Moon's chief of staff, five senior aides offer to resign

President Moon Jae-in's Chief of Staff Noh Young-min and all five senior secretaries of his team offered to resign on Friday, taking responsibility for recent management of administration, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. The five are Kang Gi-jung for political affairs, Yoon Do-han for public communication, Kim Jo-won for civil affairs, Kim Geo-sung for civil society, Kim Oe-sook for personnel management. "They are offering to resign to take overall responsibility for recent s

Aug. 7, 2020

President Moon express regret over NK not informing Seoul of dam discharge

President Moon Jae-in expressed regret over North Korea not giving Seoul advance notice of the discharging of water from its dam just north of the inter-Korean border, sources said Thursday. The chief executive made the comment during a visit to Gunnam Dam, which lies downriver from the North's Hwanggang Dam, aides to the president said. Earlier in the week, Hwanggang's floodgates opened to release water down the Imjin River that flows through South Korea into the Yellow Sea. The discharge c

Aug. 6, 2020

S. Korea mulls support for Lebanon through local peacekeeping

Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office, said Thursday that the National Security Council (NSC) discussed ways to help Lebanon recover from a deadly explosion earlier this week, including provision of support from South Korean peacekeeping unit Dongmyung stationed in the Middle Eastern country. NSC members exchanged views on ways to extend support to Lebanon through the Dongmyung Unit during the regular meeting of the council's standing committee, Cheong Wa Dae said in a release. About 280 Do

Aug. 6, 2020

New real estate laws face opposition from lessors

New legislation levying steep taxes on owners of multiple homes and protecting the rights of tenants faces strong resistance from landlords and civic groups, despite the government’s commitment to stamp out housing speculation. Angry landlords are planning to hold a candlelight vigil in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Aug. 15, which would be the latest in a series of rallies held to protest the government’s real estate policies. The organizers call themselves a “tax resistanc

Aug. 6, 2020

Moon expresses condolences over deadly Beirut explosion

President Moon Jae-in sent a message of condolence to his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Aoun, Wednesday over a deadly explosion in Beirut that killed more than 100 people and injured 4,000 others.    The massive blast occurred on Tuesday at Beirut's port, as ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material, caught fire while in storage at a warehouse, according to media reports.    In his message, Moon said that he was deeply sorry for the deadly explosion that resulted in hea

Aug. 5, 2020

Real estate tax hikes pass through parliament

The National Assembly on Tuesday approved a package of real estate-related bills that would introduce the heftiest-ever levy on homeowners, despite resistance from opposition lawmakers. A total of 11 bills passed through the parliament during Tuesday’s voting session pertaining to income tax, corporate tax and property ownership tax on multiple-home owners, as part of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s campaign to deliver nonhomeowners a better chance at owning a house. 　 C

Aug. 4, 2020

[News Focus] Sejong an alternative to overcrowded, overly expensive Seoul?

Decentralization has been an important yet neglected issue in S. Korea, where half of the country’s population of 51.8 million people live in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, which accounts for 11 percent of the nation’s total land area. In the early 2000s, iconoclastic president Roh Moo-hyun envisioned a new capital to be built near the geographic center of the country, but he was stopped by the Constitutional Court, which famously ruled that Seoul being the capital

Aug. 3, 2020

Moon urges efforts to minimize casualties as damage by heavy rain rises

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for the central and provincial governments to move fast to take necessary steps to ensure no more life is lost as the country has been pummeled by torrential rain for days. He was briefed on the extent of damage incurred by heavy rain nationwide and expressed concerns particularly over people's safety, presidential deputy spokesperson Yoon Jae-kwan said in a briefing. The president asked the central and provincial governments to "do the

Aug. 3, 2020

Contentious bills on tenants’ rights passed

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday pushed through two controversial bills on tenants’ rights, amid strong resistance from opposition lawmakers, landlords and some experts who worry about a sudden spike in residential property rents. Revisions to the Housing Lease Protection Act and the Commercial Lease Protection Act, which passed through the National Assembly during its full-floor session, are two of the three legislative proposals introduced by the Democratic Party perta

July 30, 2020

[News Focus] Half of citizens in Seoul, Gyeonggi disapprove of Moon

SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in has lost popularity in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, as well as in the country’s southeastern Yeongnam area, seemingly due to fury over the government’s real estate policies. According to a poll conducted in the fourth week of July by Gallup Korea, 1 out of 2 residents of Seoul and the surrounding areas responded that Moon was “not doing well.” The survey showed that 50 percent of the respondents in Seoul and 52 p

July 30, 2020

Real estate bills pass through parliamentary committees despite opposition boycott

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) passed a package of real estate-related bills through parliamentary standing committees this week, including two on Wednesday, in a process vehemently protested and boycotted by the main opposition party. Earlier in the day, the standing Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where 11 out of the total 18 seats are held by the DP, approved two bills to revise the Housing Lease Protection Act in its plenary session. This was after the DP fast-tracked the passage

July 29, 2020

Presidential office denies existence of secret agreement with North Korea

Seoul’s presidential office on Wednesday denied the existence of a secret agreement with North Korea to provide $3 billion in return for holding an inter-Korean summit Seoul’s presidential office on Wednesday denied the existence of a secret agreement with North Korea to provide $3 billion in return for holding an inter-Korean summit in 2000. “Having verified the information with concerned organizations including the Ministry of Unification and the National Intelligence Serv

July 29, 2020

Moon urges continued efforts for 'complete missile sovereignty'

President Moon Jae-in called Wednesday for a continued push to secure the "complete missile sovereignty" of South Korea, saying the lifting of restrictions on the country's use of solid fuels for its space rocket offers a good chance for development of the space industry. Moon was speaking about the revised missile guidelines between Seoul and Washington, announced the previous day, on allowing Seoul to launch long-range rockets based on solid propellants, as well as liquid and hybri

July 29, 2020

S. Korea may ease some construction rules to supply more homes

South Korea's policymakers have discussed easing some construction rules to supply more homes in Seoul and the neighboring area, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday. 　 A potential measure may allow an apartment building to have more homes by raising the residential floor area ratio, Hong told lawmakers. 　 Another measure may ease rules on floor-to-floor height in an apartment building, Hong said. 　 Hong has said the government will soon draw up comprehensive measures to supply more homes

July 28, 2020

Retired diplomat appointed as ambassador for economy and trade

The government has appointed a retired diplomat as ambassador for economy and trade, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. 　 Choi Seok-young, former ambassador to the South Korean Permanent Mission in Geneva from 2012-15, is expected to help the government promote national interests with his valuable knowledge and experience he built over the years, the ministry said. 　 He is also expected to help the government with its selection campaign for Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, who is running for the s

July 28, 2020

Moon vows continued support for global ‘artificial sun’ project, called ITER

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated Tuesday that his country remains committed to full support for a historic international project that seeks to create an artificial sun through fusion technology. 　 He was speaking in a video message to a ceremony, held in Cadarache, France, to commemorate the beginning of the assembly of the world‘s largest nuclear fusion reactor, which has the potential to solve mankind’s energy needs. 　 South Korea is a member of the International Thermonu

July 28, 2020

Moon appoints national intelligence service chief

  President Moon Jae-in appointed Park Jie-won, a former lawmaker, as head of the National Intelligence Service on Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae said. 　 The move came a day after Park went through the National Assembly‘s confirmation hearing. 　 Park’s tenure is to begin Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. 　 Hours earlier, the Intelligence Committee adopted a report on the results of the hearing despite a boycott by the main opposition United Future Party tha

July 28, 2020

Seoul, Washington lift limitations on Korea’s use of solid rocket fuel

South Korean government, military and private organizations are now able to develop solid-fuel launch vehicles following the latest revision to South Korea-US missile guidelines, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. According to Kim Hyun-chong, national security adviser to the president, the revised missile guidelines take effect immediately. “As of July 28, 2020, limits on the use of solid fuel in space launch vehicles are completely removed,” Kim said. He said the revision allows all S

July 28, 2020

S. Korea allowed to develop solid-fuel space rocket under revised missile guidelines with US

South Korea announced Tuesday it has become able to develop solid-propellant space rockets under the new missile guidelines with the United States, saying the deal is expected to help sharply improve the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and boost the space program of the private sector. The allies agreed to lift the decades-old restrictions on Seoul's use of solid fuels for its space rocket launch, effective as of the day, according to Kim Hyun-chong,

July 28, 2020

Moon calls labor deal to counter COVID-19 pandemic 'very meaningful'

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday it's "very meaningful" for the labor, the business and the government to have produced an agreement on a cooperative response to the social and economic fallout of the novel coronavirus crisis. He admitted, however, that the deal is not flawless, citing a hard-line umbrella union's boycott of the compromise. He was speaking at a signing ceremony for the accord, which is based on more than 40 days of "social dialogue" among representatives

July 28, 2020