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Yoon says pardoning ex-President Lee 'not an issue to talk about now'

President Yoon Suk-yeolPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday that a potential pardon for jailed former President Lee Myung-bak "is not an issue to talk about now."Yoon made the remark to reporters upon arrival at the presidential office following news reports that Lee filed for a suspension of his sentence and could be included in beneficiaries of a presidential pardon that could be carried out to mark Aug. 15 Liberation Day."This is not an issue to talk about now," Yoon said when asked to comment on a pardon for Lee.The remarks are seen as the president's intent to distance himself from the increasing discussions on a pardon for Lee within the ruling People Power Party.They came as the prosecution is scheduled to begin its deliberation on Lee's application for a suspension of his sentence filed with a district prosecutors' office in Anyang, 23 kilometers south of Seoul, last week.The 81-year-old Lee, now serving a 17-year prison sentence for corruption, reportedly filed for a suspension of his sentence, citing health issues, last Friday amid speculation he may be granted a special

Jun 8, 2022
Yoon says pardoning ex-President Lee 'not an issue to talk about now'

Freedom of assembly: Not in my president's backyard

Former President Moon Jae-in gestures while conversing with two unidentified men at his house in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, May 11. YonhapOpposition lawmakers shift stance, seek to ban protests near Moon's houseBy Jung Min-hoWhen protesters screamed near the house of former President Lee Myung-bak for months about five years ago, calling on authorities to arrest him immediately, most lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) remained silent or even encouraged such rallies.Their aggressive voices and mockery ― with some calling Lee a rat ― began to subside only when it looked certain that he would be arrested on charges of bribery and abuse of power less than a year after President Moon Jae-in took office with a promise to “restore justice.”About a month after Moon's term ended last month, DPK lawmakers are now seeking to ban such rallies citing “privacy concerns” when the former leader himself became a target of critics claiming to be the victims of his policies, including the families of people who died or suffered from severe side effects o

Jun 8, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Freedom of assembly: Not in my president's backyard

Rep. Woo Sang-ho named as DPK's new interim leader

Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea attends a general meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yoeuido, Tuesday. Joint Press CorpsFour-term lawmaker Woo Sang-ho was named as new interim leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Tuesday. Woo was selected to lead the DPK's interim leadership committee in a general meeting of lawmakers, party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young said.Woo will lead the DPK until the party elects a new chairperson at a national convention planned for August."Rep. Woo is expected to exercise leadership in an impartial manner as he has declared he won't seek reelection," Shin said.Woo is considered one of the "Generation 86" lawmakers, a mainstream group within the DPK referring to those who went to university in the 1980s and were born in the 1960s. The Generation 86 group has been blamed by critics for the party's low approval ratings amid perceptions they are politicians with vested interests.However, Woo is considered more neutral than others and enjoys trust from a wide spectrum of party

Jun 7, 2022
Rep. Woo Sang-ho named as DPK's new interim leader

Yoon says rallies outside Moon's home should be handled according to law

President Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday rallies in front of former President Moon Jae-in's home should be handled in accordance with the law just like those outside the presidential office.Moon and his family have complained of loud and verbally abusive rallies by conservative activists outside their home in Yangsan, 309 kilometers southeast of Seoul, ever since they moved in after the former president's retirement last month."Well, since rallies are allowed at the presidential office, won't they all be handled in accordance with the law?" Yoon told reporters when asked to comment on the protests.The JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported earlier Yoon was "deeply concerned" about the protests, citing a key presidential official. It also claimed the presidential office was planning to ask the activists to refrain from holding the rallies."The issue was briefly discussed during a tea meeting between the chief of staff and senior secretaries," a presidential official told reporters Tuesday. "But there was no separate meeting on it as to where the position of the p

Jun 7, 2022
Yoon says rallies outside Moon's home should be handled according to law

Yoon taps Eximbank chief as minister for government policy coordination

Bang Moon-kyu / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol has tapped the president of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) as minister for government policy coordination, his office said Tuesday.Bang Moon-kyu, who currently heads the Eximbank, was formerly a vice health minister and a second vice finance minister.Previously, he served in various roles in the finance ministry, including as spokesman.The minister for government policy coordination works under the prime minister. (Yonhap)

Jun 7, 2022
Yoon taps Eximbank chief as minister for government policy coordination

ANALYSIS IPEF to deepen Korean firms' 'dual-track' strategy with US, China

Samsung, SK say their investment strategies not affected by geopolitical issuesBy Kim Yoo-chulSouth Korea's official joining of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) could possibly jeopardize Seoul's long-standing strategic partnership with Beijing, as the core purpose of the IPEF is to counter China's growing economic and political influence in Asia.The rationale behind such concerns was illustrated early by a series of recent remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who has expressed his dissatisfaction with the launch of the economic framework, which excludes China. Wang said in his May 16 videoconference with Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin that China doesn't want to see “technological decoupling” through the launch of the IPEF.But because the prime goal of the IPEF is aimed at ensuring supply chain resiliency, the point of which is also embraced by China, given Beijing's continued heavy investment into the semiconductor industry, experts and executives at Samsung and SK ― the world's top two chip manufacturers ― said Seoul's participation in the IP

Jun 7, 2022By Kim Yoo-chul
[ANALYSIS] IPEF to deepen Korean firms' 'dual-track' strategy with US, China

Justice ministry's personnel vetting team sets sail

Justice Ministry / Korea Times fileA personnel vetting unit under the justice ministry officially went into operation Tuesday, taking over the role of looking into the qualifications of senior position candidates from the presidential office, officials said.Following up on his campaign promise, President Yoon Suk-yeol abolished the office of the presidential senior civil affairs secretary that had been in charge of vetting candidates for Cabinet seats and other senior government jobs amid illegal surveillance accusations. Instead, the justice ministry launched the "personnel information management team" to take over the role. According to ministry officials, the team is staffed with 17 officials dispatched from the defense, education and personnel management ministries as well as the national police, intelligence and tax agencies, including chief of the team Park Hang-yeol. Park is considered an expert on personnel management, spending most of his career at the ministry of personnel management. Before assuming the new post, he was an official of the National Human Resources Developme

Jun 7, 2022
Justice ministry's personnel vetting team sets sail

Yoon names ambassadors to Japan, China, Russia, UN

From left, Yun Duk-min, Chung Jae-ho, Chang Ho-jin and Hwang Joon-kook / Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol named ambassadors to China, Japan, Russia and the United Nations, Tuesday, completing a new lineup of the top envoys to all four major powers after selecting a new ambassador to the United States last month.Yun Duk-min, a foreign policy expert who previously headed the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, was named ambassador to Tokyo, while Chung Jae-ho, a professor of Seoul National University, was named ambassador to Beijing.Chang Ho-jin, a former ambassador to Cambodia, was named ambassador to Russia while former Ambassador to Britain Hwang Joon-kook was tapped as ambassador to the United Nations, the presidential office said.The selections completed the lineup of ambassadors to the four major nations.Last month, Yoon picked then Rep. Cho Tae-yong of the ruling People Power Party, who previously served as vice foreign minister, as his first ambassador to the Uni

Jun 7, 2022
Yoon names ambassadors to Japan, China, Russia, UN

Vice speaker critical of ruling party leader's Ukraine visit

People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok, right, speaks with PPP Rep. Chung Jin-suk, left, and party's floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, center, as they watch the counting process of June 1 local elections at the National Assembly in Seoul, June 1. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooRuling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok and fellow party member, Rep. Chung Jin-suk, exchanged verbal shots as the latter criticized Lee's visit to Ukraine as “politics for his own sake” on Sunday.Chung wrote on Facebook Monday, “If Lee's Ukraine visit were nothing more than a political activity for his own sake, it wouldn't usually be a problem.” Lee departed for Ukraine on Friday with a plan of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his stay. Chung wrote that most of government officials in foreign policy and security and the presidential office disapproved Lee's Ukraine trip, but that Lee insisted on visiting the war-torn country, thus Seoul's foreign ministry accepted the invitation from Lee's counterpart in Ukraine. Lee is visiting Ukraine as the head of Kor

Jun 6, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Vice speaker critical of ruling party leader's Ukraine visit

Ruling party chief says Ukraine seeks large amount of assistance from S. Korea

Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the ruling People Power Party / Yonhap The ruling party chief, who is visiting Ukraine, has said the war-torn country is hoping for a large amount of medical and other assistance from South Korea in its ongoing war with Russia, according to the party Sunday. Lee Jun-seok, head of the People Power Party, met with officials from local nongovernmental organizations in Ukraine's western city of Lviv, Saturday, and discussed ways to support refugees fleeing the war."They are hoping for a lot of assistance from South Korean society," Lee was quoted as saying. "In particular, they are asking for medical supplies and food that can be stored for a long period of time."Lee is leading the party's delegation, which also includes Reps. Kim Hyung-dong, Park Seong-min, Jeong Dong-man, Tae Young-ho and Her Euna.Before leaving for Ukraine, Friday, Lee met with Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko in Seoul, and delivered the delegation's in

Jun 5, 2022
Ruling party chief says Ukraine seeks large amount of assistance from S. Korea
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