[Newsmaker] Controversies surrounding ministers fan talks of Cabinet reshuffle

Talks of a Cabinet reshuffle are rising, following a series of controversies surrounding high-profile ministers of the Moon Jae-in administration. Controversies about Cabinet members and nominees have dogged President Moon Jae-in throughout his term, but this time talks of a reshuffle are rising from within the ranks of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Ministers linked to a possible reshuffle include Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha and Ministe

Oct. 6, 2020

Moon pledges to nurture SMEs, startups as leaders of post-pandemic economy

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday promised to strengthen support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and venture startups, commending the innovations in those areas as key to the nation's post-pandemic economic recovery. "We will surely prop up SMEs and venture companies as centers of the economic recovery in the coronavirus era and as leaders of the post-coronavirus digital economy," Moon said at the start of a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. The Cabinet reviewed t

Oct. 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] In letter to President Moon, son of slain fishery official demands truth

A son of the fishery official killed by North Korea at sea last month doubted the South Korean government's announcement that his father sought defection and pleaded with the president to find the truth about his father's death. In a letter released late Monday by Lee Rae-jin, the official's older brother, the son asked President Moon Jae-in, "Do you think it really makes sense that my father, who never learned how to swim and weighed only 68 kg for his height of 180 cm, swam 38 km against

Oct. 6, 2020

Prosecutors seek 18-month prison term for ex-President Chun in libel trial

The prosecution on Monday sought an 18-month prison term for former President Chun Doo-hwan on charges of defaming an activist priest who documented a bloody crackdown by Chun's troops on pro-democracy demonstrators in Gwangju. On May 18, 1980, citizens in Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, rose up against the military junta led by Chun. His troops ruthlessly cracked down on the nine-day uprising, leaving more than 200 people dead and 1,800 others wounded, according to official dat

Oct. 5, 2020

Moon urges no let-up in coronavirus alert ahead of another holiday period

President Moon Jae-in expressed his appreciation Monday for South Korean people's cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus during the Chuseok holiday season and requested continued support for the government's antivirus campaign. He cited another holiday that will start Friday, which is Hangeul Day, or the Korean Alphabet Day, while speaking in front of pool reporters and cameras during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. Many South Koreans refrained from visiti

Oct. 5, 2020

Parliament's annual audit to center on N. Korea, justice minister

Lawmakers will hold the parliament‘s annual inspection of state affairs this week with North Korea’s recent killing of a South Korean civil servant and a row over special treatment for the justice minister’s son expected to be key agenda items for the three weeks of hearings. The parliamentary audit will start Wednesday and runs until Oct. 26, covering more than 640 government organizations. The Defense Committee, which will audit the Ministry of National Defense and the

Oct. 5, 2020

USFK has not used 68b won of Korea's defense contributions since 2014: data

About 68 billion won ($58.4 million) out of South Korea's defense contributions to the United States Forces Korea (USFK) over the six years from 2014 has been left unused, data from the defense ministry showed Monday. According to the data released by Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol of the ruling Democratic Party, USFK has not used 67.88 billion won out of Seoul's contributions made since 2014 toward shared defense costs. The amount of Korean defense contributions unused by the US reached 14.5 billion won

Oct. 5, 2020

Unverified rumors and misinformation sprout around justice minister scandal

Unverified accusations and false information are flooding the country’s political arena and online communities, prompted by the scandal surrounding Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and her son. Choo faces allegations that she used her position as a ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader to give preferential treatment to her son, identified by the surname Seo, during his service with the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army from 2016 to 2018. Unverified information about governm

Sept. 30, 2020

NSC vows efforts to find facts on N. Korea's killing of S. Korean official

South Korea's top national security officials expressed their deep condolences Tuesday over a government official killed by North Korean troops' gunfire at sea and agreed to continue efforts to figure out exactly what happened, Cheong Wa Dae said. During a weekly meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), they also decided to keep up intelligence cooperation with neighboring countries on the case. The meeting was presided over by Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential

Sept. 29, 2020

In phone talks with Moon, Putin says Russia set to cooperate on Korea peace: Cheong Wa Dae

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday in phone talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Moscow is ready to continue cooperation on efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Cheong Wa Dae.    Putin also took note of the Moon administration's push for the normalization of inter-Korean relations and expressed "expectations" for the resumption of dialogue "by the parties concerned," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said after

Sept. 28, 2020

Ruling party chief faces battle to shore up support

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has faced myriad challenges to consolidate his foothold in the liberal party and prove his mettle as a presidential candidate. His return to the partisan politics had been smooth sailing after serving as prime minister under the liberal Moon Jae-in government, winning a seat in the Jongno district in central Seoul -- a symbolic constituency in Korean politics -- and becoming leader of the ruling party. But his first month

Sept. 28, 2020

Prosecutors drop charges against justice minister in special favors probe

Prosecutors on Monday dropped charges against Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and her son, who have been suspected of gaining special favors during the latter's military service in 2017. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office said it withdrew the charges against Choo, her 27-year-old son surnamed Seo, a former aide to Choo and a former military officer assigned to Seo's base at the time. Choo has come under fire over allegations that she used her influence as the then chairwoman of the ruli

Sept. 28, 2020

Moon apologizes after N. Korea kills Seoul official

President Moon Jae-in on Monday offered an apology to the people of South Korea in response to the shock and fury caused by the killing of a South Korean government official last week by North Korea, his office said Monday. He also expressed his condolences to the family of the civil servant who was shot dead on Sept. 22 by the North’s troops after drifting into the country’s waters. “The shock and rage the public felt can easily be expected. The government, which should d

Sept. 28, 2020

Moon names new Cheong Wa Dae secretary for personnel affairs

President Moon Jae-in has picked his new secretary for personnel affairs, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday, amid media reports that he is expected to carry out another Cabinet reshuffle within this year. Yoon Ji-hoon, deputy secretary for personnel affairs, has been promoted to the position, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Yoon earlier worked at Cheong Wa Dae's state affairs monitoring office. Many predict that the president will change some of his Cabinet members before the end

Sept. 28, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae calls for joint probe with N. Korea on shooting incident, restoration of military communication line

Cheong Wa Dae called Sunday on North Korea to conduct a joint investigation with South Korea into the recent killing of a South Korean fisheries official and to reopen the bilateral military communication line for related work. Cheong Wa Dae made the statement shortly after President Moon Jae-in had an emergency security-related ministers' meeting on the incident. Briefing media on the results of the 90-minute session, Suh Choo-suk, deputy director of the national security office, said the gov

Sept. 27, 2020

[Newsmaker] Opposition party slams Cheong Wa Dae’s response to NK’s killing of civilian

Opposition lawmakers are stepping up attacks on President Moon Jae-in over the killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korea, framing the incident as a case of mishandling or even neglect of duty by the top office. 　 Five members of the People Power Party took turns holding one-person protests outside Cheong Wa Dae, each staging an hourlong rally with a sign that read “President Moon Jae-in, where are you now,” denouncing the president and the government for a “dela

Sept. 27, 2020

PM Chung renews warnings against illicit Oct. 3 rallies amid virus fight

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun renewed warnings Sunday against illegal anti-government rallies planned by some conservative groups, amid worries that the mass gatherings could undercut the nation's fight against the new coronavirus. During a session of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, Chung vowed to take a zero-tolerance policy against any unsanctioned demonstrations on the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day, warning illegal participants will face immediate arrests. Rega

Sept. 27, 2020

Parliamentary speaker embarks on trip to Sweden, Germany

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug has embarked on a trip to Sweden and Germany as part of his parliamentary diplomacy aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation, officials said Sunday. From Sunday through Tuesday, Park plans to visit Sweden, becoming the first South Korean parliamentary chief to visit the country since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1959. In Stockholm on Monday, Park plans to pay a courtesy call on King Carl XVI Gustaf and meet Foreign Trade M

Sept. 27, 2020

Ruling party's leader urges N. Korea to swiftly agree to joint probe into killing

The leader of the ruling Democratic Party on Sunday urged North Korea to swiftly agree to a joint investigation with South Korea into the shooting death of a South Korean fisheries official in North Korean waters. Rep. Lee Nak-yon made the remark in a Facebook posting, saying the North's account of what happened is different from South Korea's findings, including whether the body of the 47-year-old official was set on fire or not. South Korea said the North shot and killed the fisheries offic

Sept. 27, 2020

Deputy security adviser recently visited US for talks on alliance, N. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea's deputy national security adviser made an unannounced visit to Washington earlier this month for talks with US officials and experts on the bilateral alliance, North Korea and other issues, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. Kim Hyung-chong visited the US capital from Sept. 16 to last Sunday, before President Moon Jae-in's Sept. 22 speech for the UN General Assembly that renewed his call for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War and proposed a r

Sept. 27, 2020