Police quiz businessman over sexual bribery allegations involving PPP chief

Police on Thursday questioned a businessman in connection with allegations that he paid for sexual services as a bribe to now-ruling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok about 10 years ago. The National Police Agency said a team of investigators questioned Kim Sung-jin, CEO of the tech company I-kaist, who is currently locked up at the Seoul Detention Center over a separate case. Lee is accused of receiving sexual services paid for by Kim in 2013. At the time, Lee was considered close

June 30, 2022

PPP leader's chief of staff resigns ahead of ethics committee meeting

A ruling People Power Party lawmaker resigned as chief of staff to party Chairman Lee Jun-seok on Thursday ahead of an ethics committee meeting the party plans to hold over allegations Lee received sexual services as a bribe about 10 years ago and attempted to cover it up. In a text message to the press, Rep. Park Seong-min said he quit for unspecified personal reasons, but the resignation came a week before the PPP's ethics committee holds a meeting to determine whether and how to discipli

June 30, 2022

S. Korea to seek close cooperation with China for peaceful resolution of N.K. nuclear issue: PM

South Korea will seek close cooperation with China to peacefully address threats posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday. Han made the remarks at a forum marking the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between Seoul and Beijing, amid growing concerns about the possibility of Pyongyang carrying out a nuclear test. "We will closely cooperate with China to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue," Han told the f

June 30, 2022

Majority of S. Koreans feel first lady not doing her job well: survey

Nearly six out of 10 South Koreans feel first lady Kim Keon-hee has not done well in her role over the first month and a half of President Yoon Suk-yeol‘s term, a survey showed Wednesday. Data Research polled 1,000 South Korean adults Monday on Kim’s performance as first lady so far. And 56.3 percent of the respondents said Kim has either done an extremely poor job (41.4 percent) or an inadequate job (14.9 percent) in her position. In contrast, 36.6 percent said Kim has either do

June 29, 2022

[Photo News] First lady in Madrid

First lady Kim Keon-hee is currently in Spain accompanying President Yoon Suk-yeol on a five-day trip to Europe to attend the NATO summit. After arriving in Madrid on Monday, Kim’s first official activity was a visit to the Korean Cultural Center in the capital city on Tuesday afternoon.  Later in the evening, the presidential couple attended a dinner hosted by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.      　

June 29, 2022

PM says China's opposition to Yoon's attendance at NATO summit 'lack of courtesy'

SEJONG, -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has said it would be a lack of courtesy for China to take issue with President Yoon Suk-yeol taking part in a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Han made the remarks during a dinner meeting with reporters Tuesday as Yoon was in Madrid to attend the NATO summit. South Korea is not a member of NATO but was invited to the summit along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners. China has opposed

June 29, 2022

Justice Minister Han departs for US for meeting with FBI chief

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon was to depart for the United States on Wednesday for a nine-day visit that includes a meeting with the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), officials said. Upon arrival in Washington, Han will hold meetings with two of the World Bank's vice presidents to discuss anti-cybercrime cooperation. On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet with FBI Director Christopher Wray to discuss cooperation in personnel vetting and investigation. The trip also inclu

June 29, 2022

Ruling bloc’s divide grow as chairman’s fate remains uncertain

Tension is mounting over the fate of People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok as a police investigation proceeds ahead of a critical moment for the ruling bloc and its leadership next week. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday it is planning to summon Kim Sung-jin, CEO of tech company I-kaist, for questioning this Thursday as a part of its ongoing investigation on Lee charged with sexual bribery allegations. The police investigation on Lee started after an unidentified informant

June 28, 2022

Democratic Party on track to put legislative branch back to work on its own

South Korea’s legislative branch could be on course to return to work soon, as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is mulling unilaterally electing a new National Assembly speaker with negotiations between the rival parties stalling without much progress. Reps. Jeon Yong-gi and Oh Yeong-hwan of the Democratic Party submitted a request to the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon to open a provisional assembly in July following the party’s announcement earlier that it woul

June 28, 2022

PM calls for measures to stabilize inflation

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for ministers to come up with measures to help stabilize inflation, as soaring prices hurt consumers' pocketbooks. "The government must make utmost efforts to manage prices in order to stabilize the livelihood of people and make every effort to reduce the cost of living for people," Han told a Cabinet meeting. South Korea is facing mounting inflationary pressure, as the protracted Russian invasion of Ukraine has jacked up crude oil and

June 28, 2022

Prosecution set to decide whether to release imprisoned ex-President Lee

SUWON -- A district prosecutors office was set to make a decision Tuesday on whether to grant imprisoned former President Lee Myung-bak's request to suspend his 17-year sentence handed down for corruption, officials said. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office will hold a deliberation committee meeting at 2 p.m. to determine whether to release Lee from the Anyang Correctional Institution, according to the officials. The 81-year-old former president filed the petition in early June, citing hi

June 28, 2022

Legislative branch remains stalled as rival parties fail to reach deal

South Korea could observe the first Constitution Day next month without a National Assembly speaker in 24 years, as the legislative branch remains stalled from rival parties failing to reach agreement on who should take key legislative posts. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday criticized the ruling People Power Party for rejecting its offer to let the People Power Party take the chair seat of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee instead of having the ruling party partici

June 27, 2022

Yoon's disapproval rating exceeds approval rating again

President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval rating has again exceeded his approval rating, a survey showed Monday. The Realmeter survey of 2,515 voters conducted from Monday to Friday showed 46.6 percent of respondents approved of the way Yoon handled state affairs while 47.7 percent gave a negative assessment of his performance. It was the second survey that put Yoon's disapproval rating above his approval rating after the first one, conducted by Rnsearch from June 18-21, in which 47.6 perc

June 27, 2022

Police chief offers to resign after Yoon slams reshuffle announcement flip-flopping

National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong offered to resign Monday, days after President Yoon Suk-yeol strongly chastised police over a recent personnel reshuffle flip-flopping. Police released the names of new senior superintendents general a week earlier, only to reverse seven of the selections two hours later. Yoon rebuked police, calling the flip-flopping a "serious disturbance of national discipline." The resignation offer also came as police have protested the in

June 27, 2022

Yoon to depart for Spain to attend NATO summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol spent Sunday preparing for his first overseas trip as president on the eve of his departure to Spain for a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), officials said. Yoon plans to attend the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday and Thursday (local time), which will mark his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage since taking office last month. South Korea is not a member of the military alliance but has been invited as a partner nation, along with other co

June 26, 2022

Samsung executive-turned-lawmaker to chair parliamentary semiconductor committee

Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, a Samsung Electronics executive-turned-lawmaker, said Sunday she decided to accept an offer from the ruling People Power Party to chair an envisioned special parliamentary committee on semiconductors. The decision drew attention because Yang is considered an opposition figure though she left the main opposition Democratic Party and became an independent last year amid allegations one of her aides sexually harassed a colleague. "Semiconductors represent the economy and na

June 26, 2022

Lee Jun-seok at risk of penalty by ethics panel while his supporters grow vocal

People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok is at risk of penalty from an ethics panel next month in connection to sexual bribery allegations, after the committee ruled that it would punish his close aide for attempting to silence Lee’s accuser in exchange for an investment. The party’s internal ethics panel on Wednesday deferred until July 7 a decision whether to penalize Lee for “failing to maintain dignity” and “coercing to destroy evidence” in relation to a

June 24, 2022

Ukraine lawmakers to visit Seoul next month: ruling party

A group of Ukrainian lawmakers will pay a reciprocal trip to Seoul next month, a ruling party official said Thursday, to discuss South Korea's humanitarian assistance to the war-torn nation. The anticipated visit will come around a month after the ruling People Power Party (PPP) delegation led by Chairman Lee Jun-seok paid a weeklong visit to Kyiv and other cities earlier in June. They met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for discussions on various support measures. "

June 23, 2022

S. Korea to make work schedule more flexible, encourage performance-based pay model

The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday announced its policy plans, which are expected to increase labor market flexibility. During the first press briefing held after his inauguration at the government complex in Sejong, President Yoon Suk-yeol‘s first Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik focused on two issues, the country’s 52-hour workweek policy and seniority-based pay models adopted by the majority of companies in South Korea. According to Lee, the government will review opt

June 23, 2022

Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Cho Soon dies at 94

Former Deputy Prime Minister Cho Soon, a renowned economics expert who served as the first publicly elected mayor of Seoul, died of natural causes on Thursday at the age of 94. Cho died at around 3:38 a.m. Thursday while under treatment at the Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul. His funeral will be held at the medical center, and he will be buried in his hometown of Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Born in February 1928, Cho graduated from Seoul National University in 1949 to later

June 23, 2022