my timesThe Korea Times
ksw

Kang Seung-woo

Korea Times Business Reporter

Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.

Go to Email

Read more

Politics

Yoon mulls relocating presidential office to foreign or defense ministries

The Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan District, Seoul / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol may work out of either the foreign ministry building in Seoul's Jongno District or the defense ministry building in Yongsan District after taking office in May.According to his taskforce working on relocating the presidential office of the Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, the two ministry buildings have been emerging as the top possibilities for housing the new president's office. Relocating the presidential office to Gwanghwamun in central Seoul was one of Yoon's election pledges, and following his election, his camp has been looking into the task of moving from the current building in Samcheong-dong. The Seoul Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, home to several government organizations, had been cited as the most likely site. However, it has been excluded due to security reasons. “Both ministry buildings are candidates and the site will be decided after comprehensive consideration of the importance of close and daily encounters with the people and presidential sec

Mar 15, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon mulls relocating presidential office to foreign or defense ministries
Politics

Yoon administration to focus on restoring fairness, democracy

Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee, speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. YonhapTransition team chief unveils five national tasksBy Kang Seung-wooThe incoming administration will place top priority on restoring democracy and creating a country ruled by law and fairness, Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee, said Monday.The pledge was one of the five key national tasks to be achieved under the new administration unveiled by Ahn during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, the same day.On Sunday, the president-elect appointed Ahn, chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, to lead his transition committee in accordance with an agreement they made during the election campaign. On March 3, when announcing a candidacy merger deal, they agreed to consult on everything from the makeup of the transition committee to the composition of the coalition government.First of all, Ahn said the new government will focus on restoring fairness, constitutionalis

Mar 14, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon administration to focus on restoring fairness, democracy
  • President-elect Yoon moves forward after election
Politics

Ahn Cheol-soo to head President-elect's transition team

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the People Power Party's headquarters in Seoul, Sunday, to name the chairperson and the vice chairperson of the presidential transition committee. YonhapKwon Young-se, Won Hee-ryong to join committee By Kang Seung-woo President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol appointed, Sunday, Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, to lead his transition committee.Yoon also named People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kwon Young-se and former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong as the committee's vice chairperson and planning chief, respectively.“As a competent government, we will serve the people and achieve national unity,” Yoon said during a press conference at the PPP's headquarters in Seoul. By choosing Ahn, Yoon is fulfilling his promise to launch a “coalition government” with his former campaign rival, who dropped out of the presidential race to lend support to the PPP candidate. On March 3, when announcing a candidacy merger deal, they agreed to consult on everything from the makeup of the transition committee

Mar 13, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Ahn Cheol-soo to head President-elect's transition team
  • Yoon's spokesperson urges North Korea to return to dialogue
  • Yoon says whatever measures needed should be taken to uncover truth of Daejang-dong scandal
Politics

Angry voters turn out to vote against President Moon, ruling party

By Kang Seung-wooYoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) has been elected as the new president to lead Korea for next five years after defeating Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) by fewer than 250,000 votes, or 0.8 of a percentage point, in Wednesday's election. The 61-year-old Yoon, who served as the prosecutor general under President Moon Jae-in, declared his presidency last July after resigning from the prosecution last March, following bitter clashes with the administration. He has never held any elected office before winning the presidential election. Despite his inexperience in politics, more than 48 percent voted for Yoon. They turned out to vote against the ruling party, as they are frustrated by the soaring housing prices amid the ever-widening wealth gap between the haves and have-nots under the Moon administration, which led to the change of power.In the lead-up to the election, public aspirations for a change of government had been hovering around 50 percent in polls, due to growing discontent with President Moon's poli

Mar 10, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Angry voters turn out to vote against President Moon, ruling party
  • Yoon finds sweeping support in ex-President Park's political hometown
Politics

What polls taken prior to election say

Young swing voters emerge; regional allegiances weakenBy Kang Seung-wooThe race to succeed President Moon Jae-in as Korea's next president was a closely fought contest in the polls taken more than a week before the election, with both Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) having near-equal chances of winning the top job in government. Based on weekly surveys by Gallup Korea from January to the first week of March, the last day for publication of polls under the Election Law, the too-close-to-call showdown boiled down to several factors, including young swing voters' opinions and declining loyalty from parties' home turfs. The local pollster has been studying how public opinion trends on the candidates changed through polls conducted on a weekly basis since Nov. 18 and Yoon and Lee were running neck-and-neck in its last published poll, with approval ratings of 39 percent and 38 percent, respectively.In the lead-up to the election, younger people in their 20s and 30s, who make

Mar 9, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
What polls taken prior to election say
  • PHOTOS Nation goes to polls
  • Political heavyweights, celebrities cast ballots
  • Undeterred by worst COVID-19 wave, voters turn out to choose Korea's next president
  • From mishandling of ballots to last-minute Yoon-Ahn merger
  • Exit polls project Lee, Yoon in dead heat
  • Yoon overtakes Lee to hold razor-thin lead
Foreign Affairs

KOICA strives to empower women in developing countries

Dhauli, who benefited from the KOICA-UNESCO project, “Empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women through the Provision of Comprehensive Sexuality Education and a Safe Learning Environment in Nepal,” studies. Courtesy of KOICABy Kang Seung-wooThe Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has been making efforts to empower girls and women in developing countries through diverse projects, the agency said on March 8 in celebration of International Women's Day. Gender discrimination and gender-based violence are obstacles to development ― along with factors such as poverty, health risks and disasters ― and are exacerbated by conflict and crises. The international community seeks to achieve gender equality in the form of U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”In line with this goal, KOICA has been striving to resolve various inequalities experienced by women in developing countries. Korea's development cooperation agency has been implementing 53 projects related to gender equality in 40 count

Mar 8, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
KOICA strives to empower women in developing countries
Politics

Election agency chief under growing pressure to step down

National Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee apologizes for mishandling ballots of COVID-19 patients and other blunders during last week's early voting, in a press conference at NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooNational Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee is in the hot seat over the agency's improper handling of COVID-19 patients' ballots during the early voting period last Friday and Saturday.Despite making an apology for the fiasco during a press conference, Tuesday, the besieged NEC chief did not address growing calls from political circles for her resignation. The NEC came under fire over the weekend following revelations that poll station workers were collecting patients' ballots in plastic bags and other unofficial containers, rather than letting the infected voters place their votes directly in designated ballot boxes, during the early voting period for infected voters on Saturday.Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said earlier in the day that Noh should step d

Mar 8, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Election agency chief under growing pressure to step down
  • Election watchdog chief apologizes for early voting blunders, vows not to repeat
Politics

F-15K pilot named Best Pilot of Year

Air Force Maj. Bang Ju-won of the 11th Fighter Wing poses in front of an F-15K. Courtesy of ROK Air ForceBy Kang Seung-wooAir Force Maj. Bang Ju-won from the 110th Fighter Squadron of the 11th Fighter Wing ― home to the F-15K Slam Eagles ― has been named the "Best Pilot of 2021,” according to the military branch. The Air Force said it held an award ceremony, presided over by its Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho at its headquarters in Gyeryongdae, South Chungcheong Province, Friday. The award is given to an aviator who accumulates the top records in more than 20 duties including flying hours, participation in operations and physical fitness in the span of one year. The 36-year-old earned a score of 849.6 out of a possible 1,000 for the achievement. Bang, who decided to become a pilot after watching “Top Gun,” was commissioned in 2008 and flew a KF-16 until 2011. Since 2012, he has logged over 2,100 hours flying an F-15K. During his career, Bang has participated in multinational combined exercises on multiple occasions, including commanding a squadron in its 10-hour no

Mar 8, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
F-15K pilot named Best Pilot of Year
Politics

Candidates differ on how to win peace on Korean Peninsula

gettyimagesbankThis article is the sixth and final in a series about the 2022 presidential election candidates' campaign pledges. In this article, their pledges for inter-Korean relations are examined and compared. ―EDLee stresses balance between deterrence, dialogue; Yoon vows 'peace through strength'By Kang Seung-wooWith North Korea steadily modernizing its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the new president of South Korea will have to work hard to deal with the decades-long unresolved issue upon inauguration in May. The two leading presidential candidates for the March 9 election ― Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ― are open to inter-Korean dialogue and economic cooperation, but they differ in their solutions. Lee Jae-myung, left, of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party / Joint Press CorpsLee, 57, is following in the footsteps of previous liberal presidents who took the path of "reward first, denuclearize later"

Mar 6, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Candidates differ on how to win peace on Korean Peninsula
  • Rival candidates in neck-and-neck race, but Yoon-Ahn unification effect not reflected
  • Early voting for COVID patients tainted by allegations of mishandled ballots
Politics

Presidential candidates seek to form coalitions in dead heat race

An employee of a district office at the National Election Commission checks ballots for the March 9 presidential election in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooWith less than a week left before the March 9 presidential election, leading presidential candidates are seeking to form a coalition with minor candidates and encourage more of their supporters to go to the polls in a bid to tip the balance in their favor.Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) hailed former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon's decision to endorse him as Korea's next president after exiting the presidential race. “I am taking Kim's decision seriously and will mix my pledges with his will to provide plentiful and meaningful policies,” Lee wrote on his Facebook account. “We will make the utmost efforts to form a coalition government so as to fulfill the public's desire for political reform,” he added.Kim, President Moon Jae-in's first finance minister who had been running for president on the ticket of the minor New Wave Party, announced his withdrawal earlier in the

Mar 2, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Presidential candidates seek to form coalitions in dead heat race
  • Presidential candidates exchange jabs over Japan
  • Lee on course to merge campaigns with minor presidential candidate Kim
  • Yoon leads Lee 46.3% to 43.1%, 44.6% to 43.7%: polls
  • DPK's Lee lectures rival candidate on feminism
  • Rival candidates clash over cash handouts, tax increase
previous page
3637383940
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.