South Korea - The Korea Times

Yoon promises to prevent similar tragedies after deaths of mother, 2 daughters

President Yoon Suk-yeol takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly Plaza in Seoul, May 10. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday he will take special care of struggling citizens to prevent the recurrence of tragedies such as the recent apparent suicides of a mother and her two daughters.Speaking to reporters as he arrived for work, Yoon shared the story of the family who was found dead at their home in Suwon, south of Seoul, after reportedly struggling with illness and financial difficulties."I have told the people until now that when it comes to welfare, which is the foundation of freedom and solidarity, I would pursue welfare for the weak rather than welfare for politics, and meet with the weak who are unable to express their difficulties in one voice and look after their difficult lives," he said."The central government will create a system whereby these people can be taken care of, and as president, I will pay special attention to struggling citizens and work with local governments to ensure such incidents don't happen again," he added

Aug 23, 2022

Yoon promises to prevent similar tragedies after deaths of mother, 2 daughters

Supreme Court dismisses ex-President Lee's appeal against sell-off of his house

Former President Lee Myung-bak / YonhapThe Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed by former President Lee Myung-bak to reverse the prosecution's sell-off of his house aimed at collecting fines he was ordered to pay in a corruption case, sources said Tuesday.Prosecutors had Lee's house in Seoul's Gangnam district auctioned off last year to collect fine money after the Supreme Court finalized a 17-year prison term for Lee for corruption in 2020 along with a fine of 13 billion won ($9.6 million) and a forfeiture of 5.7 billion won.Lee filed an administrative lawsuit against the sell-off, arguing it was unjust because the house was equally owned by him and his wife. The top court on Tuesday rejected Lee's appeal, upholding two lower courts' dismissal of the case. (Yonhap)

Aug 23, 2022

Supreme Court dismisses ex-President Lee's appeal against sell-off of his house

President Yoon's approval rating goes up after hitting rock bottom

President Yoon Suk-yeol listens to a briefing during a National Security Council meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of presidential officeBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol's dismal approval rating has stopped sinking to new lows as the latest poll shows it began to rebound, albeit slightly, thanks to his emphasis on the public's livelihood and reforming the presidential office.According to a Realmeter poll released on Monday, Yoon's job approval rating stood at 32.2 percent, up 1.8 percentage points from a week ago. A total of 2,011 people were surveyed from Aug. 16 to 19. The poll was requested by Media Tribune and further details are available on the websites of the polling agency and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.It was the second consecutive week that the president's approval rating inched up. In Realmeter's weekly surveys, Yoon's rating fell from 33.4 percent in the second week of July to 29.3 percent in the first week of this month.“It remains to be seen whether this trend will lead to a full-scale r

Aug 22, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon's approval rating goes up after hitting rock bottom

Yoon calls for watertight security posture for Korean Peninsula peace

President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Aug. 22. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol called Monday for maintaining a "watertight" security posture as the government kicked off a four-day civil defense exercise.Yoon issued the call during a Cabinet meeting on the first day of the Ulchi exercise, which will involve more than 480,000 people working at some 4,000 institutions across the public sector and run parallel to South Korea-U.S. military exercises."We must take part in these exercises with the determination to unwaveringly maintain the government's function, support military operations and be responsible for the people's safety in any national crisis situation," Yoon said, noting that the allies' exercises have been revived after being scaled back under the previous administration."Only exercises that are identical to an actual battle can firmly defend the lives of our people and the security of our nation. In order to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, our watertight security posture must serve as the basis," he said.Th

Aug 22, 2022

Yoon calls for watertight security posture for Korean Peninsula peace

S. Korea, US kick off combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise

Camp Humphreys, a U.S. Forces Korea base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / YonhapSouth Korea and the United States began a regular combined military exercise Monday, reviving large-scale field training suspended four years ago as the allies push to bolster defense against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise is set to run through Sept. 1, involving an array of contingency drills, like concurrent field maneuvers that were not held over the past years under the preceding Moon Jae-in administration's drive for peace with Pyongyang.The allies have kept up vigilance against the possibility of Pyongyang undertaking provocations on the pretext of reacting to their exercise, which the recalcitrant regime has decried as a war rehearsal.Under an all-out war concept, the exercise consists of two parts ― the first segment involving drills on repelling North Korean attacks and defending the greater Seoul area, with the second part focusing on counterattack operations.During the first segment, the Seoul government will concurrently hold the Ulc

Aug 22, 2022

S. Korea, US kick off combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise

Ex-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung wins latest voting in DP leadership race

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, center, former presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party, claps his hands at a convention center in Gwangju, Sunday. YonhapFormer presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung won the latest rounds of voting in an ongoing race for the Democratic Party (DP) leadership on Sunday, inching closer to the helm of the main opposition party.Lee won some 79 percent of the votes by dues-paying DP members in South Jeolla Province and the metropolitan city of Gwangju in the region.Lee handily beat Park Yong-jin, who earned just over 20 percent of the votes in South Jeolla and Gwangju on Sunday.Lee earlier topped DP votes in North Jeolla, North and South Chungcheong provinces, plus the central administrative hub of Sejong and neighboring Daejeon. Those results followed overwhelming victories in Gangwon Province, the southeastern city of Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, the southern resort island of Jeju and Incheon, just west of Seoul.The latest results pushed Lee's accumulated total to 78.35 percent, while Park has won 21.65 percent of the votes so far.Lee, who l

Aug 21, 2022

Ex-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung wins latest voting in DP leadership race

Kim Eun-hye returns as senior press secretary

Kim Eun-hye, new senior press secretary for President Yoon Suk-yeol, speaks after a reshuffle announcement at the press room of the presidential office in Seoul, Sunday. NewsisEx-Vice Trade Minister Lee appointed senior secretary for policy planning; Lim named deputy national security adviserBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol replaced his senior secretary for public relations, Sunday, as dismal approval ratings jeopardize his reform agenda before it even starts.The presidential office announced that Kim Eun-hye, 51, a former lawmaker who had previously been spokeswoman for Yoon's transition team, will replace Choi Young-bum in the top PR post as part of the first major reshuffle of the office since Yoon's inauguration in May.Kim, a TV anchor-turned-politician who vacated her National Assembly seat to run unsuccessfully in the race for Gyeonggi governorship in June, has now been handed the task of developing media strategies and helping the administration improve communication with the public.“Given that Kim is well aware of the philosophy of President Yoon's state affairs an

Aug 21, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Kim Eun-hye returns as senior press secretary

Protests within 300 meters of former President Moon's home banned

This photo from Facebook shows a protester being arrested by police on charges of threatening an aide to former President Moon Jae-in in front of Moon's home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 16. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooProtests within 300 meters of the fence of former President Moon Jae-in's residence in the southeastern city of Yangsan will be banned from Monday, according to the presidential office on Sunday. The Presidential Security Service (PSS), which operates within the grounds of Moon's residence, announced that the guard zone for the former president has been expanded to protect the former president, as well as residents of the village, from threats and noise from the protestors. The move came after a protester was arrested for threatening Moon's aide with a box cutter last week during a one-person protest in front of Moon's house. Since Moon moved to the area in May, after finishing his presidential term, loud rallies have been held around the premises, which is in the small rural town of Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province. "Dangerous items suc

Aug 21, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo

Protests within 300 meters of former President Moon's home banned

INTERVIEW Korean American politician in Irvine fights racism, misogyny

Tammy Kim, a member of the Irvine City Council, talks during an interview with The Korea Times at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul Hotel in Yeouido. Courtesy of InPRTammy Kim confronts anti-Asian discrimination, stands up for Irvine's Asian communityBy Ko Dong-hwanIt was 2021 when a group of Korean War veterans stormed into an Irvine City Council meeting and walked straight up to Tammy Kim, one of the councilmembers at the session. Upset with the Korean American for having disagreed with their request to introduce a new cemetery for war veterans in a neighborhood of Irvine, California, they shouted that she could not do that to those who had fought for her country in 1950. It was the second time that a group of veterans had confronted her in such a manner, but she was more prepared that time around.“They said, 'We came to your country and saved you and your country so I should be grateful',” Kim, who was elected a city councilmember in 2020, told The Korea Times. “I told them that my country is the U.S. and I wasn't even born yet when the war ended more than 70 years ago.&

Aug 21, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan

[INTERVIEW] Korean American politician in Irvine fights racism, misogyny

Rallies to be banned around ex-President Moon's home

This photo captured from Facebook shows a protester being arrested by police on charges of threatening an aide to former President Moon Jae-in in front of Moon's home in Yangsan, 309 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Aug. 16. YonhapRallies around the home of former President Moon Jae-in will be banned starting Monday as the Presidential Security Service expanded the guard zone for the former president amid persistent noisy and menacing protests.The decision to ban rallies within 300 meters from Moon's home in Yangsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, came after President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the secret service to consider strengthening security for his predecessor following a suggestion from National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo.Since Moon left office in May after a five-year term, his home has been plagued day and night by raucous loudspeaker demonstrations by right-wing protesters and YouTubers opposed to the way he ran the country. Last week, one protester was arrested after making threats with a box cutter in front of Moon's home."We expanded and redesignated the guard zone