Yoon held dinner meeting with US ambassador, USFK commander

President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a dinner for new US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera earlier this week, a presidential official said Thursday. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han also attended the meeting, which took place Tuesday at the presidential office, according to the official. "It was a meeting to welcome the new (US) ambassado

Aug. 11, 2022

Chief of state housing developer offers to resign

The chief of South Korea's housing developer has offered to resign, becoming the first previous-government appointed head of a major state-run company who has expressed intent to step down since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in May. Last week, Chief Executive Officer Kim Hyun-jun of Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) expressed his intention to step down to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, an official of the company said. Kim reportedly said it is time for th

Aug. 11, 2022

Seoul to build deep underground rainwater tunnels in 6 flood-prone areas

The Seoul city government has disclosed medium- and long-term flood prevention measures centered on the construction of deep underground rainwater storage facilities in six flood-prone areas. According to the measures announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Wednesday, the city government will spend 1.5 trillion won ($1.15 billion) over the next decade to build six large-scale rainwater storage and drainage facilities, also called deep underground tunnels. The underground tunnel project calls for buildi

Aug. 11, 2022

Lee Jun-seok threatens fire and fury as party moves on without him

Lee Jun-seok, the ruling People Power Party’s exiled leader, on Wednesday asked the court to block the launch of a new party leadership while he is under suspension over sexual bribery allegations. Lee filed for an injunction with a Seoul court on this day to stop the party from moving forward with an interim leadership. The party on Tuesday formed an interim committee of leaders with Rep. Joo Ho-young as the chair, as it readies for an official transition. The shake-up in leadership

Aug. 10, 2022

DP slams Yoon's absence during record rainfall

The main opposition Democratic Party rapped President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday for remaining at home when massive rainfall caused serious flooding in Seoul and elsewhere earlier this week, moking him as an invisible "stealth" jet. Presidential aides have said that Yoon oversaw anti-disaster efforts from home via telephone when record downpours, believed to be the heaviest in 115 years, triggered widespread flooding in southern Seoul on Monday night. But critics, including the DP, hav

Aug. 10, 2022

Bill Gates to discuss next pandemic with National Assembly speaker

South Korean parliament’s speaker Kim Jin-pyo will meet with Bill Gates next week to discuss COVID-19, future threats of pandemics and the importance of international cooperation in responding to them. The parliament office on Tuesday said the meeting between the speaker and the Microsoft founder is scheduled to take place on Aug. 16 for about 40 minutes. Following the meeting Gates will deliver an address to the parliament about the role South Korea can play in the preparations for th

Aug. 9, 2022

Yoon bashed for working from home as downpour traps him overnight

President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing backlash for responding to the heavy rain that pounded Seoul from his apartment on Monday after leaving his office earlier that afternoon. Yoon, who became the country’s first commuting president by refusing to move into Cheong Wa Dae, was working from home as the rainfall ravaged Seoul before he showed up at the national emergency headquarters at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday denounced Yoon for fai

Aug. 9, 2022

PM visits flood control center amid heavy rains

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a flood control center along the Han River on Tuesday and instructed officials to redouble efforts to minimize damage after heavy rains left seven people dead and six others missing, his office said. The inspection came as the heaviest rainfall in 80 years battered Seoul and its surrounding areas and officials warned of more downpours in the region in the coming days. "The capability of a nation is to be exercised in times of crisis," Han said during

Aug. 9, 2022

Yoon holds emergency meeting to deal with heavy rains

President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting Tuesday to respond to the heaviest rainfall in 80 years that left seven people dead and six others missing, his office said. The meeting was held in the disaster and safety situation room of the government complex in Seoul, a day after heavy rains pounded the capital and its surrounding areas and flooded homes, vehicles, buildings and subway stations. Yoon had been scheduled to travel to the central city of Sejong to preside over a Cabin

Aug. 9, 2022

PPP to hold national committee meeting to finalize leadership transition

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) was set to hold a national committee meeting Tuesday to finalize a switch to an emergency leadership system despite fierce opposition from suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok. Following a meeting of national committee standing members on Friday where they declared an "emergency" situation for the embattled party, the committee's plenary meeting is set to take place at 9 a.m. to complete the leadership transition. Participants will vote by phone o

Aug. 9, 2022

Was Pelosi ‘snubbed’ in South Korea?

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, left South Korea on Thursday, but controversy over Seoul’s response to her visit continues.  When Pelosi arrived here late Wednesday following her stop in Taiwan, no South Korean delegation was present to greet her at the airport as is custom for a high-level visit. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was on vacation, did not take time out to meet with Pelosi in person and instead opted for a phone call. While deigning not to

Aug. 8, 2022

Is Yoon's vow to uphold people's will enough?

President Yoon Suk-yeol, whose approval ratings continue to slide, vowed to carefully observe and uphold the people’s will by keeping to his original intentions in entering politics upon his first day back after his summer vacation Monday. But critics say his rhetoric must be followed up with action if he is to regain public trust. On Monday, media attention was focused on what Yoon would say during his regular morning briefing, held for the first time in 13 days amid record-low approv

Aug. 8, 2022

Police chief nominee says police power should be under oversight

National police chief nominee Yoon Hee-keun said Monday that police power should be under supervision and oversight, as other powers are, but the police's political neutrality should not be damaged. The nominee made the remarks during his parliamentary confirmation hearing following the interior ministry's launch last week of a police bureau tasked with overseeing the law enforcement agency amid criticism the bureau hurts the political neutrality of police. The 16-person bureau in char

Aug. 8, 2022

Yoon vows to uphold people's will upon returning from vacation

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to uphold the will of the people as he returned from a weeklong vacation on Monday, as public opinion polls showed his approval ratings remaining below 30 percent. Yoon took questions from the press for the first time in nearly two weeks and was asked how he felt returning from his first vacation since taking office in May. "I guess I should say my vacation was a time to reinforce my belief that at the end of the day, my duty to the people is to carefully exami

Aug. 8, 2022

Yoon's disapproval rating hits new high at 70%

President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval rating has reached a record high of 70 percent, a poll showed Monday, as strong backlash against a proposed education policy added on to persistent concerns over high inflation and turmoil in the ruling party. In a poll of 1,002 people conducted by Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on Friday and Saturday, 70.1 percent gave negative assessments of Yoon's performance, up 1.6 percentage points from the previous week. Yoon's approval rating c

Aug. 8, 2022

PM to discuss pardon of Samsung heir Lee with President Yoon

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that he would discuss with President Yoon Suk-yeol about granting pardons to business executives, including Samsung’s de-facto chief and heir Lee Jae-yong, on the occasion of Liberation Day on Aug. 15. It was the first time for the prime minister to officially mention that he would take the issue to the president. Han said, “I will propose them (pardons),” in response to Rep. Park Sung-joong’s question at a parliamentary inte

Aug. 6, 2022

Opposition party kicks off regional voting to elect new leadership

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) kicked off regional voting Saturday ahead of the Aug. 28 national convention to elect its new leadership. Three candidates are running for the chairmanship, with former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung far ahead of his rivals, Kang Hoon-sik and Park Yong-jin, in various polls. Eight others are competing in a separate race to join the Supreme Council. The contenders held their first joint speech session in the northeastern city of Wonju, Gangwon

Aug. 6, 2022

Amid tensions over Taiwan, S. Korea expresses objection to changing status quo by force

South Korea's top diplomat on Friday expressed concerns over rising tensions surrounding Taiwan and made clear Seoul's objection to any attempts to change "the status quo by force" during regional security forums in Phnom Penh. Foreign Minister Park Jin made the remark during his attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), which took place amid heightened military tensions in the region following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlie

Aug. 6, 2022

Top S. Korean, US diplomats discuss Indo-Pacific strategy

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States had discussions on regional and global issues, including relations with China, in Phnom Penh on Friday. The talks between Foreign Minister Park Jin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were held on the sidelines of ASEAN-hosted annual sessions. "Our alliance is really a linchpin for peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. And, of course, we are working together to confront so many different regional as well as the global challenges,&

Aug. 5, 2022

Yoon’s approval rating drops to all-time low

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating fell to the 20 percent range for the first time in the first week of August, continuing to slide rapidly. According to a Gallup Korea poll, Yoon’s approval rating came in at 24 percent in the first week of August, compared to 66 percent of respondents who negatively assessed his performance as president. Gallup Korea data also shows that Yoon’s approval rating fell below that of negative assessment in the first week of

Aug. 5, 2022