Kim Jin-kook, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, on Tuesday tendered his resignation after it was found that his son had attempted to use Kim’s position to find employment, officials said. “President Moon accepted Kim Jin-kook’s resignation,” said Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication. “There is no discussion on the successor yet.”　 Kim issued an apology, saying, “Above all, I deeply apologize for ca

Politics Dec. 21, 2021

The Sunfull Foundation has held a ceremony to present an award in collaboration with the National Assembly to 61 lawmakers who make positive remarks, the organization said Thursday. The Sunfull Foundation is a non-governmental organization founded by English educator Min Byung-chul in 2007 to counter cyberbullying, hate speech, and human rights violations on the internet. The recipients were chosen by 300 high school and college students, the organization said. The students selected 30

Social Affairs Dec. 21, 2021

Former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, currently serving prison terms for a number of corruption convictions, are unlikely to be included in a list of New Year’s special pardons, which could be the last of the Moon Jae-in administration. From Monday, the Ministry of Justice began a two-day amnesty review by a nine-person committee, including Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and senior officials from related agencies. The selected list will be reported to the president and the f

Politics Dec. 20, 2021

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, bowed his head and apologized Friday for the controversy over allegations his spouse Kim Keon-hee had made false claims about her career history. "I am sorry for causing concern to the public over the controversy related to my wife," Yoon told reporters. "Regardless of the reason, I make it clear that the fact that (she) caused controversy without accurately writing down her career does not fi

Politics Dec. 17, 2021

South Korea will inject 4.3 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in subsidies to support owners of small businesses and self-employed people struggling from social distancing rules necessitated by the pandemic, top officials said Friday. The support measures come a day after the government decided to reimpose restrictions due to a surge in infections. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said at a joint government briefing on the day, “If a sales decline is confirmed, the government will pay 1 million

Politics Dec. 17, 2021

The government has halted the measure for phased daily recovery as infections continue to surge. From Saturday, the number of people allowed to attend private gatherings will be reduced to four and entertainment facilities, restaurants, and cafes will only be open until 9 p.m. nationwide. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the new measure at the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on Thursday morning. He said a meeting was held earlier than scheduled because &ld

Social Affairs Dec. 16, 2021

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday the government was considering implementing stronger social distancing measures as infections continue to surge, and will announce them soon. As of Tuesday midnight, the number of new daily cases marked 7,850, the highest since the pandemic broke out. The number of severely ill patients increased by 58 from the previous day, reaching the high 900s. The number of new confirmed cases has been increasing sharply after surpassing 4,000 for the first ti

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2021

President Moon Jae-in, who is on a state visit to Australia, met with Australian businesspeople on Tuesday to discuss expanding cooperation in key minerals between the two countries. The meeting came a day after the Korean and Australian industry ministries signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the core mineral supply chain. It was attended by Simon Crean, the chair of the Australia-Korea Business Council, Ian Gandel, non-executive chairman of Australian Strategic Materials

Foreign Affairs Dec. 14, 2021

In the wake of Monday’s summit between South Korea and Australia, President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Scott Morrison adopted a joint statement on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. “As major maritime trading nations, Australia and South Korea recognize that the stability of the Indo-Pacific depends on adherence to international law in the maritime domain, including in the South China Sea,” said the joint statement signed by the two leaders. The South China

Foreign Affairs Dec. 14, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said during a state visit to Australia Monday that the Korean government is not considering a diplomatic boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics in a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. When a reporter asked whether Moon’s visit to Australia could give China a bad signal while Australia is in conflict with China and has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics, Moon said, “We have not received any recommenda

Foreign Affairs Dec. 13, 2021

President Moon Jae-in left for Australia on Sunday for a four-day state visit at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The two nations are expected to discuss economic, technology and defense cooperation. It is the first time since 2009 that a South Korean leader has visited Australia as a state guest. Moon is the first foreign leader to visit the country since the pandemic started in March last year. On Monday, Moon and Morrison are expected to host a summit in Canbe

Foreign Affairs Dec. 12, 2021

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will make a state visit to South Korea on Dec. 16 for three days, at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, officials said Thursday. The two leaders will hold a summit on Dec. 17. “President Mirziyoyev’s visit to Korea is a return to President Moon’s state visit to Uzbekistan in 2019,” said Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. “The two leaders will discuss ways to promote future-oriented and reciprocal cooperation

Foreign Affairs Dec. 9, 2021

President Moon Jae-in will share the nation’s democratic achievements at a summit hosted by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night. During the two-day virtual “Summit for Democracy,” 110 countries will share opinions on how to guard against authoritarianism, eradicate corruption and promote respect for human rights. China and Russia were excluded. In the first part of the plenary session, Moon plans to share South Korea’s democratic achievements and outline the nati

Politics Dec. 9, 2021

With the clock ticking on his term in office, President Moon Jae-in is taking every opportunity to push his agenda to declare the end of the Korean War. But experts are raising questions about his motivations and about the validity of his goal. “The declaration of an end to the war is the first step toward peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said in a congratulatory video speech at the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Seoul on Tuesday night. He urge

North Korea Dec. 8, 2021

The US decision to have its diplomats boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics is posing a dilemma for South Korea, as Washington could prod allies to follow suit, while Seoul hopes to use the games as an opportunity to restart dialogue with Pyongyang. Amid the struggle between the two global superpowers, South Korea has taken an ambiguous diplomatic position, as it values both its security alliance with the US and its economic ties with China. But with Washington’s recent announcement, South

Foreign Affairs Dec. 7, 2021