Govt. to begin vaccinations of medical workers, elderly in Feb.: presidential chief of staff

South Korea will begin administering coronavirus vaccines to medical workers and the elderly from February, presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min said Sunday. Noh made the remark during a high-level policy discussion between officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling party at the National Assembly. "In terms of volume, we've already secured enough (vaccines) to protect our people. Vaccinations of medical workers and the elderly will begin in February of next year,&quo

Dec. 27, 2020

Govt. to offer relief grants of up to W3m to virus-hit small biz

SEJONG -- South Korea will offer relief grants of up to 3 million won ($2,700) for small business owners hit by the new coronavirus outbreak, ruling party and government officials said Sunday. The decision on the country's third round of emergency relief package was reached during a high-level policy discussion between officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling party at the National Assembly. After the meeting, the ruling party announced the decision to offer 1 million won to

Dec. 27, 2020

Yoon’s victory draws mixed reaction from lawmakers

Seoul court’s decision lifting the two-month suspension on Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl drew mixed reaction from rival parties on Thursday. While the opposition bloc, including the main opposition People Power Party, hailed the decision, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea expressed regret, saying the ruling undermines the stability of the administration. Choi In-ho, a senior spokesman for the Democratic Party of Korea, said, “We deeply regret that the judiciary‘s jud

Dec. 25, 2020

Yoon returns to work as court upholds his suit

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl will return to his work immediately as a Seoul court approved his suit to overturn his two-month suspension. As the top prosecutor won the legal battle, political blows are inevitable for Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who lost to Yoon twice, and President Moon Jae-in, who endorsed Yoon’s suspension. The second interrogation, which was held two days after the first held on Tuesday, began at 3 p.m. and ended one hour and 20 minutes later.  At around

Dec. 24, 2020

New labor group leader threatens general strike in 2021

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the more militant of the nation's two largest labor umbrella organizations, elected a hard-line figure as its new leader on Thursday, heralding an escalation in its conflict with the government over key labor reform policies. The KCTU, the nation's largest labor group with more than 1 million members, said Yang Kyeong-su, head of the KCTU chapter in Gyeonggi Province, was elected as its new leader in a contested vote and will begin his three-year

Dec. 24, 2020

Moon appoints interior, health ministers after confirmation hearings

President Moon Jae-in has appointed two new ministers on interior and health affairs, as the National Assembly adopted reports on the results of their confirmation hearings, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Jeon Hae-cheol began his work as interior and safety minister, and Kwon Deok-cheol as health and welfare minister on the day, it added. (Yonhap)

Dec. 24, 2020

Court to resume hearing over top prosecutor's injunction request against duty suspension

A court here will resume a hearing Thursday afternoon on an injunction request by the country's top prosecutor over a disciplinary measure given to him last week. The Seoul Administrative Court is set to reopen the hearing behind closed doors at 3 p.m. on whether to grant an injunction filed by Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. The first hearing took place Tuesday afternoon for about two hours, attended by lawyers of Yoon and the Ministry of Justice. Yoon is not expected to attend the hearin

Dec. 24, 2020

Vice justice minister under fire over violence against cab driver

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has been assigned to look into civic groups’ complaint against Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu over allegations he was not duly punished for grabbing a taxi driver by the collar early last month. Lee, reportedly drunk at the time, was reported to police for his violent act, but police closed the case as the victim said two days later that he didn’t want to press charges. Lee allegedly grabbed the cab driver around the neck when

Dec. 23, 2020

Land Minister nominee apologizes for past remarks at hearing

Land Minister nominee Byeon Chang-heum repeatedly apologized for controversial past remarks after being blasted by opposition lawmakers at his confirmation hearing Wednesday. He also pledged to supply more homes in station areas to address housing shortages. At the parliamentary confirmation hearing, lawmakers from the opposition party called for the nomination of Byeon, CEO of the state-run housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp., to be withdrawn, saying he does not have “the m

Dec. 23, 2020

[News Focus] Who is responsible for Korea's late entry in vaccine race?

The government is facing growing criticism over the apparent lag in Korea procuring sufficient COVID-19 vaccines, with a blame game erupting over who is responsible. President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting Tuesday that efforts were well underway to ensure Korea has enough vaccine doses for its people, hitting back at accusations that he has been too slow in acquiring vaccines, which already have reached the public in a number of countries. “I believe public inoculation in our country wi

Dec. 23, 2020

Sentencing due for ex-justice minister's wife in corruption scandal

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife was sentenced by a Seoul court on Wednesday to imprisonment of four years for academic fraud and other charges. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the jail sentence, together with a fine of 500 million won ($451,000) and a forfeit of 140 million won, to Chung Kyung-sim, the wife of the former presidential secretary for civil affairs and a close aide to President Moon Jae-in. The court also ordered the immediate imprisonment of Chung. Chung, 58-

Dec. 23, 2020

Moon says COVID-19 vaccinations for Korean people won't be 'too late'

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that efforts are well under way to ensure that coronavirus vaccinations for the South Korean people won't be too late. Moon made the remarks while meeting with the leaders of the five major constitutional organizations to discuss measures to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and other pending national issues. "There are a lot of worries about the vaccine these days, but it may be inevitable for vaccine producing countries to get vaccines first because they ex

Dec. 22, 2020

Court hearing held on Yoon’s 2-month suspension

The process of reviewing the legalities of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s suspension began Tuesday, with a Seoul court holding a hearing on Yoon’s suit to lift the suspension. The court’s decision could turn the tables yet again on Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. The Seoul Administrative Court held a hearing at 2 p.m. to interrogate the suspension of the order filed by Yoon against Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Yoon did not attend. Deliberation ended at 4:16 p.m. The

Dec. 22, 2020

S. Korea to impose nationwide ban on restaurant gatherings of 5 or more people

South Korea will ban five or more people from gathering at restaurants during the upcoming holiday season to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday. Restaurants will be fined up to 3 million won ($2,709) in case of a violation, while customers will be fined up to 100,000 won, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The new restriction will be part of the government's special antivirus measures in effect from Thursday until Jan. 3. Excep

Dec. 22, 2020

Moon affirms 2021 budget use for coronavirus vaccine, treatment development

President Moon Jae-in said Monday the government will spend a part of South Korea's record amount of science-related budget next year for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment. He was chairing the third plenary meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology at Cheong Wa Dae. He noted that 2021 will be a "very meaningful year" for the nation's science and technology field, with a combined research and development (R&D) investment by the govern

Dec. 21, 2020

Moon's approval rating rebounds from record low: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has rebounded this week from a record low registered a week earlier, amid progress on his prosecution reform plan and other key issues, an opinion poll showed Monday. In the Realmeter survey conducted on 2,514 voters nationwide for five days through last Friday, the support rating for Moon stood at 39.5 percent, up 2.8 percentage points from a week earlier. Last week, Moon saw his approval rating dive to a record low of 36.7 percent, as the public remain

Dec. 21, 2020

Raising distancing rules to top level should remain as government's 'final card': PM

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday that elevating the nation's social distancing rules to the highest Level 3 should be a last resort for the government in dealing with the new coronavirus crisis, stressing the importance for the public to properly follow state-mandated distancing rules. "Adjusting the social distancing level needs to be prepared thoroughly, but it should remain as the final card," Chung said during a government meeting of top officials in charge of dealing wit

Dec. 21, 2020

Capital area bans gatherings of 5 or more people to stem COVID-19 spread

Gatherings of five or more people will be banned in the greater Seoul area, beginning Wednesday, in a new hard-line measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus, local governments said Monday. The governments of Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi Province and Incheon announced the strident assembly restriction measure in time for the upcoming peak season for year-end gatherings and events. The new administrative order for the restrictions on freedom of assembly will take effect at midnight Tues

Dec. 21, 2020

Presidential secretary for peace planning tapped as new chief nuclear envoy

South Korea replaced its chief nuclear envoy Monday, naming a seasoned diplomat and presidential aide to take on the job, as the country prepares to work with the incoming US administration of Joe Biden to move the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea forward. Noh Kyu-duk, a career diplomat serving as presidential secretary for peace planning, was named to replace Lee Do-hoon as the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, the foreign ministry announced in a pre

Dec. 21, 2020

Justice ministry scheduled to convene committee to decide on special pardon

The Ministry of Justice is expected to convene a committee to deliberate on a special pardon, legal sources said Monday. The ministry's amnesty review committee is scheduled to meet later in the day at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. The committee, chaired by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, is made up of nine members, including more than four outside experts. President Moon Jae-in has the final authority on whom to pardon, after the justice minister's initiation and the delib

Dec. 21, 2020