Seoul to begin construction of Ulleung airport this month

South Korea will begin the construction of an airport on Ulleung Island later this month, with an aim to open the country's second island airport in 2025, the transport ministry said Sunday. The government will inject 665.1 billion won ($597 million) to build the Ulleung airport with a 1,200 meter-long runway and a passenger terminal. Flight services on 50-seat airplanes will be offered at the airport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. "The travel ti

Nov. 15, 2020

Ruling party chief calls on Biden to keep 2018 deal between Kim Jong-un, Trump

The ruling party chairman expressed hope Friday that a 2018 deal signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will be retained under the incoming US administration under President-elect Joe Biden.  "I wish that South Korea and the US will work together to reactivate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the chairman of Democratic Party, said during a top party council meeting.  "The starting point for that will be the re

Nov. 13, 2020

No formal request from US over 'Quad' coalition, Cheong Wa Dae official says

South Korea has not received any formal request from the United States to join the so-called Quad, a regional strategic coalition widely viewed as aimed at containing China's assertiveness, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official Friday. "In connection with the Quad, there has been no formal request at all made by the US government to our government," Suh Choo-suk, deputy director of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, said during a parliamentary session. The Quadrilatera

Nov. 13, 2020

Moon names sociology professor to head state reconciliation panel

President Moon Jae-in on Friday named a sociology professor to head a state panel tasked with investigating past cases of human rights violations. Jung Keun-sik of Seoul National University will lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set to resume its operation on Dec. 10, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a written briefing. The 62-year-old has over 30 years of experience researching East Asian social history and the subject of unification and peace. He has been noted for h

Nov. 13, 2020

Screening process begins to pick anti-corruption agency chief

The screening process to select two finalists who are qualified to head an envisioned anti-corruption agency that will investigate high-ranking government officials has begun Friday amid fierce partisan strife. A seven-member panel of government officials and outside experts will choose two candidates out of 10 legal professionals they recommended to be the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, or CIO. During a day-long meeting, the panel members revie

Nov. 13, 2020

Ahn woos chief prosecutor who rose to presidential hopeful in polls

A minor opposition party leader has wooed the prosecutor general who suddenly rose to presidential hopeful in polls thanks to his defiance against the justice minister. Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl has been at odds with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative command authority in a number of cases including a high-profile financial scandal, and openly expressed his disagreement during a televised parliamentary audit last month. Choo upped the ante on Wednesday by calling for Yoon&rsq

Nov. 13, 2020

Ruling party lawmakers said to demand replacement of gender minister

Voices are growing among lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) calling for the replacement of Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok, who recently drew fire for insensitive remarks on next year's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, party officials said Friday. A group of progressive DP lawmakers reportedly asked Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office, earlier this week to replace Lee in the next Cabinet reshuffle, citing fierce criticism of Lee's remarks by women's and civ

Nov. 13, 2020

Ruling party chief asks Biden admin to keep 2018 deal between Kim Jong-un, Trump

The ruling party chairman expressed hope Friday that a 2018 deal signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will be retained under the incoming US administration under President-elect Joe Biden. "I wish that South Korea and the US will work together to reactivate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the chairman of Democratic Party (DP), said during a top party council meeting. "The starting point for that will be the reaffirmati

Nov. 13, 2020

PM hints at tougher distancing guidelines amid spike in virus cases

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday the government "may have to seriously consider" toughening social distancing measures, citing alarming increases in new daily COVID-19 cases. "The warning light for disease control has lit up. If the current growth trend continues, (we) may have to seriously consider raising the (social) distancing level," Chung said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at the government complex in Seoul. H

Nov. 13, 2020

Lawmakers from S. Korea, Japan hold talks to mend frayed ties

Lawmakers from South Korea and Japan on Thursday vowed to step up efforts to help mend the frayed ties between the two countries. Seven members of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union arrived in Tokyo for a three-day visit as the two countries are quickening moves to improve relations since the inauguration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. They held a face-to-face meeting with their counterparts to discuss ways to boost cooperation and exchanges between the two sides. "Political ci

Nov. 12, 2020

Moon confers posthumous state medal on iconic labor activist

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday conferred a posthumous state medal on Chun Tae-il, one of the most important figures in South Korea's labor history, in recognition of his service to the country. Moon awarded the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit to Chun during a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae attended by his family members and friends. The ceremony came on the eve of the country's annual commemoration of Chun's tragic death five decades earlier. Chun, who was a 22-year-old tailor at tha

Nov. 12, 2020

NSC officials review US presidential election outcome, alliance issues

South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday reviewed the developments of the recent US presidential election and ways to strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance, Cheong Wa Dae said. The presidential office said the members of the National Security Council's standing committee discussed the developments of the American presidential election and means to sustain and further develop the South Korea-US relationship based on the bilateral alliance. It was their first weekly session s

Nov. 12, 2020

Chief auditor cites 'possibility of crime' over reactor closure

The chief of the state auditor said Wednesday that the agency determined there was a "possibility of a crime" in the government's evaluation of the economic viability of a now-decommissioned nuclear reactor. The prosecution recently launched a probe into the industry ministry and two state-run energy firms after the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) announced late last month that they manipulated the profitability projections of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor to determine its early c

Nov. 12, 2020

16 foreigners deported since August for breaching self-isolation rules

Sixteen foreign nationals have been deported from South Korea since August after getting caught violating self-isolation rules aimed at containing the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday. The ministry said five foreigners were deported and 11 others ordered to leave for their home countries from Aug. 12 to Tuesday after leaving their designated self-isolation places without permission in violation of Seoul's mandatory self-isolation rules. Twelve of them were also slapped w

Nov. 11, 2020

Britain's invitation for S. Korea to join G7 summit shows its enhanced global stature: Cheong Wa Dae

Britain's invitation for South Korea to attend next year's Group of Seven (G7) summit apparently reflects Seoul's enhanced global stature, and it is expected to help the East Asian nation play a bigger role on the global stage, especially amid talk of expanding the club of the world's richest nations, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. "If (South Korea) takes part in the G7 summit to be held in Britain next year, it would be very positive for South Korea's participation in discussions, expected

Nov. 11, 2020

Moon meets veteran diplomats for discussions on US presidential election outcome

President Moon Jae-in held a luncheon meeting with a group of veteran diplomats and scholars Wednesday to hear their opinions on the shifting security environment in the wake of the recent US presidential election, Cheong Wa Dae said. The meeting, held at a banquet hall of the presidential office for nearly two hours, brought together Moon's former and current security advisors, revered professors as well as former ambassadors to the United States. Among the attendees were Chung Eui-yong, for

Nov. 11, 2020

2nd Korean American woman confirmed to win US Congress seat

Michelle Steel’s election victory was confirmed Tuesday, making her the second Korean American woman to be elected into the US Congress. According to the New York Times, Republican Steel, whose Korean name is Park Eun-joo, received 50.9 percent of the votes to be elected to the US House of Representatives in California’s 48th Congressional District, beating her Democrat rival by 1.8 percentage points. Born in Seoul, Steel moved to the US in 1975, and has been involved in politics

Nov. 11, 2020

Seoul's apartment prices rise 4.5 times higher under Moon than under preceding two governments

Seoul's apartment prices surged 58 percent during the presidency of Moon Jae-in, which is 4.5 times the increase rate of the combined period of the preceding Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye governments, a civic group said Wednesday. The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), a leading progressive civic group, made the assertion in a news conference in Seoul, challenging the incumbent administration's earlier announcement that Seoul's apartment prices rose by merely 14 percent under Mo

Nov. 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Top prosecutor surges to No. 1 in presidential poll

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl emerged as the favorite to win the next presidential election, outpacing two seasoned politicians from the ruling party who had dominated similar surveys, a poll showed Wednesday. The outspoken top prosecutor’s favorability rating stood at 24.7 percent in the survey conducted by pollster Hangil Research. It was the first time that Yoon, who was appointed by liberal President Moon Jae-in but is widely supported by conservatives after feuding with the in

Nov. 11, 2020

Moon to hold phone talks with Biden soon: Cheong Wa Dae official

South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to hold phone talks with US President-elect Joe Biden this week, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. Cheong Wa Dae is "coordinating a time (for Moon and Biden) to have a phone call tomorrow," the official told reporters. Moon and Biden are expected to exchange thoughts on a wide range of bilateral issues, including Seoul's Korean Peninsula peace process initiative, strengthening of their alliance through an expansion of economic cooperati

Nov. 11, 2020