my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Politics

Interior ministry's police bureau to be set up as early as July: minister

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min / YonhapAn envisioned police bureau under the interior ministry will be set up as early as next month, Minister Lee Sang-min said Monday, as it aims to increase its control of the law enforcement agency as part of reform measures.A police reform advisory committee under the ministry earlier unveiled a set of recommendations, including the creation of the bureau, despite concerns that the move could put the law enforcement agency under political influence."The ministry will push forward with establishing a new organization related to police as soon as possible," Lee told reporters, adding that the final plan will be drawn up by July 15. It would mark the first time in 31 years for the interior ministry to exercise direct control of police since the law enforcement agency was spun off as an outside organization of the ministry in 1991 as part of efforts to ensure its independence and neutrality.The plan comes as police officers are set to take on more investigative roles from prosecutors under a new law aimed at reducing and ultimately abolishing the pros

Jun 27, 2022
Interior ministry's police bureau to be set up as early as July: minister

ANALYSIS Evolving from mediator to balancer

Experts, former presidential aides advise Yoon's inter-Korean relations team to learn from limits of 'shuttle diplomacy' implemented by Moon administration By Kim Yoo-chul“What's happening in Ukraine is never irrelevant to Korea,” said President Yoon Suk-yeol during his presidential campaign. With attention globally focused on the updates of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, “There are possibilities North Korea could perform strategic provocations and we have to further strengthen deterrence to take on the North's nuclear and missile threats because peace can only be achieved through strength,” according to Yoon.The intent behind these messages is clear. While South Korea and the United States are trying to continue to get North Korea involved in dialogue, the deepening Ukraine conflict and China's dissatisfaction with Washington pushing for a broader IPEF network as well as strengthening the Quad will likely put additional pressure on the Yoon administration. One question is: how might North Korea react to the Ukraine war, and to what level of extent will Russia

Jun 27, 2022By Kim Yoo-chul
[ANALYSIS] Evolving from mediator to balancer

Yoon's disapproval rating exceeds approval rating again

President Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval rating has again exceeded his approval rating, a survey showed Monday.The Realmeter survey of 2,515 voters conducted from Monday to Friday showed 46.6 percent of respondents approved of the way Yoon handled state affairs while 47.7 percent gave a negative assessment of his performance.It was the second survey that put Yoon's disapproval rating above his approval rating after the first one, conducted by Rnsearch from June 18-21, in which 47.6 percent positively assessed Yoon's performance and 47.9 percent negatively.Bae Cheol-ho, Realmeter's senior analyst, attributed the increase of negative evaluation of Yoon's performance to the recent controversy surrounding the government's push to strengthen control over police and confusion over the possible revision of 52-hour work week amid the worsening economic situation. "(Yoon's) first overseas trip to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit may create a reverse momentum to increase the approval rating," Bae said. The poll has a margin of error of plus or m

Jun 27, 2022
Yoon's disapproval rating exceeds approval rating again

Yoon makes multilateral diplomacy debut at NATO summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, will depart for Madrid, Spain, Monday, to attend the NATO summit, making his debut in multilateral diplomacy. He will also hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Wednesday, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. YonhapKorea-US-Japan summit to be held on Wednesday By Kwon Mee-yooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol will take part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit this week, making his debut in multilateral diplomacy, centering on defense and economics. Yoon will depart Seoul for his first official overseas trip to Madrid, Spain, Monday, to take part in the NATO summit slated for June 29 to 30, and hold a flurry of bilateral talks with major heads of state during the summit. Yoon did not have any official schedule Sunday as he prepared for his first multilateral diplomatic engagement.South Korea is a global partner of NATO and Yoon is going to be the first Korean president to attend a NATO summit. He is expected to discuss the strengthening of shared values based on democracy and

Jun 26, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Yoon makes multilateral diplomacy debut at NATO summit

Samsung executive-turned-lawmaker to chair Assembly semiconductor committee

Rep. Yang Hyang-ja / Korea Times fileRep. Yang Hyang-ja, a Samsung Electronics executive-turned-lawmaker, said Sunday she had decided to accept an offer from the ruling People Power Party to chair an envisioned special National Assembly committee on semiconductors.The decision drew attention because Yang is considered an opposition figure though she left the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and became an independent last year amid allegations one of her aides sexually harassed a colleague."Semiconductors represent the economy and national security," Yang said on Facebook announcing her decision to accept the PPP's proposal, adding there is "no opposition or ruling party or ideology" when it comes to semiconductors."Our country's semiconductor industry stands at a crossroads between leaping forward or declining," she said. "We are in a situation so critical that an opposition figure has been offered the chairmanship of a special committee of the ruling party for the first time."Yang is known for rising to the rank of an executive at Samsung Electronics in 2014 after joining t

Jun 26, 2022
Samsung executive-turned-lawmaker to chair Assembly semiconductor committee

On Korean War anniversary, S. Korea vows stern response to N. Korean provocations

Visitors look at a sculpture at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, June 25, the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed a stern response to any North Korean provocation, Saturday, as the nation observed the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.In a speech during a ceremony marking the anniversary, he said the North's recent missile launches and nuclear weapon test preparations have escalated tensions beyond the Korean Peninsula and are posing a threat to international peace.Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War in Seoul, June 25. Yonhap"The government will strengthen its defensive posture based on the firm alliance between South Korea and the U.S., and respond swiftly and sternly using all means necessary," he said."The government will never forget that peace can only be achieved on the basis of strong defense and security," Han said.South Korea will also seek diplomatic efforts to gain cooperation from the interna

Jun 25, 2022
On Korean War anniversary, S. Korea vows stern response to N. Korean provocations

Yoon to turn down resignation offers from top Coast Guard officials

Korea Coast Guard headquarters in Incheon's Yeonsu District, Friday / Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to turn down the resignations tendered by top Coast Guard officials to take responsibility for overturning a previous announcement that a fisheries official killed by North Korea in 2020 was attempting to defect to the North, Yoon's office said.Nine top Coast Guard officials, including Commissioner General Jeong Bong-hun, offered to resign en masse earlier Friday, days after the Coast Guard and the defense ministry announced they had not found any circumstances backing the probe results from two years ago, reversing their previous stance and apologizing to the bereaved family."We respect their genuine intentions, but given that a fact-finding process is underway, including an inspection by the Board of Audit and Inspection, the mass resignation offers will be turned down," the presidential office said in a statement.The 47-year-old official was fatally shot by

Jun 24, 2022
Yoon to turn down resignation offers from top Coast Guard officials

DPK says will give judiciary committee chairmanship to PPP

Rep. Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), speaks at a party workshop event in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province, Friday. YonhapThe main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) agreed Friday to the ruling People Power Party taking over the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, a major concession expected to speed up long-stalled negotiations on committee formations.The PPP and the DPK have been wrangling over which party should head which Assembly committees, leaving the National Assembly idling for more than three weeks after the first half of the 21st National Assembly ended last month.The two sides have been especially at loggerheads over the chairmanship of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee, a key Assembly panel that has the power to approve bills before they are put to a plenary vote."As agreed by the floor leaders of the two parties last year, we agree to the PPP taking the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said. "In ex

Jun 24, 2022
DPK says will give judiciary committee chairmanship to PPP

Yoon, Bill Gates discuss pandemic response

President Yoon Suk-yeol takes reporters' questions as he arrives at his office in Seoul, Friday, in this pool photo. Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke by phone with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Friday, and discussed responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, a presidential official said.The two talked about efforts to overcome the pandemic and South Korea's role and contribution to global health cooperation."The president said now is an important time, as COVID-19 stabilizes, to reorganize the global health system and prepare for future health crises," the official told reporters.Yoon said he expects to see ample room for cooperation with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which Gates co-chairs, in promoting research and development in the digital bio sector.He also promised increased cooperation between the South Korean government and health organizations such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which the Gates Foundation actively supports.Mea

Jun 24, 2022
Yoon, Bill Gates discuss pandemic response

Yoon says revision of 52-hour workweek not yet official

President Yoon Suk-yeol takes reporters' questions as he arrives at his office in Seoul on Friday in this pool photo. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday that a revision to the 52-hour legal workweek has not yet been officially decided upon by the government. Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik told reporters a day earlier that the government will consider revising the 52-hour workweek system in a way that will allow employers and workers to flexibly spread the hours over a month."The deputy prime minister apparently collected the suggestions of people from private research associations and such and told the labor ministry to look into the flexibility of the labor market," Yoon told reporters as he arrived for work. "It has not yet been announced as the official position of the government."The 52-hour workweek was introduced in 2018 during the previous administration of Moon Jae-in, but has been criticized by some for failing to meet the needs of both businesses and workers.In announcing its economic policy direction last week, the Yoon government said it would push for structural ref

Jun 24, 2022
Yoon says revision of 52-hour workweek not yet official
previous page
539540541542543
next page

Most Read in South Korea