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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.

President vows to reform labor market at meeting with public

President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a meeting to check the progress of his key policy tasks at Yeongbingwan, a reception hall at the former president's office and residence, Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Joint Press Corps Yoon meets public to check progress of key policiesBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol reaffirmed his decision to reform the labor market during a meeting with the public, Thursday, saying such changes are a must and not an option.“Reforms are not popular, but we have to pursue them and must not avoid them,” Yoon said at the meeting, whose purpose was to check the progress of his administration's key policy tasks and communicate with the public about their implementation. Describing the three major reforms in pension and education as well as labor as “indispensable” for the nation's sustainable growth and the future generation, the president said, “Unless the government is successful in reforming the labor market, the labor issue could turn into a political matter, which would spoil the economy and politics.”As for the direction of the

Dec 15, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
President vows to reform labor market at meeting with public
  • Korean economy to worsen next year; gov't to push new growth strategy: finance chief
  • Korea to crack down on drug-related crimes

Key figure in development scandal being treated after suicide attempt

Kim Man-bae, the owner of the asset management company Hwacheon Daeyu, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court to attend a hearing over a corruption scandal in connection to a highly lucrative land development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 6. YonhapA key figure in a high-profile development scandal is being treated at a hospital after attempting suicide, police said Thursday.Kim Man-bae, who is standing trial in connection with a corruption-ridden apartment development project in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, tried to kill himself Wednesday, according to police.Kim stabbed himself in the neck and chest with a weapon inside his car in Suwon, 34 kilometers south of Seoul, sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and again at around 1 p.m. His lawyer found him at 9:50 p.m., and emergency responders took him to a nearby hospital. The wounds are not life-threatening, police said."He was conscious and able to communicate when he was taken to the hospital the night before," a police officer said. The former journalist is the largest shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, an asset mana

Dec 15, 2022
Key figure in development scandal being treated after suicide attempt

INTERVIEW China, North Korea do not trust each other: CSIS

Arms control, threat reduction could be part of denuclearization process By Kim Yoo-chulDoes China trust North Korea and who really holds the upper hand in the denuclearization process on the peninsula? Also, does North Korea's attractive value as a buffer zone for China outweigh the risks of tolerating a defiant nuclear neighbor?China is viewed as the crucial lifeline of the North Korean both economically and politically. But when it comes to the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, there are frustrations and doubts about China's role in North Korea's denuclearization efforts.The most common complaint is that Beijing prioritizes the stability of the Kim Jong-un regime over the denuclearization process and thus the upholding of the non-proliferation regime, while the United States is seen as a possible destabilizer plotting to contain China. Beijing has been reluctant to apply sanctions measures for fear of triggering the North's collapse.Despite China and North Korea maintaining a strong partnership for decades, however, relations between the two have worsened recently because Pyo

Dec 15, 2022By Kim Yoo-chul
[INTERVIEW] China, North Korea do not trust each other: CSIS

Ex-spy chief quizzed in 2020 death of fisheries official

Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won talks to reporters at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, Dec. 14. YonhapFormer National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won appeared before prosecutors Wednesday for questioning over alleged irregularities surrounding the controversial death of a government official at the hands of North Korea in 2020.Park, who served as the NIS director under former President Moon Jae-in, is accused of involvement in the then administration's ungrounded conclusion that the fisheries official was killed while attempting to defect to the North.In July, the NIS filed a complaint with the prosecution against Park on charges of destroying intelligence documents in an attempt to corroborate the administration's conclusion. Former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon has also been arrested and indicted on similar charges."I have not received any deletion order from either former President Moon Jae-in or National Security Adviser Suh Hoon," Park told reporters before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office

Dec 14, 2022
Ex-spy chief quizzed in 2020 death of fisheries official

Pro-Moon lawmaker raps Yoon's health insurance reform initiative as 'insane'

Rep. Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea talks to journalists at the National Assembly, Dec. 1. YonhapA lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea who previously served as a key aide to former President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday slammed President Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to reform the national health insurance system as an "insane" move thrusting medical expenses on the public.On Tuesday, President Yoon called for a quick "normalization" of the health insurance system in what was seen as an indication of his intent to scrap the health insurance policy of the previous Moon administration, which centered on expanding coverage and lowering the burden of hospital bills on households."In a nutshell, what they are doing is insane," Rep. Youn Kun-young, who served as Moon's senior presidential secretary, said in a KBS radio interview. "It's gravely worrying. What the Yoon Suk-yeol government is attempting to do is throwing a medical expense bomb to people of average class."Branding the Yoon government as a "very dangerous administration" that is attempt

Dec 14, 2022
Pro-Moon lawmaker raps Yoon's health insurance reform initiative as 'insane'
  • President Yoon takes aim at 'Mooncare,' hints at abolishing it

Yoon, first lady send cards, donations to 15 charities

This photo, provided by the Community Chest of Korea, shows a greeting card sent by President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee to the charity. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee sent greeting cards and donations to 15 charities to mark the season, his office said Tuesday."The warmth you share is the light and hope of society," they wrote in the card. "The government will add our strength to your efforts to deliver love and hope so that no one is left out. Let us go together toward a better future based on a spirit of solidarity."The cards and donations were delivered by the president's aides.The 15 charities included the Community Chest of Korea, the Korean Red Cross and the Salvation Army. (Yonhap)

Dec 13, 2022
Yoon, first lady send cards, donations to 15 charities

Truth commission's new head triggers backlash for ultraconservative past remarks

Kim Kwang-dong, chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, speaks at his appointment ceremony, Monday, at its office in Seoul. Courtesy of Truth and Reconciliation CommissionBy Lee Yeon-wooKim Kwang-dong, the newly appointed chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has come under fire for his past controversial remarks and views about historical events. As he took office on Monday, criticism directed at him has intensified as he will oversee the commission, which was established to investigate and uncover the facts about Korea's tragic modern history entangled with uprisings and coups, human rights violations and red scare tactics. On Tuesday, critics dredged up his past controversial remarks on the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising, in which citizens protesting the military coup of Chun Doo-hwan were attacked by the military.During a symposium held in 2020, Kim had presented a paper titled, “The State's Fascist Control over Issues of the Perception of History.” He criticized a bill introduced by the then-ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to ban t

Dec 13, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo
Truth commission's new head triggers backlash for ultraconservative past remarks

President Yoon takes aim at 'Mooncare,' hints at abolishing it

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting held in the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday criticized the expanded healthcare coverage reforms undertaken during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, known as “Mooncare,” calling the reforms “populist policies that waste taxpayer money.”In a strongly worded speech at a Cabinet meeting held in the presidential office, Yoon called for the “urgent normalization” of the state-run health insurance program and stressed that overhauling “Mooncare” is “not an option, but a necessity.” Yoon called the set of strengthened health insurance policies known as “Mooncare” nothing but populist policies that “lead to the bankrupting of finances” of the government and “ultimately force the people to make great sacrifices.”“Over the past five years, over 20 trillion won has been poured into strengthening health insurance coverage,” Yoon said. “But

Dec 13, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
President Yoon takes aim at 'Mooncare,' hints at abolishing it
  • Pro-Moon lawmaker raps Yoon's health insurance reform initiative as 'insane'

Yoon calls for quick 'normalization' of national health insurance

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Dec. 13. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol called Tuesday for a quick "normalization" of the national health insurance system, saying the previous government's expanded coverage led to a waste of financial resources.Yoon issued the call during a Cabinet meeting in what was seen as an indication of his intent to scrap the health insurance policy of the previous Moon Jae-in administration, which centered on expanding coverage and lowering the burden of hospital bills on households."Normalization of the national health insurance, which is the last bastion for protecting people's health, is urgent," he said. "Over the past five years, the government poured over 20 trillion won into increasing coverage, but it neglected medical misappropriation and health insurance free-riding, passing the burden to the majority of the public."Yoon said health insurance reform is not a choice but a necessity, and called for strengthening criteria to prevent wasting health insurance resources.He also promised to spend

Dec 13, 2022
Yoon calls for quick 'normalization' of national health insurance

Moon's chief of staff quizzed over slain official case

Former chief presidential secretary Noh Young-min / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geunProsecutors questioned a former presidential chief of staff under the previous administration Tuesday over alleged irregularities surrounding the 2020 death of a South Korean government official at the hands of North Korea.Noh Young-min ― who served as presidential chief of staff to then President Moon Jae-in from 2019 to 2020 ― was summoned for questioning over alleged involvement in the previous government's conclusion without sufficient evidence that the official was killed while attempting to defect to the North. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office has been investigating the death of the fisheries official, who was fatally shot by North Korean coast guard members near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, a day after going missing while on duty on board a fishery inspection vessel.The former government had concluded the official was attempting to defect to the North. But the Coast Guard and the military reversed that conclusion in June after President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, sayi

Dec 13, 2022
Moon's chief of staff quizzed over slain official case
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