Education committee passes bill on school violence

The Education Committee of the National Assembly on Monday passed a revision bill that aims to help victims live a life free from bullying while recovering from school violence, as the country grapples with growing numbers of school bullying cases. As part of the enhanced measures to tackle school bullying set out in the bill, shelters will be set up to help victims heal and recover from bullying and allow the heads of regional education offices to run special facilities to provide counseling fo

June 12, 2023

Prosecutors raid consulting firm in probe into campaign funding for ex-DP leader

Prosecutors raided a consulting company in Seoul on Monday as part of an investigation into alleged illegal election funding involving Song Young-gil, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party. The prosecution suspects that a think tank paid consulting fees to the company on behalf of Song's campaign during the party's leadership election in 2021. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent investigators in the morning to several locations, including the consulting

June 12, 2023

National Assembly to vote on arrest motion of 2 lawmakers involved in election bribery scandal

The National Assembly is to hold a vote Monday on whether to give consent to the potential arrests of two lawmakers accused of involvement in a cash-for-vote campaign ahead of the main opposition Democratic Party's 2021 leadership election. Prosecutors had sought arrest warrants for the two -- Reps. Youn Kwan-suk and Lee Sung-man -- for their alleged involvement in a campaign to distribute "cash envelopes" to Democratic Party members to help then candidate Song Young-gil win party chai

June 12, 2023

Ruling bloc baffled by opposition leader jabbing Yoon with China envoy

South Korean main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung has stoked rebuke for backing Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming’s criticism of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s foreign policy last week. At a dinner event with Xing at the ambassador’s residence on Thursday, Lee suggested that the relationship between South Korea and China has soured since Yoon administration came into office. “The latest developments in international politics and econom

June 11, 2023

Audit agency cautions anti-corruption chief, wrapping up 10-month inspection

The state audit agency cautioned Jeon Hyun-heui, chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), on Friday for providing inappropriate support for an official who faced disciplinary action over workplace bullying. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) announced the result of its 10-month-long inspection regarding 13 complaints filed last year against her. Jeon, who was appointed by former President Moon Jae-in, has been under pressure to resign by the ruling People Power

June 9, 2023

Election watchdog accepts state auditor's inspection amid growing criticism of hiring nepotism

The National Election Commission (NEC) decided Friday to accept the state auditor's inspection into a hiring corruption scandal involving high-ranking officials. The election watchdog initially refused to comply with an inspection by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) last week, citing its status as an independent agency. But the commission reversed its position amid grown criticism from the public and political circles. "In light of the significant public suspicion surrounding

June 9, 2023

Yoon’s aide vows ties with like-minded countries

Kim Tae-hyo, President Yoon’s deputy national security adviser, reaffirmed the country’s push to prioritize diplomacy with countries that value freedom -- the administration’s signature foreign policy that has essentially put the country in a US-led coalition against China and Russia. At a forum Friday to mark Yoon’s first anniversary of taking office in May 2022, Kim described freedom as a “core interest” that will determine whether the country will have a se

June 9, 2023

Chinese ambassador summoned for criticizing Korea’s foreign policy

The Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea to strongly warn him of remarks that could be interpreted as an intervention in domestic affairs, Friday. First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Ambassador Xing Haiming to the ministry building Friday morning and expressed regret over Xing's unfiltered criticism of South Korea’s foreign policy, which was made during a meeting with main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung the pr

June 9, 2023

China ties will be on equal footing: Yoon’s adviser

South Korea will manage relations with China to foster a “healthy relationship,” President Yoon Suk Yeol’s national security adviser said, suggesting Seoul would not give in to Beijing’s demands as easily as the previous administration. Cho Tae-yong said the Yoon administration is seeking to advance Korea’s global status with a “principled approach and reciprocity,” meaning Beijing would have to reciprocate what it asks Seoul to do. China has been trying

June 9, 2023

Yoon’s special adviser in hot water over son's alleged bullying

  Lee Dong-kwan, special adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol for external relations, whom Yoon is reportedly considering as the next head of the Korea Communications Commission, has raised controversy as allegations over his son having bullied a fellow high school student in 2011 have reemerged. Lee said some of the allegations made by the media and members of the main opposition party were “distorted and exaggerated” as he went over details of his son's school violence case in a

June 9, 2023

Assembly to hold hearings on Fukushima wastewater safety

The South Korean National Assembly on Thursday agreed to launch a special committee and hold hearings on the safety inspection of wastewater from the now-defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant. The special committee will be headed by lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, after a bill on its formation is passed at the plenary session next week. Japan will “communicate closely” with Seoul and “strive to provide the Korean people with sincere explanations based on scientifi

June 8, 2023

Yoon declares ‘all-out war’ on chips to support chip industry

The competition in the chip industry is an “all-out war,” President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, vowing to back local chipmakers with interagency support amid the intensifying tech competition between the US and China. “The government and the private sector should come together to ride out challenges ahead. … The government will closely work with allies like the US to resolve issues involving the industry,” Yoon said at a meeting attended by senior officials, lawma

June 8, 2023

Yoon's labor policy hits snag as FKTU vows all-out struggle

President Yoon Suk Yeol's labor reform drive is likely to face significant hurdles, as the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, an umbrella union group the president once sought amicable ties with, declared an all-out struggle against the government on Thursday. Following its decision to suspend its participation in a trilateral consultative body between the government, management and labor on Wednesday, the FKTU said it would step up its struggle while halting communication with the governme

June 8, 2023

Ruling party refers opposition lawmaker to ethics committee over remarks about Cheonan's captain

The ruling People Power Party referred an opposition lawmaker to the parliamentary ethics committee Thursday for making insulting remarks about the captain of the warship Cheonan sunk in a 2010 North Korean attack. Rep. Kwon Chil-seung, senior spokesperson of the main opposition Democratic Party, said earlier this week that the Cheonan's captain, Choi Won-il, knows no shame even after "killing all his subordinates," accusing him of failing to fend off the North Korean attack. Kwon

June 8, 2023

Opposition chief to meet with Chinese ambassador

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was to visit the residence of Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming on Thursday for a dinner meeting expected to discuss Japan's planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The meeting comes as the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol has been seeking to bring South Korea closer to the United States and Japan in a key policy departure from the preceding Moon Jae-in administration. During Thursday's meeting, Lee an

June 8, 2023

Ruling party, govt. to strengthen punishment against tech theft

The government and the ruling People Power Party decided Wednesday to significantly toughen punishment of conglomerates stealing ideas or technology from smaller companies, a lawmaker said. The two sides agreed to revise relevant laws to increase the limit of punitive damages from the current three times to five times the actual amount of damages caused, Rep. Park Dae-chul of the People Power Party said after a meeting with startups and government officials. "The Yoon Suk Yeol administratio

June 7, 2023

Search opens for missing North Koreans in Russia: news reports

Authorities in Vladivostok, a port city in the far eastern region of Russia, have launched an investigation into the disappearance of two North Koreans, Russian news outlets reported Tuesday. The missing North Koreans are believed to be wife and son of an official working at the North Korean consulate general there, according to the Arguments & Facts weekly owned by the Government of Moscow. The two -- 43-year-old Kim Kum-sun and 15-year-old Park Kwon-ju -- were last seen leaving the North K

June 7, 2023

Yoon commits to enhance transport access to North Chungcheong Province

President Yoon Suk Yeol has pledged to enhance transportation accessibility in North Chungcheong Province, saying “robust transportation is indispensable to foster a livable province” at the groundbreaking ceremony of a double-track high-speed railway connecting Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province and Osong in North Chungcheong Province, on Wednesday. The double-track high-speed railway project is aimed at constructing 46.9 new kilometers of underground high-speed railway connecting Pyeo

June 7, 2023

FKTU to suspend participation in trilateral labor council

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the two major labor umbrella groups here, announced on Wednesday it will suspend its participation in a trilateral consultative body which has served as a dialogue between labor, management and the government. The decision, which could also affect talks over next year's minimum wage, came in protest of the government's use of force against one of its members, it said. The FKTU -- the more moderate umbrella labor union relative to the more m

June 7, 2023

Ex-DP leader Song again turned away after voluntary appearance for questioning

Song Young-gil, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, was turned away Wednesday after he voluntarily appeared at a prosecutor's office for questioning over a cash-for-vote scandal involving his campaign ahead of the party's 2021 leadership election. Upon arriving at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, Song asked for a meeting with prosecutors investigating the scandal, but was denied. Song plans to stage a standalone protest in front of the prosecution off

June 7, 2023