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Yi Whan-woo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Politics

Ex-Korea football body chief, ex-nat'l team coach deny allegations of irregularities

Former Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu and former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo apologized Thursday for Korea's disappointing group-stage exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but firmly denied allegations of favoritism and procedural irregularities that have marred Korean football. Appearing before the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, the two acknowledged responsibility for failing to meet public expectations while defending their actions against a series of accusations surrounding the KFA's management and the national team's coaching appointment. The hearing was convened following public backlash over the KFA's governance after Korea's group-stage elimination from this year's World Cup, despite greater opportunities to advance following the tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams. "Having done my utmost for the development of Korean football during my tenure, I nevertheless sincerely apologize for the controversies and the disappointing World Cup result," Chung said in his opening statement. He served four terms as KFA preside

Jul 30, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Ex-Korea football body chief, ex-nat'l team coach deny allegations of irregularities
Foreign Affairs

President highlights Chile as Korea's 1st FTA partner during Santiago visit

President Lee Jae Myung underscored Chile's significance as Korea's first-ever free trade agreement (FTA) partner, saying the South American nation recognized Korea's potential long before it gained global prominence. Speaking at a dinner meeting with members of the Korean community in Santiago Wednesday (local time), the president's remarks came during his three-nation South America tour this week, which also includes Brazil and Argentina. Lee is seeking to expand trade and investment with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc, by capitalizing on the complementary nature of the two economies — Mercosur in agriculture, food production, energy and critical minerals, and Korea in advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, shipbuilding and batteries. "Chile was not only the first Latin American country to recognize the Republic of Korea in 1949, a year after our government was established, but also Korea's first FTA partner," Lee said. The bilateral FTA took effect in April 2004, years before Korea's FTAs with major trading partners such as the United States, which entered into force i

Jul 30, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President highlights Chile as Korea's 1st FTA partner during Santiago visit
Politics

EXPLAINER Why debate over Lee's possible second term resurfaced

Political circles are once again in a heated debate over accusations that President Lee Jae Myung has ambitions to seek another term, even the Constitution forbids it. Critics, especially those from the opposition, say the ruling bloc's pursuit of a constitutional amendment is aimed at helping Lee extend his administration, while presidential aides deny the speculation. The issue resurfaced this week after National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik said Tuesday that whether an incumbent president can seek another term “is ultimately a matter for the people to decide.” The remark immediately caused a stir. Cho, who is considered a loyalist of the president, made the remark during a press conference when asked about the constitutional reform sought by the ruling bloc. Article 128, Paragraph 2, of the Constitution stipulates that amendments extending a presidential term or permitting reelection do not take effect for the president in office when the amendment is adopted. Lee made a 2025 presidential campaign pledge to change the presidential system under the Constitution from the current si

Jul 29, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
[EXPLAINER] Why debate over Lee's possible second term resurfaced
Politics

Why justice minister remains at odds with ruling party over prosecution reform

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho remains at odds with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) over the final stage of the administration's proposed prosecution reform, risking his Cabinet post in defense of prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers. Jung and the DPK share the broader goal of prosecution reform — one of President Lee Jae Myung's signature policy agendas — which seeks to separate prosecutors' long-held powers to both press charges and conduct investigations. Where they diverge is over the details. Jung argues that prosecutors should retain supplementary investigative powers as a limited tool to verify evidence and address shortcomings in police investigations, while the DPK insists the authority must be abolished entirely, citing a long-standing pattern of prosecutors' abuse of powers. "Supplementary investigations are not investigations in the conventional sense," the justice minister said earlier this year. “To properly decide whether to indict and sustain a prosecution, prosecutors need a mechanism to support those decisions.” He went on to say that withou

Jul 28, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Why justice minister remains at odds with ruling party over prosecution reform
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Brazil's first ladies bond over Korean wave

The first ladies of Korea and Brazil highlighted growing interest in the Korean wave, during President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to Brazil as part of his three-nation tour of South America this week. Their conversation extended to a child learning Korean even in the remote Amazon region, illustrating the expanding popularity of the language as Korean dramas and other cultural exports gain traction across the country. According to Cheong Wa Dae, first lady Kim Hea Kyung and Brazilian first lady Rosangela Lula da Silva, also known as Janja, visited an art exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Federal Court of Accounts in Brasilia, Monday. The conversation turned to the success of the Korean wave, with Janja noting that the “popularity of Korean culture, including dramas, has led to a growing number of Brazilians studying Korean.” “The University of Sao Paulo even has a department of Korean language and literature,” she said, referring to Brazil's largest public university in Sao Paulo. The Brazilian first lady went on to say that she recently had the opportunity to speak with a

Jul 28, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea, Brazil's first ladies bond over Korean wave
Law & Crime

Yoon Suk Yeol found guilty of violating election law; PPP faces $27 mil. repayment

Ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced Monday to a year and a half in prison, suspended for three years, for making false statements during the 2022 presidential campaign. The ruling, if it is upheld, will require the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to return 39.7 billion won ($27.05 million) in campaign reimbursements. The Seoul Central District Court handed Yoon the suspended jail term in the first ruling since he was indicted in December 2025 on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act over allegedly false remarks made in the run-up to the March 2022 presidential election. Yoon, the PPP's candidate in the election, is already in jail over the December 2024 martial law fiasco, which led to his impeachment and removal from office. The ruling carries significant political implications, because it may force the PPP to return the 39.7 billion won to the National Election Commission (NEC). Under the Public Official Election Act, a presidential candidate who is elected or wins at least 15 percent of the vote is entitled to full reimbursement of campaign expenses f

Jul 27, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Yoon Suk Yeol found guilty of violating election law; PPP faces $27 mil. repayment
Foreign Affairs

President to lock in mineral supply chains in South America trip

President Lee Jae Myung is seeking to enhance cooperation on critical minerals with South American countries during his three-nation tour this week. Lee is visiting Brazil from Sunday through Wednesady (local time), Chile from Wednesday to Thursday, and Argentina from Thursday to Saturday, as Korea seeks to secure resilient supply chains for strategic resources amid heightened economic security risks. The trip includes summits with the leaders of all three countries, with trade and investment with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc, expected to top the agenda. The president underscored the need for closer cooperation on critical minerals in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), describing Korea's relationship with South America as "entering a new phase" in a written interview with Spain’s EFE news agency released last week. His comments were widely seen as a reference to the growing demand for critical minerals, including rare earth elements used in semiconductors and other AI-related technologies. “Cooperation between Korea and South America should evolve beyond the traditional

Jul 27, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President to lock in mineral supply chains in South America trip
Politics

$950 bil. chip partnerships reinforce Korea's place in global AI supply chain

Korea's major semiconductor makers and other top tech companies have agreed on partnerships worth a total $950 billion with global Big Tech firms during President Lee Jae Myung's visit to San Francisco, highlighting Korea's expanding role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. The long-term agreements, announced alongside Lee's “San Francisco Declaration on AI” speech on Friday (local time), brought together leaders of Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver, together with representatives of Nvidia, OpenAI, Broadcom and Anthropic. The partnerships were made as Seoul seeks to establish itself as an indispensable partner in AI semiconductor production and infrastructure amid an AI-driven semiconductor boom. “Korea aims to become an irreplaceable pillar of the global AI supply chain,” the president said, presenting the country's vision for the future of AI and proposing a cooperative global framework. “Building on our world-class competitiveness in memory chips and related production capacity, Korea will serve as a trusted manufacturing base

Jul 26, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
$950 bil. chip partnerships reinforce Korea's place in global AI supply chain
Society

Paichai High School's suspension over 'Tank Day' chant reduced to 1 month

A Seoul high school baseball team that was banned from national tournaments for six months over chants mocking the 1980 Gwangju Uprising has had its suspension reduced to one month, clearing it to compete in an upcoming national tournament. The Korea Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Monday it had reduced the ban on Paichai High School's baseball team after its subcommittee on sports fairness reviewed the disciplinary action stemming from the players’ chants disparaging the pro-democracy movement during a national tournament game. The committee acknowledged that the chants constituted grounds for discipline — ruling that inappropriate chanting from the dugout amounted to interference with the game — but cited the players' subsequent visit to Gwangju to seek forgiveness and Gwangju Jeil High School's own appeal for leniency, as grounds for the reduction. Monday’s ruling by the KSOC, the country’s top sports governing body, takes effect immediately, clearing Paichai High School to compete in the upcoming Bonghwangdaegi National High School Baseball Tournament. The tourname

Jul 20, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Paichai High School's suspension over 'Tank Day' chant reduced to 1 month
Law & Crime

1st-term Cheongju council member under police probe over alleged sex crimes involving minor

A first-term city council member in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, is under police investigation for allegedly paying to have sex with a minor and producing sexually exploitative material, leaving the council reeling just weeks after the newly elected body began its term. According to police, Thursday, investigators raided the office and home of Choi Young-joong, a Cheongju City Council member from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The search lasted about 45 minutes, during which investigators seized computers, digital storage devices and other potential evidence. The search warrant cited alleged violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses, including statutory rape of a person under the age of consent and producing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. Police said Choi allegedly met a middle school girl through a chat application, had sexual intercourse with her on two or three occasions in a vehicle and at motels between October 2024 and May 2025, and created explicit sexual content fea

Jul 16, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
1st-term Cheongju council member under police probe over alleged sex crimes involving minor
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