Moon pays respects to victims of 1960 pro-democracy uprising

President Moon Jae-in paid his respects Tuesday to those killed in a 1960 pro-democracy civil uprising that led to the ousting of South Korea's first President Syngman Rhee. Moon offered flowers and burned incense before holding a moment of silence at a national cemetery in northern Seoul that holds the remains of 186 people killed in the "April 19 Revolution." In a message posted on social media, Moon said the civil uprising proved that all state authority shall emanate from people. &

April 19, 2022

Two opposition parties merge. What are Ahn’s next moves?

The main opposition People Power Party and minor opposition People’s Party on Monday completed their merger, 47 days after President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and the presidential transition committee head Ahn Cheol-soo merged their campaigns during the election. The center-right People Party, which was created in February 2020 by Ahn after he left the Bareunmirae Party, was in effect absorbed by the larger People Power Party after two years and two months. The name of the party remains the

April 18, 2022

Cabinet nominees set to run the gauntlet as second nominee in crosshairs

The Democratic Party of Korea ratcheted up its attack on President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s Cabinet nominations, raising allegations against a second nominee. Kim In-chul, the nominee for deputy prime minister and education minister, has been accused of improperly holding an additional position while he was president of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. According to Rep. Park Chan-dae from the Democratic Party, Kim worked as a nonexecutive director of Lotte Chemical, then Lotte

April 18, 2022

Top prosecutors continue discussion on opposing prosecution reform bill

The leaders of six high prosecutors’ offices gathered on Monday morning to discuss response measures on the Democratic Party of Korea’s legislative push to strip investigative power from the prosecution, continuing the law enforcement agency’s vocal opposition to the controversial move. At 9:30 a.m. at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, the six senior prosecutors entered an undisclosed meeting held just 10 days after the last such meeting took

April 18, 2022

Top prosecutor resigns in protest against bill to strip investigative powers

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo submitted his resignation on Sunday in protest of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s push for the bill to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers. “I feel responsible for the legislative process of abolishing the prosecution’s investigation function as the prosecution was again pointed out as a target of reform,” Kim said in a written statement released on the day. “As the prosecutor general, I submitted my resignation

April 17, 2022

[Newsmaker] Lawmakers vote to start special probe on Air Force sexual assault case

South Korean lawmakers passed a bill Friday to open a special inspection into a sexual assault case linked to the suicide of an Air Force master sergeant, after a monthslong investigation into the case failed to satisfy the victim’s family. The bill, passed during a National Assembly plenary session on Friday afternoon, will allow the National Court Administration and the Korean Bar Association to recommend a total of four candidates to serve as the lead investigator for the special inspe

April 15, 2022

Yoon, Ahn reconcile after nominations spat

Yoon’s office says president-elect will pay more attention to Ahn, who said recommendations were ignored President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and transition committee chief Ahn Cheol-soo resolved their differences following a fallout over Cabinet nominations, Yoon’s spokesperson said Friday. “The dinner meeting took place in a very friendly atmosphere for the two (Yoon and Ahn) to reaffirm of their joint goal for a coalition government,” Bae Hyun-jin, Yoon’s spokesper

April 15, 2022

Prosecution reform bill officially proposed amid fierce opposition

South Korea’s liberal Democratic Party of Korea officially submitted for review a bill that would completely strip away the prosecution’s investigative powers. Legislators with the Democratic Party told reporters Friday that they submitted a bill proposing revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors’ Office Act, which will leave the prosecution only with the power to indict and prosecute charges on given cases. The bill would need to be reviewed by parliamenta

April 15, 2022

US special envoy to North Korea to travel to Seoul next week

US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim will travel to Seoul on Monday for a five-day trip to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the joint response to North Korea’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile provocation, the US State Department said Thursday. 　 “During his visit, Special Representative Kim will meet with Republic of Korea (ROK) Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk and other senior ROK officials t

April 15, 2022

Yoon finalizes Cabinet nomination, taps umbrella union official as labor minister

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced the final two minister nominees on Thursday, finishing up the first round of nominations for his incoming Cabinet. Yoon announced his choices for the other 16 ministerial posts in the past two rounds of announcements. In the press briefing, Yoon tapped Lee Jung-sik for minister of employment and labor. Lee formerly served as secretary general of the Korea Labor and Employment Service, and a top administrator for the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, an

April 14, 2022

Nomination adds fuel to prosecution row

The ruling and opposition parties are clashing over a plan to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers and the new administration’s nominee for justice minister. On Thursday, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo met Park Kwang-on, head of the parliament’s legislation and judiciary committee, to express objection to the ruling party’s move to enact legislation to deprive it of its remaining investigative powers. During the meeting, held hours before the legislation committee&

April 14, 2022

Gyeonggi governor hopeful takes issue with voting rights of Chinese permanent residents

Gyeonggi governor hopeful Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party has said that voting rights of Chinese nationals with permanent residence here should be restricted on the grounds of reciprocity. “Over 120,000 foreigners, among which are nearly 100,000 Chinese people, will have voting rights in the upcoming local election,” the politician said in a Facebook post on Thursday. “If our citizens cannot vote in a certain country, it makes sense for us to restrict the same rights. I

April 14, 2022

[Newsmaker] Transition team chief's actions hint at rift with president-elect

A rift may be forming between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and transition committee chief Ahn Cheol-soo, raising concerns over the conservative bloc’s party merger and plans for a coalition government. On Thursday, Ahn canceled his scheduled visit to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters in the morning, after dropping out of a dinner meeting with Yoon and other officials the previous day. Ahn’s recent schedule decisions are fanning speculation that he is showing d

April 14, 2022

Health minister nominee faces allegations over children's medical school admissions

Health and Welfare Minister nominee Chung Ho-young has come under fire over allegations surrounding his children's admissions into a medical school in the southeastern city of Daegu years ago. According to the Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday, Chung's daughter entered Kyungpook National University's medical school to earn her second bachelor's degree in 2017, when he was serving as vice head of the affiliated Kyungpook National University Hospital. Chung's son was also admitted to the same medi

April 14, 2022

Yoon's delegation, Pfizer discuss cooperation on supply of COVID-19 pill

A delegation of President Yoon Suk-yeol met with executives of Pfizer in New York to discuss cooperation on the supply of the COVID-19 drug Paxlovid to South Korea, Yoon's spokesperson said Thursday. During the meeting last week, Pfizer agreed to closely cooperate with the Korean government for an early supply of the antiviral treatment, Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said at a press briefing. Pfizer also pledged to cooperate with Yoon's incoming government to smoothly supply Paxlovid to South

April 14, 2022

Ahn cancels public schedule after Yoon bypasses recommendations

Transition team Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo canceled his public schedule Thursday, a source said, after President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol bypassed his recommendations for Cabinet nominees. Ahn was scheduled to visit the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters in the morning but has informed the transition team that he will not be going, the source said. The press has also not received the usual notification of Ahn's daily public schedule. Speculation is rife the chairman is weighing his options

April 14, 2022

Foreign minister nominee a veteran politician with roots in diplomacy

Rep. Park Jin, the foreign minister nominee, is a seasoned politician who began his career in the diplomatic corps. Park has been instrumental in laying the foundations for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s foreign affairs and security policies since the presidential transition team took shape. Park headed Yoon’s delegation to the US, and laid the groundwork for building cooperation with Seoul’s incoming administration and Washington. 　 During his trip to the US, Park met w

April 13, 2022

Hardline umbrella union holds banned rally, protests against president-elect’s labor policies

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of two major umbrella labor groups in South Korea, on Wednesday pushed ahead with a rally of some 10,000 members at Jongmyo Park in central Seoul, calling on President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to communicate with the labor community. Since the presidential election last month, the two major umbrella labor unions – the KCTU and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions -- have asked President-elect Yoon to come to the negotiating table with the labor c

April 13, 2022

Interior minister nominee a seasoned legal, administrative expert

Lee Sang-min, who was tapped to serve as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s first minister of interior and safety, is a certified lawyer with years of experience serving in local courts and in state-run agencies. The current head of local law firm Kim Chang Lee was chosen to serve due to his ample experience in administrative works despite serving most of his career in the judiciary branch, Yoon said in announcing his pick. Lee joined the legal sector by graduating the Judicial Research

April 13, 2022