Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung was effectively acquitted by the high court of election law violations, overturning a verdict that jeopardized his political career. The Suwon High Court ruled that Lee’s remarks during a televised debate ahead of the 2018 local elections were not intended to spread false information, overturning its previous verdict after the Supreme Court sent the case back and ordered a retrial. “The defendant’s remarks during the debate can be evalua

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2020

Yeonsu District in the western port city of Incheon is bidding to host the 2021 International Conference on Learning Cities, the district office said Thursday. The district office submitted its application -- containing endorsement letters from 60 people, including President Moon Jae-in and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae -- to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. The host of the event, to be held in October 2021, will be announced in late November. In the application, the district o

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2020

The government plans to carry out diagnostic tests for COVID-19 on some 130,000 workers at mental hospitals and nursing homes in the greater Seoul area after a major cluster was discovered in Busan. Another 30,000 senior citizens who attend day care facilities will be tested too.　 “Patients pose relatively lower risks (of virus transmission) as they are tested before they are admitted, but there’s a possibility that the medical staff and other workers could bring about COVID-19 in

Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2020

More than 50 employees and patients at a nursing home in Busan have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the largest figure traced to a single virus cluster in the city, according to the city government on Wednesday. One of the infected patients died. A total of 52 people tested positive at the nursing home, Haeddeurak in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu -- 43 patients and nine staff members. The hospital was immediately put under cohort isolation after the infections were confirmed Wednesday

Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2020

Korea’s military recruitment agency said Tuesday it will push for legislation to give outstanding entertainers more room to continue their careers by putting off their mandatory military service in recognition of their contribution to the country’s reputation. In a parliamentary audit report, the Military Manpower Administration said it is seeking to revise the military service law to enable those who are recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to postpone th

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2020

Kang Gi-jung, a former presidential senior secretary for political affairs, filed a criminal defamation complaint Monday against an entrepreneur who accused him of accepting bribes to help a scandal-ridden hedge fund avoid an audit by the financial authorities. Kang asserted that Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility and a prime suspect in a financial fiasco involving Lime Asset Management, gave false testimony in court and misrepresented the financial disaster as a case of governm

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2020

Controversy has intensified over the government’s bill to allow abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy, as progressive groups say the new law would remain in violation of women’s rights and the Constitution. As a follow-up to the Constitutional Court‘s landmark ruling last year to revise the ban on abortion, the government unveiled its plan on Oct. 7 to press no criminal charges against those who have an abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy. Under the planned

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2020

Lawmakers began the parliament’s annual inspection of state affairs on Wednesday with the ruling and opposition parties bickering over the selection of witnesses. The recent killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korean troops, along with the row over special treatment for the justice minister’s son in the military, overshadowed other issues. On the first day of the parliamentary audit, which runs until Oct. 26, a total of 14 parliamentary standing committees, includi

Politics Oct. 7, 2020

A lawmaker has given rise to debate by revealing classified information to the public regarding the recent killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korean forces. The discussion centers on the proper balance between national security and the people’s right to know. The Ministry of Defense is considering legal action against lawmakers who “indiscreetly” disclosed details of the South Korean military’s intelligence on the death of the South Korean fisheries of

North Korea Oct. 6, 2020

Lawmakers will hold the parliament‘s annual inspection of state affairs this week with North Korea’s recent killing of a South Korean civil servant and a row over special treatment for the justice minister’s son expected to be key agenda items for the three weeks of hearings. The parliamentary audit will start Wednesday and runs until Oct. 26, covering more than 640 government organizations. The Defense Committee, which will audit the Ministry of National Defense and the

Politics Oct. 5, 2020

The push for tougher legislation requiring labels on consumer products that contain genetically modified organisms has struggled to gain momentum for years in South Korea, which depends heavily on imports to satisfy its demand for corn and soybeans. Calls to introduce stricter GMO labeling rules have been persistent, but President Moon Jae-in has yet to fulfill his campaign promises to stop the use of GMO products in schools and to require transparency from firms that use GMOs in their product

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2020

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has faced myriad challenges to consolidate his foothold in the liberal party and prove his mettle as a presidential candidate. His return to the partisan politics had been smooth sailing after serving as prime minister under the liberal Moon Jae-in government, winning a seat in the Jongno district in central Seoul -- a symbolic constituency in Korean politics -- and becoming leader of the ruling party. But his first month

Politics Sept. 28, 2020

Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will provide 300 billion won ($255.6 million) in soft loans to small business owners hit hard by COVID-19 containment measures. Facilities that have been suffering financial losses due to shut down or operational restriction orders by the government are eligible to apply for loans up to up to 100 million won with interest rates ranging from 0.03 percent to 0.53 percent. The types of businesses that can take part in the finance assistance progra

Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2020

Opposition lawmakers are stepping up attacks on President Moon Jae-in over the killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korea, framing the incident as a case of mishandling or even neglect of duty by the top office. 　 Five members of the People Power Party took turns holding one-person protests outside Cheong Wa Dae, each staging an hourlong rally with a sign that read “President Moon Jae-in, where are you now,” denouncing the president and the government for a “dela

Politics Sept. 27, 2020

Police are making a last-ditch effort to ensure that they will be on equal footing with prosecutors as the government moves to finalize the revised laws that would reorganize the jurisdictions of police and prosecutors in criminal investigation procedures. As part of President Moon Jae-in’s drive to reform the prosecution, which has a monopoly on indictment powers and investigation oversight, the National Assembly passed revision bills to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutor

Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2020