First lady under fire again for taking acquaintance to NATO summit

Controversy is again brewing over the first lady, as an acquaintance of hers was found to have been among the president’s retinue at the NATO summit last week. The presidential office denied any wrongdoing. According to local news media reports that broke late Tuesday and into Wednesday, a person not belonging to the presidential office was part of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation in Madrid. The person, surnamed Shin, left for Spain five days earlier than the president and re

July 6, 2022

Critical ruling ahead for ruling party and its chief

Turmoil might be ahead for the ruling People Power Party, with its ethics panel set to rule on allegations facing Chairman Lee Jun-seok on Thursday. The ruling party’s internal ethics panel will decide whether to penalize Lee for “failing to maintain dignity” and “coercing to destroy evidence” in relation to a sexual bribery case, at 7 p.m. Thursday. Police have been investigating allegations that Lee received sexual favors as well as bribes worth 11.5 million won

July 6, 2022

[Photo News] President tries baby sling

President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a baby doll in a sling from a woman-owned baby product maker on display at the Korean Federation of Small and Medium Business headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuesday before attending a ceremony to encourage female entrepreneurs. The president and first lady Kim Keon-hee have no child. (Yonhap)

July 5, 2022

[Reporter’s Notebook] Birth of factions could be the beginning of a tragic end

Witnessing members of the ruling People Power Party rejoicing on June 1 after their crushing victory in the local elections, it seemed the party was set for smooth sailing, at least until the end of this year. But the party already appears to be breaking up into factions, and the ongoing power struggle between close aides of President Yoon Suk-yeol and others including People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok shows the conservative bloc could be headed for another dark age. Rep. Chang Je-won,

July 5, 2022

Democratic Party’s internal strife broils over chair election rules

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s internal feud is intensifying as members clash over the rules to elect a new chair at the party’s upcoming national convention in August. Ahn Gyu-baek, head of national convention preparations committee with the Democratic Party, announced his intent to resign from the committee Tuesday to express discontent with the party leadership’s decision to overturn his committee’s suggestion on setting rules for the

July 5, 2022

Yoon challenges reporters to compare his personnel picks with previous administration's

President Yoon Suk-yeol challenged reporters Tuesday to compare his personnel choices with those of the previous administration, suggesting he was doing no worse a job than his predecessor. Yoon put up the defense a day after his pick for health minister withdrew over allegations she diverted political funds for personal use and his nominee for chief of the antitrust regulator was forced to apologize over allegations he sexually harassed students in the past. "Well, did you see any praisewo

July 5, 2022

Yoon appoints JCS chief, Education Minister without hearing

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday appointed the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and minister of education without the parliamentary confirmation process, and nominated a new antitrust watchdog chief. The presidential office announced that Yoon approved Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum as the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former professor Park Soon-ae to head the Ministry of Education. He also nominated Song Ok-rial, a professor of law at Seoul National University, as the first chairman

July 4, 2022

Yoon shrugs off latest polls, but should he?

President Yoon Suk-yeol says he “pays no attention to” approval ratings, calling them “meaningless,” but some critics say he should take the poll more seriously and devise measures to dispel public worries. Disapproval ratings for Yoon’s handling of state affairs continued to outperform his approval ratings on Monday despite last week’s trip to the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, during which the administration focused on building security and economic ties

July 4, 2022

Kim Jin-pyo elected National Assembly speaker

South Korea’s legislative branch elected Rep. Kim Jin-pyo as the new National Assembly speaker Monday after parties dramatically reached a last-minute compromise on forming new leadership in the legislature. At a plenary session of this month’s provisional assembly held at 2 p.m. Monday, 255 out of 275 legislators present voted to elect Kim as the head of the legislative branch for the latter half of the 21st National Assembly. The main opposition party controls 170 out of 300 legi

July 4, 2022

DP decides not to allow ex-interim leader Park to run for natl. convention

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Monday rejected a request from former interim leader Park Ji-hyun that she be allowed to run for party chairmanship at an upcoming national convention despite her lack of qualification. Park, a 26-year-old politician seen as a symbol of generational change in the DP, has declared her bid for the party's chairmanship, a month after she stepped down as the party's interim leader following its crushing defeat in last month's local election

July 4, 2022

Yoon says he will decide soon on health minister nominee's appointment

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will decide soon on whether to appoint his health minister nominee amid allegations she diverted political funds for personal use. Kim Seung-hee is under investigation by prosecutors for allegedly using her political funds when she was a lawmaker to pay for her husband's car insurance and car rental fee in violation of the Political Funds Act. The nominee has denied any wrongdoing, saying there was an accounting error. "When it comes to the bigges

July 4, 2022

Rival parties looking to reach last-minute compromise over parliamentary committee formations

The rival parties were looking to reach a last-minute compromise Monday to end an impasse in parliamentary committee formations that has left the National Assembly in limbo for more than a month. The floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) failed to reach an agreement on the issue Sunday, though they agreed to hold negotiations until a National Assembly plenary session is convened in the afternoon. The DP, which holds 170 out of 299 seat

July 4, 2022

Yoon's disapproval rating exceeds approval rating in latest poll

President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval rating surpassed his approval rating in a poll released Sunday. The survey by Research View, conducted on 1,000 South Koreans aged 18 or over from last Tuesday to Thursday, was the latest in a series of national polls, in which those giving a negative assessment of Yoon's performance outnumbered those who were bullish on the president. This poll was conducted while Yoon was visiting Spain for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, his firs

July 3, 2022

Rival parties fail to strike deal on new legislative leadership

South Korea’s rival parties failed to strike a deal in their last-minute negotiations for forming the next leadership of the legislative branch before the start of this month’s provisional assembly. As the closed-door meeting held Sunday afternoon between floor leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties ended without an agreement, the National Assembly is to remain stalled, further delaying confirmation hearings for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Cabinet picks and more than

July 3, 2022

‘97 Generation’ challenges established heavyweights in opposition leadership

The race for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s leadership is heating up, with many rising stars bidding to lead the party to a new phase of politics and help overcome an ongoing series of election defeats. Under the lead of an emergency steering committee, the Democratic Party is preparing for a national convention in August where it will elect the new chair. The chairman seat has been left vacant since former Rep. Song Young-gil resigned in March. The party has seen member

July 3, 2022

Can rival parties finally strike deal on new legislative leadership?

South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties are engaging in last-minute negotiations on forming the next leadership of its legislative branch before the start of this month’s provisional assembly. Eyes are centered whether a deal could be reached at the 11th hour to stop the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea from unilaterally electing the next National Assembly speaker. The legislative branch has been off work for more than a month, as negotiations have stalled without much

July 3, 2022

Park Ji-hyun calls out Democratic Party for missing family found dead

Park Ji-hyun, former co-chair of the emergency steering committee for the Democratic Party of Korea, blamed the main opposition party for the incident of a missing family found dead in a submerged car. On Wednesday, police confirmed the deaths of 10-year-old Cho Yu-na and both of her parents, after they were found in an upturned car in waters off of Wando, South Jeolla Province. Park called out the Democratic Party on Thursday for not providing a social safety net for families experiencing

July 1, 2022

52-hour workweek is under siege in S. Korea

A four-day workweek is a hot topic now globally, with thousands of workers in the UK partaking in the largest experiment to date of a shortened work schedule. In South Korea, a law that caps weekly working hours at 52 is facing scrutiny for the opposite reason. Last week, Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik said that the government would consider revising the current 52-hour workweek system to a monthly basis, allowing employers and workers to exercise more flexibility. In other words, longer worki

June 30, 2022

Ruling party leader’s chief of staff resigns amid continuing internal feud

The chief of staff for People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok resigned Thursday, as the party’s internal feud escalates over its leadership and future direction. Rep. Park Seong-min sent a text message to reporters Thursday morning saying he will no longer serve as Lee’s chief of staff for personal reasons. Park did not specify the impetus of the resignation. The legislator has served as a bridge between Lee and President Yoon Suk-yeol since being appointed to the chief of staff

June 30, 2022

1 1/2-year prison term finalized for ex-police chief over online opinion rigging

The Supreme Court finalized a 1 1/2-year prison term for former National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh on Thursday for mobilizing police forces to spread pro-government opinions online between 2010 and 2012. Cho was indicted on charges of obstructing the execution of official duties for having mobilized police personnel to post tens of thousands of online comments supportive of the then-Lee Myung-bak administration while he was serving as chief of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agenc

June 30, 2022