Parties split over alleged special favors for justice minister's son

The main opposition party Wednesday called on President Moon Jae-in to take a stand on growing allegations of preferential treatment for Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's son, as the ruling party dismissed the case as groundless. The split comes amid renewed allegations that the 27-year-old, surnamed Seo, took an extended leave during his military service in 2017 without getting prior approval. Choo was chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party at the time. Other key allegations surrounding the s

Sept. 9, 2020

Moon stresses ‘cooperative politics’

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday called for cooperation between ruling and opposition blocs, saying “cooperative politics” is more important than ever as the nation struggles against the COVID-19 pandemic. “There has never been a time when the people wanted cooperative politics between the ruling and opposition parties, agreement among the government, and ruling and opposition parties more than now,” Moon said at a meeting with the leaders of the ruling Democratic Pa

Sept. 9, 2020

Main opposition floor leader presses Moon to address people's 'grievances'

The floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) accused President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday of not communicating with the public and "isolating himself" within the walls of Cheong Wa Dae. "The president should honestly respond to what people are curious about, as well as the affairs that grieve them rather than just telling his side of the story via meetings of the Cabinet and top presidential officials," Rep. Joo Ho-young said in his speech to a plenary sessio

Sept. 8, 2020

Moon to meet ruling party leaders over coronavirus, budget

President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with top ruling party officials at Cheong Wa Dae this week on COVID-19, state budgets and other pending issues, his office announced Tuesday. Moon has invited Lee Nak-yon, head of the Democratic Party, and its floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon to the session slated for Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Also attending it will be Park Kwang-on, secretary general of the party, and policy committee chief Han Jeoung-ae, Kang said. Moo

Sept. 8, 2020

[Newsmaker] Pressure mounts on Choo over son's military service

The controversy over allegations against Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s son continues to grow, with some comparing the situation to last year’s scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Choo, a former ruling Democratic Party lawmaker who served five terms in the National Assembly, is accused of using her influence to help her son obtain special favors during his military service. It has been claimed that Choo’s influence as a politician enabled Seo to go on ex

Sept. 8, 2020

KCDC chief tapped as head of new state disease control agency

President Moon Jae-in has picked Jeong Eun-kyeong, chief of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), as leader of the newly created agency to serve as South Korea's control tower of disease control and response, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. The government plans to reorganize the KCDC into an independent agency with more authority to respond to infectious diseases more effectively. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) will be launched Saturday. Jeong is a he

Sept. 8, 2020

Moon vows to shut down 30 more coal plants to bring cleaner air and battle climate change

South Korea will shut down 30 additional coal power plants by 2034 in line with the country’s ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote eco-friendly energy sources, President Moon Jae-in announced Monday. In a speech delivered virtually for the first International Day for Clean Air for blue skies, the president said his administration plans to close 10 existing coal power plants by the end of 2022 and another 20 by 2034. At the same time, the country will more than triple the

Sept. 8, 2020

Ruling party relaunches in-house coronavirus response committee headed by party leader

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday relaunched a high-profile in-house committee dedicated to combating the COVID-19 pandemic as the country is struggling to contain a flare-up in mass infection cases. The "COVID-19 national crisis management" committee is set to hold its first plenary meeting Tuesday afternoon under the leadership of the party's chief, Rep. Lee Nak-yon, according to party officials.  The committee initially set sail in February and had operated till Ju

Sept. 8, 2020

Moon expects greater role for national disease control body with enhanced stature

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday the elevation of South Korea's state disease control agency to an independent administration represents "epoch-making" progress in the nation's efforts to prevent and fight infectious diseases. He made the remarks during a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, in which he formally approved the plan to enhance the stature of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) to an organization with more power, authority and workforce. Th

Sept. 8, 2020

Moon vows S. Korea will quickly transition to 'clean, safe' energy to reduce greenhouse gas, fine dust

South Korean President Moon Jae-in underlined his government's commitment Monday to a strong policy drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fine dust, marking the inaugural United Nations anniversary on clean air, which was designated under the country's initiative. South Korea will "accelerate the transition to clean and safe energy," he said in a speech for the virtual ceremony on the first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. Moon proposed the designation of the da

Sept. 7, 2020

Govt. to offer 'tailored' financial support for vulnerable people, PM says

South Korea is planning for "tailored" support for some of the country's households and self-employed hit especially hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, top government and ruling party officials said Sunday. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun made public the scheme in his opening remarks during a meeting with the leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and senior Cheong Wa Dae officials. The session was intended for discussions on detailed plans for a second round of cash handouts, called

Sept. 6, 2020

National Assembly resumes operations after all test negative for COVID-19

The National Assembly resumed operations on Saturday after a brief shutdown caused by a main opposition party official testing positive for the new coronavirus. "Everyone who had been selectively checked has turned out not to have been infected with the coronavirus. A no-entry restriction on the main building, the members' office building and an annex building will be lifted from 10 a.m.," the assembly's secretariat said in a notice. The National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul,

Sept. 5, 2020

Ratio of female lawmakers, ministers in S. Korea hits record high

The proportion of female lawmakers in South Korea's parliament, as well as that of female ministers in the Cabinet, has reached an all-time high, data showed Saturday. According to the gender equality ministry and Statistics Korea, 57 women were elected in the April 15 general elections, accounting for 19 percent of the total 300 members in the National Assembly. Four years earlier, 51 women were elected. The number of female heads of government ministries has increased to six, or 33.3 perc

Sept. 5, 2020

Moon's adviser calls for 'six-party security summit' to discuss N.K. nuclear issue

SEOUL (Yonhap) --A special security adviser to President Moon Jae-in on Friday suggested reviving the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program in the form of a six-way summit, saying the issue is not a matter only between Washington and Pyongyang.    Moon Chung-in, special adviser for diplomatic and security affairs, made the remark during a security forum hosted by the Korea Institute for National Unification, stressing the importance of a "top-down approach" in ef

Sept. 4, 2020

Moon hails govt.-doctors deal to end strike, hopes for chance to improve medical system

President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Friday that the government and the medical community will join forces to overcome the current grave COVID-19 situation, responding to the bilateral deal on the return of striking doctors to work. Thanks to doctors' dedication and hard work, South Korea has been able to be successful so far in anti-virus efforts, protecting the lives and health of the people, Moon said, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. The president added that he believes

Sept. 4, 2020

Seoul NSC eyes progress in Japan ties after Tokyo's power transition

South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday agreed to push for advancement of stalled diplomacy with Japan after the power transition in Tokyo is finalized. In a meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the standing committee of the National Security Council (NSC) agreed to make efforts toward negotiations on pending issues with Japan as soon as Tokyo's political situation stabilizes, Cheong Wa Dae said. The meeting was presided over by Suh Hoon, director of national s

Sept. 4, 2020

Moon stresses finance in Korean New Deal

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday announced that the government will roll out financial policies to support the Korean New Deal program, including a 20 trillion won ($16.8 billion) “New Deal Fund.” Speaking at the first Korean New Deal strategy meeting with financial industry leaders, Moon said that the Korean New Deal is critical to overcoming the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in deciding the economic future of the country. The Korean New Deal is a

Sept. 3, 2020

Moon slammed for thanking nurses amid doctors’ strike

Opposition politicians continued to blast President Moon Jae-in for his social media post Wednesday, in which he thanked nurses for their efforts without mentioning doctors, who are currently taking industrial action against proposed health care reforms. Thousands of medical interns and resident trainee doctors have been on strike since last month, calling on the government to scrap its plan to increase the quota of students admitted to medical schools and open a new public medical school to b

Sept. 3, 2020

Main opposition repeats demand for legislation committee chairship

The main opposition United Future Party will not renegotiate allocation of parliamentary committee chair posts unless the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair is included, Floor Leader Rep. Joo Ho-young said Wednesday. Speaking in a radio interview, the main opposition floor leader said that while the issue will be discussed with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Floor Leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, his party will not accept changes that do not include the legislation committee.

Sept. 2, 2020

[News Focus] Democratic Party leader vows to speed up fourth extra budget plan

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Nak-yon said Wednesday his party will speed up discussions with the government for the nation’s fourth extra budget this year to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. “(We) will soon wrap up talks with the government and draw up a supplementary budget plan so we can get it executed as soon as possible,” Lee said at the party’s supreme council meeting Wednesday morning. “(We) must be able to ease the burden on the self-emplo

Sept. 2, 2020