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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 vows to uphold people's will upon returning from vacation

President Yoon Suk-yeol enters the presidential office in Seoul after a weeklong vacation, Aug. 8. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to uphold the will of the people as he returned from a weeklong vacation on Monday, as public opinion polls showed his approval ratings remaining below 30 percent.Yoon took questions from the press for the first time in nearly two weeks and was asked how he felt returning from his first vacation since taking office in May."I guess I should say my vacation was a time to reinforce my belief that at the end of the day, my duty to the people is to carefully examine the people's will and to uphold the people's will while sticking to my original intentions," he said.Yoon said he reflected on everything that happened between his campaign, the transition period and after his inauguration and felt a renewed sense of gratitude to the people for building him up both through harsh criticism and heartfelt encouragement.The president has suffered from approval ratings lower than 30 percent for days amid economic woes and public backlash against unpopular policy pro

Aug 8, 2022
Yoon vows to uphold people's will upon returning from vacation
  • Yoon's disapproval rating hits new high at 70%

ANALYSIS Why Beijing won't retaliate against Seoul for 'Chip 4'

S. Korea plans to continue cooperating with China to maintain chip resilienceBy Kim Yoo-chulThe South Korean government has begun engaging in active diplomacy to allay Beijing's concerns by defining the “Chip 4” alliance as nothing more than a partnership for supply chain resilience as Seoul confirmed its plan to attend a preliminary meeting of the consultative body sometime early September this year.“The foreign ministry confirmed the country's plan to attend a preliminary meeting of the Chip 4. The South Korean government will react to participating in the meeting to maximize national interests,” an official at the presidential office said, adding that the meeting will be more on a working level. The Chip 4, initiated by the United States, is seen by Beijing as a move by Washington's to exclude China from global semiconductor value chains.The alliance intends to bring together the strengths of each of the four partner nations with the United States standing as the global leader in terms of managing the ecosystem from equipment to semiconductor manufacturing,

Aug 8, 2022By Kim Yoo-chul
[ANALYSIS] Why Beijing won't retaliate against Seoul for 'Chip 4'
  • Korea expresses intent to join preliminary 'Chip 4' meeting

Ruling party's self-inflicted crisis

Lee Jun-seok, the suspended chairman of the ruling People Power Party / NewsisSuspended leader vows court battle as President Yoon continues to lose popularityBy Jung Min-hoAfter two consecutive election wins for president and local offices, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has found itself in a self-inflicted "emergency" that will only get worse as faction leaders vow to continue to fight despite President Yoon Suk-yeol's abysmal approval ratings.Suspended PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok is at the very center of the party's internal conflict.Under the 37-year-old leader, the party won the executive office in March and a majority of local offices nationwide three months later. It was a stunning comeback from the party's near-death experience following the scandal that brought down former President Park Geun-hye just five years ago.Lee's future in the party looked more promising until the PPP's ethics committee on July 8 suspended him from his position and party affairs for six months over allegations of having accepted sexual services in return for political favors and destroying the ev

Aug 8, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Ruling party's self-inflicted crisis

Ex-presidential candidate Lee wins more rounds of voting for new DPK leadership

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-myung delivers a speech at a hotel in Jeju, Sunday, before a regional voting to elect the party's new leadership.Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), secured more victories on the second day of regional voting to elect the new party leadership on Sunday.Lee secured 70.48 percent of the vote in the polls that took place in the southern resort island of Jeju. He was trailed by Park Yong-jin with 22.49 percent, and Kang Hoon-sik with 7.03 percent.In Incheon, where Lee was elected to the National Assembly representing the city's Gyeyang-B district in June, he won 75.4 percent of the vote, followed by Park with 20.7 percent and Kang with 3.9 percent.On the previous day, Lee also won an overwhelming victory by securing 74.81 percent of the vote in the first round of polls in the northeastern province of Gangwon, the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province.Lee has so far won 74.15 percent of all votes cast on both days of voting, followed by

Aug 7, 2022
Ex-presidential candidate Lee wins more rounds of voting for new DPK leadership

Yoon unlikely to reshuffle aides despite low approval ratings

President Yoon Suk-yeol / Korea Times filePresident Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to issue a message that he will uphold the will of the people in a more humble manner, an official said Sunday, when he returns to work from a weeklong vacation amid unusually low approval ratings.Yoon has seen his ratings in the 20s in recent weeks, only three months after taking office, amid high inflation and other economic woes as well as negative perceptions of his personnel appointments and unpopular policy proposals, such as lowering the elementary school starting age."In any form, the president is expected to express his intention to uphold the will of the people in a more humble manner and reflect it in state affairs," a presidential official told reporters on customary condition of anonymity.Yoon is scheduled to return to work on Monday after a five-day vacation.The presidential official said, however, that Yoon is unlikely to reshuffle aides as a way to drum up support, and instead is expected to ask secretaries to work harder to better serve the people."It is hard to predict, but as it has been

Aug 7, 2022
Yoon unlikely to reshuffle aides despite low approval ratings

Deputy national security adviser resigns due to health reasons

Second Deputy National Security Adviser Shin In-ho / Korea Times fileSecond Deputy National Security Adviser Shin In-ho resigned Sunday due to health reasons, a presidential official said Sunday.Shin tendered his resignation three weeks ago citing deteriorating health, and President Yoon accepted it on Saturday, Choi Young-bum, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said at a press briefing.Lim Ki-hoon, a defense secretary, will fill in for Shin until the successor is picked. (Yonhap)

Aug 7, 2022
Deputy national security adviser resigns due to health reasons

Lee Jae-myung overwhelmingly wins 1st round of voting to elect new DP leadership

Rep. Lee Jae-myung running for the main opposition Democratic Party chairmanship, speaks during a joint candidate speech session in the southeastern city of Daegu on Aug. 6, ahead of the Aug. 28 national convention. YonhapRep. Lee Jae-myung, former presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), won an overwhelming victory in the first round of regional voting to elect the new party leadership on Saturday.Lee secured 74.81 percent of the vote in the polls that took place in the northeastern province of Gangwon, the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province.He was trailed by Park Yong-jin with 20.31 percent, and Kang Hoon-sik with 4.88 percent.The tally was from voting by DP members who pay party dues. The new party leadership is set to be picked at the Aug. 28 national convention based on combined results of voting by delegates and general DP members, and opinion polls.The candidates vying in the leadership race are to go through 15 rounds of regional voting, including Saturday's sessions."I am thankful that I have been given more support th

Aug 6, 2022
Lee Jae-myung overwhelmingly wins 1st round of voting to elect new DP leadership

Top S. Korean, U.S. diplomats discuss Indo-Pacific strategy

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin at the Sokha Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday. AP-YonhapThe top diplomats of South Korea and the United States had discussions on regional and global issues, including relations with China, in Phnom Penh on Friday.The talks between Foreign Minister Park Jin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were held on the sidelines of ASEAN-hosted annual sessions.“Our alliance is really a linchpin for peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. And, of course, we are working together to confront so many different regional as well as the global challenges,” Blinken told reporters following the 25-minute meeting.Park also said he used it to explain Seoul's position on relations with China and Japan in light of the Indo-Pacific strategy.Among other issues discussed were how to cope with nuclear and missile threats from North Korea as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, they added.Asked about whether the sensitive matter of the Washington-led Chip 4 Allian

Aug 5, 2022
Top S. Korean, U.S. diplomats discuss Indo-Pacific strategy

Professors condemn Kookmin University for clearing first lady of plagiarism allegations

Members of professors' associations condemn Kookmin University for clearing plagiarism allegations against first lady Kim Keon-hee's academic papers during a news conference held at the National Assembly, Friday. Joint Press CorpBy Lee Hae-rinSeveral associations of the country's university professors condemned Kookmin University for clearing first lady Kim Keon-hee of allegations that she had plagiarized some of her academic papers, urging the university to reveal the details of the investigation.A total of 13 associations, including the Korean Association of Private University Professors, and the Korea Federation of National University Professor Associations, held a press conference at the National Assembly, Friday, to denounce the university's decision earlier this week. They criticized Kookmin University for officially judging against Kim's plagiarism allegations while admitting her papers do not indicate some references to others' research and writings while using their words.“It's like saying stealing is different from theft ― a figurative contradiction to the extreme,&rd

Aug 5, 2022By Lee Hae-rin
Professors condemn Kookmin University for clearing first lady of plagiarism allegations

Ministry destroys invitation list for presidential inauguration

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, May 10. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun By Nam Hyun-wooThe Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Friday it has destroyed the list of guests invited to President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony to protect personal information, dismissing allegations that it did so to conceal controversial figures suspected of having relations with first lady Kim Keon-hee.The ministry said in a press release that it has destroyed all personal information of the guests immediately after the inauguration ceremony on May 10. Also, it has destroyed relevant data remaining at the organizing team on May 13. The information includes guests' names, residential registration numbers and their contact numbers. The ministry added that it destroyed the information according to a relevant law “without any other purpose.” The law it was referring to is the Perso

Aug 5, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Ministry destroys invitation list for presidential inauguration
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