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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.

Opposition leader claims forced labor compensation plan may lead to military consequences

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at a rally March 11 protesting against the government's compensation plan for victims of Japan's wartime forced labor in central Seoul. YonhapOpposition leader Lee Jae-myung again denounced the government's compensation plan for victims of wartime forced labor Saturday, claiming that the solution may result in Japan's Self-Defense Forces entering the Korean Peninsula.Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, made the remarks in a rally protesting against the government's plan to compensate the Korean victims of Japan's forced labor through a foundation supported by donations from Korean businesses, not the Japanese companies accused of forced labor during World War II.Opposition parties, victims and activists have strongly denounced the decision, saying that it makes no sense to compensate forced labor victims with public donations, rather than money from Japanese companies that exploited forced labor victims."There is the possibility of the military boots of the Self-Defense Forces a

Mar 11, 2023
Opposition leader claims forced labor compensation plan may lead to military consequences

Deceased former aide said to have urged Lee to leave politics in suicide note

A reporter watches the home of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's former chief of staff in Seongnam, south of Seoul, who was found dead on March 9. YonhapA former chief of staff to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was found dead in an apparent suicide, urged the Democratic Party (DP) chair to quit politics in his suicide note, informed officials said Friday.The deceased, surnamed Jeon, is also said to have complained about being investigated by prosecutors in connection with Lee's corruption allegations.Jeon had served as Lee's chief secretary during his term as the mayor of Seongnam, just south of Seoul, before becoming his first chief of staff after Lee was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province in mid-2018.Jeon was found dead at his home in Seongnam at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, and police said they have yet to find any sign of foul play in his death.According to the officials, a six-page suicide note apparently written by Jeon was found on the scene. Jeon reportedly said in the note that he only worked hard but felt wronged after becoming a target of the prosecution's investigation.Je

Mar 10, 2023
Deceased former aide said to have urged Lee to leave politics in suicide note

Umbrella union leader vows to stand up against gov't reform of workweek

This Feb. 28 photo shows Kim Dong-myung, chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. YonhapThe leader of a major umbrella union on Friday pledged to stand up against the controversial reform of the 52-hour workweek system, accusing the government of trying to cancel labor progress achieved over the past decades.The government announced a set of labor reform measures on Monday, including enabling companies to increase the maximum work hours per week to 69 hours from the legally permitted 52 hours now. The measures seek to increase flexibility in the working week so that employers can choose more hours during busy weeks and fewer hours during slow weeks."After only a year following the presidential election, we are witnessing the regression of society and the collapse of communities," Kim Dong-myung, the leader of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), said in a speech marking the union's 77th anniversary. The union leader denounced the workweek reform and accused the government of "trying to take backward steps and bring the state of the labor act back to 70 years ago.""

Mar 10, 2023
Umbrella union leader vows to stand up against gov't reform of workweek

Death of another aide adds pressure on opposition leader

Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, attends a Supreme Council meeting at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in Suwon, Friday. Yonhap Lee blames prosecution after ex-chief of staff found deadBy Jung Min-hoA former chief of staff to main opposition party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung was found dead Thursday. The apparent suicide is fueling speculation over the cause of the tragedy following the deaths of four other people close to Lee, who is the target of high-profile investigations into corruption allegations.The news has drawn criticism and concerns from ruling party politicians, who are calling on the chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to come clean about all of the allegations facing him. Lee, however, attributed the latest death to “excessive” investigation by prosecutors.Jeon Hyung-soo, 64, who served as Lee's chief of staff when he was the mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, was found dead at his home th

Mar 10, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Death of another aide adds pressure on opposition leader

Opposition leader blames prosecution for death of former aide

The main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung makes a solemn face while speaking at a party meeting held in the Gyeonggi provincial assembly in Suwon, 34 kilometers south of Seoul on March 10. YonhapThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung on Friday blamed the prosecution for the death of one of his former chiefs of staff, saying he cannot forgive what he calls the prosecution's "excessive" investigation.The former aide, surnamed Jeon who served as Lee's chief of staff during his term as the Gyeonggi governor, was found dead in an apparent suicide at his home in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Thursday. If confirmed, Jeon would be the fifth person around Lee to commit suicide since corruption allegations involving Lee surfaced in 2021.Jeon is known to have undergone questioning by prosecutors in recent months in connection with allegations of Lee's third-party bribery surrounding corporate donations to the municipal football club Seongnam FC. He left a suicide note in which he reportedly urged Lee to give up politics."This happened because of

Mar 10, 2023
Opposition leader blames prosecution for death of former aide
  • Lee's deceased former aide said to complain of probe by prosecutors in suicide note

PM calls for all-out efforts for Busan expo campaign

This Nov. 18, 2022 file photo shows Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arriving to attend the "APEC Leaders' Dialogue with ABAC" event during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo called on the government and the private sector Friday to make all-out efforts to win the bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan, with the announcement on the final winner several months away. Han made the remark at a meeting of the expo bid committee gathered to discuss preparations so far and how to carry out the campaign plans in the coming months. "The competition is going to get fiercer among the bidding countries, with about nine months left until the host country is decided," Han, a co-chair of the bid committee, said at the start of the meeting. "I ask everyone to step up negotiations customized to the demands of each country and make the most of available resources, such as multilateral meetings and the dispatch of special envoys," Han said.Chey Tae-won, chief of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry w

Mar 10, 2023
PM calls for all-out efforts for Busan expo campaign

Lee's deceased former aide said to complain of probe by prosecutors in suicide note

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung clears the microphone after finishing his remarks at the committee meeting at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, March 10. YonhapA former chief of staff to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was found dead Thursday night in an apparent suicide, is said to have left a note complaining about being investigated by prosecutors in connection with Lee's corruption allegations, informed officials said Friday.The deceased, surnamed Jeon, had served as Lee's chief secretary during his term as the mayor of Seongnam, just south of Seoul, before becoming his first chief of staff after Lee was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province in mid-2018.Jeon was found dead at his home in Seongnam at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, and police said they have yet to find any sign of foul play in his death.According to the officials, a six-page suicide note apparently written by Jeon was found on the scene. Jeon reportedly said in the note that he only worked hard but felt wronged after becoming a target of the prosecution's investigation.Jeon is also known to ha

Mar 10, 2023
Lee's deceased former aide said to complain of probe by prosecutors in suicide note
  • Opposition leader blames prosecution for death of former aide

Yoon to hold summit with Kishida in Japan next week

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of their summit in Phonm Penh, Cambodia in November 2022. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jinPresident Yoon Suk Yeol will visit Japan next week for a summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Korean presidential office said Thursday. It will be the first visit to Tokyo for a summit by a Korean leader in 12 years.The presidential office announced that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee will embark on a two-day trip to Tokyo on March 16 at the invitation of the Japanese government. But the exact date of the summit has yet to be fixed, according to the presidential office.The scheduled meeting is expected to bring about the restoration of shuttle diplomacy, referring to meetings held by the leaders of the neighboring countries once a year.Shuttle diplomacy came to an abrupt halt in 2011 as bilateral relations became strained due to renewed disputes over history and territory dating back to Imperial Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea.In a written statement, the presidential office expressed hopes that the summit wi

Mar 9, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Yoon to hold summit with Kishida in Japan next week
  • Seoul to announce normalization of GSOMIA: Japanese media

ANALYSIS Ruling party leadership united behind Yoon for first time

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, center, new leader of the ruling People Power Party, walks with members of its Supreme Council toward a meeting room at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. NewsisBiggest culprit of president's popularity problem removed: analystsBy Jung Min-hoWith his close aide taking control of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), President Yoon Suk Yeol has secured ― for the first time ― a party leadership that shares much of his political vision, according to analysts, Thursday.Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, a four-term lawmaker, was elected as the PPP's new chairman the previous day. This means a united and supportive leadership for the president, who has been less popular than most of his predecessors, in part because of a lack of support from his own party.“The most damaging factor in terms of a president's approval rating is criticism from their own party,” Bae Jong-chan, a political analyst who runs Insight K, a consultancy, told The Korea Times. “With the problem now removed, Yoon's popularity is expected to grow.”It may not be accurate to say that the o

Mar 9, 2023By Jung Min-ho
[ANALYSIS] Ruling party leadership united behind Yoon for first time

Main opposition tables bill to launch special counsel probe into allegations involving first lady

Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea submit a bill calling for an independent counsel probe into allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee to the National Assembly in western Seoul, March 9. YonhapThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Thursday submitted a bill calling for a special counsel investigation of first lady Kim Keon Hee over allegations of stock manipulation and bribery.The DPK had tabled a similar bill last year, but proposed a new one that excludes a probe into allegations that Kim falsified her academic credentials when she applied for a teaching job at a university in Seoul in 2014. The new bill still calls for an independent probe into allegations Kim was involved in the stock manipulation case where a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea, was accused of conspiring with influential market players to boost the company's stock prices between 2009 and 2012. It also calls for an investigation into graft suspicions that about a dozen conglomerates sponsored three art exhibitions sponsored by Kim's former company

Mar 9, 2023
Main opposition tables bill to launch special counsel probe into allegations involving first lady
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