Tensions flare in National Assembly over 2024 budget, bills

The rival parties are expected to engage in an intensified tug-of-war starting Monday, as they failed to come to a consensus on the passage of the 2024 government budget and pending bills. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday agreed to kick off an extraordinary session on Monday, which will include two plenary meetings scheduled on Dec. 20 and 28, respectively. The Dec. 20 meeting will address next year’s budget plan, which parliament

Dec. 10, 2023

In revote, National Assembly strikes down controversial media bills

South Korea’s National Assembly on Friday voted to discard a set of bills aimed at giving the state broadcasting regulator more power in choosing heads of public broadcasters. The bills were vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and sent back to the Assembly for a revote. They were initially proposed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which controls the parliamentary majority. The ruling People Power Party protested the bills as having the potential to increase government influe

Dec. 8, 2023

4 contentious bills scrapped in revote after Yoon's veto

Four contentious bills, including the pro-labor "yellow envelope" law, were scrapped Friday as they failed to pass through the National Assembly in a revote after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed them last week. The results have widely been expected as two-thirds support is required for vetoed bills to pass through the Assembly again, and the ruling People Power Party, which is against the measures, holds 111 seats in the 298-member parliament. The "yellow envelope" bill calls

Dec. 8, 2023

Missile scientist from North Korea, pediatrician among new ruling party recruits

South Korea’s ruling party on Friday announced a fresh batch of recruits to run in the 2024 general election. Among the five recruits disclosed by the People Power Party’s parliamentary recruitment committee is Park Chung-kwon, a North Korean defector who worked in intercontinental ballistic missile research at the National Defense University in Pyongyang. The 37-year-old has been a researcher at Hyundai Steel since he escaped from North Korea in 2009. The committee said Park was &ld

Dec. 8, 2023

Ex-Democratic Party chair denies bribery, illegal campaign allegations

Song Young-gil, former chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, on Friday denied allegations of illegal campaigning before a 2021 ballot where he was elected the party chairman, as well as separate bribery allegations. The prosecution is now seeking criminal charges against the 60-year-old, who was a five-term lawmaker. He has not been indicted for the allegations. Song said he would exercise his right to remain silent during the interrogation, in a show of resistance to what he c

Dec. 8, 2023

S. Korea hopes to host 3-way summit with US, Japan: Yoon's office

South Korea is working to host a trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, according to an official of Seoul's presidential office on Thursday. The trilateral summit would be a follow-up to a three-way meeting in August at Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland, the official said on condition of anonymity. "The Camp David Principle stipulates an agreement of the three leaders to hold a regular summit on a yearly basis," the official said. "We have been

Dec. 7, 2023

S. Korea eyes chip alliance with Netherlands

President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming state visit to the Netherlands will lay the groundwork for the new chip alliance with the country, a semiconductor industry powerhouse home to the world's sole extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment supplier, to enable the production of more sophisticated microchips, according to the presidential office, Thursday. Yoon's state visit to the Netherlands, upon the invitation of King Willem-Alexander from Monday to Thursday, could "magnify bi

Dec. 7, 2023

Moon officials tried to cover up North Korea’s murder of South Korean: state inspectors

The South Korean national inspection service concluded Thursday that the previous Moon Jae-in administration attempted to cover up North Korea’s killing of a South Korean government official in 2020, after failing to make rescue efforts while the official was in North Korean captivity. In its final report, the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea accused the preceding administration of mishandling the events leading to and after the death of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official.

Dec. 7, 2023

Ruling party reform committee disbands early, says job half done

The South Korean ruling party’s reform committee announced its early disbandment on Thursday, with its head saying that it saw it as “50 percent successful” in laying out its vision. The People Power Party’s committee, which was formed on Oct. 26 to lay out a vision for realigning the party for the 2024 general election, decided to disband in a largely expected move. The disbandment came some two weeks before the committee's initial plan to disband by Dec. 24. The co

Dec. 7, 2023

Auditor says Moon govt distorted 2020 death of fisheries official

The state audit agency on Thursday announced the final results of its inspection into the 2020 death of a South Korean fisheries official at the hands of North Korea, concluding that the then Moon Jae-in government did little to save him and covered up and distorted facts related to the case. The Board of Audit and Inspection reached a conclusion after its yearlong inspection into the preceding Moon government's handling of the killing of the fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun, by the North's milit

Dec. 7, 2023

NYT picks Yoon as one of most stylish people of 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol was selected as one of the 71 most stylish people of 2023 by US newspaper The New York Times on Wednesday local time, for his rendition of the US folk rock song "American Pie" at the White House dinner in April which ended on a high note. "His pitch-perfect performance of 'American Pie' at the White House was worthy of 'American Idol,'" noted the NYT's Styles desk, with a reference to US singer-songwriter Don McLean's cl

Dec. 7, 2023

Yoon visits Busan after failed World Expo bid

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday reiterated his push for Busan's infrastructure development in his visit to South Korea's second-most-populous city, in an apparent attempt to appease Busan residents' sentiment after the port city's failed bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Yoon told some 100 Busan residents that he would work to open a new international airport on the small islet of Gadeok-do near Busan's ports, relocate the state-run Korea Development Bank's headquarters from Seoul to Busan a

Dec. 6, 2023

Yoon nominates former boss to head broadcasting watchdog

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday nominated Kim Hong-il, the incumbent chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as the head of the Korea Communications Commission, the state broadcasting watchdog. Kim, who joined the prosecution in 1982, was Yoon's boss in the early 2010s when the two worked at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Kim quit his job at the prosecution in 2013. He has been leading the anti-corruption watchdog since July. Kim is set to go through a confirma

Dec. 6, 2023

Yoon's approval rating drops to 33%: Yonhap News Survey

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating dropped 4 percentage points from a month earlier to 33 percent, according to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV on Wednesday. The survey also showed that the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) would secure 31 percent and 36 percent of the vote, respectively, if the general elections were to take place tomorrow. Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV jointly commissioned the survey

Dec. 6, 2023

Left-leaning 'News Factory' sanctioned for calling president's English 'pretentious'

A top-rated, left-leaning news program formerly on broadcaster TBS has received an official warning for calling President Yoon Suk Yeol's English use "pretentious" last year, a matter decided by the state censor on Monday afternoon. The Korea Communications Standards Commission decided to issue a warning, which is the lowest of the statutory sanctions that can be issued by the state-run body. Any broadcaster that receives such a punishment can be penalized by the KCSC when applyin

Dec. 5, 2023

6 outgoing ministers ‘strong candidates’ for general elections: ruling party

Six soon-to-be ex-ministers from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Cabinet have been identified as “strong candidates” to represent the ruling party in the 2024 general elections, a party spokesperson said Tuesday. “The six soon-to-be ex-ministers, including Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, are currently being considered as strong candidates to represent our party for the parliamentary elections slated for April next year,” a spokesperson for

Dec. 5, 2023

Rival parties call for measures after China halts urea exports

The rival parties called Monday for the government to come up with countermeasures against Beijing's recent halt in urea exports to South Korea, voicing concerns it could lead to another urea crisis. On Sunday, government and industry officials said that China has recently halted customs procedures for urea exports to South Korea and has yet to respond to Seoul's request for an explanation. Sources have said the government assumes the Chinese action was not a formal export control meas

Dec. 4, 2023

Former ambassador to Vietnam tapped SMEs minister

Oh Young-ju, formerly ambassador to Vietnam, has been nominated as the new minister of SMEs and startups, the presidential office said Monday. The 60-year-old is an international relations expert who has worked as the nation’s first female second vice minister of the Foreign Ministry since July this year. Before that, Oh served as Korea’s ambassador to Vietnam. Oh majored in political science and international relations at Ewha Womans University. “These days when our economy

Dec. 4, 2023

Ocean specialist tapped as maritime affairs minister

Kang Do-hyung, president of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, has been nominated as the new minister of maritime affairs and fisheries, according to the presidential office Monday. Born in 1970 on Jeju Island, Kang studied ocean science at Inha University. He earned his doctor’s and doctorate degrees in maritime life science at Jeju National University. Kang initiated his professional career at KIOST, a private oceanography research organization based in Busan, as a seni

Dec. 4, 2023

Korean War veteran’s daughter named veterans affairs minister

The descendant of a veteran who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War was tapped on Monday to head the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office nominated Kang Jung-ai, a 66-year-old business professor and the former president of Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, to replace Park Min-shik, who has been handling affairs related to veterans and their families since 2022. If her appointment is confirmed, she would be the second to lead the government age

Dec. 4, 2023