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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.

PM set to visit Chile, Uruguay, Argentina this week

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from left, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul on Oct. 5. Yonhap Prime Minister Han Duck-soo departed for Chile on Sunday for a three-nation trip that will also take him to Uruguay and Argentina, as Seoul seeks to bolster economic cooperation with the Latin American nations, officials said. During talks with leaders of the three nations, Han will also ask them to support South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern port city of Busan, the Office for Government Policy Coordination has said in a statement. In particular, Han and leaders of the three nations are expected to discuss measures to deepen cooperation in the field of raw materials and strategic minerals. Han's official visit to Chile will include talks with Chilean President Gabriel Boric. As South Korea and Chile mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year, Han and Boric are expected to discuss mea

Oct 9, 2022
PM set to visit Chile, Uruguay, Argentina this week

Rival parties divided over military exemption for BTS

Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration Lee Ki-sik speaks during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap By Lee Yeon-wooMilitary exemptions for the members that make up the K-pop behemoth BTS has pitted the ruling People Power Party (PPP) against the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) during the National Assembly audit on the Ministry of National Defense on Friday. The ruling PPP members said BTS should fulfill their military duties as other Korean men do, while the DPK called for exemptions for the entertainers. “Our military resource is decreasing. Fairness and equity are the two important principles to be applied in mandatory military service. In that sense, I think BTS should serve in the military,” Lee Ki-sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, said.Lee's response coincided with defense minister Lee Jong-sup, who attended his ministry's annual audit held on Monday. Culture Min

Oct 8, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo
Rival parties divided over military exemption for BTS

Ex-unification minister questioned over 'blacklist scandal'

Ex-Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon / Korea Times fileProsecutors questioned former Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon on Friday as part of an investigation into allegations that while in office, he forced the head of a ministry-affiliated foundation to resign during the previous administration.Cho is suspected of forcing Sohn kwang-ju, a former chief of the Korea Hana Foundation, to step down in 2017, even though about a year was left in his term. The foundation was formerly known as the North Korean Refugees Foundation.The questioning came as an investigation expanded into what is dubbed the "blacklist scandal" that centers on allegations that the Moon Jae-in administration forced the resignation of heads of several state agencies who were appointed under the preceding Park Geun-hye government.Earlier, prosecutors also investigated former Industry Minister Paik Un-gyu over allegations that he forced the heads of 13 energy-related state firms to step down. Paik was the Moon administration's first minister of trade, industry and energy.The then main opposition Liberty Korea Par

Oct 7, 2022
Ex-unification minister questioned over 'blacklist scandal'

Ousted ruling party leader gets additional 1-year suspension from party affairs

Former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok speaks to reporters as he leaves the Seoul Southern District Court after attending a questioning session, in this Sept. 28 file photo. Yonhap Lee Jun-seok unlikely to be nominated for 2024 general electionBy Kwon Mee-yooFormer ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok received an additional suspension for a year from party affairs, which makes it difficult for him to run in the 2024 general election.The ethics committee of the PPP suspended Lee's party membership for a year on Friday, in addition to the previously imposed six months. Lee's membership will be suspended until January 2024, which makes it practically impossible for him to receive a nomination for the next general election, slated for April 2024. Lee will also be unable to return to his party chairpersonship, which was supposed to end on August 2023.The committee decided on additional disciplinary measures against Lee during hours of deliberation

Oct 7, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Ousted ruling party leader gets additional 1-year suspension from party affairs

Let's not forget US complicity in Korean sex trade

A facility, once used to detain and forcibly treat sex workers for sexually transmitted infections, sits abandoned in Dongducheon, northern Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 6, 2018. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Martin LimonI was heartened to learn that the Republic of Korea Supreme Court has ordered the state to pay compensation to Korean women who worked in the sex trade catering to U.S. troops. What is still missing, I believe, is an understanding of just how influential U.S. military commanders were in facilitating the exploitation of the women in the “gijichon” or “base camp” villages. The sex workers were required to keep their “VD cards” up to date and as such received a medical checkup every week. Those who tested positive were involuntarily shot full of penicillin and forcibly locked up until they were deemed healthy enough to be released. GIs, on the other hand, would attend military “sick call” and if they tested positive they would be asked for the name of

Oct 7, 2022By Jon Dunbar
Let's not forget US complicity in Korean sex trade

PPP calls for thorough probe into allegations against ex-FM Chung in NK fishermen repatriation

Rep. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, speaks at a party meeting at the National Assembly, Oct. 6. YonhapThe ruling People Power Party (PPP) called for a thorough probe into the 2019 repatriation of North Korean fishermen Friday after a news report that then National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong ordered that their expression of a desire to defect be removed from a report on their questioning.Citing prosecution sources, the news report said Thursday that Chung, who also served as foreign minister in the Moon Jae-in administration, ordered officials probing the fishermen to remove certain phrases showing their willingness to defect to South Korea."If it's true, it should be seen as an attempt for cover-up. It's an act of crime," Rep. Joo Ho-young, the PPP's floor leader, told a party meeting."The key point in the 2019 repatriation of the North Korean fishermen is whether the government intentionally ignored their will to defect," Joo said. "The people need to clearly know whether that decision was made solely by Chung or whether it was reported to former P

Oct 7, 2022
PPP calls for thorough probe into allegations against ex-FM Chung in NK fishermen repatriation

DPK to file complaint against top officials of state auditor over probe into fisheries official's death

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Park Hong-geun speaks at a party meeting held at the National Assembly in western Seoul, Oct. 6. YonhapThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Friday it will file a complaint against top officials of the state audit agency next week, accusing them of working with the presidential office to launch politically motivated inspections.DPK floor leader Park Hong-geun said the complaint will be filed against Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Chair Choe Jae-hae and Secretary-General Ryou Byeong-ho with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on charges of violating the Constitution and the BAI Act. Ryou was caught on a press camera on Wednesday exchanging text messages with senior presidential secretary for policy and planning Lee Kwan-sup, sharing how BAI will respond to a media report on the agency's inspection into the previous administration's handling of the death of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea near the western sea border in 2020. The DPK has also decided to f

Oct 7, 2022
DPK to file complaint against top officials of state auditor over probe into fisheries official's death

Yoon refrains from commenting on possibility of scrapping inter-Korean military agreement

President Yoon Suk-yeol arrives for work at the presidential office in Seoul, Oct. 7. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday he would not comment in advance on the possibility of scrapping an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement in the event North Korea goes ahead with another nuclear test.Some members of the ruling party have argued the Sept. 19 agreement, signed after a 2018 summit between then President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, should be scrapped amid the North's increased missile testing in recent weeks.The agreement calls for halting all hostile military activity between the Koreas and includes plans to turn the Demilitarized Zone into a peace zone, devise military guarantees for the activation of cross-border exchanges and establish military confidence-building measures."The three countries that are responding to North Korea's nuclear threat are coming up with response plans step by step through their foreign ministries, national security offices and various channels," Yoon told reporters, referring to South Korea, the United States and J

Oct 7, 2022
Yoon refrains from commenting on possibility of scrapping inter-Korean military agreement

Yoon says he and Kishida agreed on benefit of improving bilateral ties

These photos show Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, talking with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over the phone at the presidential office in Seoul and Kishida answering reporters' questions at his residence in Tokyo right after phone talks with Yoon, Oct. 6. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed on the benefit of improving bilateral relations for the two countries' economies.Speaking to reporters as he arrived for work, Yoon said he discussed North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches with Kishida during their Thursday phone call and the two agreed to firmly respond to the North's nuclear and missile provocations through close trilateral cooperation between their countries and the United States.He also said he agreed with Kishida's remarks in parliament that South Korea is a partner with which various global issues can be tackled."We shared the understanding that if relations between South Korea and Japan return to the good times of the past at an early date and exchanges between businesses and between our people

Oct 7, 2022
Yoon says he and Kishida agreed on benefit of improving bilateral ties

Yoon says gender ministry's abolition aimed at better protecting women

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to reporters as he arrives at the presidential office in Seoul, Oct. 7. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday defended his plan to abolish the gender ministry, saying it is aimed at better protecting women and other vulnerable groups.Yoon had pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during the presidential campaign, sparking fierce opposition from politicians and activists who feared it would undermine women's rights.The government finalized the abolition plan Thursday, under which most of the ministry's responsibilities will be transferred to the health ministry. The plan is still subject to approval by the National Assembly where the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which is against the abolition, holds a majority."Abolishing the gender ministry is about strengthening the protection of women, families, children and the socially weak," Yoon told reporters as he arrived for work. "In terms of the so-called sexual offenses caused by abuse of power, it's about completely doing away with the perspective that uses the term '

Oct 7, 2022
Yoon says gender ministry's abolition aimed at better protecting women
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