Moon, Yoon to hold first meeting. Are they ready to cooperate?

President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol are to hold their first meeting on Monday evening, 19 days after the presidential election, the two sides confirmed Sunday. Monday’s meeting will be their first in 21 months since Yoon visited Cheong Wa Dae to attend the Anti-Corruption Policy Council in 2020, when he was prosecutor general. They were supposed to meet on March 16, but the meeting was postponed, saying more working-level consultations were needed. This is the longes

March 27, 2022

Yoon cites 'pragmatism,' 'people's interests' as key to setting state agendas

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday cited "pragmatism" and "people's interests" as key elements his incoming government should keep in mind when deciding on state agendas. Yoon made the remarks during a workshop of the presidential transition committee in Seoul and also highlighted the importance of economic development. "We need to set the national tasks of priority as we smoothly take over the work from the incumbent government and launch a new one," Yo

March 26, 2022

Yoon, Xi discuss cooperation between two countries in phone call

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed bilateral cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula in a telephone conversation on Friday. During the 25-minute phone conversation, Yoon stressed the two countries should cooperate for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the complete denuclearization of North Korea. “Yoon said the South Korean people are greatly worried about the tension between the two Koreas following the consecutive intercontinental ballistic

March 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] [Reporter's Notebook] Did presidential vote worsen gender conflict in Korea?

In the aftermath of Yoon Suk-yeol winning the closest presidential race in history, disdain from the female population toward him has left many suspecting that his victory has exacerbated the country’s gender conflict, particularly among the younger population. The National Police Agency on Monday ordered the Seoul cyber police to investigate a series of postings at an online community, discussing possible assassination of the president-elect. The websites in questions include female-domi

March 25, 2022

Lee Jae-myung and his aides to steer Democratic Party

South Korea's liberal Democratic Party of Korea elected a new floor leader Thursday, hinting at a new direction for the party ahead of the local elections in June. Rep. Park Hong-keun, a three-term lawmaker for the liberal party, was elected as the new floor leader during a general meeting of Democratic Party legislators at the National Assembly. He beat out Rep. Park Kwang-on in a run-off ballot. The floor leader election was widely touted as a rivalry between forces surrounding former Gyeong

March 25, 2022

Yoon warns N. Korea will gain nothing from provocations after ICBM launch

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol warned North Korea on Friday it will gain nothing from provocations, a day after the North successfully test-fired a massive intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking all of the United States. "I sternly warn North Korea that there is nothing that can be gained from provocations," Yoon wrote on his Facebook page. "The Republic of Korea will safeguard freedom and peace by building a stronger security posture." Following the North's IC

March 25, 2022

Moon-Yoon strife continues

Friction between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol appears to be intensifying, with the two sides openly criticizing one another.  Since the presidential election earlier this month, Moon and Yoon have been at odds over multiple issues, such as the relocation of the presidential office and appointment of high-ranking officials, including the governor of the Bank of Korea. A meeting between Moon and Yoon has still not taken place, marking the most prolonged delay bet

March 24, 2022

Impeached Park discharged from hospital, returns home

Former President Park Geun-hye was discharged from hospital on Thursday and took residence in her new home, after spending four years and nine months in prison for a series of corruption charges. Appearing in front of the Samsung Medical Center where she was treated for chronic illnesses from November, Park said she has recovered and expressed gratitude to the medical staff. “I offer my greetings to the public in five years. With all your care, I was able to recover my health. I would

March 24, 2022

Finger pointing and infighting seen in victorious People Power Party

With less than 70 days remaining until the local elections, finger pointing and infighting are brewing inside the conservative People Power Party even after its victory in the latest presidential election. The internal feud comes as core members of the People Power Party clash with traditional conservative faction heavyweights on how the government should run under President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and how the party should prepare to make nominations and devise strategies for the upcoming local el

March 24, 2022

Moon offers condolences to China's Xi over plane crash

President Moon Jae-in has sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping to express condolences over the recent crash of a Chinese airliner, Moon's office said Thursday. In the letter, Moon offered deep sympathy to victims and their bereaved families, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The China Eastern flight crashed in southern China with 132 people on board earlier this week, with all of them being presumed dead. (Yonhap)

March 24, 2022

Yoon to hold phone call with Xi amid N. Korea tensions

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Yoon's spokesperson said Thursday. Kim Eun-hye did not give the exact date due to diplomatic protocol but claimed it was unprecedented for Xi to speak with a foreign leader before they took office. "I understand the need for a phone call was conceived in accordance with our close cooperation with China on Asia-Pacific and Kor

March 24, 2022

Presidential inauguration ceremony to be held at National Assembly: preparation chief

The presidential inauguration ceremony in May will be held in the front garden of the National Assembly compound in Seoul following the custom, the chief of the presidential inauguration ceremony preparation committee said Wednesday. While the preparation committee reviewed several options, they concluded that the National Assembly was the proper venue and received approval from President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, the committee’s chief, Park Joo-sun, said in a press briefing. “We have

March 23, 2022

Yoon expected to overhaul foreign, unification ministries

Speculations are rising that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification could see major changes under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The Foreign Ministry may regain trade functions from the Industry Ministry with growing importance on economic security. The Unification Ministry, meanwhile, appears likely to see its role reduced amid increasing tensions with the North. Talk of the transfer of trade affairs dates back to the promises made by Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of

March 23, 2022

Parties gear up for another election

South Korea's political parties are set to launch nomination committees for the June local elections, returning to full election mode as early as next week. The liberal Democratic Party of Korea plans to set up an internal committee on managing nominations by Friday, a day after the party elects a new floor leader to succeed Rep. Yun Ho-jung, who now stands as a leader of the emergency steering committee for the liberal party. The internal committee, to be comprised of 20 appointees, will be t

March 23, 2022

53.7% oppose Yoon's plan to relocate presidential office

More than half of South Koreans are against President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae, while some 44 percent support the idea, a poll showed Wednesday. According to the poll of 500 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter on Tuesday, 53.7 percent said the presidential office should remain at Cheong Wa Dae, and 44.6 percent said they back the relocation plan. On Sunday, Yoon announced his decision to move the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to

March 23, 2022

Yoon's spokesperson says US, Cheong Wa Dae to decide on allied exercise

Any decision on upcoming military exercises between South Korea and the United States will be made by Washington and the current Cheong Wa Dae, a spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday. Kim Eun-hye made the remark when asked by a reporter whether Yoon and his transition team have expressed their views on the combined exercise reportedly planned for next month. "The current commander-in-chief is President Moon Jae-in," she said during a press briefing. "I und

March 23, 2022

Yoon to speak with Vietnam president to discuss bilateral ties

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will speak by phone with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday and discuss ways to deepen bilateral ties, Yoon's spokesperson said Wednesday. Phuc will be the sixth foreign leader to speak with Yoon since his election, after U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Vietnam is a friendly nation to us and ha

March 23, 2022

Transition team discusses domestic production of Paxlovid

The government should consider asking Pfizer whether it would be possible to produce copies of its COVID-19 antiviral pill Paxlovid in South Korea in exchange for royalties, the chairman of the transition team said Tuesday. Ahn Cheol-soo said the possibility was discussed during a meeting of the transition team‘s special COVID-19 committee the previous day. “We’re experiencing a severe shortage of Paxlovid and other oral treatment pills,” he said during a press briefin

March 22, 2022

President, successor clash escalates over relocation plans

The plan to move the presidential office is bringing the incumbent and incoming administrations to a loggerhead, with each side raising concerns and complaints. President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday stressed the need to maintain readiness, in an apparent reference to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plans to relocate the offices of the president, Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Saying that the country currently faces a dire situation “inside and outside,” M

March 22, 2022

Moon vows to fulfill his duty as commander-in-chief until end of term

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for watertight national security and vowed to fulfill his duty as commander-in-chief until his term ends, a day after his office voiced concern successor-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office could leave a security vacuum. Moon, whose term ends on May 9, said during a Cabinet meeting that his "last mission" is to "fulfill duties as head of state, chief of the administration, and commander-in-chief of the military that

March 22, 2022