Yoon's inauguration commemoration stamp may feature his pet dog

A pet dog is likely to appear in a postage stamp commemorating the presidential inauguration for the first time, transition team officials said Wednesday. The issuance of a commemorative postage stamp featuring President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and his pet dog Tory is said to be in the review stage in time for his inauguration slated for May 10, they said. The possible inclusion of Tory in Yoon's postage stamp may be designed to arouse public interest in the issue of pet animals in a nation where th

April 6, 2022

Yoon says he will upgrade relations with Germany

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday he plans to upgrade relations with Germany as he met with the country's top envoy to Seoul. Yoon noted during the meeting with Amb. Michael Reiffenstuel that Germany is South Korea's biggest trading partner among the member states of the European Union. "I plan to further upgrade our cooperative relations with Germany," he said at his office, noting that Germany has contributed greatly to South Korea's economic and scientific development s

April 6, 2022

Lee Jae-myung fandom grows despite defeat in presidential race

Lee Jae-myung, former presidential nominee of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, is continuing to receive support from the general public even after last month’s presidential election defeat. The Democratic Party has effectively decided to move forward with Lee and his aides at the center with the latest floor leader election, and his fandom is believed to help Lee return to the political scene quickly as the new leader of the liberal faction. As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, Lee’s online

April 5, 2022

Prime minister nominee faces controversy ahead of hearing

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo denied allegations that he is unfit to serve again in the prime minister post for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration due to his alleged involvement in a problematic legal case. Spec Watch Korea claimed after Han was nominated for the post that he should not be appointed as the prime minister for receiving 150 million won ($124,000) while working as an adviser for local law firm Kim & Chang from November 2002 to July 2003. He is accused of helping the firm r

April 5, 2022

US agrees to upgrade strategic alliance with Korea: Yoon’s delegation

Washington agreed to raise the level of strategic alliance with South Korea and agreed on the need for complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea, the chief of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s policy consultation delegation said during his trip to the United States on Monday (US time). Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party, who is leading Yoon’s delegation, said he had also discussed the importance of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consulta

April 5, 2022

Budget for relocating presidential office to be decided Wednesday

Cheong Wa Dae will hold an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to decide on the funds for the relocation of the presidential office, a top official said Tuesday. The move would tap into the reserve budget, which is earmarked for unpredicted expenditures, and cost around 36 billion won ($29.7 million). It excludes the funding needed for relocating the Joint Chiefs of Staff offices. “President Moon Jae-in received a report on the government’s review of the reserve fund for

April 5, 2022

Yoon administration's agenda items narrowed down to 110: spokesperson

The transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has sorted out about 110 items that the incoming government plans to pursue, Yoon's spokesperson said Tuesday. "Currently items for the state agenda have been narrowed down 110, while action items have been reduced to 580, but we will further encapsulate to keep our promises with the people," Kim Eun-hye, Yoon's spokesperson, said during a press briefing. Earlier, the presidential transition committee said it will review and select i

April 5, 2022

Anchor-turned-lawmaker Bae named new spokesperson for Yoon

A first-term lawmaker has been named a new spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday after Yoon's current spokesperson decided to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province in the June local elections. Outgoing spokesperson Rep. Kim Eun-hye said during a press briefing that Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party (PPP) will succeed her as spokesperson. "This is my last briefing as the president-elect's spokesperson," said Kim, who has been Yoon's spokesperson since March

April 5, 2022

Cabinet to approve initial budget for presidential office relocation

The Cabinet will hold an extraordinary session this week to approve reserve government funds for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office, Yoon's spokesperson said Tuesday. Yoon has been pushing to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and into the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul, before his May 10 inauguration, saying the relocation would help him connect better with people. In order for the project to move forward, the outgoing ad

April 5, 2022

Transition committee collects reports on priority state tasks: spokesperson

The presidential transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has collected reports on current affairs that need to be handled by the incoming government, and will use them to develop tangible policies, the committee spokesperson said Monday. “In the general meeting, each of the subcommittees at the transition committee submitted the first rough draft of reports on current affairs to designate the priority state tasks. The committee will now review the reports to further develo

April 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Former vice ministers considered likely members of Yoon’s Cabinet

In shaping his Cabinet, the president-elect office is considering several former vice ministers and seasoned politicians as likely members, including Rep. Park Jin for Foreign Ministry and Rep. Choo Kyung-ho for the economy, according to sources Monday. 　 Kim Eun-hye, the spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that Yoon would be spending much time reviewing the potential candidates for his Cabinet this week. “We are making efforts so that we can release the formatio

April 4, 2022

People Power Party to elect new floor leader Friday

South Korea's conservative People Power Party is preparing to elect a new floor leader that is expected to face strong opposition from the liberal Democratic Party of Korea in the following year. The party is holding an internal election on Friday, and its outcome will determine what direction the party will take with the new government and who to pick as key parliamentary supporters of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration that kicks off in May. The new elected floor leader will face an uphill bat

April 4, 2022

Gyeonggi govt. building raided over Lee wife's alleged misuse of government credit cards

Police on Monday raided the Gyeonggi provincial government building as part of an investigation into allegations that the wife of former ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung misused local government credit cards when Lee was governor. Kim Hye-kyung, Lee's wife, came under fire weeks ahead of the March 9 presidential election following revelations that she used credit cards of the Gyeonggi government for personal shopping and eating. Lee was Gyeonggi governor from 2018-2021. Investig

April 4, 2022

Yoon's wife considering commencing public activity ahead of husband's inauguration

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, is considering commencing public activity ahead of her husband's inauguration in May after keeping a low profile for months, officials said Monday. Kim has stayed out of public view since she came under attack for various charges of misconduct, including allegations she lied on her resume when applying for jobs, even after her husband's election victory last month. "She is thinking hard about ways to make contributions to our society

April 4, 2022

Rep. Park, ex-Vice FM Cho considered leading FM candidates: sources

Rep. Park Jin of the main opposition People Power Party is being considered for the first foreign minister of the incoming government, along with former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong, sources said Monday. Park and Cho, who is also a PPP lawmaker, are in the United States this week as part of a delegation sent by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. If one is nominated foreign minister, the other could be tapped as the next ambassador to the US, according to the sources. Kim Sung-han, a former vic

April 4, 2022

Yoon seeks to strengthen alliance with US, joint efforts to denuclearize N. Korea: delegation chief

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and his administration will work with the United States to strengthen the countries' alliance and their joint efforts to tackle various issues, including North Korea, the head of Yoon's delegation to the US said Sunday. Rep. Park Jin of Yoon's People Power Party also said the purpose of the delegation's visit was to closely coordinate their policies before the president-elect takes office on May 10. "There are seven of us here with expertise (in various area) t

April 4, 2022

Parties agree to pass bill calling for special counsel probe into sexual abuse case

Rival political parties on Sunday agreed to pass a bill calling for a special counsel probe into a sexual abuse case that led to the suicide of a noncommissioned Air Force officer in May.  Rep. Park Hong-keun, the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and his counterpart Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the main opposition People Power Party, reached an agreement to present the bill to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly on Monday for a review and pass the bill at a

April 3, 2022

Han Duck-soo nominated as prime minister

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has tapped former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to join his administration as prime minister, a personnel pick believed to help Yoon exert influence as he takes charge of a minority government in May. In a press conference held Sunday afternoon, Yoon said Han was chosen as he has served in various key positions "regardless of political allegiance but only due to his competence and expertise." "The new government is tasked with setting a foundation for

April 3, 2022

Yoon's office works out initial budget for presidential office relocation in talks with govt. agencies

The office of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has asked for between 30 billion and 40 billion won ($2.46 million-3.28 million) in reserve government funds for its project to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae after working out the amount in talks with related agencies, officials said Sunday. "Working-level discussions wrapped up without major disagreements," said an official with Yoon's task force on relocation. "If Cheong Wa Dae gives the OK, we anticipate that appro

April 3, 2022

Petition against Yoon’s office relocation plan gains over 500,000 supports

A presidential petition against the president-elect’s plan to relocate the presidential office had garnered over 500,000 signatures of support Friday. The petition on the presidential website operated by the Moon Jae-in government claims that President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s election pledge to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno, Seoul about 6 kilometers south to the Defense Ministry compound in Yongsan poses a threat to national security and is a waste of

April 1, 2022