Ahn Cheol-soo to run for Seoul mayor

Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the minor opposition People’s Party, on Sunday announced his bid for Seoul mayor, saying he is prepared to sacrifice himself to prevent the ruling bloc from maintaining power. “I concluded that losing the Seoul mayoral election making it impossible to bring about an administration change must be prevented even if I have to throw myself (into the task),” Ahn said at a press conference at the National Assembly. The post of Seoul mayor, which has rema

Dec. 20, 2020

S. Korea to begin COVID-19 vaccination in Q1 2021, PM says

South Korea will be able to start the coronavirus vaccination of its people in the first quarter of next year on a limited basis, according to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. "Inoculation will begin as early as in February or March at the latest," he said in an interview with KBS, a Seoul-based broadcaster. But the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca would only be available in the first half of 2021 under a current contract, not shots made by such other foreign drugmakers as Pfizer, Moder

Dec. 20, 2020

Moon wishes Macron quick recovery from COVID-19

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a consolation message Friday to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tested positive for the coronavirus. It's "regrettable to hear the news of your sudden coronavirus infection," Moon wrote on his Twitter account. The note, written in French, began with "M. le President @EmmanuelMacron." Moon pointed out that he and Macron talked about overcoming COVID-19 in their phone talks two weeks earlier. He expressed hope for Macron's qu

Dec. 18, 2020

‘Prosecutor General’s legal counterattack is against President Moon’

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has taken aim at the president in the latest of his ongoing conflict with the incumbent administration and its close officials. Yoon’s defense told reporters Thursday that Yoon is fighting the “illegal and unfair” two-month suspension from his post with a lawsuit against President Moon Jae-in, as he is the one who signed and approved the disciplinary action. “This lawsuit is a complaint against an action from the president, so this is a

Dec. 18, 2020

Prime minister says ‘social consensus necessary’ to raise distancing rules to Level 3

With growing interest in whether social distancing rules will be raised to Level 3 after the daily average number of confirmed cases in Korea surpassed 900 this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday social consensus should be achieved sufficiently before moving to stricter rules. The government would “make a bold decision” when it deemed it necessary, he added. “We are collecting opinions from related ministries, local governments and experts as we need to quickly

Dec. 18, 2020

Ruling party pushing for rent discount for small businesses amid pandemic

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has set out to find ways to cut rent for small business owners teetering under the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, DP Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon reaffirmed his party's push to get landlords to slash rent for small business owners struggling under the weight of the new coronavirus. The drive for so-called fair rent gained traction earlier this week after President Moon Jae-in raised the issue of small business owners who have to shoulder a heavy econ

Dec. 17, 2020

Moon says S. Korea's economy needs 'great transformation' in 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that South Korea should overcome the COVID-19 crisis and achieve a "grand transformation" of its economy in the coming year. "We will have to turn 2021 into a period of great transformation of South Korea's economy. The beginning is to clearly overcome the coronavirus crisis," he said during an expanded session of the National Economic Advisory Council. Moon received a briefing on the government's economic policy for 2021 and had related

Dec. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] Top prosecutor to fight suspension in court

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is taking legal action to overturn his two-month suspension from office, which took effect Wednesday night upon receiving presidential approval. Lee Wank-kyu, a legal representative for the prosecutor general, told reporters in a statement Thursday that Yoon’s defense would file for an injunction from the Seoul Administrative Court to halt the suspension order. The injunction request will be submitted electronically after working hours as it is impossibl

Dec. 17, 2020

Top prosecutor seeks court injunction against disciplinary measure

South Korea's chief prosecutor will file for an injunction in a Seoul court Thursday to halt the two-month suspension of his duty, his lawyer said. Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is protesting against the justice ministry's disciplinary measure, sanctioned by President Moon Jae-in, in connection with multiple accounts of "ethical and legal misdeeds." Yoon plans to lodge a suit with the Seoul Administrative Court "within today," calling for the withdrawal of the punishmen

Dec. 17, 2020

Seoul reports record-high daily COVID-19 cases

The number of new daily coronavirus patients in Seoul rose by an all-time high of 423 on Wednesday, its deputy mayor said Thursday. Kim Woo-young disclosed the capital's latest data on a CBS Radio talk show, saying the nation's daily caseload also reached 1,014 the same day. Seoul's previous record for new daily COVID-19 cases was set on Dec. 12, when 399 more people tested positive. As the spread of the coronavirus accelerated from early this month, the capital's top 15 daily caseload recor

Dec. 17, 2020

Blue House officiates 2-month suspension for top prosecutor, Justice Minister seeks to resign

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has been officially suspended from his post for the next two months following an executive order from President Moon Jae-in, the Blue House announced Wednesday night. Chung Man-ho, senior secretary for public communication at the Blue House, said in a press briefing that Moon approved Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s recommendation to levy the penalization on Yoon that the ministry’s disciplinary committee decided early Wednesday morning. The order ca

Dec. 16, 2020

NIS chief vows never to meddle in domestic politics

The head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) vowed Wednesday never to meddle in domestic politics after the National Assembly passed a reform bill centering on transferring the agency's anti-communist investigation duties to police. "Reform of the NIS has been finally completed after unsuccessful attempts by previous governments," NIS Director Park Jie-won said. "Organizations suspected of getting involved in domestic politics have been dismantled and cannot be r

Dec. 16, 2020

Senior officials vow to complete reform of prosecution, spy agency, police

Senior government officials vowed Wednesday to complete the reform of the prosecution, state spy agency and police in line with a set of newly passed contentious laws. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won and Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young held a joint press briefing to mark the passage of three bills aimed at breaking up the powers of the three state institutions. The bills were passed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after winning app

Dec. 16, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae checks cybersecurity amid growing non-contact activities

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it has reviewed South Korea's cybersecurity posture during a high-level interagency meeting, as non-contact activities have sharply increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, pointed out that the importance of cybersecurity has been highlighted more this year than at any other time. He cited the spread of contactless activities, such as online classes and working from home. Speaking at the annual &qu

Dec. 16, 2020

PM urges govt. steps against economic impact from possible lifting of distancing rules

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called Wednesday for thorough measures to minimize the negative impact on the economy and the people's livelihoods in case of tougher anti-coronavirus social distancing restrictions. "(We) can't rule out (the possibility of) a decision to raise (the rule) to Level 3," while the government is making all-out efforts to curb the COVID-19 spread without using the "last means," he stressed during a daily interagency meeting on the pandemic. Currentl

Dec. 16, 2020

Top prosecutor vows to fight ‘illegal and unfair’ suspension

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is to be removed from duty for two months following a vote by a Justice Ministry disciplinary committee that met amid an unprecedented conflict between the heads of the prosecution and the ministry. The disciplinary panel voted to suspend Yoon from his post early Wednesday morning, deeming him responsible for four of the six allegations brought against him. There are five possible levels of punishment, with dismissal the heaviest and a reprimand the lightest.

Dec. 16, 2020

S. Korea aims to acquire COVID-19 vaccines starting in Q1 2021: PM

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday that the government plans to start acquiring new coronavirus vaccines in the first quarter of 2021. During a vaccine procurement-related government meeting, Chung said that authorities will establish a meticulous plan to allow prepurchased vaccines to be "acquired properly from the first quarter of next year" so that they can be administered according to plan. The pan-ministerial meeting at the government complex in Seoul was attended by the

Dec. 15, 2020

Justice Ministry kicks off second disciplinary committee hearing against prosecutor general

The long-simmering conflict between Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae continued Tuesday with the second meeting of the ministry’s disciplinary committee. Yoon once again was absent from the meeting, which started at around 10:30 a.m. at the Gwacheon Government Complex. The meeting was held to determine whether Yoon is subject to disciplinary action over allegations that Choo raised against him last month. The chief prosecutor is accused of ethical and lega

Dec. 15, 2020

Moon sends congratulatory letter to Biden, expresses hope for cooperation on Korean peace

President Moon Jae-in sent a formal letter to Joe Biden on Tuesday, congratulating him on being elected US president, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. The move came after the American Electoral College officially affirmed the former vice president's win in last month's presidential election. In the letter, Moon congratulated Biden on winning the election with the largest number of votes in U.S. history, and said he anticipates working together to denuclearize and establish lasting peace on the Kore

Dec. 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] Moon pins high hopes on new probe unit to fight corruption

President Moon Jae-in expressed high hopes Tuesday for the imminent launch of a new investigative body that will be tasked with looking into corruption among high-level government officials, such as prosecutors and presidents. Setting up the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, independent from the state prosecution office, is one of Moon’s main campaign pledges and is key to his reform push to fight corruption. Last week, parliament approved a bill on expediting i

Dec. 15, 2020