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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.

Yoon invited Assembly speaker to dinner at official residence

This photo shows President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, meeting with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo ahead of his budget speech at the National Assembly in Seoul, Oct. 25. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol invited National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo to dinner at the official presidential residence last week and requested his help with passing the government's 2023 budget plan, sources said Tuesday.The dinner was held last Wednesday and also attended by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Meong-su and Constitutional Court President Yoo Nam-seok, according to the sources."I understand they held candid talks," a ruling bloc official told Yonhap News Agency. Yoon apparently asked the speaker to mediate between the ruling and opposition parties so that the budget plan, which is pending in parliament, can be passed at an early date.The rival parties failed to pass the proposal by the legal deadline of Dec. 2.Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee moved into the new presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, last month following months of renovation and preparation. The ho

Dec 13, 2022
Yoon invited Assembly speaker to dinner at official residence

Yoon's office says minister's dismissal should be considered after probe into Itaewon tragedy

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung briefs reporters at the presidential office in Seoul, Dec. 12. YonhapThe office of President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday the question of dismissing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min should be considered after an investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush is completed.The statement comes a day after the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a dismissal motion against Lee to hold him responsible for the government's bungled response to the tragedy that killed 158 people on Oct. 29."There is no change to our existing position that the dismissal issue is something that should be decided after the truth is clearly determined," deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung said during a press briefing."For the victims and their families, what is most important is determining the truth and establishing who is legally responsible. Through this, the scope of the state's legal responsibility will be decided, and only when this becomes clear can we properly provide state compensation to the victims' families," he added.The spokesperson was r

Dec 12, 2022
Yoon's office says minister's dismissal should be considered after probe into Itaewon tragedy

Liberal broadcaster to stop hosting controversial radio program

Kim Ou-joon has been hosting the daily radio news show “News Factory” on TBS since 2016. NewsisKim Ou-joon, an outspoken liberal broadcaster, said Monday he will stop hosting a controversial program on the Seoul city government-affiliated Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) by the end of this year.Kim, who often stirs up controversy due to his support of liberal politicians and political parties during radio and online programs, made the remarks at the beginning of the TBS program named "Kim Ou-joon's News Factory.""I've been hosting this program for six years and 2 1/2 months, or 324 weeks. I'll only add three more weeks. I'll quit at the end of this year," Kim said, adding he will talk about the details later.Kim began hosting the current affairs radio show in September 2016. The show has ranked first among TBS programs in terms of audience ratings but has often been embroiled in a political bias controversy.Political watchers say Kim's decision may have been affected by the Seoul city government's plan to cut off its budget support to TBS starting in 2024. The Seoul Metr

Dec 12, 2022
Liberal broadcaster to stop hosting controversial radio program

Yoon calls for bipartisan cooperation to pass 2023 budget plan

President Yoon Suk-yeol, standing, speaks during a luncheon meeting with advisers of the national integration committee at the presidential office in Seoul in this photo released by the presidential office, Dec. 9. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday called for bipartisan cooperation to pass the 2023 budget plan, saying there can be no partisanship in handling people's livelihood matters.Yoon issued the call during a weekly meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at his office, days after the National Assembly missed the legal deadline to pass the national budget amid a standoff between the ruling and opposition parties."President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed regret over the delay in the passage of the new government's first budget proposal, and earnestly asked for bipartisan cooperation and its swift passage in consideration of the fact that there can be no division between the ruling and opposition parties before people's livelihood issues," deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung said during a press briefing.Yoon especially emphasized the importance of passing two amendmen

Dec 12, 2022
Yoon calls for bipartisan cooperation to pass 2023 budget plan

Ruling party politicians speak ill of Itaewon tragedy victims, enraging bereaved family members

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong speaks during a state audit session of KBS conducted by the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, Oct. 17. Kweon received an onslaught of criticism, Saturday, after speaking ill of the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd disaster. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanKim Seong-hoi, former presidential secretary for religious and multicultural affairs in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, lashed out at the bereaved families who formed a civic group after losing their loved ones in the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd disaster.High-profile politicians from the ruling party and the presidential office are under heavy fire after speaking ill of the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the Oct. 29 crowd disaster in Itaewon, accusing them of venting their anger at the government. Lawmakers and observers chastised the ruling party politicians for their lack of sympathy and political attacks on the family members who started a civic group to call for a full government investigation and an apology from

Dec 12, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Ruling party politicians speak ill of Itaewon tragedy victims, enraging bereaved family members

Ex-President Lee, other politicians seen as likely beneficiaries of next pardons

Former President Lee Myung-bak leaves Seoul National University Hospital in a wheelchair before being taken to a penitentiary in Anyang, just south of the Korean capital Feb. 10, 2021,Former President Lee Myung-bak and former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo are among those being talked about as potential beneficiaries of the next presidential pardons later this month, sources said Monday.President Yoon Suk-yeol is reportedly planning to grant his second special pardons effective Dec. 28, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo presiding over a Cabinet meeting the previous day to deliberate on the matter."There's a high possibility that the prime minister will preside over the Cabinet meeting this time," a ruling bloc official told Yonhap News Agency. "Typically when there are multiple politicians on the list, the prime minister presides over the meeting."Yoon granted his first pardons ahead of Aug. 15 Liberation Day and at the time, prominent beneficiaries were limited to business tycoons, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong.The Cabinet meeting held i

Dec 12, 2022
Ex-President Lee, other politicians seen as likely beneficiaries of next pardons

ANALYSIS Korea advised to pursue short-term gains from US IRA

Washington sources say Korea, US can find middle ground to minimize impact of US IRA By Kim Yoo-chulDespite the victory of U.S. President Joe Biden's party in the November midterm elections, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) remains a tricky issue that has complicated relations between the United States and South Korea.In August, Biden officially signed the IRA into law. The core purpose of the law is aimed at tackling rising inflation in the United States by cutting the fiscal deficit as well as energy and healthcare costs.Plus, amid Washington's continued rivalry with Beijing in pursuit of supply chain resilience, the White House is using the IRA as a tool for the renaissance of U.S. manufacturing and improving its job markets, as the law offers federal tax credits for purchases of products manufactured on U.S. soil, backing Biden's eco-friendly agenda. But the key point of concern, at least from Korea's standpoint, is despite Seoul's full support of the Biden administration's political and economic initiatives, the IRA poses complications for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.Under

Dec 12, 2022By Kim Yoo-chul
[ANALYSIS] Korea advised to pursue short-term gains from US IRA

Interior minister attended gov't meeting after passage of dismissal motion

Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min arrives for work at the government complex in Seoul, Dec. 12. YonhapInterior Minister Lee Sang-min attended a closed-door government meeting after the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a dismissal motion against him the previous day, sources said Monday.Lee's attendance has been interpreted as signaling President Yoon Suk-yeol's intention to reject the motion and keep him in office.Yoon has not commented on the motion, but he is known to have consistently opposed the opposition-led push to dismiss Lee to hold him responsible for the government's bungled response to the deadly Itaewon crowd crush.Sunday's meeting was held to discuss a variety of state affairs, including the motion, and brought together key officials from the ruling People Power Party, the government and the presidential office."Handling the aftermath of the Itaewon tragedy is an important current issue in state administration," a ruling camp official told Yonhap News Agency. "Minister Lee attended the meeting as the minister in charge."Lee kept silent as other par

Dec 12, 2022
Interior minister attended gov't meeting after passage of dismissal motion

US Assistant Secretary of State Kritenbrink to visit Seoul to discuss, NK, IRA

Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink speaks at a hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C., Dec. 8, 2021. AFP-YonhapU.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink is set to arrive in South Korea on Monday to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issuesKritenbrink is scheduled to arrive in Seoul later in the day after wrapping up his visit to Beijing together with National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger, according to the U.S. State Department and Seoul's foreign ministry officials. He plans to hold talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Young-sam on Tuesday and is scheduled to fly to Japan on Wednesday morning.The two sides are expected to discuss North Korea in the wake of a series of missile launches and other provocations, as well as South Korea's concerns over the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).The IRA, signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden in August, gives up to $7,500 in tax credits to buyers of electric

Dec 12, 2022
US Assistant Secretary of State Kritenbrink to visit Seoul to discuss, NK, IRA

Motion calling for sacking interior minister approved

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo bangs the gavel after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally passed a motion calling for firing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min at the Assembly chamber in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapYoon expected to exercise veto rightBy Jung Min-hoThe opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a motion, Sunday, calling for removing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min from the Cabinet post over his “failure” in handling the Itaewon crowd disaster, which killed at least 158 people on Oct. 29.After lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) left the chamber in protest of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) unilateral push for the vote, the motion was approved with backing from 182 lawmakers in the 299-member Assembly.It was the second such attempt to remove a Cabinet minister of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, following the eventually vetoed one aimed at Foreign Minister Park Jin over the president's mistake-plagued overseas trips in September. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min / NewsisRep. Lee Jae-myung, the DPK leade

Dec 11, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Motion calling for sacking interior minister approved
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