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Late President Rhee's son apologizes to April 19 Revolution victims

Lee In-soo, the adopted son of Korea's first president, Rhee Syng-man, reads a statement to offer an apology to pro-democracy fighters as he visits a monument bearing the portraits and names of those who were killed in a pro-democracy revolution, at the April 19th National Cemetery in Seoul, Sept. 1. Joint Press CorpsRhee In-soo, the adopted son of Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee (1875-1965), apologized to the victims of the April 19 Revolution, a 1960 pro-democracy civil uprising that occurred during his father's rule, on his rare visit to their memorial grounds Friday.The junior Rhee visited the April 19th National Cemetery in northern Seoul, which holds the remains of 186 people killed in the uprising, marking the first such trip by the late president's family since it took place 63 years ago.The 92-year-old son offered an apology to the uprising victims and their families, expressing hope that his visit would be an opportunity to promote national unity and reconciliation.The April 19 Revolution began as hundreds of thousands of people, mostly students, took to the streets n

Sep 1, 2023
Late President Rhee's son apologizes to April 19 Revolution victims

Yoon says nation's freedom under constant threat from 'communist totalitarian forces'

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers congratulatory remarks at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy at the academy in southern Seoul, Sept. 1. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday the nation's freedom is under constant threat from "communist totalitarian forces" that seek to arouse anti-Japanese sentiment and paint recent cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan as a risk.Yoon made the remark during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, an institution under the foreign ministry tasked with conducting research on foreign policy and training diplomats."Liberal democracy and the market economy are the driving forces that have supported the peace and prosperity of the Republic of Korea," he said during the ceremony at the academy in southern Seoul, referring to Korea by its formal name."However, our freedom is now under constant threat. Still, communist totalitarian forces and their opportunist followers, as well as anti-state forces, are inciting anti-Japanese sent

Sep 1, 2023
Yoon says nation's freedom under constant threat from 'communist totalitarian forces'

Yoon, mentor at odds over army cadets saluting independence fighter with leftist past

Lee Jong-chan, president of the non-profit organization, Heritage of Korean Independence, speaks in this 2019 file photo. He is the father of President Yoon Suk Yeol's old friend and one of Yoon's go-to people when he mulled a presidential bid two years ago. Korea Times filePresident's ties with ex-spy chief tested by relocation of independence fighter's bustBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe defense ministry's decision to relocate the bust of independence fighter Hong Beom-do has pitted President Yoon Suk Yeol against his adviser and old friend.Yoon reportedly calls Lee Jong-chan, 87, president of the non-profit organization, Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), “father” when they meet privately. Lee is the father of Yoon's long-time friend, Lee Chul-woo, a professor of law at Yonsei University.The older Lee, a former five-term lawmaker and ex-director of the National Intelligence Service during the Kim Dae-jung government, was one of Yoon's go-to people when he mulled a presidential bid in 2021 after resigning as prosecutor-general. Yoon's relationship with the two Lees is being t

Sep 1, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung
Yoon, mentor at odds over army cadets saluting independence fighter with leftist past

US lawmakers seek to meet UN officials to stop China from sending back N. Korean defectors

Activists urge Beijing to stop repatriating North Korean refugees detained in China during a rally held in central Seoul in July, 2022. Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungU.S. lawmakers Christopher Smith and Jeff Merkley, co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), released an open letter calling for a meeting with two U.N. high commissioners to discuss ways to prevent Beijing from repatriating North Korean defectors held in China. Their open letter was unveiled on Thursday (Seoul time) as North Korea opened its border with China on Sunday to allow its workers to return home. The reopening of the North Korea-China border, after being closed since January 2020 in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, has become a source of concern as a massive humanitarian crisis looms. As many as 2,000 North Korean defectors are currently detained in China and are feared to be repatriated back to the North against their will.In the letter, Rep. Smith and Sen. Merkley requested U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and the High Commissioner for Refugees F

Sep 1, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung
US lawmakers seek to meet UN officials to stop China from sending back N. Korean defectors

President eats at fish market amid Fukushima controversy

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, talks to a merchant while purchasing a crab at Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market, Seoul's oldest and largest fish market in Dongjak District, Thursday. Yoon visited the market to encourage local merchants and promote domestic seafood consumption one week after Japan started discharging treated wastewater from a disabled nuclear plant in Fukushima. Courtesy of presidential officePresident Yoon Suk Yeol ate seafood for lunch during a visit to a fish market in Seoul, Thursday, his office said, in the latest move to boost the consumption of local seafood products amid public concerns over Japan's release of treated wastewater into the ocean.During his visit to Noryangjin Fish Market, Yoon checked the safety of local seafood products and purchased rockfish, blue crab and gizzard shad, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written press briefing.He also encouraged vendors and asked them about the potential impact of Japan's wastewater release."The president had lunch consisting of local seafood that are in season, such as rockfish stew, grille

Aug 31, 2023
President eats at fish market amid Fukushima controversy

Opposition leader to start indefinite hunger strike against Yoon administration

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said Thursday he is going on an indefinite hunger strike against the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol that he said is damaging democracy and ruining people's livelihoods. YonhapOpposition leader Lee Jae-myung said Thursday he is going on an indefinite hunger strike against the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol that he said is damaging democracy and ruining people's livelihoods.Rep. Lee Jae-myung made the remark during a press conference marking one year after taking over as chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), saying fasting is the last resort to stop the Yoon administration from destroying democracy."The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has destroyed the constitutional order and democracy and declared a war on the people," Lee said. "I will prevent the destruction of democracy with the determination to sacrifice my life. As a last resort, I will go on an indefinite hunger strike starting today."Lee put forward three demands: that Yoon apologize to the people for destroying their livelihoods and the democracy, express o

Aug 31, 2023
Opposition leader to start indefinite hunger strike against Yoon administration

Yoon suggested 'thinking about what is right' over relocation of independence fighter's bust: aide

National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong responds to a question during a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol has suggested to "think about what is right" over the defense ministry's move to relocate the busts of revered Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do, National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong said Wednesday.Cho disclosed Yoon's remark from a closed-door Cabinet meeting held Tuesday, as the plan to remove Hong's busts from the Korea Military Academy and the defense ministry headquarters, both in Seoul, has sparked heated controversy over its legitimacy.The opposition Democratic Party and advocates for independence fighters have strongly protested against the move."(The president said he) will not say what to do. But it will be good to raise the issue and think once about what is right," Cho quoted Yoon as saying during a parliamentary session.Cho said the National Security Office does not have a policy over the relocation, repeating the presidential office's position that the defense minister will make the decision.The

Aug 30, 2023
Yoon suggested 'thinking about what is right' over relocation of independence fighter's bust: aide

Opposition lawmaker calls for dismissal of defense minister over independence fighter statue controversies

Rep. Woo Won-shik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, center, holds a press conference in front of the defense ministry headquarters in Seoul, Aug. 30. YonhapAn opposition lawmaker on Wednesday demanded the dismissal of Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup for advocating the relocation of the bust of revered independence fighter Hong Beom-do, saying that the move amounts to a "historical coup."The ministry has been considering relocating the busts of Hong from the Korea Military Academy in northern Seoul and the defense ministry headquarters to the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, 85 kilometers south of Seoul, citing his past record of collaborating with Soviet communist forces and associations with communism. "It is aimed at building a country for pro-Japanese collaborators by removing independence fighters, who are the root of our soldiers," said Rep. Woo Won-shik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea during a press conference held in front of the ministry headquarters in Seoul. Woo serves as the head of a foundation commemorating Hong.Regarding the ministry

Aug 30, 2023
Opposition lawmaker calls for dismissal of defense minister over independence fighter statue controversies

Science ministry seeks 3.2% decrease in 2024 budget

Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho, left, speaks during a briefing at the government complex in Seoul, Aug. 22. YonhapKorea's science ministry said Wednesday that it has requested a 3.2 percent decrease in its budget for next year amid a government-led campaign to remove inefficiencies in the science and technology sectors.The Ministry of Science and ICT said it has proposed 18.3 trillion won ($13.8 billion) for next year's budget to secure core strategic technologies, support international scientific cooperation, foster young talents in the science and digital fields, expand digital transformation and improve the capabilities of state-funded research centers.The reduction was led by a 10.2 percent on-year cut in the ministry's budget of 8.8 trillion won for research and development (R&D) projects.It is apparently in line with the government's full-scale review of subsidies provided for R&D projects run by state-run research centers and institutions. In June, the state audit agency launched an inspection into dozens of institutions, including the science ministry and minist

Aug 30, 2023
Science ministry seeks 3.2% decrease in 2024 budget

INTERVIEW 'Labor reforms aim to foster conditions favorable for both business, labor'

Employment and Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik holds an interview with The Korea Times at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, Aug. 23. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulMinister tackles aging population, low birthrate challenges facing labor sectorBy Jun Ji-hyeReforming the labor sector means not only pursuing pro-business policies, but also promoting a worker-friendly environment, the labor minister said, refuting criticism from unions that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been leaning too heavily in favor of big businesses. During a recent interview with The Korea Times, Employment and Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik said the government's labor reform agenda has emphasized laws and principles with the aim of improving outdated norms and practices and creating a sustainable labor market that can be a substantial help to both workers and managers. “So, the government's labor reform policies are not pro-business and anti-labor, but pro-business and pro-labor,” Lee said. “The two umbrella labor organizations have resisted the government's emphasis on laws and

Aug 30, 2023By Jun Ji-hye
[INTERVIEW] 'Labor reforms aim to foster conditions favorable for both business, labor'
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