my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Politics

Ex-president visits cemetery to honor fallen sailors in Cheonan warship sinking

Former President Lee Myung-bak checks graves for sailors killed in North Korea's sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 at a national cemetery in Daejeon, Wednesday. YonhapFormer President Lee Myung-bak visited a national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon on Wednesday to pay respects to sailors killed in North Korea's sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010. The visit was Lee's first official activity after he was released from prison on a special pardon by President Yoon Suk Yeol in December. The sinking of the warship Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors, happened when Lee was in office, and he pledged to visit the cemetery every year, even after leaving office."I will pray for national prosperity and the security of the Republic of Korea while honoring the sacrificial spirit on the front line of freedom," Lee wrote in the visitors' book at the cemetery, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.Lee chose the visit to the national cemetery as his first official activity since his pardon to keep his promise to visit the cemetery every year while he is alive, Hong Sang-pyo, Lee's ai

Mar 22, 2023
Ex-president visits cemetery to honor fallen sailors in Cheonan warship sinking

US revision of human rights report is 'acknowledgement' of its inaccuracy: presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, March 21. YonhapThe U.S. State Department's quick revision of its report on human rights practices in Korea is an "acknowledgement" that the report was "not accurate," a presidential official said Wednesday.The department removed the subheading "Violence and Harassment" from a description of what happened in the wake of broadcaster MBC's release last September of what it claimed was a video of Yoon making vulgar references to U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress. Yoon accused MBC of putting national security at risk.The removal came a day after the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released.In answer to a query from Yonhap News Agency, the department said the subheading was deleted because it was "not well suited" to describe the incident."The State Department's immediate revision of its report can be seen as an acknowledgement that the report was not accurate," the presidential official told reporters."There are various controversies every year after the release of the Stat

Mar 22, 2023
US revision of human rights report is 'acknowledgement' of its inaccuracy: presidential office

PM asks for Vietnam's support for Korea's World Expo bid

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, right, shakes hands with Vietnam's National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai during a meeting in Seoul in this photo provided by Han's office, March 22. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday asked Vietnam's National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai to support Korea's bid to bring the 2030 World Expo to the port city of Busan, 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The request was made as Han met with Nguyen, who is on an official visit to Korea, earlier in the day, Han's office said in a statement. In return, Nguyen said he will ask the Vietnamese government to positively review the request, according to the statement. Han said Korea and Vietnam need to bolster cooperation in the fields of supply chains, energy, digital and defense industries. (Yonhap)

Mar 22, 2023
PM asks for Vietnam's support for Korea's World Expo bid

Arrest motion for ruling party lawmaker presented to National Assembly

Rep. Ha Young-je of the People Power Party in this Oct. 16, 2020 file photo. The Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geunThe justice ministry on Wednesday submitted a request to the National Assembly for parliamentary consent for the arrest of a ruling party lawmaker.Rep. Ha Young-je of the People Power Party has been under prosecution investigation on suspicion of receiving 70 million won ($53,540) from a South Gyeongsang provincial council candidate ahead of last June's local elections.Ha, a first-term lawmaker, is also accused of accepting 57.5 million won from local government officials and his aides to add to his regional offices' operating expenses.The Changwon District Prosecutors Office requested a pretrial arrest warrant for Ha on Monday on charges of accepting bribes and illicit political funds.According to the law, sitting lawmakers have immunity from arrest or detention while the National Assembly is in session. The prosecution must obtain parliamentary consent to arrest or detain lawmakers.The arrest motion for Ha is expected to be reported to the Assembly on Thursday before bei

Mar 22, 2023
Arrest motion for ruling party lawmaker presented to National Assembly

Samsung, SK avoid worst-case scenario as US 'guardrails' are less stringent than feared

Samsung Electronics' memory chip plant in Xi'an, China / Courtesy of Samsung ElectronicsBy Baek Byung-yeulSamsung Electronics and SK hynix have avoided the worst-case outcome from the U.S. CHIPS Act ― which embodies Washington's attempt to limit Beijing's chip technology development ― because details of the regulation did not specify the banning of increases in output through technological upgrades at their chip factories in China, industry officials said Wednesday.The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Tuesday (U.S. time) details of the proposed “guardrails” for the CHIPS for America Incentives Program, which involves $52 billion in funding.Under the new restrictions, chip companies that receive subsidies in the U.S. are banned from expanding semiconductor production by more than 5 percent for advanced chips and 10 percent for older technology in China for 10 years after receiving the benefits.However, expanding the amount of semiconductor production per wafer was not included in the defined expansion of production capacity, giving Korean chip makers a breather. A

Mar 22, 2023By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung, SK avoid worst-case scenario as US 'guardrails' are less stringent than feared

Main opposition leader indicted, faces calls to resign

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung attends a party meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooProsecutors indicted main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung, Wednesday, on charges of corruption involving a massive land development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province when he was the mayor of the city.He was also charged with illegally attracting corporate donations to Seongnam Football Club (Seongnam FC) in return for administrative favors.The indictment came approximately 18 months after prosecutors launched investigations into the land development scandal, which pitted the main political parties against each other and jeopardized Lee's presidential campaign last year.The DPK's leadership said the indictment constitutes political persecution and is poised to let Lee retain his status as the party's head. But the cornered chairman is facing dire calls to resign from both inside and outside the party.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office charged Lee with breach of duty, confl

Mar 22, 2023By Nam Hyun-woo
Main opposition leader indicted, faces calls to resign

DPK to decide whether to exempt indicted party leader from membership suspension

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung at the National Assembly in western Seoul, March 22. YonhapThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will hold a party affairs committee meeting Wednesday to decide whether to exempt party leader Lee Jae-myung from the suspension of his membership by recognizing the prosecution's indictment as political retaliation, officials said. The DPK held an emergency Supreme Council meeting and decided to hold a party affairs committee meeting at 5 p.m. to discuss the matter, according to DPK spokesperson An Ho-young. The committee will decide whether it will apply Article 80 of the party charter, which mandates the suspension of one's membership for those indicted on corruption charges, to Lee. The DPK revised the article last year to allow the party to cancel a suspension if it determines the indictment is politically motivated, despite some of its members' criticism it is intended to prevent Lee from losing his chairmanship. Earlier Wednesday, Lee was indicted on development corruption and bribery charges arising fro

Mar 22, 2023
DPK to decide whether to exempt indicted party leader from membership suspension

Minister to seek cooperation with Japan over S. Korean abductees in N. Korea

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se speaks to reporters at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul before leaving for Japan for a four-day trip, March 22. YonhapSouth Korea's unification minister said Wednesday he will seek cooperation with Japan to help resolve the issue of Korean nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, as he embarked on a visit to Tokyo."It will be helpful to resolve the humanitarian issue through cooperation with Japan," Kwon told reporters just before heading there for a four-day trip that was arranged at the invitation of the Japanese government. He is expected to discuss Seoul-Tokyo cooperation on North Korea and other pending issues.At least 516 South Koreans are estimated to have been detained in North Korea after being abducted by the North after the 1950-53 Korean War, according to the Korean government. The North is believed to have kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s.Kwon also stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation involving South Korea, the United States and Japan to better cope with North Korea's nuclear and missile threa

Mar 22, 2023
Minister to seek cooperation with Japan over S. Korean abductees in N. Korea

PM calls for innovation in water management

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, left, alongside South Jeolla Gov. Kim Yung-rok, have drinks made from potatoes cultivated in Haenam, a town 334 kilometers south of Seoul, in the southwestern province of South Jeolla, as he attends a publicity event in Seoul to promote visits to the province, March 22. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government needs to take innovative measures in the management of water resources to ensure a stable supply of clean water and reduce the likelihood of flooding. "The water management policy now needs a major innovation," Han told a forum marking World Water Day. Han said the government will swiftly come up with anti-drought measures, including the development of alternative water resources and the connection of water supply chains across the country. A stable supply of clean water, prevention of water-related disasters and promotion of the water industry are the three main goals in the government's water management, Han said. To promote the water industry, the government will provide policy support for local firms to win more overseas o

Mar 22, 2023
PM calls for innovation in water management

Opposition leader indicted over development corruption scandal

Lee Jae-myung, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a party meeting, March 20. YonhapProsecutors indicted opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday over development corruption and bribery charges arising from his term as mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, years ago. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office charged Lee with breach of duty, conflict of interest, bribery and concealment of criminal proceeds connected to development projects in Seongnam's Daejang-dong and Wirye districts, and the city's municipal football club. Prosecutors had earlier sought an arrest warrant for Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), but the DPK-dominated National Assembly voted to reject the government's request for parliamentary consent to arrest him. By law, parliamentary consent is necessary to arrest a lawmaker while parliament is in session. Lee, mayor of Seongnam from 2010-2018, was charged with breach of trust for allegedly causing 490.6 billion won ($375.4 million) of financial damage to the city government by approving arrang

Mar 22, 2023
Opposition leader indicted over development corruption scandal
previous page
429430431432433
next page

Most Read in South Korea