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PPP lawmaker to seek court injunction over party membership suspension

Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said Thursday he will file for a court injunction to suspend disciplinary action taken against him for supporting an independent candidate in a parliamentary by-election. The move came after the PPP ethics committee handed Jin a two-year suspension of his party membership for supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hoon for a parliamentary seat in the southeastern city of Busan ahead of the June 3 local elections, despite the PPP running its own candidate in the district. "I will seek a legal judgment on whether the grounds for disciplinary action were sufficiently proven by objective facts and evidence, whether the conduct constitutes as grounds for disciplinary action under party rules, whether the process was carried out lawfully and fairly, and whether the two-year suspension is proportionate and reasonable from a legal perspective," Jin wrote on Facebook. The lawmaker was also disciplined over a separate incident involving remarks widely considered insensitive toward the victim of the "roundhouse kick" assault case

Sep 3, 2026By Yonhap
PPP lawmaker to seek court injunction over party membership suspension

Justice, gender equality ministries among 1st to relocate to Sejong in 2027

The government said Thursday it will begin relocating central government agencies and public institutions remaining in the Seoul metropolitan area to Sejong in the first half of 2027, starting with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The agencies that will take over the soon-to-be-dismantled prosecution’s functions, including indictments and criminal investigations, as well as the National Police Agency, will be relocated after new headquarters are built. Announced during a government-wide briefing led by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, the measures are part of a phased plan to relocate about 350 public institutions currently based in the capital region to other parts of the country to promote balanced regional development. The plan marks the second round of the government’s relocation drive, following the first round carried out from the 2000s through the 2010s. The government will announce a detailed relocation plan for the public institutions in the fourth quarter of this year, with the moves to begin in 2027. Separately, the government plans to c

Sep 3, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Justice, gender equality ministries among 1st to relocate to Sejong in 2027

Justice minister nominee denies intention to cancel indictments against Lee once in office

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won on Thursday denied any intention to order the withdrawal of indictments against President Lee Jae Myung if he takes office, saying the position has no direct authority over such matters. Kim, a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has faced criticism from the main opposition People Power Party over his involvement in a group of DPK lawmakers calling for dropping Lee's criminal indictments. "The justice minister has no direct authority and I have no intent to issue orders through the prosecutor general," Kim told reporters when asked about the issue. "Prosecutors have the authority over maintaining indictments in individual cases, so I will respect that." He explained his involvement in the group was intended to convey the public's stance to correct wrongs in cases brought by the state through "illegal" investigations. Kim has called for cancelling Lee's indictments, claiming they were brought by politically motivated prosecutors. Lee had faced multiple criminal trials before his presidential election in June last year. The trials h

Sep 3, 2026By Yonhap
Justice minister nominee denies intention to cancel indictments against Lee once in office

Lee reaffirms commitment to replacing Korean armistice with peace regime

President Lee Jae Myung reaffirmed his commitment Wednesday to establishing a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, also pledging efforts to help resume dialogue between the North and the United States to establish peace. The president reiterated the commitment during a gathering of the American unit of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body on unification, in Incheon, west of Seoul. In his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, Lee proposed that the two Koreas begin talks on ending their long-running war and discuss practical ways to halt the advancement of Pyongyang's nuclear program, pledging to seek a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The divided Koreas have technically remained at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. "To prevent tensions from rekindling due to shifts in domestic politics or changes in the international situation, (we) should replace the armistice based on conflict and confrontation with a peace regime anchored in cooperation and prosperity," Lee told the gathering. The president noted

Sep 2, 2026By Yonhap
Lee reaffirms commitment to replacing Korean armistice with peace regime

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOKFlexibility or inconsistency? President's policy U-turns raise questions

President Lee Jae Myung made a candid acknowledgment at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, amid criticism that his administration has repeatedly revised policy proposals following public backlash. “We have to accept that government proposals are not always right, nor can they be perfect,” Lee said, urging ministries to take concerns seriously and reflect reasonable alternatives in their policies. The remarks could be viewed as an expression of flexibility — a president acknowledging that policymakers can make mistakes and should correct them when better options emerge. But they also touch on a growing question surrounding the Lee administration: At what point does flexibility turn into inconsistency? The question has become increasingly relevant as the government has repeatedly modified or reconsidered major policy proposals in response to public opposition. The latest example came at the same Cabinet meeting, when the government reversed a key part of its real estate tax reform just a month after unveiling the overhaul plan. Under the tax reform plan announced Aug. 3, the government propose

Sep 2, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Flexibility or inconsistency? President's policy U-turns raise questions

Lee orders to mobilize all available resources to search, rescue crew of capsized tugboat

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday ordered the mobilization of all available resources to rescue crew members after a tugboat capsized in waters off the southeastern city of Busan. The 286-ton vessel, carrying eight crew members, overturned in waters off Busan at about 1:30 p.m. Two of them were subsequently rescued, but one of them remained unconscious, according to earlier reports. Six others remained missing as Coast Guard rescuers searched for them. "Mobilize all available resources to rescue lives," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung quoted Lee as instructing officials. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook also ordered all-out rescue efforts. Han ordered the Coast Guard and the maritime ministry to mobilize all available resources for rescue efforts, and the interior ministry, the defense ministry and the Busan city government to provide any necessary support, her office said.

Sep 2, 2026By Yonhap
Lee orders to mobilize all available resources to search, rescue crew of capsized tugboat

SME, land minister nominees to undergo confirmation hearings Sept. 15-16

The nominees for small and medium enterprises (SME) minister and land minister will undergo parliamentary confirmation hearings on Sept. 15 and 16, respectively, officials said Wednesday. SME Minister nominee Lee So-young, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and Land Minister nominee Hong Jee-sun, currently vice land minister, were tapped by President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday as part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle. The dates of their confirmation hearings were decided Wednesday by the parliamentary trade committee and parliamentary land committee, respectively. By law, all minister nominees are required to undergo the confirmation process, but parliamentary consent is necessary only for the prime minister in order for the president to appoint them.

Sep 2, 2026By Yonhap
SME, land minister nominees to undergo confirmation hearings Sept. 15-16

Gender minister nominee says aware of concerns over keeping Assembly seat

Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in said Wednesday she is aware of concerns over retaining her National Assembly seat to take her newly nominated position, sidestepping questions about calls for her to resign from parliament. Yong has faced growing calls to give up her parliamentary seat after she earlier said she would keep her seat even after being appointed to the Cabinet position, breaking from convention for proportional representatives. "I will well prepare for the confirmation hearing and deliver my thoughts after organizing them," she told reporters when asked about the calls to resign as lawmaker. "I am listening to the many worries and concerns." While lawmakers can double as members of the Cabinet, proportional representatives, like Yong, have customarily given up their parliamentary seats to take such posts. Yong, who is the sole lawmaker of the Basic Income Party, earlier highlighted that her party would become a non-parliamentary party should she resign as lawmaker.

Sep 2, 2026By Yonhap
Gender minister nominee says aware of concerns over keeping Assembly seat

Lee says now is time to expand economic pie, rather than welfare

President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday it is unrealistic to pursue both economic growth and welfare expansion for now, stressing that priority should be placed on expanding the economic pie rather than welfare. The president wrote the message on his X account, uploading a media column that argued the government's budget bill for next year relatively lacked spending on "distribution." "Giving up growth while expanding welfare should never happen. Pursing the expansion of both growth and welfare is ideal but unrealistic," Lee wrote, adding, "Now is inevitably the time to focus on growth to expand the pie." The president still argued that the government has not cut back on welfare. "If we fail to recover sustained growth and head toward zero or negative growth, (economic) polarization would further worsen and could even lead to a decline in welfare," he said. The president added that the government is also paying attention to improving welfare policies and that more time would be needed for further measures. The previous day, the government proposed a record 820.9 trillion-won ($599 billion)

Sep 2, 2026By Yonhap
Lee says now is time to expand economic pie, rather than welfare

Nat'l Assembly kicks off regular session amid partisan tensions

The National Assembly convened a regular session Tuesday, with heated clashes expected between the ruling and opposition parties over next year's budget and key legislative issues. During the 100-day session, which runs through Dec. 9, lawmakers are expected to wrangle over the government's 821 trillion-won ($595 billion) budget proposal for next year and confirmation hearings for six minister nominees recently picked by President Lee Jae Myung. National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik called on lawmakers to make improving people's livelihoods their top priority, saying the country's economic growth driven by a semiconductor boom has yet to be felt by the people in their daily lives. "The first, second and third priorities are all people's livelihoods," Cho said in his opening address during a plenary session. Cho also cited artificial intelligence (AI), advanced technologies, youth, the climate crisis and peace on the Korean Peninsula as key agenda items for the country's future. "A one-year delay in legislation creates a 10-year gap," he said, urging the rival parties to swiftly handle b

Sep 1, 2026By Yonhap
Nat'l Assembly kicks off regular session amid partisan tensions
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