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Ruling party vows to pass prosecution reform bills Wednesday

Rep. Park Hong-keun, third from left, floor leader of the Democratic Party, speaks at a party meeting, April 27. Yonhap The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) vowed to pass two controversial bills on prosecution reform through a plenary session of the National Assembly, Wednesday, despite strong objections from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said the party will convene the plenary session later in the day and pass the bills "without fail," after railroading the legislation through the judiciary committee earlier Wednesday.The bills are aimed at reducing and ultimately removing the prosecution's investigative powers.Park told a party meeting that the DPk "will not be swayed any more by the PPP and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol" over their objection to the bills that were originally agreed on by the two main parties.The DPK has justified its move by claiming the PPP broke its promise when it demanded a review of t

Apr 27, 2022
Ruling party vows to pass prosecution reform bills Wednesday

Yoon's spokesperson hits back after Moon criticizes presidential office relocation plan

Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin speaks during a press briefing, April 27. Yonhap President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's spokesperson hit back at President Moon Jae-in, Wednesday, for criticizing Yoon's plan to relocate the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae, saying the outgoing president should focus on his duties in the little time he has left in office.Moon voiced his concern during an interview with JTBC that aired Tuesday, saying he personally did not think it was "appropriate" to move the presidential office without thoroughly collecting the public's opinion. He also said it could be "dangerous" given the high tensions surrounding North Korea's weapons testing."As a president without much time left until his retirement, I believe and request that he will take an interest in the people and in defending the values of the Constitution, and concentrate on his duties," Bae Hyun-jin, Yoon's spokesperson, said during a press briefing.Bae recalled that Yoon and Moon di

Apr 27, 2022
Yoon's spokesperson hits back after Moon criticizes presidential office relocation plan

Outgoing politicians-turned-ministers likely to step down on May 9

From left: Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, and Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol / Yonhap and Korea Times file Seven politician-turned-ministers in the outgoing Moon Jae-in administration are likely to step down May 9, a day before incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol is inaugurated, a political source said Wednesday. The seven ministers, including Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol, have agreed to resign the day that Moon's term ends, according to the source. The four other ministers are Unification Minister Lee In-young, Environment Minister Han Jeoung-ae, SMEs and Startups Minister Kwon Chil-seung and Culture Minister Hwang Hee. However, some ministers are likely to keep their posts for the time being, even after Yoon's administration is inaugurated, due to uncertainties over National Assembly confirmation hearings for the incoming president's picks for Cabinet members, in

Apr 27, 2022
Outgoing politicians-turned-ministers likely to step down on May 9

Moon urges incoming administration to make efforts to resume dialogue with N. Korea

Outgoing President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday the government of incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol should work with the United States to restart talks with North Korea, voicing concern over Pyongyang's continued testing of weapons, including an intercontinental ballistic missile.Moon, who is set to leave office on May 9, made the remarks during a JTBC TV interview broadcast after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to bolster the country's nuclear arsenal while showcasing a "giant" intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade held Monday.President Moon Jae-in"An ICBM was launched, and this crossed a red line," Moon said, referring to the North's successful test-firing of a Hwasong-17 ICBM last month. "This may be a sign that (North Korea) would end dialogue. It is still unclear whether this will lead to a complete break in dialogue." Moon said the incoming Yoon administration should make efforts to restore dialogue with North Korea in close cooperation with the U.S. He also urged the North to return to the dialogue table at an early date."I hope North Korea will mak

Apr 26, 2022
Moon urges incoming administration to make efforts to resume dialogue with N. Korea

Ruling party unilaterally passes prosecution reform bills through parliamentary subcommittee

Lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea stage a rally at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday, denouncing the main opposition People Power Party for reneging on a bipartisan deal on prosecution reform. Joint Press CorpsThe ruling Democratic Party (DP) vowed to pass two controversial bills on prosecution reform through a plenary session of the National Assembly on Wednesday despite strong objection from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).Rep. Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the DP, said the party will convene the plenary session later in the day and pass the bill "without fail," after railroading the legislation through the judiciary committee in the wee hours Wednesday.The bills are aimed at reducing and ultimately removing the prosecution's investigative powers.Park told a party meeting that the DP "will not be swayed any more by the PPP and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol" over their objection to the bills that were originally agreed on by the two main parties.The DP has justified its move by claiming the PPP broke its promise when it demanded a review of the

Apr 26, 2022
Ruling party unilaterally passes prosecution reform bills through parliamentary subcommittee

Yoon's new presidential office to be 'open for public viewing'

The defense ministry office in Yongsan, Seoul / YonhapPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's new presidential office to be housed in the defense ministry compound in central Seoul will be open for public viewing in accordance with his preference for communication and openness, transition team officials said Tuesday.According to an artist's rendering released by a task force from the team, the right side and the southern front of the new presidential office will be developed as a public park.The task force plans to replace the brick wall that surrounds the border of the defense ministry compound with an iron fence to minimize the physical barrier between the presidential office and the public park, the officials said, adding the dismantling of the existing wall is already ongoing.The iron fence will be similar to the one that surrounds the White House in Washington D.C., and its height will be about 2.4 meters, just like the one that surrounds Cheong Wa Dae, the present presidential office in the heart of Seoul, they noted. The perimeter of the White House is surrounded by a pipe-shaped iron

Apr 26, 2022
Yoon's new presidential office to be 'open for public viewing'

Ruling party pushes to pass prosecution reform legislation despite opposition

The ruling Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-keun speaks during a party meeting, April 26. Yonhap The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is pushing to pass controversial legislation on reducing and ultimately removing the prosecution's investigative powers, vowing to act alone if the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) refuses to endorse a compromise deal they reached last week.The DPK aims to complete deliberations on the legislation during a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Tuesday, and possibly pass the bills through a plenary committee session the same day.If it succeeds, the party hopes National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug will convene a plenary session as early as Wednesday to pass the bills.The ruling party has justified its move by claiming the PPP broke its promise when it demanded a review of the compromise deal that called for curtailing the prosecution's investigative right to two typ

Apr 26, 2022
Ruling party pushes to pass prosecution reform legislation despite opposition

1 mil. AI experts needed, KAIST president says at Korea Forum

Lee Kwang-hyung, left, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), speaks during a session of The Korea Forum 2022, Tuesday, at The Westin Josun Seoul in downtown Seoul. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-hoLawmakers, experts propose policy options for incoming Yoon gov't By Jung Da-min Lee Kwang-hyung, the president of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has encouraged the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol government to increase classroom hours for mandatory computer science education for elementary school students, to better prepare for the age of artificial intelligence (AI). “We need 1 million AI professionals to lead the forthcoming era,” he said during The Korea Forum 2022 hosted by Korean daily Hankook Ilbo newspaper, the sister newspaper of The Korea Times, at The Westin Josun Seoul, Tuesday.For this, he said, the education authorities need to strengthen computer science education for elementary school students. According to him, Korea falls far behind in computer science education compared to leading countries, such as the Unite

Apr 26, 2022
1 mil. AI experts needed, KAIST president says at Korea Forum

OECD expresses concerns over prosecutorial reform in Korea

By Lee Hyo-jin The Working Group on Bribery (WGB) under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has expressed concerns over a controversial prosecutorial reform bill here which seeks to reduce the prosecution's investigative powers. National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug proposed a compromised version of the prosecutorial reform bill, which if bill passed, WGB chair Drago Kos was quoted as saying on April 22 that it is likely that laws stipulating the prosecution's investigative power on all crimes, including corruption, will be removed.The OECD logo is seen in this October file photo. AFP-YonhapThe prosecutorial reform bill aims to stop prosecutors from investigating crimes in six major categories: corruption, economic affairs, public officials, elections, the defense industry and large-scale incidents with mass casualties.The letter was sent on the day when Park proposed a compromised version of the reform bill, in an effort to defuse the tension between the two rival parties ― the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and conservative main opp

Apr 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
OECD expresses concerns over prosecutorial reform in Korea

Gyeonggi governor election becomes proxy war between Yoon, Lee

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Gyeonggi governor, Kim Dong-yeon, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press CorpsBy Nam Hyun-wooThe Gyeonggi governor election has become a proxy battle between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition (PPP) and his former rival Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as the parties field candidates seen as representing the two politicians. During the DPK's primary on Monday to select its candidate for the Gyeonggi Province governor election on June 1, former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon clinched 50.47 percent of the support, outpacing Rep. An Min-suk and other contenders.“Candidate Kim will realize the DPK's tradition of one-team spirit and join efforts with other contenders to win the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial election,” Kim's camp said in a statement. Kim served as deputy prime minister and economy minister from 2017 to 2018 and ran in the presidential election earlier this year.He initially ran in the election as an

Apr 26, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Gyeonggi governor election becomes proxy war between Yoon, Lee
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