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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.

Moon calls for watertight defense posture over N. Korea's weapons testing

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul speaks at a luncheon meeting of the country's military leaders hosted by President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae, April 29. Yonhap Outgoing President Moon Jae-in called for the military to maintain a watertight defense posture Friday, expressing concerns that North Korea's continued testing of weapons may put the Korean Peninsula back into a crisis as incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol takes office.Moon, who is set to leave office May 9, made the remarks at a luncheon meeting with high-ranking military officials, Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement. "Given various signs shown by North Korea, including the recent launch of an ICBM, the crisis on the Korean Peninsula could become severe again," Moon told the military officials. Moon said North Korea may revive its old pattern of brinkmanship, as shown in 2017 when it launched ICBMs and conducted a nuclear weapons test, at a time of power transition in South Korea. "I hope ou

Apr 29, 2022
Moon calls for watertight defense posture over N. Korea's weapons testing
  • Continued restoration work spotted at North Korea's nuclear test site: report

Moon says there are not only cons but also pros to pardoning ex-President Lee

President Moon Jae-in / Yonhap Outgoing President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will determine whether to pardon former President Lee Myung-bak after taking judicial and public consensus into consideration, noting there were not only cons but also pros to the proposed pardon.The remark, made in response to online petitions opposing Lee's pardon, could suggest a higher likelihood of a pardon because Moon talked about those in favor of it, though presidential aides said the remark was no more than an expression of principle. Speculation has grown recently that Moon may grant a pardon to Lee on the occasion of Buddha's Birthday, May 8, a day before his five-year term ends. Lee is serving a 17-year prison term for embezzlement and bribery."There are many people who have the same opinion as the petitioners. On the other hand, there are many opinions in favor of amnesty for national harmony and integration," Moon said of petitions opposing a pardon. "I will make a judgment b

Apr 29, 2022
Moon says there are not only cons but also pros to pardoning ex-President Lee

Yoon to attend World Economic Forum's annual meeting next year: spokesperson

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to citizens in Daejeon during his visit to the city, Thursday. YonhapPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January next year, his spokesperson said Thursday.Yoon expressed his intention to attend the forum in Davos after receiving an invitation from World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab during their meeting Wednesday, according to Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin. The WEF organizes an annual forum in Davos where the world's political and economic leaders gather to discuss various global agenda. The forum has been usually held in the beginning of the year, but due to the omicron wave, this year's edition has been pushed back to May 22-26.In a meeting Thursday with Ahn Cheol-soo, the chief of Yoon's transition team, Schwab said Yoon told him he will review an option of sending a special envoy to the next month's forum.Ahn and Schwab also discussed the global supply chain in their meeting, according to the transition team.On Wednesday, Yoon and Schwab exchange

Apr 28, 2022
Yoon to attend World Economic Forum's annual meeting next year: spokesperson

Debate heats up over holding referendum on prosecution reform bill

National Election Commission headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province / NewsisBy Ko Dong-hwanWhile lawmakers at the National Assembly are split over the passage of two prosecution reform bills that will overhaul the investigative powers of prosecutors, the repercussions of the clash are spreading beyond the National Assembly. At the crux of an intensifying debate on the issue is whether or not it is legitimate to hold a referendum to let the public decide whether the bills should be legislated or not. Holding a referendum was suggested by Rep. Chang Je-won, the chief of staff for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Chang proposed the bills to be put to a referendum on June 1, when the local elections are held, on the premise of saving both money to prepare for another election and time for people to go to the polling stations.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have been locking horns for weeks over the prosecutorial reform. The DPK has decided it would work to pass the bills at the National Assembly in order to reduce what it arg

Apr 28, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Debate heats up over holding referendum on prosecution reform bill
  • Moon signs controversial prosecutorial reform bills into law

Concerns growing over Cabinet vacuum

Members of a special committee for the hearing of Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo hold a meeting at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Wednesday. The hearings for Han have been rescheduled to May 2 and 3, after earlier hearings on Monday and Tuesday broke down due to a boycott by the Democratic Party of Korea and the Justice Party. Joint Press CorpsBy Jung Da-min There are growing concerns that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration may start with several Cabinet positions unfilled, as several currently sitting ministers have offered to resign at the end of Moon Jae-in's term, accompanied by the uncertain future of Yoon's nominees, some of whom are not likely to pass the National Assembly confirmation hearings. In addition, the delayed hearings for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo are making the situation worse, given that the prime minister has the right to recommend Cabinet appointees to the president. A total of seven ministers of the Moon administration who are also members of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are set to resign from their ministerial post

Apr 28, 2022
Concerns growing over Cabinet vacuum

Ruling party to thwart PPP's filibuster with salami tactics

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks at the National Assembly main hall, Wednesday. He took the floor to initiate a filibuster to prevent the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's push to vote on the prosecutorial reform bill. Joint Press CorpsDPK pushes to pass prosecutorial reform bill by May 3 By Kang Hyun-kyung Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), took the floor at the National Assembly, Wednesday, as the first PPP lawmaker to initiate a filibuster to prevent the passage of the Prosecutors' Office Bill, one of two bills designed to scrap the prosecution's power to investigate criminal cases. Calling the prosecutorial reform the product of fraudulent political maneuvering by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Kweon blasted the ruling party for attempting to pass the controversial legislation.“I wonder why the ruling party members have wasted time for the past five years when President Moon Jae-in has been in power and why they have to push it through, just like they a

Apr 27, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ruling party to thwart PPP's filibuster with salami tactics

Yoon says Biden's visit an opportunity to comprehensively bolster South Korea-US alliance

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, right, shakes hands with Edwin Feulner, founder of U.S. think tank, the Heritage Foundation, during their meeting at Yoon's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press CorpsPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to South Korea will serve as a good opportunity to comprehensively strengthen the alliance between the two nations.Yoon made the remark in his meeting with Edwin Feulner, founder of U.S. think tank The Heritage Foundation, at his office in Seoul. "I believe it (Biden's visit) will be a good opportunity for the South Korea-U.S. alliance to be comprehensively reinforced," Yoon said. Yoon and Biden are expected to hold their first summit in Seoul around May 20-22 before the U.S. president travels to Japan to attend a meeting of the Quad, a U.S.-led anti-China security partnership which also involves Australia, India and Japan.Yoon's remark suggests he could discuss with Biden over ways to bolster the comprehensive strategic alliance of the allies. Feulner said it is meaningful that Biden's first Asia trip can be S

Apr 27, 2022
Yoon says Biden's visit an opportunity to comprehensively bolster South Korea-US alliance

Main opposition party set to filibuster prosecutorial reform bill

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, center, poses with Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, left, floor leader of the main opposition conservative People Power Party and Rep. Park Hong-keun, right, floor leader of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, ahead of a meeting to discuss the ruling party's prosecutorial reform bills at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Wednesday. Joint Press CorpsBy Jung Da-min The main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) vowed to continue fighting in order to frustrate the ruling Democratic Party of Korea(DPK)'s push to pass the controversial prosecutorial bill, with the clock ticking for the vote in the National Assembly. On Wednesday, the PPP warned of the use of a filibuster to prevent the passage of the bill.The floor leaders of the two parties sat down in a meeting arranged by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug in hopes of narrowing their differences.The DPK aims to pass the reform bill at the plenary session of the National Assembly before the last Cabinet meeting of the outgoing Moon Jae-in government, slated for May 3

Apr 27, 2022
Main opposition party set to filibuster prosecutorial reform bill

Ex-President Park expresses intention to attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony: official

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration preparation committee chief Park Joo-sun speaks during a press briefing, April 27. YonhapFormer President Park Geun-hye has expressed her intention to attend President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony next month, the chief of the inauguration preparatory committee said Wednesday. The committee chief, Park Joo-sun, said the former president expressed her willingness when he visited her at her home in the southeastern city of Daegu and delivered a letter from Yoon and an official invitation to the May 10 ceremony."I believe I should offer my congratulations as the new government starts," the former president was quoted as saying. "Given my current health condition, it is a little pressure for me to travel more than three hours, but I will try to get over it through exercise and rehabilitation."Asked whether the remark can be understood as her confirmation to attend the ceremony, Park Joo-sun said it can be interpreted that way. Earlier this month, Yoon visited Park's home and invited her to the inauguration ceremony. Park then sai

Apr 27, 2022
Ex-President Park expresses intention to attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony: official

Controversy erupts over education minister nominee's family receiving Fulbright scholarships

Education Minister nominee Kim In-chul / Yonhap Education minister nominee Kim In-chul and his three family members received scholarships from a nonprofit organization jointly supported by the United States and Korean governments, a Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker said Wednesday, raising allegations of possible favoritism.Kim, a former president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, was nominated by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol as education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs, April 13, apparently due to his expertise in higher education.Kim received a Fulbright scholarship and served as a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. from 1996 to 1997. He then served as president of the Korea Fulbright Alumni Association from 2012 to 2015.The Fulbright scholarship program is run by the Korean-American Educational Commission, a nonprofit institution jointly sponsored by Seoul and Washington to promote bilateral cultural an

Apr 27, 2022
Controversy erupts over education minister nominee's family receiving Fulbright scholarships
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