Moon's senior secretary entrusts decision on his resignation offer to the president: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in's senior secretary for civil affairs and justice is likely to stay in the job at least for the time being despite his resignation offer that has grabbed public attention, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. Having returned from a four-day leave, Shin Hyun-soo has "entrusted" a decision on his letter of resignation to the president, Chung Man-ho, Moon's senior secretary for public communication, told reporters. Shin was quoted as saying that he would do his bes

Feb. 22, 2021

S. Korea to start administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 27: PM

South Korea will begin administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines to medical staff on Saturday as the vaccines are expected to arrive in the country later this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday. "On Feb. 26, 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive in the country and the vaccines will be administered to medical staff treating coronavirus patients starting on Feb. 27," Chung said during a meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul.

Feb. 21, 2021

Supreme Court chief justice apologizes, but refuses to quit

Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su apologized again Friday for lying about his alleged role in the recent impeachment of a senior judge as he faces growing heat from opposition lawmakers to step down. "I give my deep apology for causing grave disappointment and concerns with my uncareful reply," the chief justice said in a post uploaded in the intranet for judges and court employees. This marks his second apology over the controversy after the first one issued early this mont

Feb. 19, 2021

Moon says govt. open to special 'consolatory money' for Korean people over coronavirus damages

President Moon Jae-in floated the idea Friday of providing South Korean people with special "consolatory money" once the COVID-19 pandemic is overcome, according to his office. It was unveiled during his meeting with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) at Cheong Wa Dae. The president was responding to the proposal of offering another batch of emergency cash handouts to support people and businesses against the fallout of the pandemic, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok sai

Feb. 19, 2021

PM points to severity of pandemic, vows all-out response for swift containment

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that authorities saw the current state of the pandemic in the nation as being severe and pledged to swiftly deal with the crisis with the government's full capabilities. "Experts are warning that the worst may arrive if the latest growth trend cannot be quickly contained," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul. Chung added, "The government confronts the current situation

Feb. 19, 2021

Gyeonggi chief Lee widens lead in presidential hopefuls' poll

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung has widened his lead in a poll of potential presidential candidates released Thursday, with his closest rivals falling behind marginally compared to two weeks ago. In the survey conducted jointly by four polling agencies on 1,007 people over the age of 18 from Monday to Wednesday, 27 percent picked Gov. Lee as their favored candidate in next year's presidential election. The poll was conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research International

Feb. 18, 2021

S. Korea's NSC expresses concern about Myanmar situations

South Korea's top security officials voiced concern Thursday about political instability in Myanmar in connection with a recent coup. They also agreed to cooperate with the international community for the "restoration of constitutional order" through a legitimate, democratic and peaceful manner in the Southeast Asian country, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It was briefing media on the results of the weekly session of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee, presided over

Feb. 18, 2021

Top economic advisers of Seoul, Washington open new hotline

A new instant line of communications has been launched between Seoul and Washington to further boost cooperation on economic, trade and other global issues such as climate change, Cheong Wa Dae announced Wednesday. Though the allies already have a long-established hotline to discuss security issues, this is the first time they have set up a separate line for direct communications to address economic and policy issues. The new communications line followed the first phone call between Kim San

Feb. 18, 2021

Progressive South Korean lawmaker listed among Time's top 100 emerging leaders

Jang Hye-young, a novice female lawmaker with the progressive minor Justice Party, has been listed among the Time magazine's "100 Next" emerging leaders for 2021. The 34-year-old lawmaker made the annual Time list in the advocates category, out of the total five categories that also include artists and leaders. She was the only South Korean on the list featuring "100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future," according to the magazine's website on Wednesday. "Jang

Feb. 18, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae, White House open new hotline to communicate on economy, global issues

Top South Korean and US presidential aides had phone discussions Wednesday on strengthening partnerships on the economy, trade and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the 35-minute talks with Kim Sang-jo, President Moon Jae-in's chief of staff for policy, Brian Deese, top economic adviser for President Joe Biden, took note of South Korea's anti-coronavirus fight and efforts for economic recovery, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Deese, director of the White House Natio

Feb. 17, 2021

[News Focus] Will four-day workweek become a reality?

A four-day workweek is emerging as a hot-button campaign issue as Seoul mayoral candidates promise a compressed work schedule ahead of the April by-elections, with debate ensuing as to whether the pledge is realistic and economically viable for South Korea and its capital. Former SMEs Minister Park Young-sun said in a meeting earlier this month that she wants to introduce a 4.5-day workweek for Seoul citizens if she wins the Seoul mayor seat in the coming months. Park has so far been picked as

Feb. 17, 2021

Moon pays respects to deceased Korean reunification activist

President Moon Jae-in paid his respects Wednesday to Paek Ki-wan, revered for his lifelong pro-democracy activities and devoted campaign for the reunification of the two Koreas. The president visited the funeral home set up at Seoul National University Hospital in the capital for the condolence call to the bereaved family. Paek died Monday at the age of 88 after suffering symptoms of pneumonia. He spent much of his life for pro-democracy, pro-unification and social activists, having written n

Feb. 17, 2021

PM expresses worry over lax virus alertness amid spike in new cases

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday expressed concerns over the public's seemingly waning vigilance against the new coronavirus, with the number of new daily cases having risen substantially since authorities eased social distancing rules just days ago. "It's been three days since the easing of social distancing rules but the number of patients has surpassed 600 for the first time in 39 days," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the governm

Feb. 17, 2021

Moon's senior secretary offers to quit over prosecution reshuffle: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in's senior secretary for civil affairs and justice has repeatedly offered to resign in protest over the latest reshuffle of senior prosecutors led by new Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Wednesday. Moon, however, rejected the resignation offer by Shin Hyun-soo, a former career prosecutor appointed to the post less than two months ago, while he remains intent on stepping down, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official. Shin is known to have feuded w

Feb. 17, 2021

NIS considering closed-door briefing to parliament on surveillance allegations: chief

The state intelligence agency is reviewing ways to conditionally give a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly on its alleged illegal surveillance of politicians and other social figures during the reign of the conservative Lee Myung-bak government, the NIS chief told lawmakers Tuesday. "The National Intelligence Service is considering plans to report to the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on the issue on condition of non-disclosure (to the public) if the committee approves (th

Feb. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Attacks on Moon’s son continue

An opposition lawmaker refuses to let up on President Moon Jae-in’s son, artist Moon Joon-yong, demanding that a Seoul City foundation disclose why it decided to fund him as part of its program to support artists suffering due to COVID-19. In a Facebook post on Monday, Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the People Power Party called on the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture to explain in detail how it selected the artists it sponsored under the program. In response to news reports in favor of Kwak

Feb. 16, 2021

[KH Explains] Universal basic income enters Korean political limelight

The idea of ensuring that everyone has at least some income has gained momentum in South Korea as the country experiences a major economic letdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea, championed first by Gyeonggi Province governor and president hopeful Lee Jae-myung, has quickly become a fiercely debated topic among presidential contenders from all sides. Proponents say it is a means to narrow the growing wealth gap and make up for future job losses. Naysayers worry that what they call the

Feb. 16, 2021

Moon urges emergency steps to curb pandemic-linked job losses

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for all-out efforts to tackle South Korea's jobs crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I would like the government to take this employment situation seriously and urgently seek extraordinary measures," he said at the outset of a weekly Cabinet meeting. Moon raised the need for a "pan-governmental all-out response system" in order to turn the job situation around within this month. He described the January situation as "employ

Feb. 16, 2021

S. Korea signs deals with Novavax, Pfizer to secure additional vaccines for 23m: PM

South Korea has secured additional new coronavirus vaccines for 23 million people by signing contracts with US drugmakers Novavax and Pfizer, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday. Through the deals, Novavax will provide vaccines for 20 million people, which are expected to be ready for inoculation by the second quarter, and Pfizer will ship vaccines for 3 million also during the second quarter, Chung said during an interagency meeting on the nation's coronavirus response at the government

Feb. 16, 2021

Moon hints at further easing of COVID-19 restrictions

President Moon Jae-in on Monday hinted at further easing of the nation’s COVID-19 social distancing rules to boost the pandemic-battered economy, especially hardest-hit small business owners. “We can no longer ignore the urgent appeals (from small businesses). The government will come up with new social distancing measures in March when full-fledged vaccinations start,” the president said during a weekly meeting with his key aides. He stressed a strategic shift in the nat

Feb. 15, 2021