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Lee confers appointment certificates on serious crime investigation chief, new ministers

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday conferred certificates of appointment on the chief of a new serious crime investigation body, the finance and defense ministers and others. Seven minister-level officials, including Kim Ji-yong, the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, received the documents in a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The others included Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, Land Minister Hong Jee-sun and Song Doo-hwan, chair of the special investigation committee for the 2022 deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district, Kang said.

13h agoBy Yonhap
Lee confers appointment certificates on serious crime investigation chief, new ministers

President reaffirms push to reclaim wartime OPCON by 2028

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States by 2028, calling it essential to South Korea’s sovereignty. Speaking before reporters to mark his administration’s 500th day in office, Lee expressed confidence in the country’s defense capabilities and positively assessed talks with Washington on the handover. “To put it plainly, we must reclaim OPCON at an early date, and we are fully capable of doing so,” he said, adding that discussions between the two allies were “also generally progressing well toward its transition.” The president's reference to 2028 comes as questions persist over the handover timetable, with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson having outlined a roadmap for meeting the OPCON transfer conditions by the first quarter of 2029 during a U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing on April 22. Brunson’s more recent comments have added to uncertainty over Seoul’s preferred timeline, with the commander saying changes in operational plans had led to new standards

14h agoBy Yi Whan-woo
President reaffirms push to reclaim wartime OPCON by 2028

AnalysisGyeonggi Province faces sustainability test as spending cuts meet resistance

Gyeonggi Province’s fiscal emergency is exposing a growing dilemma for local governments nationwide: how to meet rising spending obligations with volatile revenues when attempts to cut funding face strong resistance. Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae’s warning about the finances of Korea’s most populous province, followed by the restoration of child care funding after intense protests, has highlighted both the need for reform and the political obstacles to carrying it out. Experts differ on how much weight to give funding reform and spending cuts, but agree that municipal governments must assess whether they can sustain their commitments over the long term. The numbers illustrate the strain. According to the province, its budget this year reached 42.21 trillion won ($32 billion) after a supplementary budget. Welfare expenditure increased from about 7.01 trillion won in 2018 to 18.86 trillion won in 2026, while provincial matching contributions for centrally funded programs nearly doubled from about 1.4 trillion won to 2.7 trillion won. The province’s consolidated fiscal balance has remain

15h agoBy Jung Min-ho
Gyeonggi Province faces sustainability test as spending cuts meet resistance

Gyeonggi Gov. Choo apologizes again over remarks criticized as disparaging firefighters

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae apologized again Monday over her controversial remarks describing firefighters as a "fiscal drain" after her earlier apology, seen as lacking sincerity, drew public backlash. "I sincerely apologize to all firefighters who were hurt by my recent remarks," Choo said during a parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government at the local government's office in Suwon, south of Seoul. "I value the dedication of firefighters more than anyone else," she said, vowing to pay closer attention to their safety and working conditions. Choo has been at the center of controversy since referring to the firefighting service as the biggest "headache" and "fiscal drain" for local governments during a parliamentary audit last Tuesday. Choo first apologized on Saturday, four days after making the remarks, following the death of a firefighter who was responding to a factory fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul. Her apology, however, drew further criticism for appearing to lack sincerity. "If my remarks were conveyed in a way I did not intend, I offer deep regrets, and since y

16h agoBy Yonhap
Gyeonggi Gov. Choo apologizes again over remarks criticized as disparaging firefighters

President Lee's approval rating rebounds after 2-week decline: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rebounded to 37.3 percent after two consecutive weeks of decline, a survey showed Monday. In the poll conducted on 2,520 adults nationwide from last Monday to Friday by Realmeter, positive assessments of Lee's job performance rose 2.1 percentage points from the previous week. Negative assessments fell 1 percentage point to 60.4 percent. As reasons for the rebound, Realmeter cited policies aimed at improving people's livelihoods in areas such as housing and jobs, as well as the government's measures to tackle violent crimes following a stabbing spree in Incheon, west of Seoul. The pollster added that a sharp stock market decline later in the week appeared to have weighed on Lee's approval rating. In a separate survey of 1,005 adults conducted between Thursday and Friday, support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea rose 0.7 percentage point to 36.2 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party fell 0.4 percentage point to 40.9 percent. The survey on the president had a margin of error of 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confid

22h agoBy Yonhap
President Lee's approval rating rebounds after 2-week decline: poll

Lee again opposes ending live broadcasts of Cabinet meetings

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday reaffirmed his opposition over ending the livestreams of Cabinet meetings, saying he is open to all opinions exchanged during the meetings. Lee's remarks came just days after he wrote on his X account that he disagrees with a need to end the livestreams, calling a recent new report on alleged calls from Cabinet members to end them a "false claim." "It is difficult to understand why they are pressing against disclosing part of the Cabinet meetings by even lying that 'Cabinet members cannot speak up because the meetings are public,'" the president wrote in a message on X. He also shared a YouTube broadcast opposing such calls and introducing cases in which Lee embraces opposing opinions from Cabinet members during the meetings. "I have intentionally increased the number of participants by a significant number to listen to various opinions regarding state affairs," Lee said. "I have always liked debates and especially respected people who propose opposing views," he said, adding he has always emphasized the role of people with opposing views to prevent probl

1d agoBy Yonhap
Lee again opposes ending live broadcasts of Cabinet meetings

'As you want an apology, I apologize': Gyeonggi governor's comment on firefighting fuels criticism

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae faces growing backlash over derogatory remarks portraying firefighting as a drain on provincial finances, with her subsequent apology drawing further criticism for lacking sincerity after a firefighter died battling a factory blaze in a city in the province. Choo’s repeated attempts to explain her intentions have only backfired as they were seen as lacking sincerity, with the opposition demanding a clearer apology and some members of her own party urging a disciplinary measure against her. The controversy began on Tuesday during a National Assembly audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, when Choo mentioned the burden of firefighters’ personnel costs on local finances. “Firefighting seems to be the biggest headache, like a straw sucking up our finances,” she said, seeking to highlight that local governments still have to pay firefighters’ salaries even though they are now national government employees. But her analogy sparked anger for appearing to treat people who risk their lives to protect the public as a budgetary burden. Amid the row,

1d agoBy Yi Whan-woo
'As you want an apology, I apologize': Gyeonggi governor's comment on firefighting fuels criticism

Lee pays tribute to firefighter killed in Bucheon factory fire

President Lee Jae Myung paid his respects Saturday to a firefighter who died while responding to a factory fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul, the presidential office said. Lee posthumously awarded firefighter Kim Jin-seok the Okjo Order of Service Merit in recognition of his dedication and sacrifice, and offered condolences to his bereaved family, the office said. After paying his respects, Lee said, "The government must provide firefighters with recognition and support commensurate with their dedication and sacrifice." Lee also stressed the need to strengthen on-site safety measures to ensure that firefighters can perform their duties in safer working conditions. The president instructed Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung, who accompanied him, to provide all necessary support for the treatment and recovery of firefighters injured in the blaze. The government also plans to provide further honors for Kim, including arrangements for his burial at a national cemetery. The fire broke out at a four-story metalworking factory at 8:38 a.m. Friday and was fully extinguished at 11:06 a.m., according to fi

2d agoBy Yonhap
Lee pays tribute to firefighter killed in Bucheon factory fire

Lee renews constitutional revision push, urging lawmakers to honor democracy's bloody history

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday called for the spirit of Korea’s landmark pro-democracy uprisings to be enshrined in the Constitution, describing it as “the least we can do to ensure we never forget our people’s sacrifices to defend democracy and national sovereignty.” Speaking at Busan City Hall during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising, Lee renewed his push for constitutional revision and urged the National Assembly to begin discussions without further delay. The Busan-Masan Uprising was a series of demonstrations that began Oct. 16, 1979 and lasted five days, as students and citizens in the southeastern cities of Busan and Masan — the latter now part of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province — rose up against then-President Park Chung-hee’s dictatorial regime. “The Busan-Masan Uprising did more than bring an end to a dictatorship,” he said, tracing its legacy through subsequent pro-democracy movements, including the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, the June Democratic Uprising of 1987 and protests against the Dec. 3, 2024 martial

Oct 16, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee renews constitutional revision push, urging lawmakers to honor democracy's bloody history
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