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Yoon to visit Cambodia, Indonesia for ASEAN, G20 summits

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Nov. 7. Korea Times filePresident Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Cambodia and Indonesia starting later this week to attend a series of regional summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20, his office said Wednesday.Yoon will leave for Phnom Penh on Friday and attend a South Korea-ASEAN summit, an ASEAN Plus Three summit and the East Asia Summit during a three-day stay, national security adviser Kim Sung-han said during a press briefing.On Sunday, Yoon will depart for Bali and attend the G20 summit on Tuesday.He will leave Indonesia the same day and return home early Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Nov 9, 2022
Yoon to visit Cambodia, Indonesia for ASEAN, G20 summits

Main opposition headquarters, home of close aide to party leader raided over bribery allegations

Stacks of documents are moved into the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office, Nov. 8. YonhapProsecutors raided the headquarters of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the home of one of party leader Lee Jae-myung's closest confidants Wednesday over suspicions that he received bribes from real estate developers. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent investigators to the house of Jeong Jin-sang, a vice chief of staff to Lee, to seize evidence related to the allegations, officials said. Prosecution investigators were also sent to search the DPK headquarters in Seoul's Yeouido, where Jeong's office is located, but got into a standoff with party officials blocking the entrance. The secretarial office for Lee at the National Assembly was also subject to the raid.Jeong, known as Lee's "right-hand man," is one of the party leader's two closest aides, along with Kim Yong, deputy head of the DPK's Institute for Democracy think tank.Jeong was accused of having received nearly 140 million won ($101,973) from real estate developers at the center of a high-profile prope

Nov 9, 2022
Main opposition headquarters, home of close aide to party leader raided over bribery allegations

Confidant of opposition leader indicted for alleged political fund law violation

This file photo shows Kim Yong, deputy head of the Institute for Democracy, a think tank affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party. YonhapProsecutors indicted a close confidant of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday on charges of receiving illegal political funds worth 847 million won ($591,000) from property developers in the city of Seongnam, just south of Seoul.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it referred Kim Yong, deputy head of the Institute for Democracy, a think tank affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), for court trial on suspicion of violating the political fund law.Kim was arrested on Oct. 19 on suspicion of taking the funds from Seongnam's property developers, including lawyer Nam Wook, last year in collusion with Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., and another lawyer Chung Min-yong.Prosecutors suspect the 847 million won was handed over to Kim on four occasions between April and August last year ahead of the DP's primary election to pick its candidate to run for this year's president

Nov 8, 2022
Confidant of opposition leader indicted for alleged political fund law violation

Yoon under pressure to sack interior minister, police chief over Itaewon disaster

Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki answers lawmakers' questions during a National Assembly audit of the presidential office at the Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapSpecial investigators raid 55 locations, including police chief's officeBy Nam Hyun-wooThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) ratcheted up pressure on the presidential office during a National Assembly audit of the office, Tuesday, to replace Cabinet members, including the interior and safety minister, and ranking police officers for their inadequate response to the Itaewon crowd crush.However, presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki responded by saying that removing those officials at the moment will not be helpful, reiterating that the people who are responsible will be replaced once an ongoing investigation into the tragedy is completed.When asked by DPK lawmaker Choi Ki-sang how the police can investigate its commissioner general and station chiefs over the incident while they are in power, Kim said, “We should hold someone responsible after finding the cause. Replacing them is not an ur

Nov 8, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon under pressure to sack interior minister, police chief over Itaewon disaster

Ex-defense minister released after arrest in fisheries official death case

Former Defense Minister Suh Wook enters the Seoul Central District Court, Oct. 21. YonhapA Seoul court approved the release of former Defense Minister Suh Wook on Tuesday, 17 days after he was arrested in connection with the 2020 death of a fisheries official at the hands of North Korea. Suh, 59, was arrested on Oct. 22 as part of the prosecution investigation into the previous Moon Jae-in administration's alleged mishandling of the fisheries official's death near the Yellow Sea border between the two Koreas by the North's coast guard.The Moon administration concluded at that time the official was killed while attempting to defect to the North, but critics suspected the conclusion was drawn without sufficient evidence to curry favor with Pyongyang.Suh has been accused of having deliberately ordered the deletion of intelligence reports suggesting the fisheries official did not intend to defect to the North. On Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court decided in favor of Suh's request to reconsider the legality of his arrest following a court hearing a day earlier. (Yonhap)

Nov 8, 2022
Ex-defense minister released after arrest in fisheries official death case

Ruling party accuses opposition party of attempting to take political advantage of crush victims

The ruling People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young, center, speaks at a party meeting held at the National Assembly in western Seoul, Nov. 8. YonhapThe ruling People Power Party (PPP) accused the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) of attempting to take advantage of the Itaewon crowd crush for political gains after a DPK lawmaker was caught reading a text calling for the disclosure of the names of the crush victims.DPK Rep. Moon Jin-seog was caught on press camera Monday reading the text message from an official at the DKP-affiliated Institute for Democracy think tank that all possible means should be used to obtain the names, photos and other identities of the victims and establish a memorial space for them.The tragedy killed 156 people, mostly in their 20s."An idea like this is ... an immoral act of politically taking advantage of the sorrow of the bereaved families," PPP floor leader Joo Ho-young said, calling the text message "shocking." "It openly laid bare the ulterior intentions the Democratic Party is holding."The DPK lawmaker said he rejected the idea.On the

Nov 8, 2022
Ruling party accuses opposition party of attempting to take political advantage of crush victims

Yoon moves into new presidential residence

President Yoon Suk-yeol leaves the new presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, in a convoy, Nov. 8. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee have moved into the new presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, officials said Tuesday, following months of renovation and other preparation.Yoon left for work from the new residence Tuesday morning and went straight to an undisclosed location for a private event, according to the officials.The new presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul / Korea Times fileYoon had commuted from his private home in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, while the foreign minister's official residence was being remodeled into the new presidential residence.The compound is located close to the presidential office, which Yoon relocated from Cheong Wa Dae to what used to be the defense ministry's headquarters in order to draw closer to the public.The move was reportedly delayed several times as additional security measures were put in place around the new quarters.The move is expected to shorten Yoon's commute from around 10 minutes to 5 minut

Nov 8, 2022
Yoon moves into new presidential residence

President vows police reforms over Itaewon tragedy

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a meeting on the national safety system at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Joint Press CorpsYoon makes formal apology over Halloween disasterBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol promised Monday to reprimand those who are responsible for the Itaewon crowd crush and overhaul the police's risk management and response system. He also made a formal apology as the president who is in charge of the public's safety.“To protect the people's safety, a sweeping overhaul is required for police services related to risk management and accident prevention,” Yoon said during a meeting held to review crowd control and other safety regulations in the wake of the crowd crush that killed 156 people enjoying Halloween festivities on Oct. 29.“Regarding this disaster, we will make sure that the truth will be found clearly and make the whole process crystal clear to the public,” Yoon said. “Depending on the outcome, I will make those who are accountable take grave responsibility.” National Police Agency C

Nov 7, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
President vows police reforms over Itaewon tragedy

Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, adjusts his glasses during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. YonhapDPK denies allegations that it helped organize anti-Yoon protestsBy Jung Min-hoOnly a few hours after the news broke last month about a deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Nam Young-hee, vice chief of the Institute for Democracy, a think tank of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), concluded that President Yoon Suk-yeol and his safety minister were to blame and demanded they step down immediately.The comment, which she made when police and emergency workers were still scrambling to gather the facts, was a grim sign of how the tragic incident, which killed 156 people and injured 197 others, could be used ― and exploited ― politically.Two days after the end of a national mourning period for the victims and their families, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the DPK, called for the resignations of all relevant top officials, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.“The president, who is responsible for

Nov 7, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Former president to give up 3 North Korean dogs

Former President Moon Jae-in and former first lady Kim Jung-sook spend time with Pungsan breed dogs on a lawn at Cheong Wa Dae in August 2021. Screenshot from former President Moon's Facebook accountBy Lee Yeon-wooFormer President Moon Jae-in released a statement Monday that he will return two Pungsan breed dogs to the current government, as well as a puppy of the female dog. The two dogs, named Gomi and Songkang, were gifts from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when the two leaders met in 2018 for their third inter-Korean summit.Gomi later gave birth to seven puppies in 2021, one of which the presidential couple raised while rehoming the remaining six with other families. Before leaving the presidential office, Moon spoke with then President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol about the dogs. Yoon recommended Moon keep the dogs himself, an offer Moon accepted. Any gifts received by a sitting president belong to the government. Before Moon left the presidency, an agreement was signed between a presidential secretary and the head of the Presidential Archives at the time, confirming that the Ministry o

Nov 7, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo
Former president to give up 3 North Korean dogs
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