Ruling party head 'very disappointed' over Japan's summit boycott report

The head of the ruling Democratic Party on Wednesday expressed frustration over a report that Japan's new prime minister threatened to skip a trilateral summit planned by Seoul this year unless South Korea takes action to resolve the dispute over wartime forced labor. According to Japan's Kyodo News, Tokyo has informed Seoul in late September that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will boycott an annual trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan this year unless the Korean government mo

Oct. 14, 2020

S. Korea's first lady stresses IVI's role in global fight against COVID-19

First Lady Kim Jung-sook of South Korea said Tuesday that the role and mission of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has become more significant than ever amid the new coronavirus outbreak. She was speaking in a video message for the Seoul-based organization's annual forum of partner nations, which was held online. Kim serves as honorary president of South Korea's IVI support committee. "As the whole world battles against the COVID-19 pandemic, the mission of the IVI, which is to d

Oct. 13, 2020

Korean New Deal to focus on local-level projects

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday added the concept of balanced development to the Korean New Deal program, saying that the essence of the program is to shift the “axis of national development to the provinces.” At the second Korean New Deal strategy meeting, Moon again stressed his administration’s drive behind the Korean New Deal and called for cooperation from the heads of 17 provincial and metropolitan government attending the meeting. “In order to further clarify t

Oct. 13, 2020

BTS fans upset over China backlash on Korean War remark

Fans of K-pop superstar BTS on Tuesday voiced frustration over the social media storm in China that has erupted over member RM's recent remarks honoring those sacrificed during the Korean War. In an Oct. 7 ceremony hosted by the US-based nonprofit organization The Korea Society, RM, who spoke on behalf of the group that received an award for its contributions to Seoul-Washington ties, referred to the 1950-53 war where the two countries fought together. "We will always remember the history

Oct. 13, 2020

Moon holds high-level meeting on backing Yoo Myung-hee's WTO chief bid

President Moon Jae-in convened a high-level meeting Monday to discuss strategies on supporting Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid to become the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon raised the need to publicize that the minister with 25 years of experience in trade affairs is the right figure to reform the WTO, speaking in the session joined by Yoo, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seo

Oct. 12, 2020

Moon vows watertight antivirus fight despite eased social distancing rules

President Moon Jae-in assured the public Monday that his government will maintain strict measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus in spite of the decision to relax social distancing guidelines. "(The government) will ensure that there will be no loophole, even for a moment, in antivirus measures for high-risk and multiuse facilities," he said at the outset of a weekly meeting with senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. Moon's remarks came as the government has lowered its social dist

Oct. 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] People Power Party slams Moon's 'submissive' attitude towards NK

The main opposition party on Monday accused North Korea of violating its military agreement with South Korea by developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile and submarine-launched ballistic missiles which it unveiled in a military parade on Saturday. “This is a clear violation of the military agreement. We can only see (the North’s threat) as increased, not diminished,” Kim Chong-in, interim leader of the People’s Power Party, said during an emergency meeting at t

Oct. 12, 2020

Rival parties voice misgivings on probable new ICBM paraded by N. Korea

The leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties expressed misgivings Monday on what appeared to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) paraded by North Korea in a party event last week. Celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party on Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that his country would keep bolstering its nuclear deterrent. The leader also made a conciliatory gesture toward South Korea by expressing his well-meaning wish for South

Oct. 12, 2020

Seoul city lifts ban on rallies of 10 or more people, allows fewer than 100

The Seoul city government on Monday eased tough restrictions on outdoor rallies as the country adjusted its social distancing to the lowest level. The new guidelines allow rallies of fewer than 100 people, lifting an earlier ban on rallies of 10 or more, which had been in place since late August, the local government said. The measures came as the central government lowered social distancing guidelines from Level 2 to the lowest tier of Level 1 at midnight amid a decrease in new coronavirus c

Oct. 12, 2020

'Top-down' nuke diplomacy with NK may not continue if Biden wins Nov. election: Ambassador Lee

The "top-down" nuclear diplomacy that US President Donald Trump has employed toward North Korea may not be retained if Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wins the November election, Seoul's top envoy in Washington has said. During a video-linked parliamentary audit Sunday (Washington time), Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuck made the remarks in response to a lawmaker's question about the possibility of a change in the US approach to the North following the Nov. 3 presidential vote. &q

Oct. 12, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae says inter-Korean accords should be honored

Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday analyzed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's message in his speech during a military parade the day earlier and stressed that existing inter-Korean agreements should be honored to prevent the recurrence of an armed conflict on the peninsula. The presidential office convened an emergency session of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee to discuss the issue. Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, presided over the meeting that was joined b

Oct. 11, 2020

Moon vows government's 'special protection' of social workers

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday his government will protect and support social workers nationwide, who are involved in "indispensable face-to-face" activities despite the new coronavirus outbreak. He was speaking at a virtual meeting with employees at public social service agencies operating in eight regions under the initiative of his left-leaning administration. They provide care services to children, the disabled and adults with long-term health conditions. "Welfare and t

Oct. 8, 2020

[Newsmaker] Fine for personal data leaks averaged 258 won since 2016: lawmaker

Tens of million personal data records have been leaked over the past five years but fines for the leaks averaged 258 won ($0.22), a lawmaker said Thursday, calling for tougher penalties. According to Rep. Park Kwang-on of the ruling Democratic Party, over 64 million leaks of personal information, such as names, social security numbers and mobile phone numbers, were reported from the public, private and online sectors from 2016 to last month. Of them, administrative action was taken in 50.87 mi

Oct. 8, 2020

Rival parties lock horns over hot button issues on 1st day of parliamentary audit

Rival parties clashed over hot-button issues, including the recent shooting death of a South Korean fisheries official, on Wednesday, the first day of the annual parliamentary inspection. The National Assembly kicked off the annual inspection of the government and state agencies for a 20-day run, the first parliamentary audit since the incumbent 21st assembly's new four-year term began in late May. The audit began as rival parties have been locked in a spat over two thorny issues -- the sho

Oct. 7, 2020

Killing of South Korean civilian by NK was hostile act: defense minister

Lawmakers began the parliament’s annual inspection of state affairs on Wednesday with the ruling and opposition parties bickering over the selection of witnesses. The recent killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korean troops, along with the row over special treatment for the justice minister’s son in the military, overshadowed other issues. On the first day of the parliamentary audit, which runs until Oct. 26, a total of 14 parliamentary standing committees, includi

Oct. 7, 2020

'Wall of buses' stirs up debate over how far police can go to stop rallies amid pandemic

The rare sight of hundreds of police buses packing downtown Seoul last Saturday has ignited a debate over whether such a display of force was justified in light of the coronavirus pandemic to stop mass anti-government rallies from being held. The debate comes ahead of another set of rallies planned for Friday, a national holiday celebrating the creation of the Korean alphabet, hangeul, which police have threatened to block again with buses. Authorities are guarded against further outbreaks of

Oct. 7, 2020

Ruling party head, Gyeonggi governor tied in poll of liberal presidential hopefuls

Ruling Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Nak-yon and Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung were tied in the lead in a poll of potential presidential candidates among liberal politicians released Wednesday. In a survey by pollster Hankook Research conducted from Saturday to Sunday on 1,000 people aged 18 or older, the favorabilities of the two Lees both stood at 24 percent. Author Rhyu Si-min, former health minister who heads a memorial foundation of late former President Roh Moo-hyun, came in th

Oct. 7, 2020

[Newsmaker] Govt. purchases of Japanese products persist amid boycott: lawmaker

The South Korean government has maintained business deals with Japanese companies with war crime records despite a nationwide boycott on Japan-made goods since last year, according to a lawmaker Wednesday. According to Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the ruling Democratic Party, the government procured 28.7 billion won ($24.6 million) worth of products from Japanese firms with war crime histories, including Hitachi and Mitsubishi, from 2015 to August of this year. During the period, the total amount of J

Oct. 7, 2020

Over 280m individual records leaked from public, private entities since 2012

More than 280 million personal data records have been leaked from public and private organizations over the past eight and a half years, a ruling party lawmaker said Wednesday, calling for reinforcing relevant liability insurance regulations. Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the Democratic Party, citing data from the Personal Information Protection Commission, said about 280,440,000 individual records were leaked from public institutions, private companies and information and communication service provid

Oct. 7, 2020

Over 4 in 10 Koreans want ruling party to win 2022 presidential race: poll

Over 4 out of 10 South Korean adults want the current ruling party to stay in power by winning the upcoming 2022 presidential race, a poll showed Wednesday. In a survey by Korea Research conducted from Saturday to Sunday on 1,000 adults nationwide, the preference toward a win by a ruling party candidate stood at 44 percent. The poll was commissioned by the daily Kyunghyang Shinmun and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points and a confidence level of 95 percent. Of the resp

Oct. 7, 2020