Rival parties agree to vote on disaster relief funds Wednesday

South Korea's rival parties said Monday they have agreed to vote this week on the provision of disaster relief funds to all households to minimize the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. The ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition United Future Party agreed to hold a plenary session of the National Assembly on Wednesday to handle this year's second supplementary budget bill centered on the nationwide payment of disaster relief money totaling 1 million won ($814) each for hou

April 27, 2020

Moon warns about protracted war against coronavirus

President Moon Jae-in said South Korea needs to brace for a longer-term war against the coronavirus, warning the public not to lower its guard too early. "COVID-19 is not over yet," he emphasized, speaking at a weekly meeting with his top Cheong Wa Dae aides at the presidential compound in Seoul. "The situation is that we have to get prepared for living uncomfortably with the coronavirus with a longtime war in mind." Moon's prudent stance came amid expectations that his co

April 27, 2020

Veteran prosecutor tapped as new vice justice minister

Cheong Wa Dae announced the replacement of the vice justice minister Monday, as the ministry looks set for a strong drive to reform the prosecution service following the ruling party's overwhelming general election win. President Moon Jae-in picked Koh Ki-young, chief the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, to replace Kim O-su for the position, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Born in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, Koh studied law at Seoul National University and earned a master o

April 27, 2020

Kim Chong-in agrees to head main opposition party despite resistance

Kim Chong-in, a veteran politician who joined the party to lead its election campaign, was made interim leader of the main opposition United Future Party during a party meeting Friday. The development comes amid objection from conservative heavyweights who raised concerns over granting Kim excessive authority, as the party struggles to restore itself after a crushing defeat in the general election. After days of conflict on the how much power to give Kim, the party and the economist-turned-

April 25, 2020

Govt. to allow citizens to buy three masks each week, send 1m masks to foreign war veterans

The government said Friday it will allow people in South Korea to buy three discounted face masks per week under a public distribution system and also announced a plan to supply Korean War veterans abroad with 1 million masks. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said citizens would need more masks once they increase economic activities, going forward. South Korea suffered a mask supply crisis when the country's coronavirus outbreak peaked in late February and early March. The government stepped in

April 24, 2020

S. Korea. US hold combined air exercises in apparent warning to N. Korea

South Korea and the United States have been holding combined air exercises this week, military officials here said Thursday. According to the officials, the air forces of South Korea and the US Forces Korea began their squadron-level exercises on Monday. The exercises will end Friday. "This is an annual, typical combined exercises designed to improve execution of our joint operations," a South Korean Air Force official said. "The length and the size of the exercises are on par

April 24, 2020

[News Focus] Flat virus curve lifts Moon’s popularity

President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating is at its highest level in over a year, buoyed by the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey conducted by local pollster Realmeter, Moon’s approval rating came to 64.3 percent in the fourth week of April, the highest figure since September 2018. Surveys conducted earlier by other pollsters show similar results. In a poll conducted by Gallup Korea two days before the April 15 general elections, Moon’s approv

April 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Busan mayor resigns over sexual harassment allegations

Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don stepped down from his post Thursday, admitting to “unnecessary physical contact” with a female subordinate. 　 “I realized the contact that occured during a short meeting that lasted five minutes could be taken as sexual harassment,” Oh said in a press briefing, adding that what he had done -- however light or heavy -- could not be forgiven. 　 “As a responsible public servant, I apologize to victims and will spend the rest of my life repenti

April 23, 2020

Ruling party, govt. reach compromise on blanket coronavirus relief payouts

The ruling party and government reached a compromise Wednesday to offer blanket payouts to all citizens in a proposed coronavirus relief package that includes a plan to encourage high-income earners to voluntarily return the payments later, a party official said. The compromise capped a days-long debate among key Democratic Party and government officials over whether to offer targeted support to those in need or handouts to all, with the finance ministry fretful over the potential impact on

April 22, 2020

Seoul to inject additional W85tr into COVID-19 economic response

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday revealed plans for 85 trillion won ($68.8 billion) worth of additional support packages to shore up the economy, including plans to create 500,000 new jobs. Speaking at an emergency economy meeting, Moon also revealed plans to roll out a South Korean version of the New Deal. “Protecting jobs is the central task in overcoming the crisis, and it is a matter of survival,” Moon said. Saying Korea had just seen the beginning of the crisis, Moon warned

April 22, 2020

Panel accuses former president's aides of obstructing Sewol probe

A state truth commission on Wednesday accused senior members of the Park Geun-hye administration of obstructing a fact-finding team on the 2014 deadly ferry sinking. The Special Investigation Commission on Social Disasters said it will request a prosecution probe this week into 19 former and incumbent officials and 10 government bodies on charges of interfering with personnel affairs of a now defunct state panel tasked with probing the Sewol ferry's sinking and the government's mishandling of

April 22, 2020

Ruling, opposition parties fail to narrow gap over virus relief funds

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday continued to press the main opposition party over its changed stance on doling out funds to minimize the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, as President Moon Jae-in called for an early conclusion of the matter. In a meeting with his top aides, Moon stressed the need to resolve the issue as early as possible, given the importance of speed in implementing the emergency measure, according to a Cheong Wa Dae official. The rival parties ha

April 22, 2020

Moon unveils W40t relief package for key industries, job retention

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday announced a massive relief package, worth 40 trillion won ($32 billion), for South Korea's key industries disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The funds are meant to help them weather the crisis, which Moon characterized as the worst since the 1997 financial meltdown, and to help maintain employment. Moon also unveiled an additional job protection scheme that involves spending 10 trillion won to cushion the COVID-19 impact on the country's job market. Har

April 22, 2020

Moon, Jokowi hold phone conversation on election, coronavirus

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday congratulated South Korean President Moon Jae-in on his ruling party's parliamentary election victory last week, speaking on the phone, according to Cheong Wa Dae, The overwhelming win by Moon's Democratic Party (DP) is viewed as the outcome of "the people's trust in your leadership," Widodo was quoted as saying. The DP and its ad-hoc sister party, created to gain seats under the proportional representation system, won a combined total of

April 21, 2020

Moon meets ruling party leaders after election win

President Moon Jae-in invited ruling Democratic Party (DP) leaders to Cheong Wa Dae last week to express appreciation for their role in securing a landslide win in the latest parliamentary elections, party officials said Tuesday. Moon hosted a closed-door dinner with DP chairman Lee Hae-chan; Lee Nak-yon, a co-chief of the party's election preparation panel; and floor leader Lee In-young at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, two days after the April 15 general elections. The DP and its satellite party

April 21, 2020

Moon says general election outcome reflects voters' hope for overcoming COVID-19 crisis

President Moon Jae-in on Monday described the results of last week's parliamentary elections as showing South Korean people's intent on uniting power to ride out the coronavirus crisis. Speaking at his weekly meeting with senior Cheong Wa Dae aides, Moon said the foremost task is to overcome the national crisis, namely protecting the lives of the people and reviving the economy. South Korea, the vanguard of the global war against the virus, would certainly win its own fight and give the inter

April 20, 2020

S. Korea to apply for UNESCO listing of democratization records as early as 2021

South Korea will officially apply for the UNESCO listing of historic records documenting the country's symbolic public democratization movement in 1960 as early as the first half of 2021, according to the national heritage agency. Speaking at a national ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the April 19 pro-democracy revolution Sunday, President Moon Jae-in announced a bid to have a set of documents featuring the historic event inscribed in UNESCO's global Memory of the World Register. &qu

April 20, 2020

Moon vows to work for equal rights for the disabled

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the coronavirus outbreak has led South Korea to think more about ways to promote the equal rights of those with disabilities. The virus crisis has served as a reminder that the scale of damages from a disaster is not equal for everyone, Moon said in his message marking the 40th National Disabled Persons' Day. Taking a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic, the government will improve a related system to prevent disabled persons and other vulnerable people fr

April 20, 2020

Blind lawmaker-elect's dog may be allowed in Assembly

The National Assembly reached an internal decision Monday to allow the guide dog of a newly elected lawmaker with a visual disability to enter the main chamber, parliamentary officials said. Kim Ye-ji of the minor opposition Future Korea Party won a proportional representation seat in last week's parliamentary elections. Her election has sparked a debate on whether her guide dog, called Joy, should be allowed to accompany her to the main chamber. The National Assembly has customarily blocked

April 20, 2020

Mobile ID cards to debut in public sector this year

Mobile identification cards will gradually replace the existing plastic cards in South Korea's public sector beginning this year, the government said Monday. The mobile ID card system will be first introduced to civil servants late this year, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management. The smartphone-based ID card system will then be expanded to the issuance of driver's licenses in 2022, the ministries said. Civil servants at central governm

April 20, 2020