Main opposition urges gov't to withdraw plan to send team to Japan to assess Fukushima water release plan

The main opposition Democratic Party on Saturday urged the government to withdraw its plan to send an inspection team to Japan to assess Tokyo's plan to discharge radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, saying it would only "give justification" to Japan's plan. Rep. Park Sung-joon, the Democratic Party's spokesperson, said the Japanese government has no plan to allow the Seoul delegation to inspect the safety of the release and will go ahead wi

May 13, 2023

Yoon pledges to focus on economy, speed up reforms in 2nd year

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday vowed to prioritize addressing the economic crisis and improving citizens’ livelihoods during his second year in office, according to the presidential office on Wednesday. At a luncheon held with members of the ruling People Power Party and Cabinet members to mark the completion of his first year at the presidential office, Yoon said: “Our people have not had enough time to experience change and reform over the past year,” according to his

May 10, 2023

Rocked by scandals, defector-turned-lawmaker quits party leadership post

Rep. Tae Yong-ho stepped down Wednesday from his leadership position in the ruling People Power Party amid political scandals involving one of his staffers and a senior presidential secretary. The resignation comes less than two weeks since the scandals first broke and about two months since Tae -- the first North Korean defector to be directly elected into South Korea’s National Assembly -- was chosen to serve as part of the People Power Party’s leadership at the March 9 party conve

May 10, 2023

68 S. Korean lawmakers petition for acquittal of Japanese labor activist

Dozens of South Korean lawmakers submitted a petition Wednesday asking a Japanese court to acquit a Japanese labor activist charged with violence while campaigning for laid-off South Korean workers, a lawmaker said. A total of 68 lawmakers, including independent Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, sent the petition to the Saitama District Court, calling for a not-guilty sentence for the 73-year-old activist, Takashi Ozawa, according to Youn's office. Fifty-seven of the lawmakers are from the main oppositi

May 10, 2023

Defector-turned-lawmaker quits Supreme Council over controversial remarks

  Rep. Tae Yong-ho voluntarily resigned from the Supreme Council of the ruling People Power Party on Wednesday as the party's ethics committee was set to deliver disciplinary measures for him for making a series of controversial remarks. The North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker made the decision in an apparent attempt to get the panel to take his voluntary resignation into consideration and reduce the level of disciplinary measure for him so that he can seek reelection. He cannot run in th

May 10, 2023

Lawmakers weigh in on Korea-Japan summit

South Korea’s formerly distant relationship with Japan under the preceding administration is getting back to normal with Yoon Suk Yeol in office, according to a former consul general to Osaka and ruling People Power Party lawmaker Rep. Kim Seok-ki. Kim, the ruling party’s executive secretary for the National Assembly foreign affairs committee, said the country’s relations with Japan, which he assessed as having “worsened dramatically” over the five years of the libe

May 9, 2023

Yoon blames opposition party, Moon for reform failures

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday blamed the main opposition party for impeding his push for reform, and hit out at the former Moon Jae-in administration for "leaving the country plagued by crimes due to its policies." Yoon also accused the Democratic Party of Korea, which controls parliament with 168 out of 300 seats, of using their legislative power to undermine his policy momentum. "It takes time to rebuild the system, to pick up the pieces and make tangible achievements, but

May 9, 2023

Yoon highlights Japan detente as he marks first year in office

Improving ties between South Korea and Japan will open the door to a new future where the two countries, along with the US, can bolster the current coalition working on North Korea’s denuclearization, President Yoon said Tuesday, a day before his first anniversary of taking office. Speaking at a weekly Cabinet meeting, Yoon lauded closer Seoul-Tokyo relations prompted by his summits with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in March and May -- a revival of regular visits to each other&rsq

May 9, 2023

1 year in -- Yoon's foreign policy initiatives overshadowed by domestic troubles

On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol completed his first year in office, receiving mixed reviews for his initiatives in foreign affairs and criticism for his handling of domestic affairs, which have at times starkly divided the public. Yoon's performance as Korea's leader has been closely watched, with supporters praising him -- the former prosecutor general and a political novice, for what they see as his efforts to improve diplomatic relations -- and opponents criticiz

May 9, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Early dividend settlement, cyber threat and new airport

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Hee-gon (People Power Party) ● In the current Act, the stockholders eligible for dividend payout are determined several months before the finalization of the actual dividend amount, which means that investors must invest in stocks without knowing the dividend amount. This system deviates from the global standard and discourages long-term investment, leading to the undervaluation of

May 8, 2023

Kishida, South Korean lawmakers talk history, Fukushima wastewater

On the last day of his two-day Seoul trip on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean member-lawmakers on the South Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union. At the meeting that lasted for about 45 minutes, Kishida and the Korean lawmakers “discussed the preceding administrations’ understanding of history” and “once again reaffirmed that shared understanding,” according to Rep. Chung Jin-suk, who partook as the parliamentary union’s

May 8, 2023

Yoon's approval rating inches up for 2 weeks: poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating inched up for the second consecutive week thanks in part to positive feedback on his recent state visit to the United States, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,504 adults aged 18 or older conducted by Realmeter from Tuesday to Thursday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 0.1 percentage point from the previous week to 34.6 percent. Yoon's disapproval rating was 62.5 percent, down 0.1 percentage point from t

May 8, 2023

Ruling party to hold ethics committee on 2 Supreme Council members over controversial remarks

The ruling People Power Party was set to hold an ethics committee meeting on Monday on two Supreme Council members accused of making a series of controversial remarks, with heavy disciplinary actions expected for both of them. Kim Jae-won and Rep. Tae Yong-ho could be barred from running in next year's parliamentary elections if they are given one-year party membership suspension or heavier disciplinary measures in Monday's ethics committee meeting. Kim was referred to the committee fo

May 8, 2023

Yoon hosts dinner for Kishida at his residence

President Yoon Suk Yeol invited Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to his residence for an official dinner after their summit on Sunday. Kishida, accompanied by his wife, first lady Yuko Kishida, was the second foreign leader to have been invited to Yoon’s Hannam-dong home in Seoul, after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last November. The dinner featured a variety of traditional Korean dishes, such as gujeolpan, japchae, tangpyeongchae, steamed Korean beef ribs, beef tripe, croak

May 7, 2023

Opposition party slams Yoon for ignoring history issues in summit with Kishida

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lambasted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday for turning a blind eye to history issues in his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The two leaders held a summit in Seoul on Sunday, marking their second summit in less than two months, as the neighboring nations are firmly on course to the full restoration of long-frayed relations. Bilateral relations have warmed significantly following Seoul's decision in March to compensate Korean victi

May 7, 2023

Yoon, Kishida agree on Korean inspection of Fukushima wastewater

Leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a higher level at a summit held in Seoul Sunday, both touting that the restored "shuttle diplomacy" has brought yearslong strained relations back on track. At the summit, the second in less than two months, the two leaders agreed to allow a group of Korean experts to visit Japan to inspect the safety of contaminated water to be discharged from Fukushima nuclear reactors. “I hope that meaningful measures will be

May 7, 2023

1 surviving forced labor victim voices intent to accept govt. compensation plan: source

One of the surviving South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor has expressed an intent to accept the Seoul government's third-party reimbursement plan, an informed source said Sunday. The person, whose identity was withheld, recently reversed an earlier objection to the plan that the government announced in March to compensate victims through a government-affiliated foundation without contributions from Japanese firms, according to the source. The victim is among the three s

May 7, 2023

Yoon pledges to create world-class nurturing environment on Children’s Day

    President Yoon Suk Yeol invited children to Chung Wa Dae, the former presidential office, to spend time with him on Friday, which falls on Children’s Day. The 320 children who have been invited are from remote islands, have been entrusted to foster care facilities, or come from single-parent households and multicultural families. At the event, President Yoon thanked the parents, teachers and facility workers who take care of the children with love and dedication. He vowed to

May 5, 2023

Spy service, election agency at odds over alleged North Korean hacking

South Korea’s intelligence service said it found North Korean attempts to infiltrate the country’s election system, which the state election commission has denied. The National Intelligence Service said Thursday it notified the National Election Commission of North Korean hackers trying to penetrate the state election organizer’s networks, confirming the ruling People Power Party claims a day prior. Some ruling party lawmakers suggested that while the intelligence service war

May 4, 2023

Yoon, Kishida to discuss security, tech partnership

The leaders of South Korea and Japan will discuss regional security, technology and science partnerships, as well as cultural and youth exchanges at a summit planned in Seoul on Sunday, marking the two nations’ “shuttle diplomacy” becoming fully operational, the presidential office said Thursday. According to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon, who quoted Japanese National Security Adviser Takeo Akiba, the decision for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit was m

May 4, 2023