Democratic Party of Korea demands special counsel investigation of first lady

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is raising calls to appoint a special counsel to take over the ongoing investigation into first lady Kim Keon-hee. The main opposition party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun told reporters Monday that if police and prosecutors “don’t do their jobs adequately,” appointing a special counsel to handle the investigations would be “unavoidable.” In a first meeting on the same day, the party’s supreme council

Aug. 30, 2022

Will Yoon meet with Democratic Party leader?

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a cautious stance in meeting with newly elected Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung, which could be portrayed as a meeting between an unpopular president and a fresh opposition leader riding high on popularity. However, critics say the meeting could help Yoon create new momentum in state affairs and secure opposition support ahead of the regular session of the National Assembly. Lee became the head of the opposition party by winning a landslide victo

Aug. 30, 2022

PM asks National Assembly for cooperation on 2023 budget proposal

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday asked the National Assembly for cooperation on a budget proposal of 639 trillion won ($473.5 billion) for next year that marks the slowest spending growth in six years. Han told a Cabinet meeting that the government "asks for active cooperation in the parliamentary deliberation process so that the direction of state administration and core values contained in the budget bill can be kept well." The main opposition Democratic Party holds a majority

Aug. 30, 2022

New opposition leader vows to focus on people’s livelihood, requests meeting with president

The Democratic Party of Korea’s new Chairman Lee Jae-myung began his first day on Monday by pledging to seek cooperation with the ruling party and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to overcome pressing economic issues and to improve people’s livelihoods. But, he also noted that he will fight any attempts to hurt democracy. On Monday morning, Lee began his first day with a visit to Seoul National Cemetery to pay tribute to fallen patriots. He then held a meeting with high-level offi

Aug. 29, 2022

Ruling party shows no sign of return to normal

Only three days are left before the start of the first regular session of the National Assembly since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, but the ruling People Power Party shows no sign of ending its internal feud. In the morning, the party’s all eight emergency committee members agreed to entrust Floor Leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong to the position of acting leader of the committee and also all members also decided not to resign. However, a few hours later, some party lawmakers, incl

Aug. 29, 2022

Yoon says presidential office must be dedicated, competent to serve people

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that the presidential office must be dedicated and competent to better serve people amid speculation he may carry out a reshuffle of aides at his office to regain people's trust. "The presidential office should be the most dedicated and competent group to properly serve the people," Yoon replied when asked about a possible reshuffle of his office as he arrived for work. Yoon also said the presidential office's "commitment to the nation

Aug. 29, 2022

Yoon's approval rating inches up for 3rd straight week

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating rose for a third consecutive week, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 2,513 voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, 33.6 percent gave a positive assessment of Yoon's performance, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous week. Yoon's disapproval rating fell for the third straight week to 63.3 percent. The rise is attributable to factors including Yoon's decision to strengthen security around former President

Aug. 29, 2022

Ex-presidential candidate takes helm at DP

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is setting sail with Lee Jae-myung, its former presidential candidate, while the ruling party continues to struggle with an ongoing internal feud. On Sunday, Lee was confirmed as the new chairman with a strong majority. The ruling People Power Party, on the other hand, looks likely to struggle in internal dispute for some time to come, with a court ruling suspending interim leader Rep. Joo Ho-young from duty. On Sunday, the Democratic Party held

Aug. 28, 2022

Ruling party to hold crisis meeting after court suspends interim leader

Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party are set to hold a meeting Saturday to cope with the aftermath of the previous day's court ruling that suspended interim leader Joo Ho-young from duty. The Seoul Southern District Court on Friday granted an injunction requested by ousted People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, throwing the conservative party into a new leadership turmoil, just 10 days after its emergency leadership committee took off. The crisis meeting, called by floor leader Kweon

Aug. 27, 2022

Court takes Lee Jun-seok’s side in leadership lawsuit

A Seoul court on Friday took the side of Lee Jun-seok, the disgraced former leader of the ruling People Power Party, halting the party from moving forward with an interim leadership. The Seoul Southern District Court granted part of an injunction request filed by Lee, ordering a temporary suspension of duties for the party’s interim chair Rep. Joo Ho-young. “If Joo, who has been appointed as the party’s interim chair through a vote, holds a party convention to elect a new p

Aug. 26, 2022

Assembly Speaker Kim congratulates S. Korean archbishop on coming cardinal ordination

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo sent a letter of congratulations Friday to South Korean Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who is set to be ordained as a cardinal this weekend, calling for his role in raising global attention for peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to his office. You, 70, has been serving as Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons since June 2021, and was appointed as one of 20 new cardinals by Pope Francis in May. He wi

Aug. 26, 2022

Billiard player Cha Yu-ram apologizes for her husband’s ‘inappropriate’ remarks

Billiard player-turned-politician Cha Yu-ram apologized on behalf of her husband, writer Lee Ji-sung, for making inappropriate remarks at a banquet with lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party. 　 Cha said on her Facebook page on Thursday, “I apologize for the inappropriate remarks made by my husband, Lee Ji-sung. The remarks were inappropriate, and I couldn‘t agree with them at all.” Earlier in the day, writer Lee Ji-sung was embroiled in controversy over inappropriate re

Aug. 26, 2022

Yoon, first lady report 7.6 billion won in personal assets

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee declared 7.6 billion won ($5.7 million) in personal assets, in their first asset disclosure since Yoon took office, the government gazette showed Friday. The first couple's assets fell about 100 million won from February, when Yoon was required to report their assets as a presidential candidate. Kim accounted for most of their declared assets. Yoon reported his personal assets at 520 million won and Kim's assets at about 7.1 billion w

Aug. 26, 2022

Parties stuck in standoff over presidential watchdog

The process of appointing a special inspector to check for misconduct by President Yoon Suk-yeol’s family and senior secretaries is being dragged out, bogged down by bipartisan wrangling. The presidential office, meanwhile, appears more interested in inspecting public officials, in what is seen as an attempt to grab more power. A special inspector is responsible for examining the misconduct of persons who have special relations with the president, such as family and relatives of the

Aug. 25, 2022

Ruling party, government agree on more subsidies in 2023 budget

The government and ruling People Power Party will push to introduce a new subsidy for job seekers and increase support for low-income groups in next year’s budget, the ruling party said Wednesday. The ruling party and the government also agreed to include budget for planning storm drains in urban areas in light of recent rains, to direct more funds into supporting disabled people. The budget plans agreed on by the party and government will be put to a Cabinet meeting and then to the

Aug. 24, 2022

President’s schedule leaked through first lady’s fan club

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s schedule has been leaked through a fan club supporting first lady Kim Keon-hee, raising another security concern. On Tuesday, a user of “Keon-hee Sarang” revealed Yoon’s official schedule set on Friday through her fan club, specifying the date and place. The user said, “We’re announcing (that) President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting Daegu Seomun Market at 12:00 (noon) on Aug. 26. We ask for your participation and promotion. Please c

Aug. 24, 2022

Lee’s petition holds back normalization of Yoon’s party

The internal feud within the ruling People Power Party appears to be escalating following a petition submitted to the court by suspended party leader Lee Jun-seok. The petition‘s release comes amid the ruling party’s launch of an emergency committee to seek the party’s normalization and the Yoon administration‘s carrying out of partial reforms to regain public trust. Lee compared President Yoon Suk-yeol to “the new military coup forces” in the petition, and,

Aug. 24, 2022

North Korea human rights initiatives return under Yoon

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is taking a series of steps to revive North Korea human rights initiatives that were paused or downscaled under president Moon Jae-in. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are clashing over the push for their revival, most recently over the government North Korea human rights foundation. People Power Party interim chair Rep. Joo Ho-young called for the main opposition’s cooperation in the belated launch of the North Ko

Aug. 23, 2022

Yoon promises to prevent similar tragedies after deaths of mother, 2 daughters

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday he will take special care of struggling citizens to prevent the recurrence of tragedies such as the recent apparent suicides of a mother and her two daughters. Speaking to reporters as he arrived for work, Yoon shared the story of the family who was found dead at their home in Suwon, south of Seoul, after reportedly struggling with illness and financial difficulties. "I have told the people until now that when it comes to welfare, which is the foundation

Aug. 23, 2022

PPP starts process for disciplinary action against lawmaker grilled for insensitive remarks after deadly flood

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has decided to take steps to pursue disciplinary action against a party lawmaker who came under fire for making remarks wishing for more rain during voluntary cleanup work in the wake of massive downpours, officials said Tuesday. Rep. Kim Sung-won drew strong criticism in early August after he was caught on TV cameras saying he wished more rain would fall for better public relations effects of their voluntary work, even though the downpours, believed to be the

Aug. 23, 2022