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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.

Do Na's resignation offer, poll popularity hint at possible PPP chief bid?

Na Kyung-won, second from right, bows to visitors at the Dongjak District Office in Seoul, Wednesday, where the ruling People Power Party members greeted the public to celebrate the New Year. Joint Press Corps.By Ko Dong-hwanFormer lawmaker Na Kyung-won has emerged as a potential candidate in the People Power Party's (PPP) leadership contest to be held in two months. Appearing at the party's Yeouido headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday as the members of its Seoul chapter greeted the public for New Year, the seasoned conservative politician kept her words to a minimum regarding whether she will launch the bid. She, however, used the words, “absolute harmony for the success of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration,” while raising a toast in front of the lawmakers, as the party is looking to overtake the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea in the country's National Assembly elections to be held next year and claim more Assembly seats this time. If Na, vice chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, joins the race during the PPP party con

Jan 12, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
Do Na's resignation offer, poll popularity hint at possible PPP chief bid?

Assembly Speaker Kim to visit Vietnam, Indonesia

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo was to leave on a trip to Vietnam and Indonesia on Thursday to discuss expanding economic and security cooperation with the countries, Kim's office said. YonhapNational Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo was to leave on a trip to Vietnam and Indonesia on Thursday to discuss expanding economic and security cooperation with the countries, Kim's office said. Kim plans to first visit Hanoi to meet with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other top government officials, as well as his Vietnamese counterpart, to discuss improving the bilateral ties between the countries in various areas from finance and construction to the arms industry. While in Vietnam, Kim also plans to attend a ceremony celebrating the construction completion of Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology and work on promoting South Korea's bid for the 2030 World Expo.On Wednesday, Kim will travel to Jakarta to meet with Indonesia's top parliamentary officials, and discuss advancing cooperation in resource development and the arms industry. Kim also plans to share Korea's exp

Jan 12, 2023
Assembly Speaker Kim to visit Vietnam, Indonesia

Main opposition leader urges president to sit down for talks

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks during a New Year press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooMain opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung claimed that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is “destroying the opposition” and warned that “state affairs will continue to be in shambles and remain in a state of crisis” unless the ruling bloc accepts the opposition as a counterpart of conversation.The former presidential candidate also denounced the prosecution, which is investigating his alleged involvement in a bribery scandal involving Seongnam FC, a football club run by Seongnam, a city just south of Seoul, when he served as mayor, saying “prosecutors have become a puppet of the powers that be.” Lee made the remarks during a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly, two days after he was grilled by prosecutors as a suspect in the Seongnam FC scandal.“A risk to Korea is emerging as economic difficulties are coupled with disas

Jan 12, 2023By Nam Hyun-woo
Main opposition leader urges president to sit down for talks

Yoon keeps possibility of Seoul's possession of nuclear weapons open

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during the policy briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense in Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the presidential officeBy Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk Yeol made a rare remark about South Korea turning to nuclear weapons as a last resort to protect the country from North Korean attacks.In the closing remarks of the policy briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, he said he would not rule out the possibility of the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea or the nation building its own nuclear weapons in case North Korea's nuclear threat becomes much more serious than it is now. Although conditional remarks, it's the first time that Yoon mentioned South Korea's possible development or acquisition of nuclear weapons since he was inaugurated on May 10 last year. “If that happens, it won't take long for us to have one, given our scientific and technological capabilities,” he said in a read

Jan 12, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung
Yoon keeps possibility of Seoul's possession of nuclear weapons open

Opposition leader Lee lashes out at gov't, calls for talks with Yoon

Main opposition Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks at a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 12. Yonhap Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung lashed out at the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday for what he called an attempt to "annihilate" the opposition party amid a prosecution investigation into bribery allegations involving him.Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), also renewed his calls for one-on-one talks with Yoon as he held his first official press conference, just two days after he was questioned by prosecutors over the bribery allegations."I hope for a halt to the scheme to annihilate the opposition party," Lee said. "So far, the government has been bent on destroying the opposition party and killing a political enemy while talking about cooperative governance."Lee accused the prosecution of "doing politics" instead of "investigation," saying the prosecution questioning was

Jan 12, 2023
Opposition leader Lee lashes out at gov't, calls for talks with Yoon

Yoon says Japan's moves to bolster defense are hard to stop

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a policy briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 9. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that Japan's moves to bolster its defense capabilities are hard to stop in the face of the threat of North Korea's missiles.Yoon made the remark during a joint policy briefing from the foreign and defense ministers, referring to Japan's recent increase in its defense budget and its inclusion of the "counterstrike" concept in its revised security documents."We can wonder how a country adopting a pacifist constitution can do such things, but if there are missiles flying over their heads and the possibility of a nuclear strike, it's not easy to stop," he said during the meeting at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae."Japan increased its defense budget because there are IRBMs flying over their heads, and decided to include the so-called 'counterstrike' concept in its defense plan," he said, referring to intermediate-range ballistic missiles that North Korea fired over Japan. "How can anyone take issue with that?"Yoon also stressed the nee

Jan 11, 2023
Yoon says Japan's moves to bolster defense are hard to stop

ANALYSIS Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts

A woman who arrived from China walks into a COVID-19 testing center at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Jan. 5. AP-YonhapSeoul-Beijing COVID spat escalates following China's new visa curbsBy Jack LauSouth Korea was the first country to take the brunt of Beijing's visa suspensions in retaliation against coronavirus testing requirements imposed by more than 15 countries as cases spiked inside China after the end of its zero-COVID policy.One analyst said South Korea was targeted first because it could do little to respond to China's retaliation, mainly because of the country's heavy reliance on trade with China. China is South Korea's No. 1 trading partner. “I think China believes that South Korea greatly relies on it economically, and therefore when China protests, South Korea will comply with its demands. But this thinking might be an illusion,” Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China, said.The South Korean government was unlikely to budge on the entry restrictions and would, like other countries, drop the measures whe

Jan 11, 2023
[ANALYSIS] Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts
  • China stops transit visa exemption for Korean, Japanese nationals
  • Yoon says COVID-driven border control is 'sovereignty' issue

Yoon says COVID-driven border control is 'sovereignty' issue

By Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk Yeol / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday that there was no political calculation whatsoever in South Korea's anti-COVID measures to screen travelers entering the South from China, emphasizing that the decision was made purely on scientific grounds.He made the remarks amid mounting diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Beijing following China's suspension of short-term visas for South Korean nationals a day earlier.In his opening remarks during a policy briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yoon said that the COVID-driven border control is a sovereignty issue and therefore no other country is in a position to comment on or take disruptive actions against the measures. He said Seoul-Beijing diplomatic tensions are unnecessary. Citing news articles on the spike of COVID-19 infections in China, he said some media outlets reported that nearly 200 million Chinese were infected with the virus. “We decided to stop issuing short-term visas for tourists entering South Korea from China against this backdrop, and China took retali

Jan 11, 2023By Kang Hyun-kyung
Yoon says COVID-driven border control is 'sovereignty' issue
  • ANALYSIS Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts

PM disagrees with proposal to write off debts to spur birthrate

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Sejong, which was connected via video streaming with the government complex in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Lee Hae-rinPrime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that he does not agree with a proposal to resolve Korea's persistently-low birthrate by writing off the debts of newlywed couples who have babies. The idea was proposed by Na Kyung-won, vice chair of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy.During a dinner meeting with reporters, Han said he expressed his objections after Na had briefed him on the proposed plan to spur the birthrate before announcing it at a press conference on Jan. 5.Na, a former four-term lawmaker of the ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP), announced that the committee considers adopting a policy similar to the “baby-expecting loan” of Hungary, an undertaking to tackle the country's demographic crisis where the governmen

Jan 11, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
PM disagrees with proposal to write off debts to spur birthrate

Ex-national security adviser appeals for bail

Former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon attends a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul in this Oct. 27, 2022 file photo. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geunFormer National Security Adviser Suh Hoon asked for bail Wednesday, citing his advanced age and health problems, after he was arrested on charges of attempting to cover up the 2020 death of a fisheries official at the hands of North Korea.Suh filed for bail last month after being arrested earlier that month on charges of involvement in the previous Moon Jae-in government's conclusion without sufficient evidence that the official was killed while attempting to defect to the North. He also allegedly ordered the deletion of intelligence reports running counter to the conclusion. In a hearing on his bail request, his lawyer pleaded with the court to grant the request in consideration of Suh's advanced age of 69 and cardiovascular diseases he is suffering. The lawyer also refuted charges against Suh, saying it is hard to believe he ordered concealment when hundreds of working-level officials at the defense and intelligence

Jan 11, 2023
Ex-national security adviser appeals for bail
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