Chief of personal information protection watchdog offers to resign

Yoon Jong-in, the chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, has tendered his resignation about a year before his three-year term ends next year, officials said Wednesday. Appointed by former President Moon Jae-in, Yoon took office as the inaugural chairperson of the then newly established PIPC in August 2020. His term was to end in August 2023. He recently submitted a letter of resignation, commission officials said without elaborating. The ruling People Power Party has urge

Sept. 14, 2022

Police accuse opposition leader of bribe charges

The police transferred the case of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday to the prosecution, on charges of third-party bribery connected to the Seongnam FC sponsorship scandal. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency handed over the results of a supplementary investigation to the prosecution, in which the provincial police agency found Lee guilty of offering bribes to a third party. This was a reversal of the results of the previous investigation by the Bu

Sept. 13, 2022

Ex-President Lee to file for extension of imprisonment suspension

Former President Lee Myung-bak, who has been out of prison for health problems, plans to file a request with the prosecution that the suspension of his prison sentence be extended, a lawyer said Tuesday. Lee was released from prison in late June after the prosecution suspended his 17-year prison sentence for three months due to chronic illnesses, including diabetes. The suspension is scheduled to expire later this month. Lee plans to file a request for its extension around this weekend, lawyer K

Sept. 13, 2022

PM offers deepest condolences after death of Queen Elizabeth II

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolences after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, praising the late queen for showing a spirit of freedom and peace in a changing world. "I express my deepest condolences to the British people and the royal family," Han told a Cabinet meeting. "Through a period of upheaval after World War II, the Queen showed the world a spirit of freedom, peace, service and dedication." Han also expressed hope for South Korea and

Sept. 13, 2022

PPP names emergency committee members

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) announced members of its new emergency committee Tuesday, completing transition to a new leadership amid an ongoing dispute with former party leader Lee Jun-seok. Emergency Committee Chairman Chung Jin-suk announced the nine emergency committee members, including Reps. Kim Sang-hoon and Jeong Jeom-sig as well as Joo Ki-hwan, a former investigator at the Supreme Prosecutors Office known as a close aide to President Yoon Suk-yeol. The new members, whose appointm

Sept. 13, 2022

Bill on recording ban sparks debate on privacy, self-protection

A proposed bill that bans the recording of phone calls and conversations without consent has prompted a debate on the boundary of privacy in a country where recorded clips of conversations often make headlines in whistleblowing cases and political spats. A group of ruling People Power Party lawmakers, led by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, proposed the bill in late August that bans phone recordings and conversations without the consent of everyone taking part. Those who breach the law can face up to 10 yea

Sept. 12, 2022

Yoon to attend funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on Sept. 19

President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II set to be held in London next week, the presidential office said Sunday. Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at the age of 96 after reigning for 70 years. The state funeral for her will take place on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, and Yoon will attend the funeral, according to a press release by Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public affairs. Yoon is largely expected to visit London ahe

Sept. 11, 2022

Justice Party to push for massive overhaul to win back public support

The minor progressive Justice Party will adopt a resolution later this month pledging a massive overhaul of itself to win back the minds of the people, officials said Saturday. The resolution will be adopted on Sept. 17 and the party will form a new leadership next month to push earnestly for a set of reform measures, party officials said. The move comes as the party's popularity has shown few signs of recovering from record low approval ratings, a stark contrast with just a few years ago w

Sept. 10, 2022

How do S. Korean 20-somethings view young politicians’ rise and fall?

It was during the 20th presidential election that the young generation suddenly surged as a tie-breaking vote, making the two largest parties desperate to entice them. The People Power Party focused on male voters in their 20s -- previously a reliably liberal demographic -- with Lee Jun-seok, who was the youngest party leader in the South Korean history at the time. The Democratic Party recruited Park Ji-hyun, a 26-year-old anti-sex crime activist, to shore up its appeal to young female voters.

Sept. 10, 2022

Yoon offers condolences over death of Queen Elizabeth II

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday expressed condolences over the passing of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, saying, "Her kind heart and good deed will remain in our memories." "Deepest condolences to the people of the United Kingdom for the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She had a strong belief in the cause of human freedom and left great legacies of dignity," Yoon said in a message posted in English on Twitter. He posted another message in Korean on Facebook appl

Sept. 9, 2022

Democratic Party of Korea leader indicted for violating election law

Suwon prosecutors on Thursday indicted Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung in an investigation into the controversial city development project he pursued as mayor of Seongnam in 2015. The indictment comes less than two weeks after police referred Lee’s case over to the Suwon prosecutors’ office on Aug. 29. Police said they found no evidence to support his claims that the Ministry of Land was behind the change in the Seongnam project that allowed private investors to

Sept. 8, 2022

Ruling party makes second attempt to leave Lee Jun-seok behind

Undeterred by a recent court loss, the ruling People Power Party has decided to move forward with yet another emergency leadership. The party’s top leaders representing constituencies across the country on Thursday voted to bring in an emergency steering committee -- the second to be formed since previous chair Lee Jun-seok was given a six-month suspension in July -- with five-term lawmaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk as the head. The potential names being floated to fill the new emergency steer

Sept. 8, 2022

Yoon says he is not paying attention to opposition push to investigate first lady

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday he is not in a situation to pay attention to the main opposition party's push to launch a special investigation into alleged irregularities involving first lady Kim Keon-hee. Yoon's comment came a day after the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) introduced a bill mandating a special counsel probe into the first lady's alleged involvement in stock manipulation and falsification of academic records. "I have no particular stance," Yo

Sept. 8, 2022

Unification minister proposes talks with N. Korea on separated families

South Korea's unification minister on Thursday proposed talks with North Korea to discuss the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Kwon Young-se issued a statement offering inter-Korean dialogue on the eve of the Chuseok holiday, which is one of the biggest annual celebrations for both South and North Koreans. (Yonhap)

Sept. 8, 2022

Yoon designates typhoon-hit Pohang, Gyeongju as special disaster zone

President Yoon Suk-yeol Wednesday designated the southeastern cities of Pohang and Gyeongju as a special disaster zone after they were hit by Typhoon Hinnamnor. Yoon said he would carry out all procedures necessary for the designation as soon as possible and provide emergency funds to people in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul. As a special disaster zone, Pohang and Gyeongju will be eligible for financial support from the government for recovery work, relief funds for victims an

Sept. 7, 2022

Presidential spokesperson moves to overseas public relations secretary

Kang In-sun, a spokesperson for the presidential office, will become the administration's overseas public relations secretary and also serve as a spokesperson for foreign media, chief of staff said Wednesday. Kim Dae-ki, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Chief of Staff, said at a press briefing on Wednesday that an overseas public relations secretary has been re-established under the senior public relations office, and the current presidential spokesperson Kang In-sun will be assigned at the

Sept. 7, 2022

Korea reels in aftermath of Hinnamnor that left 11 dead and 1 missing

Typhoon Hinnamnor has left 11 dead, one missing and three injured as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Central Disaster Safety Relief Headquarters. In Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, nine people were killed by the storm, and one went missing. In nearby Gyeongju, a person was found dead, and a man in his 20s who had gone missing in Ulsan was found dead in the afternoon. To help the recovery in Pohang, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday he would designate Pohang as a special disaster zo

Sept. 7, 2022

‘Investigate first lady’: Democratic Party of Korea pushes special counsel bill

The Democratic Party of Korea is seeking a special counsel to investigate first lady Kim Keon-hee while its leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, faces a growing risk of criminal charges. The party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said Wednesday the party would propose a bill to appoint a special counsel to lead the investigation into the first lady’s criminal allegations, the two highest-profile of which include her involvement in the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation scandal and he

Sept. 7, 2022

PPP mulls addressing US Congress on inflation act concerns

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is considering sending a letter to US Congress to voice concerns over the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that is feared to hurt South Korean automakers, a lawmaker said Wednesday. "The government and the ruling party are considering sending a letter to US Congress to request cooperation based on the spirit of the South Korea-US alliance to swiftly resolve the issue," Rep. Han Moo-kyung, the PPP's leader on the parliamentary trade and industry

Sept. 7, 2022

Opposition leader Lee's wife asked to appear before prosecutors over credit card allegations

SUWON -- The wife of Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung has been asked to appear before prosecutors for questioning about allegations on her personal use of a provincial government's corporate credit cards years ago, informed officials said Wednesday. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, sent the summons to Kim Hye-kyung on the day, the officials said, adding the requested attendance date has yet to be confirmed. Kim is reportedly facing a

Sept. 7, 2022