my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Politics

Yoon says alliance with US damaged by untrue reports of remarks caught on hot mic

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to reporters as he arrives for work at the presidential office in Seoul two days after he returned home from a three-nation swing that brought him to Britain, the United States and Canada, Sept. 26. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that untrue media reports of his remarks caught on hot mic damaged Korea's alliance with the United States in his first response to the controversy. Last week, Yoon was caught on video making a remark privately to aides in New York that appeared to include vulgar words. Though the recording was not clear, many thought Yoon was talking about U.S. Congress and U.S. President Joe BidenBut Yoon's office later rejected the claim, stressing that he made no mention of U.S. Congress or Biden and that he was referring to how he would be embarrassed if Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly rejected the $100 million he pledged to contribute to the Global Fund."Damaging the alliance with untrue media reports would be putting people in danger," Yoon told reporters, adding that how such incorrect reports have circulated

Sep 26, 2022
Yoon says alliance with US damaged by untrue reports of remarks caught on hot mic

Britain's top diplomat to visit Korea this week

Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly looks on as he attends a sidebar meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 20. AP-YonhapBritain's top diplomat will visit South Korea this week as part of his Asia tour to discuss bilateral cooperation, his office said Sunday.British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin in Seoul on Wednesday and discuss cooperation in global security and economic affairs, according to the office.He also plans to meet with other high-ranking government officials and visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, it added.The Seoul visit comes after the two countries adopted "A Bilateral Framework for Closer Cooperation" in June. It is part of his Asia tour that will include his visits to Singapore and Japan where he will attend the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set for Tuesday, the office said. It will be his first Asia tour since taking office early this month. (Yonhap)

Sep 25, 2022
Britain's top diplomat to visit Korea this week

Gender ministry backtracks on plan to legally recognize alternative families

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook speaks during a National Assembly session, Sept. 20. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jinThe Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is backtracking on its plan to embrace diverse forms of families ― such as unmarried cohabitating couples ― as formal legal households, drawing criticism from civic groups, which support the move. According to Rep. Chung Kyung-hee of the ruling People Power Party, Friday, the ministry recently withdrew its support for proposed revisions to the Framework Act on Health Families, which seeks to expand the legal definition of family to include those based on closeness and care for each other.Under the current Civil Act, only units formed by marriage, childbirth or adoption are recognized as families, leaving other forms of households deprived of government services in childcare, tax subsidies, inheritance, housing loans and medical emergencies.However, in accordance with the decline in marriages and the continually falling birthrate, calls have been rising among civic groups to create an environment in which al

Sep 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Gender ministry backtracks on plan to legally recognize alternative families

PM to leave for Japan to attend Abe's state funeral

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will head for Japan next week to attend a state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Korea Times filePrime Minister Han Duck-soo will head for Japan next week to attend a state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the foreign ministry said Saturday. Han and Chung Jin-suk, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party who doubles as the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, will lead the South Korean delegation for Abe's funeral next Tuesday, the ministry said. Han plans to head for Japan on Tuesday for a two-day visit, it said. Discussion is underway to arrange a meeting between Han and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, the ministry said. On the sidelines of the funeral, Han will hold a meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who plans to attend the funeral, it said. During the meeting, Han and Harris plan to discuss the alliance between Seoul and Washington as well as pending issues on the Korean Peninsula, in the region and the world, the ministry said earlier. Harris plans to visit South Kor

Sep 24, 2022
PM to leave for Japan to attend Abe's state funeral

Former PM Hatoyama apologizes for Japan's wartime brutalities

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks during a memorial ceremony on the southwestern island of Jindo on Sept. 24 for Japanese naval soldiers killed in the 1597 Battle of Myeongnyang during Japan's invasion of the Korean Peninsula. Yonhap Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Saturday apologized for his country's wartime brutalities against Koreans as he attended a memorial event for those killed in a 16th century historic naval battle between the two countries.The center-left Japanese leader from 2009-2010 delivered a speech at a memorial ceremony on the island of Jindo, 349 kilometers south of Seoul, for Japanese sailors who died in the 1597 Battle of Myeongnyang."In the past, Japan caused deep suffering to the (Korean) people," Hatoyama said in the event held on Mount Waedeok in Jindo, South Jeolla Province. "I am not sure if your anguished heart can be healed from this apology. … We (as Japanese) are obliged to keep apologizing ― until t

Sep 24, 2022
Former PM Hatoyama apologizes for Japan's wartime brutalities

N. Korean nuclear test possible during Harris' visit to Japan, S. Korea: U.S. official

Vice President Kamala Harris waits outside her official residence, Sept. 16, in Washington. AP-Yonhap North Korea may well conduct a nuclear test during U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' upcoming trip to Japan and South Korea as Pyongyang has been preparing for such a test, a senior U.S. administration official said Friday.The official warned the North will face serious consequences should it choose to conduct a new test."It is possible and we previously said that the DPRK is preparing to conduct a nuclear test," the official said when asked about the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test during Harris' trip to the Northeast Asian countries next week.DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.The official noted Pyongyang has been said to be preparing for a nuclear test for some time."We have made clear that such a test would result in additional actions by the United States to demonstrate our ironclad commitment to t

Sep 24, 2022
N. Korean nuclear test possible during Harris' visit to Japan, S. Korea: U.S. official

Yoon, Trudeau agree to strengthen cooperation on minerals for stable supply chains

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, looks on as Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a joint news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday. AP-YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met in Ottawa on Friday and agreed to strengthen cooperation on minerals and natural resources to help secure stable supply chains.The two leaders discussed a wide range of topics during their summit, including cooperation on technology, climate change, people-to-people exchanges and North Korea. In a joint statement, they announced the countries are elevating their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership."Today's talks were very meaningful in that they took place against the backdrop of a combination of challenges faced by the international community, including a pandemic, supply chain disruptions and climate change," Yoon said in a joint press conference following the summit."We agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries on economic security," he continued, noting that both nations play important roles in global supply chain

Sep 24, 2022
Yoon, Trudeau agree to strengthen cooperation on minerals for stable supply chains

Ex-President Lee granted extension of imprisonment suspension

Former President Lee Myung-bak / Yonhap The prosecution on Friday granted an additional three-month suspension of the prison sentence for former President Lee Myung-bak, who has been out of prison for health problems, officials said. Lee was released from prison in late June after the prosecution initially suspended his 17-year prison sentence for three months due to chronic illnesses, including diabetes. Lee recently filed a request for an extension of the suspension, set to expire in late September.Lee, president from 2008 to 2013, had been serving the sentence since the Supreme Court finalized the 17-year prison term in October 2020 on charges of embezzlement and bribery.Following a meeting of its sentence suspension review board, the Suwon District Prosecutors Office said it approved suspending Lee's imprisonment for three more months for health reasons. The 81-year-old was excluded from the presidential pardons carried out last month, due apparently to concern

Sep 23, 2022
Ex-President Lee granted extension of imprisonment suspension

Yoon seeks cooperation with Canada in AI

President Yoon Suk-yeol, third from right, looks at a robotic hand demonstration ahead of a meeting with a group of artificial intelligence experts at the University of Toronto, Thursday. Yonhap By Kwon Mee-yooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Canada, Thursday (local time), to strengthen technological ties with the North American country. This visit is the last leg of his three-nation trip to the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Yoon began his schedule in Canada by meeting with a group of experts on artificial intelligence (AI) in Toronto. At the University of Toronto, Yoon met with Geoffrey Hinton, a professor emeritus of computer science and a pioneer of deep learning, Garth Gibson, president of the Vector Institute, and Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto, along with Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Victor Fedeli.Yoon described Toronto as an AI powerhouse that researchers and big tech companies flock

Sep 23, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Yoon seeks cooperation with Canada in AI

Yoon's approval rating falls below 30%: poll

Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol makes an address at a dinner meeting with Koreans residing in Canada at a Toronto hotel, Sept. 22. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating fell below 30 percent, a poll showed Friday, amid public criticism over his handling of diplomatic affairs in his ongoing three-nation trip.In the poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 28 percent positively assessed Yoon's job performance, down 5 percentage points from the previous week.Yoon's disapproval rating jumped by 2 percentage points to 61 percent.Yoon's approval rating slid below 30 percent just a week after it went back up above the threshold following a six-week streak in the 20 percent range in Gallup polls. According to the pollster, many respondents cited the government's scrapping of a plan to build a new state guest house late last week and Yoon's handling of summit diplomacy, such as the cancellation of book-signing before the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, as reasons for disapproval.Yoon is on a trip to Britain, the United States and Canada this week.

Sep 23, 2022
Yoon's approval rating falls below 30%: poll
previous page
504505506507508
next page

Most Read in South Korea