Eyeing economic security, Yoon names NIS, foreign minister picks

South Korea’s presidential office on Tuesday announced another batch in the ongoing Cabinet reshuffle, with President Yoon Suk Yeol nominating his national security adviser to be chief of the intelligence agency and a former top envoy to the United Nations as new foreign minister. A new bureau dedicated to economic security in the presidential National Security Office will also be created as part of the reshuffle, his office said. According to the office, Yoon named Director of the Nationa

Dec. 19, 2023

Yoon pledges to break up e-commerce market monopoly

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday pledged stricter corrective measures and law enforcement on e-commerce players to curtail their dominance in South Korea's online market, claiming these marketplace operators were bullying mom-and-pop vendors and undermining consumer choice. This will accompany the Yoon administration's proposal of a new law to restrict business activities of e-commerce companies designated as "dominant platform business entities," which was announced later in the day

Dec. 19, 2023

Yoon says N. Korea will learn its provocations only bring 'greater pain'

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday North Korea will come to realize its provocations will only bring "greater pain," as he referred to its series of missile launches. "North Korea launched a short-range missile and an ICBM yesterday and the day before for two consecutive days," he said during a Cabinet meeting, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. "The North Korean regime will come to realize its provocations will only bring greater pain," he said.

Dec. 19, 2023

'Women are useless': professor investigated for misogyny, extortion

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday launched an investigation of a male professor here over a string of allegations including misogynistic comments and extortion. Local media outlets reported that a professor at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage has been accused of insulting students, extorting money from them and making them run personal errands. Educational institutions here are conventionally under the supervision of the Education Ministry, but this particular institut

Dec. 18, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Bills to promote software, high-tech industries

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Software Promotion Act Proposed by Rep. Yoon Doo-hyun (People Power Party) ● This amendment aims to minimize quality problems in software projects by allowing companies to participate in public domain software projects based on capacity. It exceptionally allows large enterprises to engage in design and planning projects that are ordered separately from software development projects. It also allows companies belonging to business groups subject to cross-sha

Dec. 18, 2023

Yoon's approval rating down for 3rd straight week

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has declined for the third consecutive week to 36.3 percent, according to a poll released Monday. The survey, conducted by the polling agency Realmeter, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's performance went down by 1.1 percentage points from the previous week, while 61.2 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance, up 2 percentage points. Yoon's approval rating has seen a continuous decline over the past three weeks, dro

Dec. 18, 2023

Rival parties set to clash over Yoon’s new Cabinet picks

The rival parties are expected to lock horns this week over the scheduled confirmation hearings for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s latest Cabinet nominations, scheduled to kick-off Monday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers have hinted they plan to scrutinize intensively the six ministerial-level nominees handpicked by Yoon earlier this month. The ruling People Power Party are likely to defend the nominees and push forward with the nominations. “In particular, the nom

Dec. 17, 2023

Foreign minister says he plans to return to parliament at end of year

South Korea's top diplomat said Friday he plans to return to the National Assembly as a lawmaker if a Cabinet reshuffle takes place by the year's end ahead of the general elections next year. Foreign Minister Park Jin, who holds a parliamentary seat for the ruling People Power Party, made the remarks in an interview with news channel YTN amid reports that he will run for parliament in the April general elections. "Although I am cautious, I plan to do my best so that the People Pow

Dec. 15, 2023

Yoon's national security aide warns of potential NK missile launch this month

The Presidential National Security Office's first deputy chief Kim Tae-hyo said Thursday North Korea might launch another intercontinental ballistic missile before the end of the year, as he arrived in Washington to attend a nuclear consultative group meeting Friday. "I think there is a possibility that North Korea would launch an ICBM in December," he told reporters at Dulles International Airport near Washington. "I can't tell you further about this," he added when asked wh

Dec. 15, 2023

Yoon vows backing for Korea's Dutch nuclear power plant bid

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged his support for South Korea's bid to build two new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, as he wrapped up his five-day state visit to the European country which faces energy transition pressure due to geopolitical uncertainties. "I will actively support South Korean companies, boasting world-class plant engineering capabilities, to participate in new projects to build nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, based on the agreements signed today," Yoon

Dec. 14, 2023

Rival parties wrestle with potential defections, leadership void

South Korea's rival parties were scrambling to deal with increasing uncertainty sparked by a series of unforeseen events tied to next year’s general election, as of Thursday. Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s announcement on Wednesday saying he will establish a new political party of his own has emerged as a major hurdle for both the ruling and the main opposition party lawmakers. Lee, an influential lawmaker, said in Wednesday&rs

Dec. 14, 2023

Ruling party leader steps down

The leader of the ruling party announced his resignation on Wednesday, expressing hopes that his decision would help unify the party ahead of next year’s general elections. People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon released a statement saying that he would step down from his current position, a day after a fellow party bigwig announced he also would not run in the elections. “I take full responsibility for the situation our party is currently in,” Kim said in his statement. &ldq

Dec. 13, 2023

S. Korea, Netherlands declare 'semiconductor alliance'

South Korea and the Netherlands on Wednesday announced a "semiconductor alliance" under which the two countries will join forces to strive for chip supremacy and overcome chip supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical tensions. The announcement came as President Yoon Suk Yeol and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met in The Hague on Wednesday and signed three memoranda of understanding, including one on intergovernmental cooperation to ensure chip supply chain stability. "Both le

Dec. 13, 2023

[News Focus] Tusk’s return has South Korea worried over Polish arms deal

The shift in power in Poland is stoking worries in South Korea over its possible toll on an arms export deal to the European country reached last year. Donald Tusk, a former European Union leader, was chosen as Poland’s prime minister for a second time in a parliamentary vote Monday, ending eight years of the nationalist conservative administration’s rule. With the change of the administration, the Polish Parliament’s Speaker Szymon Holwnia has said that agreements signed by th

Dec. 12, 2023

Yoon starts Dutch state visit, eyeing stronger ties in chips, logistics, AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived Monday in Amsterdam to forge stronger bilateral ties with the Netherlands, South Korea's emerging European trade partner in terms of semiconductor chips, logistics and artificial intelligence cooperation. During the five-day state visit, South Korea is set to ink a project deal to deploy its cold chain logistics technology in Europe. Moreover, South Korea laid out a plan with the Netherlands to nurture 500 semiconductor experts over the next five years, and e

Dec. 12, 2023

Yoon’s close aide says he won't run in next year’s election

  A close confidante of President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed not to run in next year’s general election on Tuesday, a move seen as being in support of intra-party reform. People Power Party Rep. Chang Je-won said he has decided to refrain from running for a seat in the 2024 general election, making him the first among ruling party bigwigs to do so. “I will cheer for the People Power Party’s election win behind the curtains of history,” said Chang, a three-term lawmaker,

Dec. 12, 2023

Preliminary candidate registration opens for 2024 general elections

The preliminary candidate registration for April's general elections opened Tuesday, kicking off a four-month race whose results could determine how the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol will fare in the remainder of its term. Prospective candidates can register their preliminary candidacies with the National Election Commission until the official candidate registration opens on March 21 for the April 10 elections. Introduced in 2004, the preliminary registration system is aimed at

Dec. 12, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Gimpo-Seoul merger proposal, cord blood use for regenerative medicine

Proposed bill: Special Act on the Change of Jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Province and Seoul Metropolitan City Proposed by Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae (People Power Party) ● Due to its geographical location, Gimpo citizens interact more with Seoul than other parts of Gyeonggi Province, with a high percentage of its population commuting from Gimpo to Seoul. Therefore, this bill aims to resolve the disparity between the administrative district and the actual activity space of Gimpo citizens by excluding Gimpo

Dec. 11, 2023

Could ex-leaders of rival parties form new alliance?

Former leaders of rival parties here have been hinting at the possibility of joining forces to launch a new party ahead of next year’s general election as of Monday, invoking concern and skepticism from other lawmakers. Former Prime Minister and previous main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon along with estranged former leader of the ruling People Power Party Lee Jun-seok have been mentioning each other in various interviews as potential partners to set up a new

Dec. 11, 2023

Yoon departs for Amsterdam for regional security, chip cooperation

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee flew to the Netherlands on Monday at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander, in a bid to strengthen bilateral semiconductor supply chain cooperation and to enhance the European nation's involvement in Indo-Pacific regional security, in what will be the president's last trip to a foreign country this year. Yoon is the first South Korean president to pay a state visit to the Netherlands since the two countries forged diplomatic relat

Dec. 11, 2023