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Ex-Culture Minister Hwang under probe over illicit political fund allegations

Former Culture Minister Hwang Hee / YonhapPolice have launched an investigation into allegations that former Culture Minister Hwang Hee took political funds from a state utility agency in return for facilitating business favors, officials said Thursday.Hwang, a two-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, allegedly received a total of 10 million won ($7,818) in political funds from an executive of Korea Water Resources (K-water) between 2019 and 2020 after a legislative bill proposed by him was approved a year earlier, according to Rep. Kim Yea-ji of the ruling People Power Party.The bill, initiated when Hwang was a member of the parliamentary committee on infrastructure, allows K-water to build and rent buildings for profits in the state-designated smart-city district in the southern port city of Busan.Police are currently looking into confiscated materials after raiding the K-water's headquarters in the central city of Daejeon earlier this month and seizing the materials."Details of the investigation cannot be disclosed," a police official said about the case

May 12, 2022
Ex-Culture Minister Hwang under probe over illicit political fund allegations

Korea seeks to resume construction of two nuclear reactors in 2025: sources

Then main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol announcing a campaign pledge on the nuclear industry during a visit to the now-halted construction site of two reactors in the coastal county of Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, in this Dec. 29, 2021 photo. Yonhap The new administration will seek to resume currently suspended construction of two nuclear reactors in the coastal county of Uljin in 2025, government and industry sources said Wednesday.In its key policy implementation plan, apparently written last month, President Yoon Suk-yeol's transition team proposed restarting the construction of Shin-Hanul reactors No. 3 and No. 4 in the first half of 2025, according to the sources.Yoon said multiple times during his election campaign that he would scrap the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out drive.The project to build the two 1,400-megawatt reactors has been on hold since 2017. They had been scheduled to be completed by next year. (Yonhap)

May 12, 2022
Korea seeks to resume construction of two nuclear reactors in 2025: sources

Yoon names former deputy national security adviser as spy agency chief

National Intelligence Service (NIS) director nominee Kim Kyou-hyun, left, and new NIS first deputy director Kwon Chun-taekBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Kim Kyou-hyun, former deputy director of the office of national security, as the new chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), according to his office, Wednesday.A Seoul National University graduate, Kim was a career diplomat and a security expert, serving as the first and second deputy director of the Office of National Security at the presidential office during the conservative Park Geun-hye administration. During the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, he played a role in international affairs at the defense ministry where he was involved in delicate issues such as a debate over transferring wartime operational control to the South Korean military from U.S. Forces Korea. Also, he served ranking posts at the North American bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korean embassy to the U.S.During the presidential campaign, he assisted Yoon in drafting his diplomatic policies as a special adviser. Kim

May 11, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon names former deputy national security adviser as spy agency chief

Yoon's flurry of diplomacy continues on day 2 in office

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the current head of the country's ruling Democratic Party of Struggle, during the latter's visit to the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooFollowing his inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, President Yoon Suk-yeol spent his second day in office receiving dignitaries from various countries including Indonesia, Central African Republic (CAR), Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Nigeria and Ecuador, who also attended the previous day's ceremony.From Indonesia, former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the current head of the country's ruling Democratic Party of Struggle, paid a visit to Yoon. “Korea and Indonesia both have experiences of achieving democracy and economic development after overcoming historical hardships, and the experiences have contributed to the close partnership between the two countries,” Yoon said. “I look forward to seeing Indonesia's leadership as the president country of this year's Group of 20 summit and the c

May 11, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon's flurry of diplomacy continues on day 2 in office

China tries to prevent South Korea from joining US-led coalition

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan during their meeting in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapYoon's strong commitment to Korea-US alliance, ironically, bolsters leverage in ties with China By Kang Seung-wooChinese leader Xi Jinping's invitation to President Yoon Suk-yeol on the day of his inauguration reflects Beijing's attempt to keep Seoul from getting closer to Washington amid an ever-intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.In an unprecedented move, China's Vice President Wang Qishan, the highest-level official sent by the Chinese government to Seoul on the occasion of Korea's leadership change, made the invitation public following his meeting with Yoon, Tuesday. In response, Yoon thanked Xi for the invitation, adding that he was looking forward to meeting his Chinese counterpart in Seoul. Xi's unexpected invitation came just ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's scheduled visit to Seoul. Yoon and Biden will hold their first summit in Seoul, May 21“Given that the Yoon administration is seeking to strengthen its alliance with the United States or bolster t

May 11, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
China tries to prevent South Korea from joining US-led coalition

Nominee says gender equality ministry should be abolished

Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Kim Hyun-sook attends a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press CorpBy Lee Hae-rinGender Equality and Family Minister nominee Kim Hyun-sook drew criticism at her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly for refusing to submit documentation requested by members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). She poured fuel onto the fire for her remarks that the ministry itself is partially responsible for its fate to be abolished. Kim said the ministry, which was established in 2001, had failed to respond properly to cases of sex crimes committed by people in positions of power. “Now is the time for the ministry to seek a transformation in response to a new environment. It needs to be born again as an effective ministry that can cope with the gender conflict between men and women,” she said. With the remarks, Kim tried to curry favor with President Yoon Suk-yeol who has been pushing for the abolishment of the ministry. Rep. Kwon In-sook of the DPK criticized Kim, saying she is

May 11, 2022By Lee Hae-rin
Nominee says gender equality ministry should be abolished

Residents lodge complaint against ex-presidential contender Lee over development scandal

Former Mayor and Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung / Yonhap Residents forced to move out of their homes for a corruption-ridden development project in the city of Seongnam filed a criminal complaint Tuesday accusing former Mayor and Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of giving unfair profits to the developer.The development scandal in Seongnam's Daejang-dong centers on allegations that the developer, Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, reaped astronomical profits thanks to arrangements designed by city officials, including a former close aide to Lee.Lee, who served as mayor from 2014-2018, has denied any wrongdoing in the 2015 project.But a group of 33 former Daejang-dong residents filed the complaint accusing Lee and 14 others, including the owner of Hwacheon Daeyu and a former city official, of abusing the municipality's compulsory land purchase order to buy up their land against their wishes.The residents file

May 11, 2022
Residents lodge complaint against ex-presidential contender Lee over development scandal

Former deputy national security adviser tapped as new spy agency chief

Kim Kyou-hyun, the new chief of Korea's state intelligence agency / YonhapKim Kyou-hyun, tapped as the new chief of the state intelligence agency under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is known for his broad expertise in diplomacy and his versatile career ranging from defense to national security.Kim, who served as deputy national security adviser to former conservative President Park Geun-hye, has worked in several key posts, especially handling affairs related to the United States, since joining the foreign service in 1980.He served as first vice foreign minister and minister at the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. before being appointed the deputy national security adviser in 2014. As head of the secretariat of the National Security Council the same year, he led the Korean delegation at the first high-level talks with North Korea in seven years.Kim doubled as senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and second deputy national security adviser from 2015 to 2017.Working as an official in charge of international cooperation at the defense ministry in 2006, he dealt with va

May 11, 2022
Former deputy national security adviser tapped as new spy agency chief

Suits not required: President dispenses with hierarchy, formalities

President Yoon Suk-yeol, front, speaks during his first senior presidential secretary meeting held in his new office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapPresiding over his first senior presidential secretary meeting, Yoon encourages staff to communicate constantly across fieldsBy Kang Hyun-kyungPresident Yoon Suk-yeol revealed a bit about his leadership style on Wednesday, while presiding over his first meeting with senior presidential secretaries held at his new office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on the second day of his presidency. He was frank and didn't care much about rituals and encouraged his staff to be focused on getting things done without being distracted by other less important issues, such as dress codes or bureaucratic matters. Rather than hierarchy or formalities, an emphasis on devotion to one's work characterizes his working style. “Well, I feel awkward with this table. We are going to have a meeting today like this in front of cameras as camera crew members from the media outlets are shooting us in a meeting because they said they needed this,”

May 11, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Suits not required: President dispenses with hierarchy, formalities

Yoon makes first commute to work in motorcade

President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, leaves his private home in southern Seoul, May 11. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol made his first commute to work by motorcade Wednesday, an unusual spectacle that followed his relocation of the presidential office.Yoon left his private home in southern Seoul at 8:21 a.m. and arrived at his office in the central district of Yongsan at 8:34 a.m.The president will commute every day for now while the foreign minister's official residence is being converted into the new presidential residence.Yoon has moved both the presidential office and residence out of Cheong Wa Dae, and opened the compound to the public.When reporters asked him how he felt about his first commute to work, Yoon smiled, noting his first day at the office was actually Tuesday.The president did work from his office Tuesday but did so after traveling from his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly, not from his home.A motorcade carries President Yoon Suk-yeol from his private home in southern Seoul to his office in Yongsan, May 11. YonhapAsked to share his thoughts on becoming the fir

May 11, 2022
Yoon makes first commute to work in motorcade
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