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2 opposition lawmakers referred to prosecution for alleged defamation of first lady

This photo shows Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Lee Man-hee, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, right, Jan. 4. Korea Times photo by Koh Yeong-gwonPolice have referred two lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea to the prosecution for investigation and potential indictment on charges of spreading false information against first lady Kim Keon Hee, a police official said Monday.Police referred Reps. Woo Sang-ho and Jang Kyung-tae to the prosecution last week without physical detention on defamation charges, the official said. During a radio program last May, Woo claimed that Kim toured the official foreign minister's residence in Seoul's Hannam-dong district to look into the possibility of transforming it into the presidential residence, and told the wife of then Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong to stay out of the house while she looked around.After winning the March 9 presidential election last year, President Yoon Suk Yeol carried out his campaign promise and relocated the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the former defense m

Apr 24, 2023
2 opposition lawmakers referred to prosecution for alleged defamation of first lady

Yoon's approval rating slips for 3rd week: poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, April 18. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell slightly for the third straight week after his remarks on Ukraine and Taiwan raised tensions with Russia and China, a poll showed Monday.In the poll of 2,520 adults aged 18 or older conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance inched down 1 percentage point from the previous week to 32.6 percent.Yoon's disapproval rating was 64.7 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from the previous week.In the latest poll, diplomacy and national security were the most mentioned factors in making both positive and negative assessments of Yoon's performance. The pollster suggested that this may have been influenced by a recent interview with Reuters, in which Yoon signaled a shift in the country's policy of providing only non-lethal aid to Ukraine, and expressed opposition to changing the status quo by force with regard to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.Both Russia and China bristled at the r

Apr 24, 2023
Yoon's approval rating slips for 3rd week: poll

Yoon to embark on state visit to US

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a summit at the presidential office in Seoul, May 21, 2022. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol was set to depart for Washington on Monday for a six-day state visit expected to strengthen the allies' response to North Korea's nuclear threat and other challenges in a symbolic year marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance.Under the theme "alliance in action, toward the future," the visit comes at a time of growing concern over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities and questions about the credibility of Washington's "extended deterrence" commitment to Seoul.A joint statement on measures to enhance extended deterrence ― or the U.S. commitment to mobilizing the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally ― is expected to be a highlight of Yoon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday.The summit will be preceded by an official arrival ceremony and followed by a state dinner hosted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Yoon will be joined by first

Apr 24, 2023
Yoon to embark on state visit to US

Protest against lethal aid to Ukraine

Members of liberal labor groups stage a rally on a street in Jongno district, central Seoul, Sunday, to protest the government's possible decision to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine to support its war against Russia. In a recent interview, President Yoon Suk Yeol said his administration might consider offering lethal aid to Kyiv in the case of “large-scale” attacks on civilians or because of a massacre, marking a significant shift from Korea's current approach of refraining from offering deadly weapons to the war-torn nation. Yonhap

Apr 23, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Protest against lethal aid to Ukraine

60% of young people say unification with NK unnecessary

This photo shows the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong, March 13. YonhapAbout 60 percent of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s said unification with North Korea is not necessary, a survey showed Sunday, amid a prolonged impasse in inter-Korean relations and denuclearization talks. The survey, commissioned by a civic media group called Barun Media Citizen Action, found that 61 percent of people in their 20s and 30s say Korean reunification is "not absolutely necessary." In comparison, 24 percent of them say unification with North Korea is "absolutely necessary." North Korea has ramped up tensions by carrying out a flurry of weapons tests, including a recent launch of what it claimed to be a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile.According to the survey of 1,001 people, 91 percent of them have unfavorable views of China and 88 percent have unfavorable views of North Korea. In contrast, 67 percent have favorable views of the United States and 63 percent have favorable views of Japan. The poll, conducted by pollste

Apr 23, 2023
60% of young people say unification with NK unnecessary

New veterans ministry to come into being in June

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in Sejong City, Korea/ YonhapThe new veterans ministry, being upgraded from its current sub-ministry status, will formally come into being in June, officials said Sunday. Last month, President Yoon Suk Yeol signed a bill promulgating a revision to the Government Organization Act under which the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will be upgraded from the current sub-ministry level to full-fledged ministry status and a new sub-ministry-level agency will be created under the oversight of the foreign minister to support 7.5 million Koreans residing overseas.The ministry put up a public notice Friday of the revised government organization act that will go into force June 5, the government officials said. With the upgrade, the workforce of the ministry will be increased to 337 from the current 311, while its current five divisions will be expanded and diversified into 29 divisions, the officials said. (Yonhap)

Apr 23, 2023
New veterans ministry to come into being in June

Ex-DPK leader denies electioneering bribery scandal but vows to take 'political responsibility'

Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Song Young-gil speaks during a press conference in Paris, April 22. YonhapSong Young-gil, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) at the center of the "cash envelope" electioneering scandal, has vowed to take full "political responsibility" although he denied having known about the bribery campaign. The scandal centers on allegations that envelopes containing cash totaling 94 million won ($70,570) were handed out to party members, including some 10-20 lawmakers, to help Song be elected as party leader ahead of the party's national convention in May 2021. Song won party leadership at the convention.The scandal is rocking the DPK as prosecutors broaden their investigation, and incumbent Chair Lee Jae-myung has requested that to address the situation Song return home from Paris where he has been attending the ESCP Business School as a visiting professor.Song apologized to the public and party members, and said he will leave the party to undergo a prosecution investigation as a common citizen in a press confere

Apr 23, 2023
Ex-DPK leader denies electioneering bribery scandal but vows to take 'political responsibility'

Owners of dog meat farms slam first lady

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee pose with puppies at the Samsung Guide Dog School in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in this photo taken on Dec. 24 last year. Courtesy of presidential officeBy Jun Ji-hyeFirst lady Kim Keon Hee faces criticism from a group representing dog meat farm owners for her recent remarks calling for an end to the country's contentious culture of eating dogs.The group claimed Kim, who is neither a president nor a lawmaker, should maintain neutrality as the role of the first lady is supporting the president. “Siding with animal rights groups, which are interest groups, and calling for banning dog meat consumption is obvious political activity that exceeds her authority,” the group said in its statement, Thursday. The comments came as Kim vowed to work to ban dog meat consumption within the tenure of the Yoon Suk Yeol government.“I will try to put an end to dog meat consumption before the tenure of this government ends. I think that is my duty,” she said during her luncheon with officials from animal rights groups, including

Apr 21, 2023By Jun Ji-hye
Owners of dog meat farms slam first lady

Korean parents in US enraged by MIT admission of justice minister's daughter

Captured image of Change.org petition demanding Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reconsider the admission of the daughter of South Korean Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. Screen captured from Change.orgBy Jane HanSAN FRANCISCO ― For Korean moms in the U.S., this college admissions season isn't just about a record-breaking year of competition. It's about setting the record straight with one of America's most prestigious universities regarding their recent acceptance of a Korean student.A group of Korean moms launched a Change.org petition demanding Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reconsider the admission of the daughter of South Korean Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. In less than a week, close to 40,000 people have signed the petition exposing the teenager's alleged plagiarism of numerous published papers, academic misconduct and exaggeration of awards and activities. ``What if student A did not report in her MIT application any of the fabricated research articles and math workbooks … or the scholarly article on U.S. national debt that she outsourced to a

Apr 21, 2023
Korean parents in US enraged by MIT admission of justice minister's daughter

Court hearing held on arrest warrant for key suspect in 'cash envelope' electioneering scandal

Kang Rae-gu, center, a sitting member of the audit committee for the state water agency K-water, heads to a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, April 21. YonhapA Seoul court held a hearing Friday to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant for a key suspect in the "cash envelope" electioneering scandal engulfing the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The scandal centers on allegations that envelopes containing cash totaling 94 million won ($71,700) were handed out to party members, including some 10-20 lawmakers, to help Song Yong-gil be elected as party leader ahead of the party's national convention in May 2021.Song won party leadership at the convention.Kang Rae-gu, a sitting member of the audit committee for the state water agency K-water, worked for Song's campaign at the time of the convention and now stands accused of collecting about 80 million won of the total from businesspeople and others.Kang is also suspected of taking a bribe of 3 million won from a businessman who sought business favors connected to K-water's power plant facilitie

Apr 21, 2023
Court hearing held on arrest warrant for key suspect in 'cash envelope' electioneering scandal
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