 2 percentage points to 56.8 percent, according to the Realmeter survey of 2,509 people aged 18 and older from Monday to Friday last week. It marked the first time in 24 weeks that Yoon's app

Dec. 19, 2022

Yoon taps virus expert to lead disease control agency

President Yoon Suk-yeol named Jee Young-mee, CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, to lead the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the presidential office said Friday. Jee replaces incumbent chief Peck Kyong-ran, who offered to resign earlier in the day. The newly tapped commissioner of the public health agency is a veteran of infectious diseases with more than 20 years of experience in health and research institutions. Jee received her M.D. from Seoul National University’s College of Me

Dec. 16, 2022

Yoon vows to make nation safe for women and from drugs

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to make Korea a safe nation from sexual and drug crimes, touching on multiple economic, welfare and labor issues in a rare pangovernmental meeting broadcast live on Thursday afternoon. In the meeting presided over by Yoon and attended by all ministers and 100 ordinary people, Yoon and his officials answered questions from a public panel in three sessions about the economy, balanced regional development and reforms to labor, pension and education policies. “The

Dec. 15, 2022

S. Korea votes in favor of Iran's removal from UN women's rights body

South Korea has voted in favor of a resolution ousting Iran from a UN women's body on Wednesday, along with 28 other countries, amid Tehran's monthslong crackdown on protests. The 54-member UN Economic and Social Council adopted a resolution to oust Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women, effectively removing Tehran from the remainder of its four-year term till 2026. Eight countries, including China and Russia, voted against the resolution. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US amba

Dec. 15, 2022

Moon sued over North Korea killing as ex-top aides sought by prosecutors

Former President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday was sued by the family of South Korea government official Lee Dae-jun, who was killed by North Korean soldiers near the sea border over two years ago. The lawsuit comes as onetime officials at Moon’s Cheong Wa Dae and Cabinet are being summoned by prosecutors one by one for questioning. Lee Rae-jin, the late official’s older brother, accused Moon of failing to perform his duties as the president and lying about the circumstances surrounding t

Dec. 14, 2022

Yoon cancels attendance at nuclear reactor opening ceremony amid cold wave

President Yoon Suk-yeol has canceled his attendance at the opening ceremony of a nuclear power reactor in southern South Korea on Wednesday due to extreme weather conditions, his office said. Yoon had been scheduled to visit Uljin, 223 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to mark the beginning of commercial operations at the Shin Hanul No. 1 nuclear reactor, which took 10 years to build and was completed in 2020. "The local government is working in emergency mode due to the cold wave," the p

Dec. 14, 2022

Ex-South Gyeongsang Govt. Kim says he does not want parole

Former South Gyeongsang Province Govt. Kim Kyoung-soo has said he does not want to be released from prison on parole amid speculation he will be granted a special pardon by President Yoon Suk-yeol later this month. Kim, who has been serving a two-year sentence on opinion rigging charges, stated his case in a handwritten note posted by his wife on his Facebook page Tuesday, saying he rejects the conditions for parole, which include "clear indications of regret." "As someone who has

Dec. 14, 2022