Moon vows full efforts to promote fairness in Youth Day message

President Moon Jae-in pledged his administration's every effort to enhance fairness in South Korea's society and economy, as he addressed the country's inaugural Youth Day ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday. "We still hear the rage of young people who complain that unfairness still persists" despite the government's campaign for fairness and justice as well as an egalitarian society, Moon said during the event held at Nokjiwon, a verdant garden inside the presidential compound. Pr

Sept. 19, 2020

Ruling party to expel son of former President Kim over ethical issues

The ruling Democratic Party decided Friday to expel the third son of the late former President Kim Dae-jung, over allegations of underreporting wealth and ownership of multiple homes The party's ethics inspection body launched probes this week into allegations of wrongdoing raised against some party lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Hong-gul. "The party decided to deprive Rep. Kim of party membership as he appeared to not sincerely cooperate with the body in the probe," Rep. Choi In-ho,

Sept. 18, 2020

Moon says Korea peace possible without giving up hope for dialogue

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea will be able to reach the path of peace and unification unless it gives up hope for dialogue with North Korea. Speaking at a meeting with a group of Buddhist community leaders at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon noted the two Koreas will mark the second anniversary on Saturday of his Pyongyang summit deal with the North's leader Kim Jong-un. "If (we) don't give up hope for meetings and dialogue, we will surely move on to the path of peace and unifica

Sept. 18, 2020

NSC officials discuss pending issues on Japan, US, regional security

South Korea's top national security officials agreed Thursday to continue efforts for the development of Seoul-Tokyo ties, as Yoshihide Suga was sworn in as Japan's new prime minister, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the weekly standing committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), they reviewed the recent security conditions around the Korean Peninsula and pending alliance issues involving the United States. They discussed ways to "manage South Korea's diplomatic and national sec

Sept. 17, 2020

Moon to give video speech in virtual UN session next week

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will deliver a pre-recorded video speech at the annual United Nations General Assembly session next week, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. It is expected to be played during the virtual event at around 2 a.m. Wednesday (Seoul time), according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon plans to request the international community's support for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia and stress the importance of the world's solidarity in response t

Sept. 17, 2020

Seoul vows greater role in supporting multicultural families hit by COVID-19

South Korea's government will play a greater role in helping multicultural households overcome various difficulties caused by the coronavirus outbreak, a Cabinet minister said at a forum on multiculturalism Wednesday. Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok made the promise in her address delivered at the 2020 Multiculturalism Forum hosted by Yonhap News Agency, the nation's key newswire, at its headquarters in central Seoul. "As the COVID-19 outbreak has been prolonged, more

Sept. 16, 2020

Prosecution probes phone records in Choo case

The prosecution is analyzing a recording of a call made to the Ministry of National Defense regarding Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s son as criticism continues to come from both the opposition bloc and the public. Choo’s son, identified by the surname Seo, served as a member of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army from 2016-2018. He underwent knee surgery in June 2017 and went on extended leave. The allegations against Choo center on claims that Seo’s leave wa

Sept. 16, 2020

National Assembly speaker suggests simultaneous 2022 elections

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug on Wednesday suggested holding the presidential election and local elections simultaneous in 2022. “I hope that we can conclude this issue next year as the two elections will be held three months apart in the first half of 2022, which could lead to quite a bit of waste of national resources,” he said during a press conference held to mark his 100-day anniversary in office. He urged lawmakers to deal with bills related to COVID-19 and o

Sept. 16, 2020

Opposition politicians eye Busan mayoral seat

The race for the mayor’s office in Busan is beginning to take shape within the main opposition People Power Party, with bigwigs hinting at a bid. Rep. Suh Byung-soo, a fifth-term lawmaker who held the mayor’s office from 2014-2018, said in a radio interview Wednesday that he is positively considering entering the mayoral by-election next year as “politicians must always be open to every possibility." "I couldn’t properly accomplish the dreams I had serving in

Sept. 16, 2020

Ruling party launches in-house probe body to look into alleged misconduct among members

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) launched an in-house ethics probe body on Wednesday to look into allegations of misconduct or ethical lapses raised against its members. The new body headed by Rep. Choi Ki-sang, a former judge, will serve as an internal investigation office in charge of judging corruption, sexual violations and other allegations raised against the party's lawmakers, officials and elected public office holders affiliated with the party, according to officials. After investig

Sept. 16, 2020

Ruling party chief voices hope for improved Seoul-Tokyo ties under new Japanese PM

The chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday voiced hope for improved South Korea-Japan relations ahead of the expected appointment of Yoshihide Suga as the new Japanese prime minister. Suga is set to win a parliamentary vote for prime minister later Wednesday following his election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday. He will succeed Shinzo Abe, who has resigned over health issues. "I hope for the elevation of Japan's national destiny and an impro

Sept. 16, 2020

PM warns of stern response against mass Oct. 3 rallies amid pandemic

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun pleaded with conservative civic groups Wednesday to withdraw plans to stage massive anti-government rallies in early October as the country is struggling to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. The prime minister warned once again that the government will deal sternly with any illegal mass rallies to avert transmission risks. "I request that the concerned groups roll back their rally plans," Chung said in a regular government COVID-19 response me

Sept. 16, 2020

Parties agree to deal with coronavirus extra budget bill next week

Rival political parties agreed Tuesday to handle an extraordinary budget to cope with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic next week. The ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party reached an agreement to vote on this year's fourth supplementary budget bill on Sept. 22, Park Hong-keun, a DP lawmaker said. Last week, the government submitted a 7.8 trillion won ($6.6 billion) extra budget bill aimed at helping small merchants and self-employed people most affe

Sept. 15, 2020

Cabinet OKs revised law to better compensate victims of humidifier sanitizers

A revised law intended to expand the scope of diseases caused by the use of humidifier sterilizers and increase compensation for their victims and their bereaved families is to take effect later this month, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday. The ministry said a revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on Remedy for Damage Caused by Humidifier Disinfectants was approved by the Cabinet meeting in the day and will go into effect on Sept. 25. Under the revised law, people who

Sept. 15, 2020

Civic groups call for inter-Korean peace ahead of 2nd anniv. of Pyongyang summit

An alliance of religious and civic groups on Monday called for a grassroots movement to help repair inter-Korean relations, ahead of the second anniversary of a historic agreement reached at the end of the third summit between leaders of the two Koreas in 2018. The Peace Campaign to End the Korean War, an alliance of seven religious orders and 353 religious and civic groups nationwide, made the plea to the public to support the inter-Korean peace movement during a news conference in Seoul. Th

Sept. 14, 2020

[News Focus] Seoul set on telecom subsidy despite controversy

Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party appear set on giving a 20,000 won ($16.90) telecom bill subsidy to all South Koreans despite growing criticism from the opposition bloc and the public. It was decided last week to offer a telecom subsidy for all Koreans over the age of 13 as part of the latest package of measures aimed at easing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the plan immediately met with backlash from the opposition bloc, which accused the Moon Jae-in adminis

Sept. 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] Justice minister apologizes over alleged power abuse scandal involving her son

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae apologized Sunday over allegations she used her influence to seek special favors for her son during his mandatory military service, breaking her recent silence on the issue. Choo has come under fire over suspicions that she abused her power to seek preferential treatment for her son, surnamed Seo, when he was in the military in 2017, such as by extending medical leave without following due procedures. Choo was chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party at the time.

Sept. 13, 2020

Gyeonggi governor slightly ahead of DP leader in presidential hopeful poll

Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, topped an opinion poll on potential presidential candidates for the second consecutive month. In a survey by Gallup Korea released Friday, Lee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), maintained a 1 percentage point lead over Lee Nak-yon, the party's chief and a former prime minister. The gap between the two remained within the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points of the poll, which was conducted on 1,002 voters across the country from Tuesday t

Sept. 11, 2020

Govt. to tighten discipline among civil servants amid pandemic

Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that it will toughen a crackdown on possible corruption, lax discipline and other wrongdoings among South Korea's public servants, especially as the country is struggling to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. The office for civil affairs and justice at the presidential office agreed on the "special inspection" measure during a related council meeting with the prime minister's office and the Board of Audit and Inspection. To come under close watch are possible co

Sept. 11, 2020

Opposition leader asks conservative groups to postpone rallies amid spread of coronavirus

The leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday asked conservative groups to postpone their protest rallies scheduled for early next month amid resurgent new coronavirus woes. Rightist civic groups are seeking to stage anti-government demonstrations in central Seoul on Oct. 3, the National Foundation Day, despite criticism that their rallies last month led to more than 550 new COVID-19 cases across the country. Kim Chong-in, chief of the conservative opposition party, c

Sept. 10, 2020