Yoon picks new ministers of defense, culture, gender equality

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol initiated a significant cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, appointing new defense, culture and gender equality ministers in a bid to rejuvenate his administration's momentum. Yoon named Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party as the defense minister, reappointed former Culture Minister Yu In-chon under the former Lee Myung-bak to the same role, and selected Kim Haeng, a spokesperson for the former Park Geun-hye administration as the gender equalit

Sept. 13, 2023

Ruling party reaffirms its support for 'Kim Keon Hee Law'

The ruling People Power Party on Wednesday confirmed that it will continue to pursue a ban on the consumption of dog meat through the so-called "Kim Keon Hee Law," named after the president's wife, who is an active animal welfare advocate. In a social media post, Rep. Park Dae-chul of the conservative People Power Party, rejected media reports that claimed the party had decided not to pursue the law. He further expressed his hope for thorough discussions during the parliamentary b

Sept. 13, 2023

General-turned-lawmaker tapped as defense chief

Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party was nominated as the minister of national defense on Wednesday. He is a former three-star general with 35 years of military service who built an extensive experience in both policy crafting and operations. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s chief of staff Kim Dae-ki said in a briefing on this day he was the “most qualified candidate to complete building South Korea’s security capabilities against escalating nuclear and missile threats.&

Sept. 13, 2023

National Assembly introduces resolution mourning Morocco earthquake victims

A lawmaker from South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is leading a resolution to mourn the lives lost in the recent Morocco earthquake​ and to mobilize support for recovery efforts in devastated communities. Rep. Jung Hee-yong, who heads the ruling party’s committee for natural disaster preparedness, said Tuesday he had introduced a resolution to recognize the victims of the the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night, and to support their recovery. The resolut

Sept. 12, 2023

Opposition leader questioned again over suspected illegal remittance to N. Korea

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was grilled by prosecutors again Tuesday over allegations of his involvement in a company's illegal remittance to North Korea in 2019. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, left the Suwon District Prosecutors Office after around five hours of questioning on charges of third-party bribery, three days after he underwent the first round of questioning on Saturday. "I don't know why (investigators) called me again, as they again failed to

Sept. 12, 2023

Kim Jong-un takes mysterious family train to Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted Monday traveling by his family train on his way to a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The third-generation Kim diverged from his famously flight-phobic father in his past summit trips, in June 2018 flying Air China to get to Singapore for the landmark meeting with then-US President Donald Trump. This time he chose to travel 20 hours on the train that is speculated to be bulletproof and multifunctional, with luxurious decors. Rep. Tae Yong-

Sept. 12, 2023

Defense minister expresses intent to resign

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup reportedly expressed his intention to resign on Tuesday, amid increasing demands from the opposition to remove him, citing allegations of his interference in a probe into the death of a Marine. Lee, a 63-year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has served as the defense minister since President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration in May 2022, expressed his intent during a Cabinet meeting at Yoon's office on Tuesday, according to news report

Sept. 12, 2023

Yoon pledges to revitalize 3-way summit with China, Japan

President Yoon Suk Yeol affirmed his commitment to reinvigorating diplomatic relations by actively promoting a trilateral summit with Japan and China this year, noting that the leaders of both nations have also expressed support for resuming talks. During a livestreamed Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning, Yoon spoke about the outcomes of his recent visits to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and the G-20 summit. The president returned home Monday after a seven-day trip to Indonesia

Sept. 12, 2023

Anti-corruption agency to launch 90-day special probe into lawmakers' virtual assets

The state anti-corruption agency said Tuesday it will look into virtual asset holdings of all lawmakers to see if any irregularities are involved, after suspicions arose earlier this year over a lawmaker's once-massive cryptocurrency assets. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said it will conduct a 90-day inspection starting next Monday at the request of the National Assembly and a special team of 30 investigators will be mobilized for the inspection. Earlier this year, the rul

Sept. 12, 2023

Gov't, PPP to seek legal revisions to protect teachers in child abuse cases

The government and the ruling People Power Party decided Tuesday to push for a set of legal revisions aimed at safeguarding teachers' rights during child abuse investigations. The move comes after a series of suicide deaths of teachers sparked massive demands for the protection of teacher rights. Some argue the current child abuse crimes act could hold teachers accountable for child abuse allegations stemming from what they consider necessary disciplinary actions. The proposed revisions wou

Sept. 12, 2023

Opposition demands Yoon sack entire Cabinet

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday demanded that President Yoon Suk Yeol replace his entire Cabinet, starting with Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup, who the party is accusing of being behind the alleged cover-up of the death of a marine soldier in July. Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s chair who is on day 12 of his hunger strike against what he calls “Yoon's tyranny,” said in a statement released Monday that the president, by refusin

Sept. 11, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Fair practices in e-commerce, legal grounds for carbon capture tech

Proposed bill: Act on Protection of Digital Service Users Proposed by Rep. Jung Pil-mo (Democratic Party of Korea) ● The rapid advancement of digital services has led to new forms of user rights infringement, highlighting the need for a new act to protect the rights of digital service users. This bill requires business operators planning to deliver personalized services to clearly inform users about how their browsing and search history is used. It also requires digital service providers that us

Sept. 11, 2023

Deputy nat'l security adviser departs for Britain for cybersecurity, defense talks

Second Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk departed for Britain on Monday to discuss cooperation in the cybersecurity and defense sectors, according to the Office of National Security. During his six-day visit to London, Lim plans to hold meetings with ranking officials in the defense, foreign and national security sectors, as the two countries prepare to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties. "We expect his visit to Britain will strengthen cybersecurity cooperation and a

Sept. 11, 2023

Yoon's approval inches up to 36.7 pct on overseas trip assessment

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating inched up to 36.7 percent, primarily due to positive public assessments of his recent overseas trip to attend summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20, according to a poll Monday. In the survey of 2,515 eligible voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance increased by 1.3 percentage points from the previous week, while disapproval of Yoon�

Sept. 11, 2023

Yoon returns home from trip to Indonesia, India

President Yoon Suk Yeol returned home Monday after visiting Indonesia and India to attend summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20. Yoon traveled to Jakarta on the first leg of the trip to attend a South Korea-ASEAN summit, an ASEAN Plus Three summit and an East Asia Summit, demonstrating his commitment to strengthening ties with the 10 ASEAN member states and the wider Indo-Pacific region. From Jakarta, Yoon traveled to New Delhi, where he attended the G2

Sept. 11, 2023

S. Korea to work closely with Morocco for support over devastating quake

South Korea's foreign ministry said Sunday it will closely cooperate with Morocco and the international community to provide necessary support for the North African country over a massive earthquake. Late Friday, the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco and killed more than 2,000 people, according to foreign media reports. The ministry issued a statement and expressed condolences to the people of Morocco affected by the earthquake. It vowed to have close consultations with the government

Sept. 10, 2023

Yoon, Kishida agree to work on trilateral summit with China

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to continue working on making a three-way summit with China happen within the year, at a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in India on Sunday. Yoon asked Kishida to help reopen the meeting after a four-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoon’s office said, quoting Kishida as saying that he “will fully cooperate.” The trilateral summit, which mainly discusses economic ties, could play

Sept. 10, 2023

Interrogation paused over opposition leader's health

The prosecution's interrogation of Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung as a suspect behind private sector money transfers to North Korea was paused Saturday after eight hours, owing to Lee’s health issues following nearly two weeks of an ongoing hunger strike. "The interrogation began at 10:30 a.m., but we stopped at 6:40 p.m. upon Lee's request, citing his health condition," the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office said in a statement. The main opp

Sept. 10, 2023

Opposition leader questioned over illegal money transfers to N. Korea

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appeared before prosecutors Saturday for questioning over allegations that he was involved in a company's alleged illegal money transfers to North Korea. Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, showed up at the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:18 a.m., marking his fifth appearance for prosecution questioning. He was last questioned on Aug. 17 over a separate case. Lee has been under investigation o

Sept. 9, 2023

Yoon approves dismissal motion of commissioner for conflict of interest violation

President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a motion for the dismissal of a left-leaning commissioner of the state media regulation agency Friday for violating conflict-of-interest rules, the presidential office said. Earlier in the day, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that Choung Min-young, one of the nine commissioners of the Korea Communications Standards Commission recommended by the opposition bloc, had breached the law prohibiting commissioners from engaging in personal acti

Sept. 8, 2023