Lee Nak-yon slips in polls, but maintains big lead over rivals for presidency

Former Prime Minister Rep. Lee Nak-yon slipped in favorability ratings as a potential presidential candidate, but retained the top spot for the 12th consecutive month, a poll showed Tuesday. The lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea saw his support drop to 34.3 percent, down 5.9 percentage points from the previous month, according to pollster RealMeter. 　 Lee lost support most noticeably in Gangwon Province, where 25.7 percent of voters said they favored him, down 11.9 percentag

June 2, 2020

Government stays committed to reopening: PM

Despite sporadic, small-scale outbreaks jolting the metropolitan area, the South Korean government is committed to reopening, allowing its people to resume normal life, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday. “We cannot stop taking steps to return to our daily lives because of fear,” Chung said at a Cabinet meeting in the administrative city of Sejong, vowing all-out efforts on early containment of the outbreaks. “We are at another critical moment, with infections at a

June 2, 2020

Gyeonggi governor suggests 2nd coronavirus relief payouts

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung officially asked the central government to draw an extra budget to pay all Koreans 200,000 won ($163) as a second disaster relief to help them cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee’s suggestion runs counter to the Finance Ministry’s position against additional disaster relief grants. The provincial government of Gyeonggi said on Tuesday that it made the official proposal last Friday based on Lee’s decision to include the 10.37 trillion won

June 2, 2020

Moon urges National Assembly to swiftly pass 3rd supplementary budget

President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the National Assembly to quickly approve the third supplementary budget bill, stressing that South Korea’s government debt is growing at a slower rate than other major economies. Speaking at an emergency economy meeting, Moon said the government will employ all resources at its disposal to offset the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, and to lay the foundations for building “pioneering economy.” Monday’s event was the sixth emergen

June 1, 2020

Main opposition embarks on charm offensive with new leadership

In an attempt to refresh its heritage brand, the United Future Party stressed forward-looking policies and protection of the weak, proposing its first bill for the new parliament on Monday. The conservative party launched a nine-member emergency leadership committee, led by veteran politician Kim Chong-in, with a mission to restore voter support by April next year. With the new slogan of “accompanying the weak,” the conservative faction plans to undergo drastic changes to depart

June 1, 2020

New Assembly begins term, ruling party leader calls for opposition cooperation

The new parliament, now heavily tilted to the left, began its four-year term Saturday, with a full plate of work amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. And ruling Democratic Party of Korea Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon on Sunday called on opposition parties for cooperation to allow the 21st National Assembly to set out to handle pandemic-related legislation swiftly. “The Democratic Party will open the National Assembly on June 5 to pick the speaker and deputy speaker of the assembly,” K

May 31, 2020

Moon replaces seven secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in replaced seven presidential secretaries on Sunday, including naming a former Cheong Wa Dae staffer known as one of Moon's closest aides as his new protocol secretary. Park Kyung-mee, a former ruling party lawmaker, has been named secretary for education, with Tak Hyun-min, a former Cheong Wa Dae staffer, appointed as new protocol secretary, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Park was a professor of mathematics education at Hongik University and lawmaker with the Democratic Part

May 31, 2020

Prosecution requests arrest warrant for ex-mayor over alleged sexual assault

Prosecutors on Thursday sought an arrest warrant against a former mayor of South Korea's second-largest city over alleged sexual assault. The Busan District Prosecutors Office said it has filed a warrant to detain ex-Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don on charges of indecent act by compulsion. Oh is alleged to have sexually assaulted a city employee at his office in early April. He stepped down from the post on April 23 after apologizing to the victim in a press conference. The court is expected to hold

May 28, 2020

Moon urges ‘cooperative politics’ in meeting with floor leaders

President Moon Jae-in, meeting with floor leaders of the two main political parties on Thursday, asked for bipartisan cooperation in the government’s response to unprecedented challenges amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. 　 In the meeting with Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Joo ho-young of the main opposition United Future Party, Moon also stressed the importance of communication among the leaders of both parties and the president, saying that discussions on c

May 28, 2020

Moon to replace several secretaries, except powerful old guards

A shake-up of President Moon Jae-in's secretary lineup seems to be in the offing. He plans to replace several secretaries soon, including some key players in the protocol and public communication teams at Cheong Wa Dae, according to multiple sources. Moon plans to name Tak Hyun-min, a former Cheong Wa Dae staffer, as new protocol secretary, according to multiple sources. Tak has experience and expertise in organizing events. The president will also tap Han Jung-woo, director of the Chunchu

May 27, 2020

Moon calls for bold fiscal strategy in light of COVID-19

Addressing the officials responsible for drawing up the national fiscal strategy, President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for bold support measures, saying the state must spearhead efforts to soften the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the National Fiscal Strategy Meeting, Moon also downplayed concerns that his administration’s fiscal policies could threaten the country’s fiscal stability, saying Korea was more economically stable than average compared with other OECD s

May 25, 2020

Rival parties bracing for launch of new National Assembly term

With mergers and shakeups, rival political parties are quickening steps to consolidate their party fronts in the run-up to the start of a new parliamentary term this week. The unicameral National Assembly is set to kick off its 21st four-year term Saturday, slightly over midway through President Moon Jae-in's five-year term.  After securing a mega majority of 180 seats in the 300-member chamber in last month's general elections together, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and its sister

May 25, 2020

With Kim at helm, conservative opposition party sets out to rebuild

The main opposition United Future Party is set to embark on a reform process, with an 80-year-old party outsider at its helm. The party on Friday voted Kim Chong-in, a veteran politician well-versed in economy, as the head of its envisioned emergency leadership body, ending weeks of internal strife over how to revive the faction’s political fortune after a crushing defeat in the April elections and who will map out strategies for it. Kim will serve until the parliamentary by-election

May 24, 2020

Moon to meet ruling, opposition party leaders Thursday

President Moon Jae-in will have a luncheon meeting with the new floor leaders of South Korea's ruling and main opposition parties this week, a Cheong Wa Dae official announced Sunday, with the new National Assembly scheduled to open a week later. Moon has invited Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and his United Future Party counterpart, Joo Ho-young, to the Cheong Wa Dae session slated for Thursday, according to Kang Gi-jung, senior presidential secretary for politica

May 24, 2020

Memorial service held to mark 11th anniv. of ex-President Roh's death

SEOUL/GIMHAE -- South Korea held a commemorative event to mark the 11th anniversary of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun on Saturday. The ceremony, which took place at Bongha Village in the country’s southeastern city of Gimhae, Roh‘s hometown, brought key political figures, including ruling Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Hae-chan, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the main opposition United Future Party. The event used to be attended b

May 23, 2020

Ex-Busan vice mayor gets suspended jail sentence in bribery case

Yoo Jae-soo, a former vice mayor of Busan, was given a suspended prison sentence at a Seoul court on Friday after being found guilty of taking bribes, mostly during his earlier stint at a financial watchdog. The Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced Yoo to imprisonment of 1 1/2 years, suspended for three years, and a fine of 90 million won ($72,820) after convicting him of bribery and solicitation. Yoo was indicted last December for pocketing cash and goods worth some 40 million won in bribe

May 22, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae says still early to respond to Trump's new geoeconomic strategy

Cheong Wa Dae has no "conclusive" position on US President Donald Trump administration's stated push for the Economic Prosperity Network, an official said Friday, reflecting Seoul's cautious approach toward the sensitive issue apparently involving China. The initiative is understood to be "still in a planning stage" as part of various ideas on the economic sector from a global perspective, the official said. "So, we have no conclusive answer to share with you," h

May 22, 2020

Democratic Party seeks to revisit ex-PM Han’s bribery case

Controversy surrounding the conviction of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who served a two-year jail term for bribery, has been rekindled, after the ruling Democratic Party sought to revisit the case. Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party, on Thursday hinted that Han may have been politically targeted, referring to a 100-page diary written by a late businessman, the bribe-giver. He passed away in 2018. “The investigation was launched just ahead of the local e

May 21, 2020

Moon vows to shore up economy, lay foundation for future

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday pledged to quickly roll out the “Korean New Deal” saying that the country can emerge from the COVID-19 crisis as a leader in the era of digital economy. Speaking at a meeting with leaders of industries experiencing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Moon said that the economic crisis sparked by the pandemic is spreading to a wider range of industries, but the country has built opportunities from crisis. “We have shaped our future by

May 21, 2020

Prosecutors demand 35-year prison sentence for former President Park in her retrial

Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded an imprisonment of 35 years for former President Park Geun-hye in an appellate court's retrial for her bribery, abuse of power and embezzlement charges. In a hearing at the Seoul High Court, prosecutors demanded Park be punished with a 25-year prison sentence, a fine of 30 billion won (US$24.36 million) and a forfeit of 200 million won on bribery charges. In addition, they demanded an imprisonment of 10 years and a forfeit of 3.3 billion won for the former p

May 20, 2020