Top prosecutor stands back from case involving his aide

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol accepted Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s directive Thursday to back down from an investigation in a case involving a senior prosecutor believed to be close to him. With the decision, tensions between Choo and Yoon appear to have eased over who should oversee the ongoing inquiry into allegations that prosecutor Han Dong-hoon colluded with a former Channel A journalist in an attempt to frame a leading liberal figure for corruption. “The Seoul Centra

July 9, 2020

Justice minister rejects top prosecutor's offer to form new team to probe case involving key aide

  Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Wednesday rejected the chief prosecutor's offer to create an "independent" investigative team to handle an alleged blackmail case at the center of friction between the two.  The Supreme Prosecutors' Office made the recommendation to the justice ministry earlier in the day, six days after the minister issued a rare directive ordering Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to take his hands off the sensitive case involving one of Yoon's key aid

July 8, 2020

Top prosecutor orders creation of independent team to handle case involving key aide

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl on Wednesday ordered the creation of an independent investigative team to handle an alleged blackmail case at the center of his friction with the justice minister.  The Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced Yoon's decision six days after Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae issued a rare directive ordering the chief prosecutor to take his hands off the sensitive case involving his key aide and a now fired TV reporter. Earlier in the day, Choo sent an ultimatum for

July 8, 2020

[Newsmaker] Controversy over multiple homeownership grips government, ruling party

The government and ruling Dmocratic Party of Korea are taking unprecedented steps to douse the controversy over multiple homeownership among their ranks faced with mounting criticism from both conservative and progressive blocs. On Wednesday, Noh Young-min, President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff, announced that he will sell his southern Seoul home within the month, saying that he has failed to meet public expectations. Noh’s Seoul home became a focal point in the growing controv

July 8, 2020

Seoul to invest 2.6 trillion won for green projects

Seoul City plans to invest 2.6 trillion won ($2.17 billion) for its version of the “Green New Deal” that intends to cut carbon dioxide emissions while creating jobs. “The Seoul version of the Green New Deal is a core strategy for the post-coronavirus era that will help us to overcome climate crisis and economic crisis simultaneously,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said during a press conference held at City Hall on Wednesday. President Moon Jae-in announced in May his pu

July 8, 2020

Justice minister issues ultimatum to prosecutor general

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae issued an ultimatum to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol to respond by Thursday morning to her directive to forgo his authority to supervise an investigation in the case involving a senior prosecutor known to be loyal to him. “A week has passed. I will wait one more day until tomorrow 10 a.m.,” Choo said in a statement released by the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday. Choo has been exerting pressure on Yoon after having a disagreement over who shou

July 8, 2020

Moon to address ILO's global summit on coronavirus impact on work

South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to present his labor policy vision in a video message to the virtual global summit of the International Labor Organization (ILO) later Wednesday, a Cheong Wa Dae official said. Moon's pretaped speech is scheduled to be played during the Global Leaders' Day event in the summit on the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work, according to the official. The session is scheduled to open at around 5 p.m. (Seoul time). Moon will speak about the importance of

July 8, 2020

[News Focus] Government, ruling party scramble to control real estate market

The government and ruling party are scrambling to roll out measures to curb real estate prices, faced with mounting criticism that the Moon Jae-in administration’s related polices have failed. On Tuesday, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Kang Byung-won proposed an Income Tax Act revision outlining the toughest-yet measures to curb real estate speculation, which could see a capital gains tax rate as high as 90 percent imposed on certain transactions. The bill comes a d

July 7, 2020

Ex-PM Lee announces bid to head ruling party

Former Prime Minister Rep. Lee Nak-yon announced Tuesday his bid to become chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. With Lee in, the contest for leadership of the liberal camp is shaping up to be a two-horse race -- between him and Kim Bu-gyeom, both with ambitions of being South Korea’s president. “I have come to the conclusion that I have to mobilize all-available capabilities to take responsibilities given to the Democratic Party and help overcome the national crisis

July 7, 2020

Cabinet OKs govt. motion to seek ratification of key ILO conventions

South Korea's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a government proposal to seek parliamentary ratification of key International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions as part of ongoing efforts to improve workers' rights here. South Korea joined the ILO in 1991, but has yet to ratify four of the eight core conventions aimed at protecting workers' basic rights. The conventions approved in Tuesday's meeting are three of those -- No. 87 on freedom of association, No. 98 on the right to organize and collec

July 7, 2020

Process to launch corruption investigation office poised to spark another bipartisan spat

After the troubled first month since the new assembly term began in late May, rival parties are poised to lock horns again over the ruling party-led initiative to launch a special investigative body targeting corruption by high-ranking public officials. Despite vigorous protest by the opposition bloc, the ruling majority Democratic Party (DP) last Friday officially kicked off its process to launch the probe body, tentatively called the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials

July 6, 2020

Moon calls for lawmakers' support in curbing housing prices, launching anti-corruption probe agency

President Moon Jae-in pressed the National Assembly on Monday to help the government's efforts to stabilize the property market and establish a special unit to investigate corruption among senior civil servants, as lawmakers opened a temporary parliamentary session earlier in the day. He was referring to two of his administration's major and urgent policy tasks, speaking in front of pool reporters at the outset of his weekly meeting with senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. "The foremost undertak

July 6, 2020

Ruling party vows swift legislation on stabilizing housing prices

The ruling Democratic Party vowed Monday to enact real estate tax hikes against owners of multiple houses and companies as the government strives to stabilize the overheated property market. The government is under growing pressure to fundamentally review its real estate policy, as its 21 rounds of measures announced over the past three years to curb property speculation especially in Seoul and its adjacent areas have largely failed to attain their goals. It released the latest set of measur

July 6, 2020

Prospect grows for opposition coalition

Prospects are growing for a conservative coalition, as two opposition parties seek ways to challenge the mammoth ruling Democratic Party of Korea, which holds the biggest majority ever claimed by a single party in the history of the National Assembly. Cooperative moves gained traction since the right-wing United Future Party, the largest opposition party with 103 lawmakers, and center-right People’s Party with three lawmakers launched a joint study program called the People’s Futu

July 5, 2020

Ruling party chief to retire next month, write memoir

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Hae-chan will retire from politics next month. A memoir recapping his 50 years of involvement in local politics, spanning from his days participating in pro-democracy student activism in the 70s, to turbulent partisan politics and the inner workings of the liberal Cabinet, is in the works. Lee, 67, whose two-year term as the chief of the liberal party ends next month, will not be taking any official post in politics after that, as Lee pledged during

July 5, 2020

Main opposition party to return to National Assembly

The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) will return to the National Assembly this week, its floor leader said Sunday, after boycotting all proceedings for weeks in protest of the ruling Democratic Party's unilateral formation of standing committees. "Starting Monday, we will attend the plenary and standing committee sessions and carry on with our fight in earnest inside the assembly," Rep. Joo Ho-young told reporters. The DP controls 176 out of 300-seat parliament after its la

July 5, 2020

Lawmaker tests negative for virus, parliament to review extra budget

A ruling party lawmaker who had contact with a COVID-19 patient earlier this week tested negative for the coronavirus Friday, prompting the National Assembly to move forward with a plenary session to review the government's extra budget as planned. "I was notified that my test result came back negative. I apologize for causing concerns today," Rep. Oh Yeong-hwan of the Democratic Party told reporters through a text message. Oh underwent testing and quarantined himself earlier in t

July 3, 2020

Nat'l Assembly on alert after lawmaker's contact with COVID-19 patient

South Korea's National Assembly was placed on high alert Friday and even rescheduled a plenary session to pass an extra budget after learning that a ruling party lawmaker had contact with a coronavirus patient earlier this week. Rep. Oh Yeong-hwan of the Democratic Party, who attended an evening event in his constituency of Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday, told reporters through text message that a citizen who he shook hands with at the event was confirmed to be infected with COVID-

July 3, 2020

Spy agency chief nominee Park, champion of inter-Korean reconciliation, cooperation

National Intelligence Service (NIS) director-nominee Park Jie-won is known for his role in arranging the historic first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 and fostering engagement with North Korea while in government service from the late 1990s to early 2000s. Park, a former lawmaker of the opposition Party for People's Livelihoods, was a close confidant to late ex-President Kim Dae-jung credited with promoting reconciliation with North Korea through his "sunshine policy," for which Ki

July 3, 2020

Moon names spy chief as top security adviser

President Moon Jae-in on Friday replaced his top foreign policy and national security officials, naming Suh Hoon director of the National Security Office, top security adviser to the president. Suh, incumbent spy chief, is a longtime veteran on North Korea policy who helped to orchestrate the three inter-Korean summits in 2018. Park Jie-won, a former special envoy to North Korea who met both Kim Jong-un and his late father Kim Jong-il, was named to head the spy agency. The four-term lawmake

July 3, 2020