Five S. Korean sailors return home one month after release from captivity in Africa

Five South Korean sailors, who were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African country of Benin, returned home Sunday, a month after they were freed. They arrived at Incheon International Airport in the afternoon, where reporters and TV cameras were waiting to have their comments. But they left the airport after only saying “Thank you.” They were abducted aboard a Ghana-flagged tuna-fishing vessel around 111 kilometers away from Cotonou Port of Ben

Aug. 23, 2020

Main opposition leader says pastor should face consequences

Floor Leader Ju Ho-young of the main opposition United Future Party said Pastor Jun Kwang-hun of Sarang Jeil Church, the focal point of what has become Korea’s second-largest COVID-19 cluster, should face consequences, seeking to distance his party from some Christian groups resisting the government‘s anti-virus efforts. “What Rev. Jun has done is unforgivable. He should be held responsible for his actions that threatened the public good,” Rep. Ju said in an interview

Aug. 22, 2020

S. Korea warns of stern law enforcement to prevent quarantine interference

South Korea's government on Friday called on health authorities to act strongly against any move to impede their efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. President Moon Jae-in called for "stern measures," including criminal charges, for anyone who tries to "hamper epidemiological studies" while visiting Seoul city government's office to check the city's quarantine operations. "If necessary, relevant laws should be enforced, including apprehension on site or

Aug. 21, 2020

DP leadership contest suffers virus setback, with frontrunner Lee quarantined

The race for the ruling Democratic Party’s leadership has suffered a setback from a COVID-19 resurgence in the country, with its frontrunner, Lee Nak-yon, placed under two-week isolation. Its national convention slated for Aug. 28, where a new party chairperson was to be elected, is to be moved online, as indoor gatherings of 50 people or more are prohibited under renewed disease prevention guidelines. Party leaders were set to discuss other adjustments to the general assembly plan in a

Aug. 20, 2020

Ratings for Moon, ruling party rebound amid resurgence of COVID-19

Approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party inched up this week amid a major resurgence of COVID-19, which previously had declined for two consecutive weeks. A pollster attributed the uptick to the fact that anti-government rallies by conservative groups on Liberation Day, Aug. 15, were a factor in the latest spread of the coronavirus nationwide. Thousands of protesters, led by pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, gathered in Gwanghwamun on Aug. 15. Among them were members of

Aug. 20, 2020

Presidential hopeful Lee tests negative

Ruling Democratic Party leadership contender Rep. Lee Nak-yon announced Wednesday that he was free of the novel coronavirus. Lee is a former prime minister and is considered one of the ruling bloc’s most promising presidential candidates. In a statement, Lee said he was given the negative test results at about 10:10 a.m. on Wednesday, and that he will follow the National Medical Center’s guidelines on resuming public activities. Lee was tested for the virus Tuesday after learn

Aug. 19, 2020

Moon and opposition leader may hold 1-on-1 meeting

President Moon Jae-in could meet with Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the main opposition United Future Party, in a one-on-one meeting if necessary, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Kim, whose party earlier rejected the offer, told reporters that he is open to meeting Moon if the agenda and format of the meeting are satisfactory. Moon’s senior political affairs secretary Choi Jae-sung on Tuesday welcomed Kim’s remarks and said he hoped talks could begin soon between the presidenti

Aug. 18, 2020

Parties clash over controversial rally

The main opposition party has come under fire after some of its members joined a rally against Moon Jae-in that was held in defiance of disease control orders and was also attended by Jun Gwang-hun, a right-wing pastor who has been leading a campaign against President Moon Jae-in. In response to the ruling party criticisms, leaders of the opposition United Future Party sought to distance themselves from Jun and the rally. The pastor, who faces charges of election law violations, tested posit

Aug. 18, 2020

School reopening to face hurdles due to coronavirus spread: Moon

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that full-fledged reopening of schools across South Korea will most likely be disrupted due to the new COVID-19 clusters centered in the Seoul metropolitan area. "With a surge in confirmed patients in the capital area, we are moving closer towards a critical juncture which will decide the success or failure of our quarantine efforts," Moon said during a videoconference with regional education superintendents held at Changdeok Girls' Middle School in

Aug. 18, 2020

[Contribution] Yoo Myung-hee, a leader to navigate WTO through challenging times

Yoo Myung-hee, minister for trade of South Korea, announced her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, along with seven other candidates. These candidates are from the UK, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, and Saudi Arabia. The candidates will be narrowed to five from voting among 164 members, with four votes for each member. Two candidates will then be shortlisted from two votes cast by each member, and ultimately, the appointment will be made in the

Aug. 18, 2020

Moon warns of stern responses to church members' illegal acts against anti-virus efforts

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday warned of stern responses to unlawful acts by some church members that have hampered the country's anti-virus efforts, after a far-right pastor and his followers staged massive rallies in violation of a state ban amid a surge in new coronavirus cases. On Saturday, more than 10,000 people took part in rallies in downtown Seoul, including one led by a far-right group, and participated in by pastor Jun Kwang-hoon and other members of Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul. He

Aug. 16, 2020

Wake-up call for ruling party with latest approval ratings flip

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has entered an emergency phase as its approval rating fell behind that of the conservative opposition United Future Party -- for the first time in almost three years -- a survey revealed Thursday. The Realmeter survey found the ruling party’s support rating reach 33.4 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from a week earlier, while the United Future Party gained 1.9 percentage points to 36.5 percent. It is the first time the main opposition party has su

Aug. 14, 2020

Gyeonggi Gov. emerges as top presidential hopeful, as ruling party suffers backlash

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is leading in a popularity poll for the next presidency, a survey showed Friday. In a Gallup survey of 1,001 adults in South Korea conducted from Tuesday to Thursday, Gov. Lee for the first time raced ahead of Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Nak-yon in terms of popularity. Over 19 percent of the respondents preferred Gov. Lee, up 6 percentage points from a month earlier. The endorsement rate for his political rival Rep. Lee dropped 7 percentage points to

Aug. 14, 2020

Moon names Cheong Wa Dae secretary as vice foreign minister

President Moon Jae-in tapped Choi Jong-kun, a key Cheong Wa Dae aide, as new vice foreign minister Friday, according to Moon's office. Choi has served as secretary for peace planning at Cheong Wa Dae's national security office. He is known as one of the major players in Moon's drive for permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. Choi, a former Yonsei University professor of political science and international studies, has expertise in the diplomatic and security field, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman K

Aug. 14, 2020

Gyeonggi governor emerges as front-runner in poll of presidential hopefuls

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung has surpassed Democratic Party Rep. Lee Nak-yon for the first time in a popularity poll of South Korea's prospective presidential candidates, pollster Gallup Korea said Friday. In a Gallup survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted from Tuesday to Thursday, Gov. Lee was favored by 19 percent of respondents, beating out his political rival Rep. Lee, who obtained support from 17 percent. The governor's endorsement rate rose by 6 percentage points from the p

Aug. 14, 2020

Ruling party’s ratings lag behind opposition for the first time in nearly 3 years

The ruling Democratic Party’s support rating has fallen behind that of the conservative opposition United Future Party for the first time in nearly three years, a survey showed Thursday. In the survey conducted by Realmeter, the ruling party’s support rating came to 33.4 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from the previous week, while that of the United Future Party rose 1.9 percentage points to 36.5 percent. The gap remains relatively small, but this is the first time the Demo

Aug. 13, 2020

Moon replaces two more senior aides

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday named new senior secretaries for public relations, and social policy, continuing the reshuffle that began last month. For the post of social policy senior secretary, Moon named Yoon Chang-yul, who currently heads the planning and coordination office under the Prime Minister’s Office. The current senior social policy secretary Kim Yeon-myung is not among the six senior aides who offered their resignation on Friday, and speculations have risen that Moo

Aug. 12, 2020

Moon replaces three senior aides, withholds decision on chief of staff

President Moon Jae-in on Monday named three new senior secretaries, three days after six of his top aides including his chief of staff offered their resignations. The three posts replaced are that for political affairs, civil affairs and justice, and civic and social agenda, and the new secretaries will be appointed on Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae said. For the post of political affairs secretary, Moon chose former ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Jae-sung, and Board of Audit and Inspection

Aug. 10, 2020

Moon says govt. to mull agency to oversee housing market in response to soaring home prices

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the government will consider setting up a separate supervisory body, if needed, to make sure that existing policy steps to curb home price hikes work properly. He also proposed a review of ways to alleviate the tax burden of low- to mid-priced single-house owners as part of "complementary" measures. "The housing problem has become the foremost pending policy task for the people," he said at the outset of his weekly meeting with senior

Aug. 10, 2020

Senior presidential aides offer to resign, but draw ridicule and attacks from opposition

Recent offers to resign by top presidential aides have presented another major hurdle for the Moon Jae-in administration, resulting in ridicule from the public and harsher attacks from the opposition bloc. On Friday, six of President Moon’s top aides offered to resign, including chief of staff Noh Young-min, over the growing controversy surrounding the government’s real estate policies. The other senior officials who offered to resign are Yoon Do-han, in charge of public communi

Aug. 9, 2020