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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.

Education committee passes 'teacher rights restoration bills'

Lawmakers attend a meeting of the parliamentary education committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 15. YonhapThe parliamentary education committee passed a set of revisions aimed at enhancing teachers' rights Friday as a series of suicides by teachers has sparked demands for the improvement of their rights in classrooms.The deaths sparked criticism that South Korea's school system and related laws fail to protect teachers' authority in classrooms and discourage them from taking necessary disciplinary measures, out of fear of being accused of child abuse. The four revisions, known as the "teacher rights restoration bills," aim to strengthen the criteria to hold teachers accountable for child abuse and provide grounds for the schools and education offices to protect them against disgruntled parents or unruly behavior from students.A controversial provision that would allow teachers to leave a record of students who infringe upon their rights during education activities was not included, as the two sides failed to reach an agreement.The revised bills will later be deliberated

Sep 15, 2023
Education committee passes 'teacher rights restoration bills'

Naming of bill after first lady draws condemnation

First lady Kim Keon Hee speaks during a press conference held by animal advocacy groups at the Press Center in Seoul, Aug. 30. The press conference was held to call for a legislative ban on dog meat trade and consumption. Korea Times photo by Yun Seo-youngBy Lee Hae-rinAmid ongoing legislative pushes from the two main parties to ban the trade and consumption of dog meat, some ruling lawmakers have named the bill after the first lady, but are now facing a backlash ―- even from fellow party lawmakers.Rep. Park Dae-chul of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), wrote on social media, Wednesday, “Now is the time to ban the dog meat trade … The PPP's position to push for the legislative ban on the dog meat trade remains unchanged,” with the hashtags #KimKeonHeebill and #bandogmeat added in Korean.Park, who is also the party's chief policymaker, also used the term “Kim Keon Hee's bill” earlier this month to refer to seven pending bill proposals during the National Assembly's general meeting, calling for lawmakers to support the cause.The use of terminology is a

Sep 14, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Naming of bill after first lady draws condemnation

INTERVIEW Seoul should play delicate balancing act in diplomacy with China, Russia as new Cold War dawns

In this pool photo distributed by Sputnik News, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region of Russia on Wednesday. AFP-YonhapFormer South Korean Ambassador to Russia Wi Sung-lac encourages Yoon to leave room for cooperation with Russia, China, while deepening ties with US, Japan By Kang Hyun-kyungThe summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far eastern region of Amur has raised a red flag on regional security. Few details were made public about the Putin-Kim summit, except their eagerness to deepen defense ties as revealed in their opening statements, the fact that Kim’s itinerary was packed with visits to military-related sites and remarks Putin made about the summit’s agenda.Officials in the U.S. and South Korea said that North Korea and Russia were likely to have reached an arms deal during the hours-long closed-door summit, because it took place as Russia continues to gra

Sep 14, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung
[INTERVIEW] Seoul should play delicate balancing act in diplomacy with China, Russia as new Cold War dawns

Prosecutors raid Newstapa, JTBC over fake interview allegations

Building of Prosecutors Office / NewsisProsecutors on Thursday raided online news outlet Newstapa and cable channel JTBC in connection with their reporting of an alleged fake interview given in 2021 to discredit then opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent prosecutors and investigators to Newstapa's office in central Seoul and JTBC's head office in western Seoul in the morning to seize materials related to their coverage of the interview on the eve of last year's presidential election.At Newstapa, a confrontation occurred as the company refused to cooperate with the search and seizure warrant without the presence of its lawyer.Prosecutors also raided the homes of a Newstapa reporter surnamed Han and a former JTBC reporter surnamed Bong.The case centers on the allegations that Kim Man-bae, a suspect in the scandal-ridden Daejang-dong development project pushed in the mid-2010s by opposition leader Lee Jae-myung as the mayor of Seongnam, suggested in his interview with Newstapa-affiliated journalist Shin Hak-lim in September 20

Sep 14, 2023
Prosecutors raid Newstapa, JTBC over fake interview allegations

Yoon replaces defense, culture, gender equality ministers

From left, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister nominee Yoo In-chon, Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Kim Haeng and Defense Minister nominee Shin Won-sik attend a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday.Reshuffle signals president's 'hard-right tilt' By Nam Hyun-wooPresident Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday named ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Shin Won-sik, former culture minister Yoo In-chon and former ruling party emergency committee member Kim Haeng as new defense, culture and family ministers, respectively.The nominees are familiar faces in Korean politics, with Shin and Yu having the reputations of hardline conservatives. Pundits are saying this is in line with the conservative wing of Yoon, who has been stressing ideology and anti-communism ideas in recent public remarks. Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki announced the Cabinet member reshuffle during a press briefing.“Including the head of the defense ministry's National Defense Policy Planning Bureau and deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he holds abu

Sep 13, 2023By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon replaces defense, culture, gender equality ministers

Ex-culture minister tapped to bring expertise, experience back

Yoo In-chon, the new culture minister nominee, is an expert in cultural-arts policies who served as culture minister from 2008-2011 during the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Sep 13, 2023
Ex-culture minister tapped to bring expertise, experience back

Labor minister asks rail workers to call off general strike plan

Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik / YonhapLabor Minister Lee Jeong-sik on Wednesday urged unionized rail workers to cancel their plan to stage a general strike this week, citing its grave impact on the economy and the people's daily lives. Lee made the remarks as the Korean Railway Workers' Union has threatened to carry out a general strike from Thursday to Monday to demand an expansion of KTX high-speed train services to include a lucrative station in southern Seoul.The collective action is intended to pressure the transport ministry to come to the dialogue table on allowing KTX trains, run by Korea Railroad Corp., to access Suseo Station, the starting station of another high-speed train service called Super Rapid Train, or SRT.The minister said the government will respond sternly to illegal labor activities according to the principle of no tolerance."At a critical time when everyone must join forces in the face of unfavorable economic conditions, the railway workers' union is raising public concern by sticking to its own demands alone," Lee said, stressing the strike that lacks legitima

Sep 13, 2023
Labor minister asks rail workers to call off general strike plan

Industry minister nominee vows swift restoration of nuclear energy ecosystem

Industry Minister nominee Bang Moon-kyu attends a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 13. YonhapKorean Industry Minister nominee Bang Moon-kyu vowed Wednesday to expedite efforts to restore and further develop the ecosystem of the country's nuclear power generation industry to better achieve net-zero goals and energy security.During a parliamentary confirmation hearing, Bang also pledged efforts to boost exports amid unfavorable global business circumstances and to strengthen cooperation with the United States, Japan and other partners on stable supply chains in advanced industry sectors.Bang, who currently leads the Office for Government Policy Coordination, was named the chief of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy last month to replace Lee Chang-yang."Nuclear power generation and carbon neutrality are crucial in terms of strengthening our energy security. I will complete the restoration of the nuclear power industry ecosystem and further nurture the sector as a new future energy industry," Bang said in his opening remarks.The Yoon Suk Yeol governm

Sep 13, 2023
Industry minister nominee vows swift restoration of nuclear energy ecosystem

Yoon names new ministers of defense, culture, gender equality

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Sept. 12. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol nominated a ruling party lawmaker and former three-star Army general for defense minister Wednesday in a partial Cabinet shakeup that also affected the culture and gender equality ministers.Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was picked to replace Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, while Yoo In-chon, special presidential adviser for culture and sports, was named the new culture minister, and Kim Haing, a former PPP interim leadership member, was tapped for the new minister of gender equality and family, presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki said during a press briefing.The outgoing defense minister reportedly expressed his intention to resign amid the main opposition party's push to impeach him over his handling of a military investigation into a young Marine's death. (Yonhap)

Sep 13, 2023
Yoon names new ministers of defense, culture, gender equality

Opposition lawmakers to visit U.S., Europe to garner support against Fukushima water release

Lawmakers from the opposition parties attend a protest against Japan's discharge of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Seoul, Saturday. YonhapFive opposition lawmakers plan to visit the United States and Europe this week to garner global support against Japan's ongoing discharge of water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Tuesday. Reps. Lee Soo-jin and Lee Yong-sun from the DP are set to depart for New York on Thursday along with Rep. Kang Eun-mi of the minor opposition Justice Party and civic group members, ahead of an upcoming meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, the party said.During their five-day trip, they plan to meet with lawmakers in Washington and attend two demonstrations against the release over the weekend.Meanwhile, Reps. Woo Won-shik, who heads the DP's task force on the issue, and Yang Yiwonyoung are set to embark on a five-day trip to Europe on Saturday to visit the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London and the United Nations Hum

Sep 12, 2023
Opposition lawmakers to visit U.S., Europe to garner support against Fukushima water release
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