Democratic Party pushes multiple impeachment bills

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday motioned a set of bills to impeach a high-level Yoon Suk Yeol government official and four prosecutors who investigated cases affecting party figures, including former party Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung. The Democratic Party, which holds the majority of seats in the Assembly, put the impeachment bills to the floor without the ruling People Power Party’s support. The series of impeachments pushed by the Democratic Party leads to impeachin

July 2, 2024

Vietnam PM voices support for denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s stance backing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, stressing its consistent support for peace and stability. “It is Vietnam’s consistent stance to support the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, alongside peace, stability and cooperation,” Chinh said in an opening speech ahead of a closed-door meeting with his counterpart, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, at the Government Complex Se

July 2, 2024

Yoon orders 'scientific safety measures' after battery plant fire

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday ordered his administration to come up with "scientific safety measures," in a follow-up to the deadly blaze in a lithium battery factory last week in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. At a Cabinet meeting he presided over Tuesday in his office, Yoon ordered the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Science and ICT to strengthen their collaboration to develop relevant risk detection technologies and firefi

July 2, 2024

Ruling party to launch filibuster to block special probe bill on Marine's death

The ruling People Power Party threatened to launch a filibuster Tuesday if the opposition seeks to pass a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year. The move comes as the main opposition Democratic Party is pushing to pass the bill and three broadcasting law revisions during this week's parliamentary plenary session despite objections from the PPP. The special probe bill calls for a special counsel to look

July 2, 2024

Yoon approves resignation of broadcasting watchdog chief ahead of impeachment vote

President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted the resignation of Korea Communications Commission Chairman Kim Hong-il on Tuesday, his office said, before a National Assembly vote on his impeachment. Kim offered to voluntarily step down earlier in the day, a move designed to have a successor continue the duties because impeachment would suspend the job. The position holds the key to decisions on broadcasting stations, including the appointment of a new president at MBC TV. The resignation came just hours befo

July 2, 2024

Head of broadcasting regulator voluntarily resigns as opposition parties seek impeachment

The head of the broadcasting regulator voluntarily stepped down Tuesday, as opposition parties are set to vote on an impeachment motion against him. Kim Hong-il, chair of the Korea Communications Commission, offered his resignation and skipped a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. His voluntary stepping down came hours before the main opposition Democratic Party is set to report an impeachment motion against him to a plenary session of the National Assembly, citing "abuse of power." Th

July 2, 2024

Rival parties lock horns over Marine's death at committee meeting

Rival parties clashed Monday over a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year. The parliamentary House Steering Committee held a plenary meeting and questioned Chung Jin-suk, the presidential chief of staff, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo and other officials about the Marine's death. Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party reiterated their calls for a special probe bill surrounding

July 1, 2024

Dior bag in first lady's scandal stored by presidential office: official

The controversial luxury Christian Dior bag at the center of the antigraft law violation scandal involving the first lady is currently being managed and stored by the presidential office, an official said Monday. “To my knowledge, the Dior bag that was received by first lady Kim Keon Hee is currently stored in the presidential office building in the state that it was first gifted to her,” presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-seok told a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly

July 1, 2024

How Putin-Kim summit tips South Korea’s balance on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin signing a defense treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has South Korea rethinking its stance on arming Ukraine. Through nearly 2 1/2 years of Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine, Seoul has not strayed from its policy of “nonlethal aid only” to Kyiv over two administrations, both liberal and conservative. That may change now that Putin has committed to fight on Kim’s side in the event of an invasion under the new military pact signed du

July 1, 2024

Opposition blasts president's alleged comment Itaewon crowd crush was 'induced'

Members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday continued to lambast President Yoon Suk Yeol over a claim in a high-level politician's recently published memoir that Yoon had said he "cannot rule out the possibility that this accident (the deadly Itaewon crowd crush) may have been induced and manipulated by a certain force," in December 2022. Rep. Park Hong-geun of the Democratic Party railed against Yoon's alleged comment in an interview on MBC Radio, de

July 1, 2024

S. Korea to create new deputy PM post for population planning

The government will propose new legislation next month to create a deputy prime minister post dedicated to population planning, marking a major organizational shift to address the nation's aging population and low birth rate, the presidential office announced Monday. The proposed reorganization will have Education Minister Lee Ju-ho hand over his deputy prime minister role -- overseeing social affairs-related issues in education, labor and welfare -- to the newly created position of populat

July 1, 2024

Presidential office to create position of political affairs minister

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol will create the position of political affairs minister at the top office in an effort to strengthen communication with the National Assembly, Yoon's chief of staff said Monday. Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk made the remark during a parliamentary steering committee meeting amid calls for Yoon's office to make greater efforts to reach out to the opposition-controlled parliament to better take care of state affairs and move its agenda forw

July 1, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Non-regular workers' rights, semiconductor growth support

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Yong-woo (Democratic Party of Korea), Rep. Shin Chang-sik (Rebuilding Korea Party) and Rep. Yoon Jong-o (Progressive Party) ● This amendment expands the definition of workers to guarantee the three basic labor rights for non-regular workers, such as specially employed workers and platform workers. It also prohibits employers from claiming damages for collective action against individual wo

July 1, 2024

Seoul eyes new measures to fight voice phishing scammers

High-ranking officials of the government and the ruling party on Sunday agreed on the need to increase efforts to bust voice phishing scammers by the end of October and to strengthen cooperation with Interpol and Chinese state security authorities to crack down on organized crime overseas. Officials in President Yoon Suk Yeol's office, his administration and the ruling People Power Party also agreed to inspect messaging service providers to look into security vulnerabilities by the end of J

June 30, 2024

Assembly strife intensifies as parties mull bills Yoon vetoed

Rival parties are expected to bicker in the coming weeks, as the opposition parties are mulling reintroducing contentious bills that President Yoon Suk Yeol had vetoed. South Korea's National Assembly is ready to float a bill calling for a special counsel probe into alleged state interference in a Marine Corps investigation into the cause of a young Marine's death during a rescue operation last summer. Rep. Park Chan-dae, acting chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, said during a ral

June 30, 2024

1st court verdict for ex-DP leader on election law violation charges due in Oct.

A final court hearing for former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on an alleged election law violation will take place in September, with a verdict expected around the following month, officials said Friday. The final hearing session regarding Lee's alleged election law violation will be held on Sept. 6 following the interrogation of Lee in August and other processes, according to the Seoul Central District Court. Lee is accused of making false statements during the presidential campaign in

June 28, 2024

Parties set for clash over bills as Assembly gets back to business

The two largest political parties here are likely to wrangle over several bills in upcoming months, despite their recent agreement on the formation of parliamentary standing committees. The ruling People Power Party on Thursday officially ended its weekslong boycott of the National Assembly over the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s decision to take 11 out of the total 18 standing committee chair positions, including that of the key legislation and judiciary committee, without th

June 28, 2024

Yoon to meet US spy chief amid deepening NK-Russia ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to meet with US National Intelligence Director Avril Haines on Friday, sources said, amid growing concerns over a recent military pact between North Korea and Russia. During the meeting at Yoon's office, the two sides are likely to exchange their views on the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss joint efforts to counter the growing Pyongyang-Moscow military tie

June 28, 2024

Assembly back on track with agreement on committee chief assignments

The rival political parties got the newly launched session of the National Assembly back on track Thursday by officially agreeing on the selection of all 18 committee chiefs for the first two years of the parliamentary term. Twenty-eight days after the 22nd Assembly kicked off its term, the ruling People Power Party and the opposition parties voted in favor of the ruling party’s candidates for seven parliamentary committee chiefs, in a plenary session held in the afternoon. The Assembly me

June 27, 2024

Seoul to expand science R&D budget

South Korea may propose a budget related to state-backed scientific research and development amounting to nearly 30 trillion won ($21.6 billion), according to the presidential office on Thursday. "The total amount of the state R&D budget could certainly reach 30 trillion won, but the final proposal will be handed in (to the Finance Ministry) in late August," Park Sang-ook, senior presidential secretary for science and technology, told reporters. Park revealed that what is included

June 27, 2024