S. Korean lawmaker, US Congress members meet over China’s forced return of North Korean defectors

Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat, met with five members of the US congress during his trip to Washington on Nov. 7-8 to jointly raise concerns about China forcibly repatriating North Koreans who defected into its territories. The South Korean lawmaker with the ruling People Power Party said in a release Friday that he discussed the issue of China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in meetings with Sen. Ted Cruz and House of Representatives members Chris Smith,

Nov. 10, 2023

South Korean lawmakers join global human rights alliance against China

South Korea’s National Assembly recently became the 32nd legislature to be represented in the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an association of lawmakers concerned about Beijing’s increasingly hostile behaviors. The first South Korean lawmakers to join the cross-parliamentarian alliance are the ruling People Power Party’s Rep. Ji Seong-ho and the opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Oh Yeong-hwan. The two lawmakers will serve as inaugural co-chairs until the

Nov. 10, 2023

Democratic Party of Korea threatens another impeachment of Yoon appointee

The Democratic Party of Korea said Friday it would file a second motion to remove the chief of the country’s broadcaster regulator, after withdrawing the first one. In Thursday’s National Assembly plenary session, the Democratic Party introduced and passed the contentious motion to impeach Lee Dong-kwan, who heads the Korea Communications Commission, only to retract it a day later amid public outcry. The Democratic Party, which holds enough seats in the Assembly to pass motions witho

Nov. 10, 2023

‘Obstruction of justice’: Opposition retracts impeachment vs prosecutor after backlash

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Friday rescinded the impeachment motion targeting a senior incumbent prosecutor overseeing criminal investigations into the party's leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung. The retraction came one day after the Democratic Party filed and passed a motion to impeach Prosecutor Lee Jung-seop during Thursday's Assembly plenary session, triggering public backlash. The senior prosecutor has been leading the ongoing investigations into some of the more high-profile c

Nov. 10, 2023

Yoon orders tough punishment for illegal private lenders

President Yoon Suk Yeol called Thursday for imposing tough punishments on illegal private lenders who charge interest rates of thousands of percent, saying it is the state's duty to protect ordinary and vulnerable citizens from such "vicious criminals that suck the blood of the weak." Yoon made the remarks during a meeting on illegal private financing, which was attended by some 30 people, including victims of the practice, workers at a victims' call center, and government an

Nov. 9, 2023

Top prosecutor blasts main opposition party for attempting to impeach prosecutors

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok on Thursday slammed the main opposition Democratic Party for proposing a motion to impeach two active prosecutors on corruption charges, saying the party is out to protect its leader. Lee told reporters outside the Supreme Prosecutors Office building in Seoul that the DP is trying to intimidate the prosecution in retaliation for its probe into allegations surrounding DP leader Lee Jae-myung. "If they are trying to impeach prosecutors because they don't l

Nov. 9, 2023

Opposition party passes contentious labor, broadcasting bills

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday afternoon passed a contentious pro-labor bill and three broadcasting bills during a plenary session at the National Assembly, a move that comes after the ruling People Power Party announced that it would withdraw threats of a filibuster. The partial amendments to all three broadcasting bills and the pro-labor “yellow envelope bill” were unilaterally passed, with all participating members voting in favor. Members of the ruling

Nov. 9, 2023

Yet another Yoon appointee faces impeachment threat

President Yoon Suk Yeol is again being pressured by the main opposition to remove one of the minister-level heads in his Cabinet. The Democratic Party of Korea, which has the majority in the National Assembly, on Thursday adopted a motion to impeach Lee Dong-kwan as the head of the country’s broadcasting regulator, the Korea Communications Commission. The opposition party said that Lee, who was appointed on Aug. 25 to lead the KCC, the mission of which is to monitor broadcasting content an

Nov. 9, 2023

Unionized subway workers in Seoul to go on strike starting Thursday

Unionized workers of Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul subway lines No. 1-8, will stage a strike starting Thursday in protest of the company's manpower reduction plan, officials said Wednesday. The labor union has threatened to take the collective action after the company announced a plan to reduce its workforce by 2,212, or 13.5 percent, by 2026 to overcome its chronic deficit and normalize management. The labor and management of the company, run by the Seoul city government, have held ro

Nov. 8, 2023

S. Korea, IAEA discuss N.K. nuclear program in high-level policy talks

South Korea and the International Atomic Energy Agency held regular high-level policy talks Wednesday and discussed North Korea's nuclear program and other areas of cooperation, the foreign ministry said. Park Yong-min, the deputy foreign minister for multilateral and global affairs, met with Massimo Aparo, deputy director general of the IAEA, in Seoul for their 12th round of the meeting earlier in the day, the ministry said in a release. The two sides discussed joint efforts to strengthen

Nov. 8, 2023

Vatican's top diplomat to visit S. Korea this month

The top diplomat of the Vatican will visit South Korea later this month for talks on bilateral ties and issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's catholic bishops' institution said Wednesday. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, is scheduled to make a four-day visit to South Korea starting Nov. 20, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. During the envisioned trip, he plans to meet with South Korea'

Nov. 8, 2023

Yoon's approval rating rises to 37%: Yonhap News survey

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating increased to 37 percent from a month ago, 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 would secure 33 percent and 32 percent of the vote, respectively, if the parliamentary elections scheduled for next April were held tomorrow. Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV jointly commissioned the survey to gauge p

Nov. 8, 2023

Gov't vows to cut red tape to expedite 46 tln-won corporate investment projects

The South Korean government vowed Wednesday to ease regulations and reduce administrative procedures to promote the swift and smooth implementation of major corporate investment projects, including S-Oil Co.'s petrochemical plant project and the US Sphere Entertainment Co.'s K-pop arena construction plan. The government presented a set of tailored deregulatory measures for a total of 18 projects led by private companies worth 46 trillion won ($35.06 billion) combined as part of efforts

Nov. 8, 2023

First lady visits lepers at hospital in Goheung

First lady Kim Keon Hee traveled to the southern county of Goheung on Tuesday to meet with a group of lepers at a hospital known for treating the patients. Kim visited Sorokdo National Hospital in Goheung, 328 kilometers south of Seoul, and comforted the patients while also encouraging the medical staff, according to the presidential office. Sorokdo is the name of the island where the hospital is located. Two Austrian nurses -- Marianne Stoger and Margaritha Pissarek -- spent 43 years on the i

Nov. 7, 2023

Race issue enters Korean politics

Naturalized South Korean doctor Yohan Ihn's appointment as reform head of the ruling People Power Party in October came as a surprise move in a country with a relatively short history of racial or ethnic diversity in politics. Following his appointment, the 64-year-old Ihn, also known as John Linton, who is white and the descendant of US missionaries, has faced personal attacks over his ethnicity from political opponents who sought to undermine his power, overshadowing his reform agenda.

Nov. 7, 2023

Yoon aides set to leave office to run in general election

With five months remaining ahead of the general election next year, around 30 of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s senior and assistant secretaries are poised to resign to jump into the parliamentary race, widely seen as a midterm test for the president, who has suffered from low approval ratings since taking office last year. The upcoming election is pivotal for Yoon as he faces disapproval ratings of approximately 60 percent and his party has been hit hard after a defeat in a by-election held to

Nov. 6, 2023

Former justice minister hints at parliamentary bid as 'nonlegal' route for redemption

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk has hinted at the possibility of running for the National Assembly in next year's general elections, in a bid to restore his honor. Appearing on a YouTube show hosted by left-leaning broadcaster Kim Ou-joon, Cho expressed his desire to clear his name through legal means while currently standing trial. However, if his legal efforts do not yield the desired results, he said he is considering "nonlegal measures" to rebuild his reputation. “It c

Nov. 6, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Broader offshore financial support, mobility regulatory sandbox

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Fair Transactions in Franchise Business Act Proposed by Rep. Yu Eui-dong (People Power Party) ● Under the current act, franchisers can designate goods or services vital for trademark protection as “essential items” and require their franchisees to trade these items with particular trading partners. However, a growing number of disputes have arisen between franchisers and franchisees due to excessive designation of essential items and price hike

Nov. 6, 2023

Yoon expected to replace several senior secretaries ahead of parliamentary elections

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to replace several senior secretaries, including those in charge of press affairs and political affairs, in line with the resignations of those preparing to run in next year's parliamentary elections, sources said Monday. Yoon is considering promoting presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon to the position of senior secretary for press affairs to replace Kim Eun-hye, who is expected to resign next month to run for a seat in the Bundang district of Gyeonggi

Nov. 6, 2023

Yoon's approval rating up for 2 consecutive weeks

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose for the second consecutive week to 36.8 percent, a poll showed Monday. The survey, conducted by the polling agency Realmeter, showed the positive assessment of Yoon's performance increased by 1.1 percentage points from the previous week, while 60.2 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance, down 1.7 percentage points. Yoon's approval rating had rebounded to 35.7 percent last week, following a two-week decline. The pollster

Nov. 6, 2023