Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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Cho Kuk’s resignation dominates parliamentary audit of Justice Ministry
The parliamentary audit of the Justice Ministry, held Tuesday without the minister, was dominated by political wrangling over Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation the previous day over corruption allegations surrounding his family. The audit proceeded with Vice Justice Minister Kim O-su taking the place of Cho, who stepped down 35 days after he was appointed amid strong resistance from the opposition parties. The opposition bloc denounced Cho as “irresponsible” and demanded a
Oct. 15, 2019
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Ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk returns to law faculty
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk is returning to the faculty of Seoul National University School of Law. According to the school on Tuesday, Cho faxed a request to return to his teaching job at the school around 6 p.m. Monday.Earlier that afternoon, Cho announced his resignation as justice minister in a statement. President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation at 5:38 p.m. Cho’s request was approved by the dean’s office and the university’s vice president, the school said.L
Oct. 15, 2019
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Cabinet passes prosecution reform plans
The government on Tuesday approved partial restructuring of the prosecutors’ office proposed as part of prosecutorial reform plans. The approval, given at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, comes a day after Cho Kuk resigned as justice minister, hours after announcing his prosecutorial reform plans. At the Cabinet meeting, the revision of the regulation on the administrative bodies of the prosecutors’ office was approved. As a result, four of the se
Oct. 15, 2019
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Opposition resists launching agency to probe officials
Following Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation Monday, the Liberty Korea Party reiterated its opposition to establishing a separate agency for the investigation of crimes by senior government officials.The bill to set up the agency is among the fast-tracked bills on prosecution reform, which the main opposition party insists should be reconsidered from square one.The Liberty Korea Party and minor opposition Bareunmirae Party have accused the ruling Democratic Party of trying to stop the
Oct. 15, 2019
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What lies ahead for prosecution reform?
With Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation on Monday, questions remain on the future course of prosecution reform -- a key Moon Jae-in agenda.In his resignation letter, Cho said he was a “kindling” to spark the fire of the reform drive, and that his resignation was necessary to complete the bigger goal of prosecutorial reform. The second reform draft hereleased on Monday morning centers on scaling down the prosecution’s special investigation divisions, known for dealing
Oct. 14, 2019
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[Breaking] Justice Minister Cho Kuk steps down
Justice Minister Cho Kuk resigned from his cabinet post Monday, after nearly two months of investigation by prosecutors into corruption allegations surrounding his family. Cho said in a statement that while “prosecution reform had been (his) life’s mission as a scholar,” “something inconceivable has happened,” and that his role was over. Cho’s wife Chung Kyung-shim was summoned for questioning by prosecutors for the fifth time Monday morning.The parliamen
Oct. 14, 2019
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Support rating gap of rival parties narrows: poll
A poll showed the major conservative party outperforming the ruling party in the approval rating for the first time since President Moon Jae-in’s inauguration.On Friday, a Realmeter poll showed the opposition Liberal Korea Party recording 34.7 percent approval rating while the ruling Democratic Party received 33.3 percent approval rating. The gap in approval ratings has dropped to under-one percentage point, reaching an all-time low since the start of President Moon’s administra
Oct. 14, 2019
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Justice minister to unveil detailed prosecution reform scheme
Cheong Wa Dae, the government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea said on Sunday the Justice Ministry is to announce a plan that would reduce the prosecution’s special investigation units Monday.Top Cheong Wa Dae officials, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, Justice Minister Cho Kuk and ruling party lawmakers held a meeting at the National Assembly Sunday afternoon to address the next step in the reform of the prosecution, a chief Moon Jae-in administration agenda.Democr
Oct. 13, 2019
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Justice minister’s wife to face court over alleged family corruption
Court proceedings into the corruption scandal surrounding Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family are slated for later this week, a Seoul court said Sunday.According to Seoul Central District Court, the trial preparation hearing for Cho’s wife Chung Kyung-shim, 57, will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday. Chung is not expected to appear at the pretrial hearing, which defendants are not obliged to attend.On Saturday, the Seoul Central District prosecutors summoned Chung for the fourth time for qu
Oct. 13, 2019
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Liberal heavyweight voices doubt over report linking chief prosecutor to sex scandal
Veteran lawmaker Rep. Park Jie-won on Friday claimed that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl does not appear nor is mentioned in any of the video or audio files he has related to the sex scandal revolving around former Deputy Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui. Park is a four-term lawmaker with close ties to the liberal icon and late President Kim Dae-jung. Hankyoreh 21, a local weekly publication, on Friday reported that Yoon may be connected to the scandal, and that the prosecution had buried r
Oct. 11, 2019
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Ruling party says allegations against chief prosecutor must be looked into
The floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday said that allegations raised against Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl must be looked into. While declining to comment directly on the allegations raised in a report by Hankyoreh 21, Floor Leader Rep. Lee In-young said the matter should be dealt with. “It cannot be left uninspected,” Lee said, when asked whether the party has plans to look into the matter Friday. Lee, however, declined to comment on the issues raised in t
Oct. 11, 2019
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Moon to meet with Seoul-based foreign diplomats next Friday
President Moon Jae-in will meet with Seoul-based foreign diplomats next week in an effort to seek cooperation to bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula, his office said Thursday. The chief executive will hold a meeting with diplomatic corps on Oct. 18 at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to encourage promoting closer ties, sources said.It would be the first time that the president would meet foreign diplomats based in Seoul at once.Such a meeting was held on a regular basis under past adm
Oct. 10, 2019
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Speaker to visit Japan next month for G-20 parliamentary meeting
National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang plans to visit Japan next month to attend a parliamentary meeting of the Group of 20 leading nations, officials said Thursday. Moon has received an invitation from Japan's parliament to take part in the speakers' gathering, which will be held on Nov. 4 in Tokyo, according to parliamentary officials.A detailed itinerary is under consultation, they added. It would be Moon's first trip to Japan since he was elected as the speaker in July 2018.Moon is pushing
Oct. 10, 2019
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S. Korea to travel to Pyongyang for World Cup qualifier via Beijing on match's eve
The South Korean men's national football team will travel to Pyongyang for a World Cup qualifier against North Korea via Beijing on the eve of the match, the sport's governing body here said Thursday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced the itinerary for the Taeguk Warriors for the World Cup qualifying match scheduled for next Tuesday. Coached by Paulo Bento, South Korea will fly to Beijing on Sunday and stay there overnight, and then fly to Pyongyang on Monday.The KFA said it had pro
Oct. 10, 2019
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Moon vows 'bold' gov't support for new-generation display sector
President Moon Jae-in said Thursday his government will offer "bold support" for South Korea's development of next-generation displays as he paid a visit to a local factory of Samsung Group, the country's largest conglomerate. "Now, it's important (for South Korea) to keep the No. 1 spot, changing the trend of the world's display market," he said during a speech at Samsung Display's factory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, 90 kilometers south of Seoul. "The gov
Oct. 10, 2019
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40% of budget for inter-Korean cooperation unspent
Nearly 40 percent of this year’s budget for inter-Korean cooperation has not been spent amid a lull in bilateral relations. Most of the unspent budget had been set aside for South Korea’s provision of rice to North Korea through the World Food Program, which has been halted due to Pyongyang’s refusal.According to data from the Unification Ministry, released by Liberty Korea Party Rep. Yoo Min-bong on Thursday, the government approved expenditure of 92.1 billion won ($77 million
Oct. 10, 2019
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Probe into irregularities in Cho Kuk family foundation zeroes in on minister’s mother, brother
A Seoul court on Wednesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s younger brother, Cho Kwon. Prosecutors had sought the warrant over allegations of bribery and embezzlement via a school foundation owned and operated by the family.The Seoul Central District Court said it would not authorize the arrest warrant in light of “the suspect’s health condition, his apparent admission of guilt and substantial evidence having already been collected.” The c
Oct. 9, 2019
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Court rejects arrest warrant for justice minister's younger brother
A Seoul court on Wednesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for a younger brother of Justice Minister Cho Kuk in connection with a probe into corruption allegations surrounding Cho's family.The Seoul Central District Court rejected the prosecution's request filed Friday, saying there is no need to arrest the suspect, given that the charges against him are disputable and enough evidence has already been collected. The rejection is expected to deal a blow to the prosecution's investigation of th
Oct. 9, 2019
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Cabinet okays extension of troop dispatch to UAE, waters
South Korea's Cabinet approved a pair of motions Tuesday to extend the missions of military units operating in waters off Somalia and the United Arab Emirates.In the session, chaired by President Moon Jae-in, Cabinet members agreed to lengthen the troop dispatch by another year through Dec. 31, 2020, according to Cheong Wa Dae.South Korea sent the 300-strong Cheonghae Unit to the Gulf of Aden in 2009 to help fight against piracy. Separately, around 140 special forces have been stationed in the U
Oct. 8, 2019
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Moon calls for speeding up industrial reforms
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday urged for speeding up plans to strengthen the country’s industrial structure, and called for the swift passage of economy-related bills in the National Assembly. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Moon emphasized that related measures must be executed quickly, saying that while the government and the private sector have responded well to Japan’s recent export control measures, more needs to be done. “If it becomes a turning point to fundamental
Oct. 8, 2019