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Ex-President Lee is going home Friday following pardon

This Feb. 10, 2021, file photo shows former President Lee Myung-bak leaving the Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul to return to a detention center in Anyang, just south of Seoul. YonhapFormer President Lee Myung-bak will leave the hospital and return to his home in southern Seoul on Friday following a special presidential pardon, aides said, amid speculation he could deliver a statement in person.Lee was pardoned at the beginning of Wednesday while serving a 17-year prison term for bribery and embezzlement. The pardon canceled his remaining prison term of about 15 years and about 8.2 billion won ($6.47 million) of unpaid fines.The 81-year-old has been staying at a hospital in Seoul due to diabetes and other chronic ailments. (Yonhap)

Dec 29, 2022
Ex-President Lee is going home Friday following pardon

Yoon says NK drone infiltration 'unacceptable'

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a visit to the Agency for Defense Development in the central city of Daejeon to check the nation's progress on drone and missile development following North Korea's recent drone infiltration, Dec. 29. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday that North Korea's recent drone infiltration was "unacceptable" and called for making "overwhelmingly superior" war preparations to ensure peace.Yoon made the remark during a visit to the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, where he checked the progress of the nation's weapons development, including its surveillance and reconnaissance interception capabilities, his office said."North Korea's violation of our airspace by drones was a completely unacceptable incident. We must make them realize that provocations come with harsh consequences," he said, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung."Our military must become a powerful military that instills unapproachable fear in our enemy and firm confidence in our people," he said. "In order to ga

Dec 29, 2022
Yoon says NK drone infiltration 'unacceptable'

National Assembly refuses to consent to arrest of DPK lawmaker Noh

Rep. Noh Woong-rae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea speaks at the National Assembly ahead of a parliamentary vote on an arrest warrant sought against him on bribery charges, Dec. 28. YonhapThe National Assembly on Wednesday voted against arresting opposition lawmaker Noh Woong-rae on bribery charges.The motion fell through in an anonymous vote of 161-101, with nine abstentions, in the Assembly where Noh's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) holds a majority.The four-time lawmaker has been under prosecution investigation on charges of receiving a total of 60 million won ($47,281) before and after the 2020 parliamentary election from a businessperson in return for providing business favors.The alleged bribe is suspected to have been used for Noh's election campaign, according to prosecutors.Noh has flatly denied the allegations.According to law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session. The prosecution must obtain parliament's consent to detain lawmakers.Noh is the fourth lawmaker to face arrest during the current National Asse

Dec 28, 2022
National Assembly refuses to consent to arrest of DPK lawmaker Noh

Ex-President Lee to leave hospital soon following special presidential pardon

This Oct. 30, 2020 file photo shows former President Lee Myung-bak entering the Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul. YonhapFormer President Lee Myung-bak will likely leave the hospital soon following a special presidential pardon, aides said Wednesday, amid speculation he could deliver a statement in person.Lee was pardoned at the beginning of Wednesday while serving a 17-year prison term for bribery and embezzlement. The pardon canceled his remaining prison term of about 15 years and about 8.2 billion won ($6.48 million) of unpaid fines.The 81-year-old has been staying at a hospital in Seoul due to diabetes and other chronic ailments.The exact date of Lee's discharge has yet to be determined as well as whether he will issue an official statement on his release, according to his aide. "If he decides to issue a message, I think he could do it by himself," an aide said. (Yonhap)

Dec 28, 2022
Ex-President Lee to leave hospital soon following special presidential pardon

Yoon says science, technology form basis of all industries

President Yoon Suk-yeol applauds during a policy briefing by the science and ICT ministry at the former presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul as Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho reports that Korea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri has successfully entered the orbit of the moon earlier than planned, Dec. 28. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday stressed the importance of science and technology, saying they form the basis of all industries.Yoon made the remark during a joint policy briefing by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Personal Information Protection Commission, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.The president has been receiving briefings from government agencies on their plans for the new year."Industries are about creating economic value based on science and technology," he said during the meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, also noting the government's role in supporting the development of promising technologies.On the role of the Personal Information Protection Commission, Yoon said it is important to protect people's privacy and simultaneously look for wa

Dec 28, 2022
Yoon says science, technology form basis of all industries

Gov't subsidies to private organizations surged during Moon presidency: Yoon office

Lee Kwan-sup, senior presidential secretary for policy and planning, announces the results of an interim survey on government subsidies to private organizations at the presidential office in Seoul, Dec. 28. YonhapGovernment subsidies to private organizations soared during the preceding Moon Jae-in administration, with the annual total exceeding 5 trillion won ($3.94 billion), the presidential office said Wednesday.The office estimated government subsidies paid to various civic groups, associations, foundations, welfare facilities and other nonprofit private organizations from 2016 to 2022 amounted to 31.4 trillion won.The annual volume surged from 3.56 trillion won in 2016 to 5.45 trillion won this year, it noted, adding there was an annual average increase of about 400 billion won during the Moon presidency. Moon served a single term from 2017 to 2022.The number of private organizations receiving government subsidies also increased from 22,881 in 2016 to 27,215 this year, marking a seven-year increase of 4,334.Announcing the results of an interim survey, Lee Kwan-sup, senior preside

Dec 28, 2022
Gov't subsidies to private organizations surged during Moon presidency: Yoon office

Yoon administration tightens monitoring of civic groups receiving gov't subsidies

Lee Kwan-sup, senior presidential secretary for policy planning, speaks during a briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The Yoon Suk-yeol administration vowed on Wednesday to tighten monitoring of the accounting systems of civic groups that receive government subsidies to ensure transparency in their financial management.The government, in particular, focused on the fact that the amount of subsidies offered to nonprofit organizations saw a substantial increase during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, adding that it will look further into possible accounting irregularities.The presidential office disclosed the results of an interim inspection on the use of state funds provided to private civic groups nationwide, which revealed dozens of cases of audit fraud and misuse of funds over the last seven years.“Improving transparency in the use of government subsidies of nonprofit civic organizations had been selected as one of the key tasks of the Yoon Suk-yeol government,” senior presidential secretary for policy planning Le

Dec 28, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Yoon administration tightens monitoring of civic groups receiving gov't subsidies

Yoon ordered sending of two to three drones across border if NK sends one: official

President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, speaks during a report on new year business by the industry and trade ministry and the SMEs and startups ministry at the former presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Dec. 27. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol had ordered an in-kind response when North Korean drones infiltrated South Korean airspace earlier this week, telling aides to send two to three drones across the border if the North sent one, a senior official said Wednesday.Yoon also ordered officials to shoot down North Korean drones if necessary, the official told reporters, recounting the tense situation at the presidential office when five North Korean drones flew into the South on Monday."When the first one came down, the president instructed us to immediately carry out corresponding measures against the North, saying we also have drones," the official said. "He ordered us to send up two to three in response to one from North Korea. He gave an order that we should shoot it down if necessary and take related measures as much as possible."The official rejected criticism from the main oppos

Dec 28, 2022
Yoon ordered sending of two to three drones across border if NK sends one: official

Yoon hails space vehicle's successful entry into moon's orbit

Korea's lunar exploration orbiter, the Danuri, is launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Space Force Base 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. Aug. 4. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday hailed the successful entry of a Korean unmanned space vehicle into the orbit of the moon.Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, was captured by the moon's gravity Tuesday and began rotation, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT."Danuri, which left the Earth 145 days ago, succeeded in entering the moon's orbit," Yoon wrote on Facebook. "It is a historic moment telling the world of the excellence of Korea's space and science technology and marking a leap to a top seven space power in the world."Yoon thanked the researchers behind Danuri's development for their hard work, and asked the nation for its continued support and encouragement. (Yonhap)

Dec 28, 2022
Yoon hails space vehicle's successful entry into moon's orbit

Yoon grants amnesty to ex-President Lee, ex-Governor Kim

President Yoon Suk-yeol bangs the gavel to start a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of presidential officeFormer governor released on parole without being reinstated, ignites furious reactions from opposition party By Nam Hyun-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol has granted a special pardon to former conservative President Lee Myung-bak, former liberal South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo and several other political heavyweights for the sake of “national unity.” The former governor was released on parole without being reinstated, triggering furious reactions from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). It accused President Yoon of granting “random pardons” for “corrupt politicians” and the “illicit collaborators” who destroyed law and order to fulfill their own greed. During a Cabinet meeting, Yoon approved a list of convicted people serving jail terms to give them special pardons, commutation and reinstatement. The list includes 1,373 convicted individuals, includ

Dec 27, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon grants amnesty to ex-President Lee, ex-Governor Kim
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