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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.

Yoon to invite 41,000 for his inauguration ceremony amid eased virus distancing

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol / Joint Press CorpsA larger than previously planned number of people will be invited to attend President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inaugural ceremony slated for early next month amid eased virus restrictions, according to Yoon's transition team Tuesday.Some 41,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including political leaders, citizens and bereaved families of sailors killed in North Korea's sinking of the Cheonan warship in 2010, the transition team said.The transition team said more people than previously thought will be invited, as the country fully lifted COVID-19 restrictions, except the mask mandate Monday.Yoon's inaugural ceremony committee had earlier planned to invite around 10,000 people in line with earlier COVID-19 guidelines. The ceremony will take place at a plaza in front of the National Assembly on May 10 and is expected to cost around 3.3 billion won ($2.66 million), the largest-ever. (Yonhap)

Apr 19, 2022
Yoon to invite 41,000 for his inauguration ceremony amid eased virus distancing

Unification minister holds talks with US nuclear envoy on N. Korea

Minister of Unification Lee In-young, right, talks with U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim during the latter's visit to the ministry in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of UnificationUnification Minister Lee In-young met with the U.S. envoy for North Korea to seek ways to bring the reclusive regime back to the negotiating table, his office said Tuesday.During the meeting, Lee and U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim discussed ways to “stably manage” the currently “grave” political situation on the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said in a press release.Lee stressed the two sides must maintain close policy cooperation ahead of the incoming government of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, and work closely to prevent the North from escalating tensions and resume dialogue.Kim said the U.S. remains open to diplomacy and engagement with Pyongyang but stressed it will respond to the North's provocations through close consultations with the South.He also met Vice Unification Minister Choi Young-joon to discuss the latest political situation, including the North's rep

Apr 19, 2022
Unification minister holds talks with US nuclear envoy on N. Korea

Top prosecutor proposes alternative bill for prosecutorial reform

Prosecutor-General Kim Oh-soo delivers his opinion against the Democratic Party of Korea's push to pass a prosecutorial reform bill to separate the prosecution's investigative and prosecutorial powers, during a meeting of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, at the Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Tuesday. Joint Press CorpsYoon Suk-yeol's transition committee condemns ruling party for attempting 'legislative coup'By Jung Da-minProsecutor-General Kim Oh-soo has proposed an alternative bill designed to ensure the political neutrality of the prosecution, to prevent the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) from pushing its own reform bill aimed at separating the prosecution's powers to lead investigations and indict suspects.“Other than completely stripping the prosecution of its investigative authority, there is another way that can ensure the fairness of the prosecution when carrying out investigations and we can consider establishing a special law at the National Assembly,” Kim told reporters at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul's Seocho District

Apr 19, 2022
Top prosecutor proposes alternative bill for prosecutorial reform

President-elect distancing himself from troubled nominee

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and health minister nominee Chung Ho-young / YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooAs health minister nominee Chung Ho-young becomes embroiled in numerous allegations in regards to himself and his children, it seems that President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is attempting to put distance between himself and the nominee.During a press conference, Tuesday, Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin denied the media reports that the president-elect and Chung have been friends for some 40 years. “We've seen many media reports which described the two as old friends, but they are wrong,” Bae said when asked if Yoon is trying to protect his old friend from the allegations that were raised. “The two people each spent their school years in Seoul (Yoon) and Daegu (Chung), and established their careers as a prosecutor and a medical doctor, respectively.”Chung's relations with Yoon have been a subject of interest since the former was nominated as Minister of Health and Welfare on April 10. Chung is a medical doctor who spent most of his days at Kyungpook National University Ho

Apr 19, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
President-elect distancing himself from troubled nominee

Condolences to bereaved families of April 19 Revolution

President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with a bereaved family member of the April 19 Revolution after commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the 1960 democratic movement at the April 19th National Cemetery in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Apr 19, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Condolences to bereaved families of April 19 Revolution

Rally for disabled people

People with developmental disabilities and their families launch a sit-in rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, the day before Disabled Day in Korea, demanding the government come up with an around-the-clock policy support system for them. Yonhap

Apr 19, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Rally for disabled people

Agreement signed to launch 'Special Union' of Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, right, speaks during a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, April 19. Yonhap The interior ministry signed an agreement with the local governments of Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday, to launch a new European Union-like administrative unit aimed at promoting balanced regional development and invigorating local economies.The "special union" of the three local governments will officially start operating in January next year, with its council to comprise 27 members ― nine each from the three municipalities ― and the heads of the three governments, to hold the union's rotating presidency.The "Bu-Ul-Gyeong Special Union" has been pushed for as part of efforts to seek balanced regional development by merging the three municipalities into one big zone that could rival the Seoul metropolitan area in terms of its economy and other functions.The union is the first of its kind since the central government announced i

Apr 19, 2022
Agreement signed to launch 'Special Union' of Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province

Election watchdog chief tenders resignation over early voting lapses

National Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee speaks during a press briefing on March 8 in this file photo. YonhapThe chief of the state election watchdog tendered her resignation Monday following criticism over mishandling of ballots cast by COVID-19 patients during early voting for the March 9 presidential election. Noh Jeong-hee, chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), expressed her intention to step down during the watchdog's general meeting, saying she feels responsibility over early voting lapses.Her resignation offer comes less than two months before the local elections on June 1. "I deeply apologize again for causing concerns to the people," Noh said. "I ask the people to cooperate so that the local elections can be held flawlessly." The NEC came under fire following revelations virus patients and people under self-isolation were not allowed to put their votes into ballot boxes, and election officials instead collected them in plastic bags and other unofficial containers during early voting on March 5. The practice sparked suspicions of election

Apr 18, 2022
Election watchdog chief tenders resignation over early voting lapses

Yoon's office calls for determining health minister nominee's eligibility after confirmation hearing

Health minister nominee Chung Ho-young speaks during a press conference held in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapThe office of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that whether the health minister nominee is fit for office should be determined after his confirmation hearing, despite calls for withdrawing the nomination over suspicions he used his position to get his children into a medical school.The nomination of Chung Ho-young, a former chief of Kyungpook National University Hospital, has become the hottest political issue after allegations surfaced that he used his position to help his daughter and son gain admission to the university's medical school and exempt his son from active duty military service.Chung rebutted the allegations in a press conference Sunday, saying he welcomes an investigation by the education ministry and will send his son to receive another medical exam at an institution designated by the National Assembly.He also offered to take all responsibility if the allegations turn out to be true.In the face of mounting calls from the Democratic Party and other critics for

Apr 18, 2022
Yoon's office calls for determining health minister nominee's eligibility after confirmation hearing

Conservative parties unite ahead of Yoon's inauguration

Main opposition conservative People Power Party chief Lee Jun-seok, second from left, and minor opposition conservative People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo, second from right, pose holding a joint statement, during a press conference officially announcing the merger of the two parties, at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Monday. Screenshot from SBS' YouTube accountBy Jung Da-min Main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) chief Lee Jun-seok and minor opposition conservative People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo officially announced the merger of the two parties, Monday, holding a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul's Yeouido area. “The People Power Party and the People's Party declare an agreement as follows for the birth of a better Korea and laying the foundation for a joint government based on the proposal for candidacy unification declared in the 20th presidential election,” read a joint statement that was signed by the leaders of the two parties. Earlier in the day, the PPP and the People's Party held Supreme Council meetings with their

Apr 18, 2022
Conservative parties unite ahead of Yoon's inauguration
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