Moon congratulates archery team, judo player on Olympic medals

President Moon Jae-in sent congratulatory messages Monday to the members of South Korea's female archery team and a judo player, who won medals at the Tokyo Olympics. Moon lauded the archery squad for its ninth consecutive Olympic gold in a message also posted on his social media accounts. "Since archery was adopted as an Olympic program, the women's team has been at the top, showing the power of the archery of the Republic of Korea," Moon wrote on his message for each member of the

July 26, 2021

Moon cancels summer holiday for third consecutive year

President Moon Jae-in has canceled his summer holiday for a third consecutive year as COVID-19 cases surged again recently, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources on Sunday. “The president had planned to take his holiday in early August but the plans were canceled,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. Even though Moon might take time off “later,” she said, that seems unlikely for now with COVID-19 showing no immediate signs of abating here. This is the

July 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Jeju governor joins presidential election race

Jeju Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong announced Sunday that he will run for presidency in the election slated for March next year. In a video speech, Won, a former three-term opposition lawmaker, vowed to upend "everything" the Moon Jae-in government has done. "I declare my bid for the 20th presidential election to make the Republic of Korea a country of a different class and different dimension," he said in the virtual press conference. "I would like to propose a vision o

July 25, 2021

Speculations swirl over potential amnesty for ex-President Park, Samsung heir Lee

Rumors that former President Park Geun-hye and Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong may receive presidential pardons or paroles are increasingly making the rounds in political circles as of late amid growing calls for amnesty for the two figures jailed over corruption-related charges. Such speculations are being circulated widely with the Aug. 15 Liberation Day, an anniversary on which South Korea's presidents have often used their right to special pardon as part of efforts for promoting national un

July 25, 2021

3 lawmakers cleared of land speculation charges: police

Local police have cleared charges against three lawmakers who had been suspected of illegal real estate dealings, officials said Saturday. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency in Suwon, just south of Seoul, said it dropped charges against Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, an independent lawmaker, and two ruling Democratic Party members -- Rep. Kim Kyung-man and Rep. Seo Young-suk -- in relation to alleged property speculation. Yang was under probe over a violation of the anti-corruption law and the Farmland Ac

July 24, 2021

National Assembly endorses W34.9tr extra budget to fight COVID-19

The National Assembly on Saturday gave the nod to a 34.9 trillion-won ($30.3 billion) extra budget bill aimed at propping up the economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill was passed at a plenary parliamentary meeting in a 208-17 vote, with 12 abstentions. The second extra budget this year came as the country is in a semi-lockdown under the toughest Level 4 social distancing rules amid the worst, fourth wave of mass COVID-19 infections nationwide. Through the supplementary budget,

July 24, 2021

Moon to hold interagency meeting on coronavirus

President Moon Jae-in will chair an interagency meeting on COVID-19 this weekend to be joined by the heads of 17 local governments, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. He plans to preside over the session at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday via video links, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. It is the first time for the president to chair a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters in seven months. It is usually done by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Earlier Frid

July 23, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae extends press center closure for two weeks

Cheong Wa Dae said Friday its Chunchugwan press center will remain closed for two more weeks in line with extended social distancing restrictions against COVID-19. Earlier in the day, the government announced the extension of the highest level of regulations by two weeks in Seoul and nearby regions amid no tangible progress in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Chunchugwan has been shut temporarily since July 12. It is the first time that the facility has closed as a precautionary measu

July 23, 2021

S. Korea seeks unification not 'by absorption' but through peaceful means: official

South Korea seeks unification with North Korea through peaceful means and based on agreement between the two sides, a unification ministry official said Thursday after the chief of the main opposition party expressed his wish for unification "by absorption." In a TV debate on Wednesday, Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the People Power Party (PPP), said that he is an advocate of "unification by peaceful absorption" with North Korea. He also renewed calls for scrapping or adjusting

July 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi governor pledges to distribute universal basic income if elected president

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the front-running presidential contender for the ruling Democratic Party, made a campaign pledge Thursday to distribute universal basic income of up to 2 million won ($1,736) per year to all citizens. "Within the (five-year) term of the next administration, (I) will provide 2 million won in basic income to each young person every year and 1 million won each to the rest of the citizens" Lee said in a press conference at the National Assembly in Seo

July 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon battered over 120-hour work week comment and more

Members of the ruling Democratic Party continued to slam former prosecutor general and presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl on Wednesday for saying that people should be allowed to work 120 hours in a week if they need to. As Yoon criticized the 52-hour work week system as a failed policy in a recent newspaper interview, he said he met people in start-ups who said there should be exemptions to the work hour rule as game developers often need to work 120 hours for a couple of weeks and then hav

July 21, 2021

Moon reprimands officials for problems in vaccine reservation system: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in has reprimanded his Cheong Wa Dae aides over reports of errors in the online reservation system for COVID-19 vaccine shots, his office said Wednesday. Moon called for "strong" measures to address the problems, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. With regard to the issue, the president pointed out that it is not commensurate with South Korea's stature as an information and technology powerhouse, she said. The government opened a vaccination b

July 21, 2021

Top court confirms opinion rigging conviction of President Moon's ally

The top court upheld the opinion rigging conviction of South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, a close aide to President Moon Jae-in, on Wednesday, a decision that will strip Kim of his governorship and potentially deal a political blow to the president. The Supreme Court maintained the verdict by the appeals court in November that Kim colluded with a team of online bloggers, including Kim Dong-won, widely known by his alias Druking, to illegally generate favorable opinions about the pre

July 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Over 65% of S. Koreans support Moon's decision not to visit Japan: survey

The majority of South Koreans support President Moon Jae-in's decision not to visit Japan for the opening of the Tokyo Olympics and summit talks, a poll showed Tuesday. In the R&Search survey of 1,095 people aged 18 and older, 65.5 percent of the respondents were in favor of Moon's decision, while 26.7 percent were against it. Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday that the president decided not to visit Tokyo as the two neighboring countries failed to achieve sufficient progress in consultations

July 21, 2021

23 more Cheonghae unit members test positive for COVID-19; total at 27

An additional 23 members of the virus-hit Cheonghae naval unit tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, raising the confirmed infection cases among the 301-member unit to 270. According to virus tests conducted on all the members upon their return home from Africa the previous day, 270, or 89.7 percent, of them have tested positive for COVID-19, while 31 tested negative, the ministry said. The unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa first report

July 21, 2021

PM urges labor group to cancel scheduled rallies amid virus flare-up

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday urged a major umbrella labor group to cancel its protests scheduled for later this week as authorities struggle to contain the country's fast-spreading fourth COVID-19 wave. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) plans to stage two large rallies in Wonju, 140 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Friday and a week later, with over 1,000 members reportedly planning to gather at the event slated for Friday. The rallies were reportedly arranged to sup

July 21, 2021

S. Korea, Japan agree to continue efforts to resolve pending issues despite tension over diplomat‘s remarks　

　 　South Korea and Japan agreed Tuesday to continue efforts to resolve pending issues rooted largely in wartime history, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, despite the flare-up of tension over a Japanese diplomat‘s disparaging remarks on President Moon Jae-in’s approach to Tokyo. 　 　First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun shared the understanding with his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, during their bilateral talks in Tokyo on Tuesday, the ministry said. 　 　“The two vice m

July 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] Opposition leader against opening up to refugees

Lee Jun-seok, 36, the youngest-ever leader of the nation’s main opposition People Power Party, has been outspoken on a number of sensitive issues since taking office last month. Sitting down with The Korea Herald on Monday, he candidly spoke about hot topics like refugees, immigrants and North. When asked about the nation’s immigration policies, Lee said that South Korea should accept immigrants who can help the nation’s economy, but should be cautious about refugees. &ldqu

July 20, 2021

CIO raids home of presidential aide over alleged illegal exit ban case

A state anti-corruption probe agency raided the home of a presidential civil affairs secretary on Tuesday over his suspected involvement in an allegedly illegal travel ban on a former justice minister, informed officials said. Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) searched the home of Lee Gwang-cheol, a presidential secretary for civil affairs and justice, to secure evidence related to his charge of abuse of power in allegedly orchestrating an i

July 20, 2021

Moon urges govt. support for credit rehabilitation of delinquent borrowers during COVID-19

President Moon Jae-in instructed his Cheong Wa Dae team Tuesday to map out measures to support the credit rehabilitation of people with delinquent debts attributable to the COVID-19 crisis. He made the call during a meeting with his Cheong Wa Dae aides, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon told them to explore ways to help delinquent borrowers restore their credit if they have faithfully repaid debts linked with damage from the pandemic, she said. The move is intended t

July 20, 2021