Moon accepts Air Force chief's resignation over sex assault case

President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation of South Korea's Air Force chief Friday over a recent sexual assault case that led to the death of a female victim. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong offered to step down to take responsibility for his organization's handling of the incident. The victim, a master sergeant, was found dead in an apparent suicide at her official residence in late May, about three months after suffering unwanted physical touching by a male colleague of the

June 4, 2021

Lee Jun-seok’s lead in main opposition leadership race cements

Lee Jun-seok’s lead seems to have become cemented in the main opposition People Power Party’s election for its new leader, with chances becoming greater for the conservative party to undergo a huge generational shift ahead of the presidential race next year. A poll of 1,044 adults conducted this week showed Friday that Lee was the most favored among five candidates for the top party post with 46.7 percent support, far surpassing the other four candidates in the race. Lee’s le

June 4, 2021

[#WeFACE] Carbon neutrality commission to lead S. Korea’s climate action

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with the lineup of speakers who will discuss solutions to the climate crisis at the H.eco Forum, which is scheduled to be held virtually on June 10 under the theme “We Face the Climate Clock.” -- Ed. South Korea pledged to go carbon-free by 2050 in October last year -- an ambitious goal for the world’s seventh-largest emitter of carbon dioxide. But the question remains: How? To lay out a detailed road map and ensure p

June 3, 2021

Moon presses military over botched sex crime probe

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday ordered an exhaustive probe into allegations surrounding the suicide of an Air Force master sergeant. The order comes amid public outrage, which prompted the military to expand its waylaid investigation of sex crime allegations made by the deceased. “It truly hurts me to look at the victim, how devastated she must have felt. We need a thorough inquiry into every event leading to her death, and after that. We have to see to what should have been done in

June 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon orders strict probe into sexual assault victim's death in military

President Moon Jae-in strongly instructed military investigators Thursday to deal strictly with a recent sexual assault case that led to the death of the victim. Moon was referring to the Air Force noncommissioned female officer who was found dead in late May in an apparent suicide. In March, she allegedly suffered unwanted physical touching by a male colleague with the same rank of master sergeant in a vehicle. She reported the incident to her senior officers the following day, but they are ac

June 3, 2021

Will Moon pardon Samsung chief?

President Moon Jae-in, who has so far excluded businesspeople when exercising his power to pardon criminals, may be mulling an exception for Lee Jae-yong, the imprisoned de facto leader of Samsung Group. According to Cheong Wa Dae sources, a subtle shift in the president’s tone was detected Wednesday at a luncheon meeting at the presidential office with the heads of the nation’s four largest conglomerates -- Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-nam, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung

June 2, 2021

Yoon expresses willingness to run for president, lawmaker says

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has privately expressed his willingness to run in next year's presidential election, an opposition lawmaker said Wednesday. Yoon is one of two leading potential presidential candidates, according to various opinion polls, though he has yet to declare his intent to run. "(Yoon) suggested that he will take the lead in the change of government with all his heart and soul," Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) told a r

June 2, 2021

Govt. probe team arrests 20 people, refers 529 others to prosecution over property speculation

The government said Wednesday its special probe team has arrested 20 people and reported over 529 others to the prosecution for further investigation after looking into various allegations of real estate speculation for about three months. Announcing an interim result of the probe, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the team, involving the police, and tax and financial authorities, has so far investigated 646 cases and some 2,800 individuals. It has also seized profits worth some 90.8 billion w

June 2, 2021

Over half of Koreans agree to lower legal minimum age for presidential candidacy: poll

Over half of South Koreans are in favor of lowering the constitutional minimum age required for someone to run for president, a poll said Wednesday. According to Realmeter's poll of 500 adults nationwide, 50.3 percent consented to the need to revise the Constitution to bring down the minimum age for presidential candidacy currently set at 40. The survey found 44.8 percent of the respondents opposed the revision of the minimum candidacy age, the Seoul-based pollster said. Under the Constitutio

June 2, 2021

DP chief apologizes over scandal involving former justice minister

The chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) apologized Wednesday over an investment and academic fraud scandal involving the family of a former justice minister, blamed as a major reason for the party's recent landslide by-election defeats. The apology by Rep. Song Young-gil came as the DP is struggling to reclaim voters' confidence following its crushing defeats in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections in April, blamed largely on the party and its members' "hypocritical" cond

June 2, 2021

PM instructs authorities to prepare for full-fledged in-person schooling in H2

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday called for careful preparations toward full-fledged in-person schooling starting in the second half, as the COVID-19 vaccination campaign picks up speed across the nation. "As we concentrated our efforts on vaccinations of senior citizens and high-risk group people in the first half, we must start the recovery of our everyday normal lives in the second half starting with the normalization of schools," Kim said during a daily interagency meeting

June 2, 2021

Potential pardon for Samsung scion discussed in Moon's meeting with biz leaders: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in talked about whether to grant Lee Jae-yong, the de-facto head of Samsung Group, a special pardon, during a meeting with a group of business leaders, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. Moon had a luncheon meeting with the leaders of South Korea's four major conglomerates -- SK, Hyundai, LG and Samsung -- at Cheong Wa Dae earlier in the day. The attendees were SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. Samsung E

June 2, 2021

Moon calls on new prosecutor general to play a role in prosecution reform

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for new Prosecutor-General Kim Oh-soo to play a role in his administration's tumultuous drive to reform the state prosecution service. Presenting Kim with a letter of appointment during a Cheong Wa Dae ceremony, Moon said he expects him to "play a great role in transforming the prosecution to become a fair organization that meets the people's expectations," according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Kim, a veteran prosecutor, served as

June 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Mayor of Seoul, Gyeonggi governor clash on social media over basic income plans

The mayor of Seoul and the governor of Gyeonggi Province, the heads of the two largest local governments in South Korea, exchanged words over the weekend on the topic of basic income support. While Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung proposes prioritizing the equal distribution of funds to people of all socioeconomic levels, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon wants to give more to those with less income. The two had clashed in the past over the matter, but the conflict flared up again last week when Oh wrote a so

June 1, 2021

Govt. push to ease citizenship rules draws ire

The justice ministry's plan to lower the barrier for children of permanent residents to gain citizenship has triggered protest from people who suspect the move was a ploy to benefit Chinese living here. An early draft of the revision to the Nationality Act allows children of permanent residents with "close ties" to South Korea to easily acquire citizenship. In detail, children up to the age of 6 will be able to immediately gain citizenship without preconditions and those aged 7 and ab

June 1, 2021

DP floor leader raises need for another round of universal stimulus checks

Rep. Yun Ho-jung, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), has said the country needs to come up with another round of universal COVID-19 response stimulus checks in time for the national attainment of herd immunity. "(The government) needs to provide emergency handouts and take measures for grand economic reconciliation as a new strategy to reinvigorate the economy for the post-COVID-19 era," the ruling party floor leader said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the N

June 1, 2021

‘Assembly speaker strengthens ties with Russia, Czech Republic’

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug has wrapped up an official visit to Russia and the Czech Republic, conducting extensive diplomacy focusing on peaceful settlement on the Korean Peninsula and nuclear power plant exports, officials said Monday. Park’s nine-day trip that ended Sunday came at the official invitation of Russian House Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Czech Senator Milos Vystrcil. During the first five days, Park visited Russia to focus on deepening friendship and co

May 31, 2021

DP unilaterally adopts confirmation report on top prosecutor

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Monday unilaterally adopted a parliamentary confirmation report on the top prosecutor nominee despite protest from opposition lawmakers. The parliamentary Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where DP lawmakers command a majority, adopted the report on the result of the confirmation hearing on Prosecutor General nominee Kim Oh-soo, held last Wednesday. The committee session was, however, boycotted by lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP)

May 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon's approval rating rebounds substantially on US summit deal: poll

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating rebounded to nearly 40 percent for the first time in nearly three months thanks to positive reception toward his recent summit deal with US President Joe Biden, according to a new poll released Monday. In the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,512 people over the age of 18 from May 24-28, Moon's job approval rating was recorded at 39.3 percent, up 4.4 percentage points from the previous week. The result marked Moon's highest performance in public pol

May 31, 2021

S. Korea set to host virtual P4G summit on climate

A major global summit on climate and sustainable growth is scheduled to open on Sunday under the initiative of South Korea. President Moon Jae-in will host the two-day 2021 P4G Seoul Summit via video links, joined by more than 60 other top government officials and heads of international organizations, according to his office. They include British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and John Ke

May 30, 2021