[Newsmaker] Presidential anti-corruption aide offers to resign over property speculation allegations

The presidential secretary for anti-corruption, Kim Gi-pyo, has offered to resign, the presidential office said Sunday, following allegations of real estate speculation involving multimillion dollar loans. President Moon Jae-in also immediately accepted his resignation, according to Park Soo-hyun, Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for public communication. "Presidential secretary Kim Gi-pyo has expressed his views that, although he did not acquire the real estate for purposes of speculatio

June 27, 2021

Tight presidential race ahead, cohesion expected to be key for each rival bloc

With South Korea's presidential election less than nine months away, the race promises to be a tight battle between the ruling and opposition blocs. The curtain is about to rise first on the primaries of the ruling Democratic Party. It is getting off to a rough start, as demonstrated by in-house disputes over when to choose its flag bearer. A boisterous attempt, albeit foiled at last, by dozens of lawmakers apparently against the front-runner Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung to postpone the event

June 26, 2021

DP opts not to postpone primaries for next year's presidential election

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday decided not to postpone its primary elections to pick the standard bearer for next year's presidential election in March. The DP's supreme council made the decision at a close-door meeting held earlier in the day, confirming the party's schedule to pick its sole presidential candidate by Sept. 10. "The supreme council decided, via a unanimous agreement, to elect the (final presidential) candidate in accordance with the current party constitution

June 25, 2021

S. Korea holds 71st Korean War anniversary event for first time in Busan

South Korea marked the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War with a ceremony held for the first time in the southern city of Busan that served as a temporary capital during the conflict. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Defense Minister Suh Wook and around 240 people, including veterans and bereaved family members, attended the ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center, which was the site of an airfield used by United Nations forces during the war. "The choice of the event

June 25, 2021

BAI chief to soon offer resignation amid presidential bid speculation: source

Choe Jae-hyeong, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), plans to soon tender his resignation, a well-informed source said Friday, suggesting that the state audit agency chief has reached a decision to compete in next year's presidential race. The source close to the BAI head said that Choe will "arrange an occasion early next week to announce his decision," adding that the chairman will explain his future plans to his father over the weekend and reassure him amid concern

June 25, 2021

[Contribution] Creating a supporting ecosystem for innovative venture firms to enter global market

As the global business environment changes due to the 4th Industrial Revolution and COVID-19, the structures of industries and markets are rapidly changing. Thus, the role of small and medium-sized venture companies (SMEs), the backbone of the Korean economy, is becoming more important. The total exports of all Korean companies in 2020 amounted to $512.8 billion, down 5.4 percent from $542.2 billion last year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the total exports of

June 24, 2021

Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to declare presidential bid Tuesday

Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl will declare his presidential bid next week, officially launching a political career three months after he stepped down from public office, according to his spokesperson Thursday.  Yoon will appear in front of the public in an event at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at the memorial hall for Yun Bong-gil, a national independence fighter, in southern Seoul, according to the spokesperson. He is set to announce his widely anticipated presidential bid there. "I wi

June 24, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae under fire for appointing student as senior official

Cheong Wa Dae’s recent pick of a 24-year-old college student as a senior official handling youth policy is facing backlash both from opposition party members and young job seekers. On Wednesday, Park Seong-min, a former supreme council member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea who studies Korean language and literature at Korea University in Seoul, started her work as a secretary for the presidential political affairs office. This is the first time that anyone in their 20s has ser

June 23, 2021

Gwanghwamun Square set to get facelift by April

Gwanghwamun Square, a landmark of Seoul, will get new historical and cultural attractions by next April, the Seoul metropolitan government said Wednesday. Construction has been under way to expand the square and turn part of it into a park as part of a controversial project launched by the administration of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. The announcement of the new attractions comes two months after new Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he would keep the project despite opposition from some citizens du

June 23, 2021

Ex-prosecutor general's mother-in-law cleared of fraud charges by police

The mother-in-law of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, one of the prospective presidential candidates for the conservative bloc, has been cleared of fraud charges, police said Wednesday. Yoon's mother-in-law, surnamed Choi, was accused of embezzling entrusted shares of a columbarium business and taking over the control of the entity from the rightful owner. The 75-year-old was also suspected of forging a balance sheet as if she had around 35 billion won ($31 million) deposited at a ban

June 23, 2021

Moon undecided on attending Tokyo Olympics

President Moon Jae-in remains undecided on whether to attend the Tokyo Olympics next month amid a yearslong stalled diplomacy with Japan over wartime history and trade. “Nothing has been decided yet,” Moon’s chief of staff for policy Lee Ho-seung told a radio interview Tuesday when he was asked whether the president intended to attend the Summer Olympics that kicks off in the Japanese capital on July 23. As for the prolonged feud between the two countries, he said the Korea

June 22, 2021

Former ruling party leader Lee calls for soft power diplomacy

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, a former Democratic Party leader and presidential hopeful, said Tuesday South Korea should aim for “soft power diplomacy” in line with a global paradigm shift for peace and creativity. “The paradigm of the world order and development has been changing since the post-cold war era,” Lee said in his keynote speech of an international conference on international order. “The scope of the territory, the size of the population and military power are b

June 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Culture minister implies no boycott of Tokyo Olympics amid Dokdo spat

South Korea's culture minister said sports should be separated from politics regarding calls for a boycott of the Tokyo Olympics amid a renewed territorial spat over the East Sea islets of Dokdo between the two countries. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee made the remark during a parliamentary committee's general meeting held Monday evening, implying that the ministry is not considering boycotting the upcoming Olympics, only a month away. Calls for such a measure emerged among th

June 22, 2021

Moon says S. Korea to keep expanding role on key global issues

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his government will continue efforts to broaden South Korea's role and responsibility regarding major pending international issues. He was talking about the results of his participation in a Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Britain and ensuing state visits to Austria and Spain earlier this month. Moon said he was able to "again confirm the changed national status" of South Korea through the weeklong trip. "The Republic of Korea will play a key r

June 22, 2021

As ex-Prosecutor General Yoon 'falters,' new opposition presidential hopefuls rise

As former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful for the opposition bloc, faces challenges even before he declares his bid, new hopefuls are emerging as possible conservative runners with about eight months left before the election. Having led a majority of public opinion polls for presidential hopefuls since late last year, Yoon saw a major setback in his yet-to-be-declared presidential bid this week from the sudden resignation of his chief spokesman and a dossier al

June 22, 2021

Assembly speaker urges NK to engage in dialogue

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug said he hoped North Korea would take a proactive role in inter-Korean dialogue, stressing that South Korea’s National Assembly was considering the ratification of the inter-Korean summit agreement. “The Korea-US summit was an important achievement,” said Park on Monday at a press meeting. “The position of South Korea in relation to the peace process on the Korean Peninsula is evaluated to have been well reflected. “It w

June 21, 2021

Moon picks new Cheong Wa Dae secretaries for political affairs, youth affairs, education

President Moon Jae-in nominated Kim Han-kyu, a lawyer and rookie politician, as his new secretary for political affairs Monday. Having worked as a legal counsel for the ruling Democratic Party (DP), he is a lawyer at the Seoul-based law firm Kim & Chang and also a standing member of the National Unification Advisory Council. He graduated from Harvard Law School after studying law at Seoul National University. Park Seong-min, another DP official who is 25 years old, was tapped as secretary

June 21, 2021

Prosecutors recommend ex-Busan mayor get 7 years in prison for sexual assault

BUSAN, -- Prosecutors asked a judge to sentence former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don to seven years in prison for sexual assault in the workplace. Oh is accused of sexually assaulting two female employees and injuring one of them while in office. He is also charged with filing a false complaint against YouTube channel operators who reported the accusations against him. "Given the similarity of his crimes against the two victims, this is a workplace sex crime using his power," prosecutors sa

June 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] PPP's approval hits highest point since 2016 presidential corruption scandal: Realmeter

The approval rating of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has reached its highest point since a far-reaching corruption scandal surrounding former conservative President Park Geun-hye in 2016 dealt a crushing blow to the party, the latest opinion poll showed Monday. In the Realmeter survey of 2,514 voters nationwide conducted from Monday to Friday last week, the PPP garnered 39.7 percent of support, up 0.6 percentage point from the previous week. It marks the third week in a row that

June 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Debate on anti-discrimination law gains momentum

A debate on anti-discrimination law is gaining momentum in South Korea with the support of scores of lawmakers, presidential candidates and members of the public. Anti-discrimination bills that have been proposed several times since 2007 has never passed the National Assembly due to opposition from conservative politicians and religious groups. This time around the bill has stronger support from a broader spectrum in society. Last week, 24 lawmakers from the ruling bloc, including the Democr

June 20, 2021