Moon's approval rating rebounds from record low: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has rebounded this week from a record low registered a week earlier, amid progress on his prosecution reform plan and other key issues, an opinion poll showed Monday. In the Realmeter survey conducted on 2,514 voters nationwide for five days through last Friday, the support rating for Moon stood at 39.5 percent, up 2.8 percentage points from a week earlier. Last week, Moon saw his approval rating dive to a record low of 36.7 percent, as the public remain

Dec. 21, 2020

Raising distancing rules to top level should remain as government's 'final card': PM

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday that elevating the nation's social distancing rules to the highest Level 3 should be a last resort for the government in dealing with the new coronavirus crisis, stressing the importance for the public to properly follow state-mandated distancing rules. "Adjusting the social distancing level needs to be prepared thoroughly, but it should remain as the final card," Chung said during a government meeting of top officials in charge of dealing wit

Dec. 21, 2020

Capital area bans gatherings of 5 or more people to stem COVID-19 spread

Gatherings of five or more people will be banned in the greater Seoul area, beginning Wednesday, in a new hard-line measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus, local governments said Monday. The governments of Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi Province and Incheon announced the strident assembly restriction measure in time for the upcoming peak season for year-end gatherings and events. The new administrative order for the restrictions on freedom of assembly will take effect at midnight Tues

Dec. 21, 2020

Presidential secretary for peace planning tapped as new chief nuclear envoy

South Korea replaced its chief nuclear envoy Monday, naming a seasoned diplomat and presidential aide to take on the job, as the country prepares to work with the incoming US administration of Joe Biden to move the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea forward. Noh Kyu-duk, a career diplomat serving as presidential secretary for peace planning, was named to replace Lee Do-hoon as the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, the foreign ministry announced in a pre

Dec. 21, 2020

Justice ministry scheduled to convene committee to decide on special pardon

The Ministry of Justice is expected to convene a committee to deliberate on a special pardon, legal sources said Monday. The ministry's amnesty review committee is scheduled to meet later in the day at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. The committee, chaired by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, is made up of nine members, including more than four outside experts. President Moon Jae-in has the final authority on whom to pardon, after the justice minister's initiation and the delib

Dec. 21, 2020

Ahn Cheol-soo to run for Seoul mayor

Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the minor opposition People’s Party, on Sunday announced his bid for Seoul mayor, saying he is prepared to sacrifice himself to prevent the ruling bloc from maintaining power. “I concluded that losing the Seoul mayoral election making it impossible to bring about an administration change must be prevented even if I have to throw myself (into the task),” Ahn said at a press conference at the National Assembly. The post of Seoul mayor, which has rema

Dec. 20, 2020

S. Korea to begin COVID-19 vaccination in Q1 2021, PM says

South Korea will be able to start the coronavirus vaccination of its people in the first quarter of next year on a limited basis, according to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. "Inoculation will begin as early as in February or March at the latest," he said in an interview with KBS, a Seoul-based broadcaster. But the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca would only be available in the first half of 2021 under a current contract, not shots made by such other foreign drugmakers as Pfizer, Moder

Dec. 20, 2020

Moon wishes Macron quick recovery from COVID-19

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a consolation message Friday to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tested positive for the coronavirus. It's "regrettable to hear the news of your sudden coronavirus infection," Moon wrote on his Twitter account. The note, written in French, began with "M. le President @EmmanuelMacron." Moon pointed out that he and Macron talked about overcoming COVID-19 in their phone talks two weeks earlier. He expressed hope for Macron's qu

Dec. 18, 2020

‘Prosecutor General’s legal counterattack is against President Moon’

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has taken aim at the president in the latest of his ongoing conflict with the incumbent administration and its close officials. Yoon’s defense told reporters Thursday that Yoon is fighting the “illegal and unfair” two-month suspension from his post with a lawsuit against President Moon Jae-in, as he is the one who signed and approved the disciplinary action. “This lawsuit is a complaint against an action from the president, so this is a

Dec. 18, 2020

Prime minister says ‘social consensus necessary’ to raise distancing rules to Level 3

With growing interest in whether social distancing rules will be raised to Level 3 after the daily average number of confirmed cases in Korea surpassed 900 this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday social consensus should be achieved sufficiently before moving to stricter rules. The government would “make a bold decision” when it deemed it necessary, he added. “We are collecting opinions from related ministries, local governments and experts as we need to quickly

Dec. 18, 2020

Ruling party pushing for rent discount for small businesses amid pandemic

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has set out to find ways to cut rent for small business owners teetering under the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, DP Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon reaffirmed his party's push to get landlords to slash rent for small business owners struggling under the weight of the new coronavirus. The drive for so-called fair rent gained traction earlier this week after President Moon Jae-in raised the issue of small business owners who have to shoulder a heavy econ

Dec. 17, 2020

Moon says S. Korea's economy needs 'great transformation' in 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that South Korea should overcome the COVID-19 crisis and achieve a "grand transformation" of its economy in the coming year. "We will have to turn 2021 into a period of great transformation of South Korea's economy. The beginning is to clearly overcome the coronavirus crisis," he said during an expanded session of the National Economic Advisory Council. Moon received a briefing on the government's economic policy for 2021 and had related

Dec. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] Top prosecutor to fight suspension in court

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is taking legal action to overturn his two-month suspension from office, which took effect Wednesday night upon receiving presidential approval. Lee Wank-kyu, a legal representative for the prosecutor general, told reporters in a statement Thursday that Yoon’s defense would file for an injunction from the Seoul Administrative Court to halt the suspension order. The injunction request will be submitted electronically after working hours as it is impossibl

Dec. 17, 2020

Top prosecutor seeks court injunction against disciplinary measure

South Korea's chief prosecutor will file for an injunction in a Seoul court Thursday to halt the two-month suspension of his duty, his lawyer said. Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is protesting against the justice ministry's disciplinary measure, sanctioned by President Moon Jae-in, in connection with multiple accounts of "ethical and legal misdeeds." Yoon plans to lodge a suit with the Seoul Administrative Court "within today," calling for the withdrawal of the punishmen

Dec. 17, 2020

Seoul reports record-high daily COVID-19 cases

The number of new daily coronavirus patients in Seoul rose by an all-time high of 423 on Wednesday, its deputy mayor said Thursday. Kim Woo-young disclosed the capital's latest data on a CBS Radio talk show, saying the nation's daily caseload also reached 1,014 the same day. Seoul's previous record for new daily COVID-19 cases was set on Dec. 12, when 399 more people tested positive. As the spread of the coronavirus accelerated from early this month, the capital's top 15 daily caseload recor

Dec. 17, 2020

Blue House officiates 2-month suspension for top prosecutor, Justice Minister seeks to resign

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has been officially suspended from his post for the next two months following an executive order from President Moon Jae-in, the Blue House announced Wednesday night. Chung Man-ho, senior secretary for public communication at the Blue House, said in a press briefing that Moon approved Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s recommendation to levy the penalization on Yoon that the ministry’s disciplinary committee decided early Wednesday morning. The order ca

Dec. 16, 2020

NIS chief vows never to meddle in domestic politics

The head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) vowed Wednesday never to meddle in domestic politics after the National Assembly passed a reform bill centering on transferring the agency's anti-communist investigation duties to police. "Reform of the NIS has been finally completed after unsuccessful attempts by previous governments," NIS Director Park Jie-won said. "Organizations suspected of getting involved in domestic politics have been dismantled and cannot be r

Dec. 16, 2020

Senior officials vow to complete reform of prosecution, spy agency, police

Senior government officials vowed Wednesday to complete the reform of the prosecution, state spy agency and police in line with a set of newly passed contentious laws. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won and Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young held a joint press briefing to mark the passage of three bills aimed at breaking up the powers of the three state institutions. The bills were passed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after winning app

Dec. 16, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae checks cybersecurity amid growing non-contact activities

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it has reviewed South Korea's cybersecurity posture during a high-level interagency meeting, as non-contact activities have sharply increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, pointed out that the importance of cybersecurity has been highlighted more this year than at any other time. He cited the spread of contactless activities, such as online classes and working from home. Speaking at the annual &qu

Dec. 16, 2020

PM urges govt. steps against economic impact from possible lifting of distancing rules

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called Wednesday for thorough measures to minimize the negative impact on the economy and the people's livelihoods in case of tougher anti-coronavirus social distancing restrictions. "(We) can't rule out (the possibility of) a decision to raise (the rule) to Level 3," while the government is making all-out efforts to curb the COVID-19 spread without using the "last means," he stressed during a daily interagency meeting on the pandemic. Currentl

Dec. 16, 2020