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Baseball, dogs: What Yoon, Biden have in common

U.S. President Joe Biden takes a walk with his dog Commander, near his beach house in the Cape Henlopen neighborhood of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Dec. 28, 2021. REUTERS Hopes are high that presidents' shared passion for dogs and baseball can break ice during summitBy Ko Dong-hwanThere's a lot of pressure on the first official meeting of Korea's newly inaugurated president with his U.S. counterpart this weekend, but the two presidents might try lightening the mood by discussing some of their common interests. That's one scenario of how the May 21 summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden could play out, thanks to what happen to be two interests they have in common: baseball and dogs. The dogs being raised by Biden and Yoon have different kinds of habitats: one of Biden's two German shepherds, named Commander, lives in the White House with the presidential family, receiving treatment worthy of the country's “first dog.” The othe

May 20, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Baseball, dogs: What Yoon, Biden have in common

Yoon, Biden to discuss Korea-US tech alliance in nuclear energy

U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 19, as he travels to South Korea and Japan on his first trip to Asia as president. UPI-YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooSouth Korea and the United States will discuss ways to strengthen their partnerships in nuclear energy during President Yoon Suk-yeol's summit with visiting U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled to be held on Saturday. Biden is anticipated to touch down at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on Friday evening, and attend a summit with Yoon on Saturday.Yoon told reporters on Friday that the summit “will be an opportunity for the Seoul-Washington alliance to become more comprehensive and stronger in the wake of many changes to global society.”On the industrial agenda, Yoon and Biden are expected to share ideas on bilateral partnerships in small modular reactors (SMRs), which are widely seen as the next key technology in the global nuclear power market, according to the presidential office. “We are now consulting with the U.S. over the two countries' joint entry into the global nuclear po

May 20, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon, Biden to discuss Korea-US tech alliance in nuclear energy

First lady Kim to briefly meet Biden

First lady Kim Keon-hee, center / YonhapFirst lady Kim Keon-hee is expected to briefly exchange greetings with U.S. President Joe Biden during a state dinner to be held Saturday after his summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol, an official close to Kim said Friday.Biden is scheduled to arrive in Korea Friday for a three-day visit on the first leg of his first trip to Asia that will also take him to Japan next week. First lady Jill Biden is not traveling with him.Under diplomatic protocol, it may be inappropriate for Kim to accompany Yoon because the U.S. first lady is not accompanying Biden, but she is expected to drop by the welcoming dinner at the National Museum of Korea and meet briefly with Biden, the official said."I understand that first lady Kim will meet and greet Biden briefly," the official said. It is unclear whether Kim will attend the entire welcome dinner. (Yonhap)

May 20, 2022
First lady Kim to briefly meet Biden

Civilian members of digital sex crime task force resign as #MeToo prosecutor calls it quits

Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun / YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinA female prosecutor's resignation in protest against a recent reshuffle in the prosecution has created a domino effect on the in-house digital crime task force team: with 17 out of 22 task force members offering their resignation. Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun, better known by her nickname “the #MeToo prosecutor” for her courageous disclosure about sexual harassment that she had gone through, resigned Wednesday as she was requested to return to her initial workplace in Seongnam.The civilian members of the task force team claimed that the Ministry of Justice “trimmed away” Seo before Minister Han Dong-hoon took office and submitted their letters of resignation.In a statement, they said, “Prosecutor Seo has led the overall operation of the task force with a gender-sensitive and victim-centered viewpoint, which is rare for a prosecutor.” The group said the ministry's sudden dismissal of the prosecutor is both deplorable and creates a high degree of skepticism.Seo gave force to the #MeToo movement in the country b

May 20, 2022By Lee Hae-rin
Civilian members of digital sex crime task force resign as #MeToo prosecutor calls it quits

Finance Minister flatly denies plan to privatize public services

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho / YonhapFinance Minister Choo Kyung-ho flatly denied Thursday the main opposition party's claim that the government was planning to privatize certain public services. "The privatization of electricity, water supply, railways and airports has not been reviewed under the new government," Choo said during a National Assembly Budgets and Accounts Committee meeting. "I did not order a review."Choo, who doubles as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, emphasized that he is in the position in the government to decide on such an issue and that he has no plan to push for the privatization of public services. Earlier, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) claimed the government was pushing the privatization, claiming that Kim Dae-ki, the presidential chief of staff, revealed a plan to sell shares in public firms to the private sector. (Yonhap)

May 19, 2022
Finance Minister flatly denies plan to privatize public services

NSC discusses upcoming S. Korea-US summit, N. Korea

National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han, right, presides over the National Security Council meeting on Thursday in an underground bunker in Yongsan, Seoul. YonhapThe presidential National Security Council (NSC) met Thursday, and discussed the upcoming South Korea-U.S. summit and possible North Korean provocations.The meeting of the NSC standing committee was held for the first time following the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration last week and was presided over by National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han."During the meeting, the committee checked key foreign policy and security issues, including U.S. President Biden's visit to South Korea," the presidential office said in a statement, referring to Biden's visit scheduled for Friday through Sunday.The committee also "analyzed overall signs related to North Korea's ballistic missile launches and nuclear test, and discussed future plans," it said. (Yonhap)

May 19, 2022
NSC discusses upcoming S. Korea-US summit, N. Korea

What to know about Biden's trip to South Korea

U.S. President Joe Biden checks his watch after arriving at the White House following an interagency briefing on hurricane preparedness at Joint Base Andrews, in Washington, U.S., May 18, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap Yoon, Biden to hold summit Saturday afternoon, have dinner with chiefs of top 10 business groupsBy Ko Dong-hwanU.S. President Joe Biden will arrive in South Korea on Friday afternoon for a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol to reaffirm the Seoul-Washington alliance, renew America's role in keeping security in East Asia and galvanize international trade in the Indo-Pacific region. Biden's Seoul visit marks the first leg of his visit to the Indo-Pacific region as the U.S president and comes ahead of his follow-up visit to Japan. The visit also comes just 11 days after Yoon was inaugurated ― the shortest period ever for an American president to pay a visit to the Asian country.“President Biden's decision to visit South Korea prior to his visit to Japan manifests

May 19, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
What to know about Biden's trip to South Korea

Prosecutors raid home, office of ex-Industry Minister Paik over abuse of power allegations

Former Industry Minister Paik Un-gyu speaks to the media in front of his office at Hanyang University in Seoul, May 19. YonhapProsecutors raided the home and office of former Industry Minister Paik Un-gyu, Thursday, over allegations he and other ministry officials forced the heads of several energy-related state firms to step down, officials said. Prosecutors searched Paik's residence, his office at Hanyang University in central Seoul and the buildings of six energy-related state agencies affiliated with the ministry, and seized a PC and other materials related to the allegations, officials said. Among the state agencies raided were the Korea Coal and the Korea Petroleum Quality Distribution Authority, the officials said. Paik, the former Moon Jae-in administration's first minister of trade, industry and energy, allegedly forced the resignation of the then heads of four state-run energy companies, appointed under the preceding Park Geun-hye government, shortly after he took office in 2017.The then main opposition Liberty Korea Party, now renamed the People Power Party, lodged a crimi

May 19, 2022
Prosecutors raid home, office of ex-Industry Minister Paik over abuse of power allegations

Official campaigning for local elections begins

Election officials check posters of candidates running in the June 1 local elections at an election management committee office in Seoul, May 18. Yonhap Official campaigning for local elections and National Assembly by-elections kicked off Thursday with the ruling and opposition parties looking to expand their presence from the start of President Yoon Suk-yeol's new government.The 13-day campaign period will last until the eve of the June 1 elections. A total of 7,616 candidates are vying for the offices of 17 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, and 226 heads of lower-level administrative units in the upcoming elections. Also up for grabs are 779 seats in provincial and metropolitan councils, and 2,602 in lower-level local ones.This year's elections have drawn greater attention as seven National Assembly seats are also at stake, with political heavyweights, such as former presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung and Ahn Cheol-soo, throwing their hats in the r

May 19, 2022
Official campaigning for local elections begins

Moon-Biden meeting unlikely to occur

Former President Moon Jae-in, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, Oct. 30, 2021. An anticipated meeting between former Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden in Seoul this weekend is unlikely to take place. Yonhap An anticipated meeting between former Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden in Seoul this weekend is unlikely to take place, officials here and in Washington said Thursday.Biden is scheduled to arrive in Korea, Friday, for a three-day visit and hold his first summit with Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol the following day. It was previously reported that Biden could meet with Moon during his visit.But U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan denied the reports in a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, saying, "We don't have a meeting scheduled with (former) President Moon at this time."Those close to Moon said they have nothing to say about the U.S.' d

May 19, 2022
Moon-Biden meeting unlikely to occur
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