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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.

Hope and worry coexist about prime minister nominee Han

Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo answers reporters' questions while entering his office in Jongno District, Seoul, Monday. YonhapHan denies involvement in representing Lone Star Funds By Nam Hyun-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's nomination of Han Duck-soo as his first prime minister has received mixed reactions. He is a veteran bureaucrat who served in key posts during previous administrations. But some believe he is too old to push for changes in the incoming administration.Yoon dropped hints about allowing the 72-year-old former prime minister to have a greater say in nominations of Cabinet ministers and key policy areas than his predecessors did. Despite the possibility of having more discretion, the road ahead for Han is murky as a tough confirmation hearing is expected in the National Assembly. Even if he passes that test, it also remains uncertain whether he can function smoothly and turn the tide in favor of the nation during the fast-changing digital era. Although Yoon has pinned high hopes on Han's varied experience, given his background of serving in key government pos

Apr 4, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Hope and worry coexist about prime minister nominee Han

President-elect joins press photo exhibition

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, front row second from left, and National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seog, left, listen as an unidentified person, not seen in this photo, explains Korea Times photojournalist Shim Hyun-chul's award-winning photo, titled, “2021, Earthlings Buried Under Plastic,” during the opening ceremony of the 58th Korea Press Photo Exhibition at the Press Center in central Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of the Korea Press Photographers' Association

Apr 4, 2022By Lee Hae-rin
President-elect joins press photo exhibition

Yoon to complete Cabinet nominations by next week

From left are Choo Kyung-ho, Choi Sang-mok, Park Jin, Shin Won-sik and Kwon Young-se. Korea Times photoChoo Kyung-ho, leading candidate for deputy prime minister for economic affairsBy Kang Seung-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is set to follow up his nomination for prime minister with the designation of ministers by the end of next week, according to his spokesperson, Monday.Yoon, scheduled to take office, May 10, tapped former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Sunday, to serve as the first premier in his administration, kicking off the process of nominating Cabinet members.“Given that about three weeks are required for the National Assembly confirmation process, we need to announce the full list of Cabinet nominees by the end of next week,” Kim Eun-hye said during a press briefing.“This week, the president-elect will be committed to making selections for his incoming Cabinet.”With the appointment of the prime minister in the rearview mirror, attention is now on who will be named deputy prime minister for economic affairs and chairman of the Financial Services Co

Apr 4, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon to complete Cabinet nominations by next week
  • Yoon's wife considers commencing public activity ahead of his inauguration

Yoon's wife considers commencing public activity ahead of his inauguration

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, hugs the SWAT team's bomb-sniffing dog near her residence in Seoul, April 4. YonhapKim Keon-hee, the wife of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, is considering commencing public activity ahead of her husband's inauguration in May after keeping a low profile for months, officials said Monday. Kim has stayed out of public view since she came under attack for various charges of misconduct, including allegations she lied on her resume when applying for jobs, even after her husband's election victory last month. "She is thinking hard about ways to make contributions to our society as the spouse of the president," an official close to Kim told Yonhap News Agency on the phone. "If she decides to commence public activity, the focus will be on that." Speculation has so far been that Kim may keep a low profile until her husband's inauguration on May 10, and the inauguration ceremony would effectively be her first public activity since the election. But Kim reportedly has been meeting people in private since the election to thank them for thei

Apr 4, 2022
Yoon's wife considers commencing public activity ahead of his inauguration
  • Yoon to complete Cabinet nominations by next week

Yoon nominates Han Duck-soo as prime minister

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol names Han Duck-soo, right, as the first prime minister of his government during a press conference at the presidential transition committee office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, Sunday. Joint Press CorpsBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol named former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as the first premier of his administration. During a press conference, Sunday, Yoon named the 72-year-old as the prime minister, saying he “served a number of key government posts, thanks to his expertise.”“The new government must pave the way for an economic rebound amid difficulties both inside and outside of the country and thoroughly prepare for an era in which the economy and national security together emerge as key tasks the government must handle,” Yoon told reporters. “Han is a qualified nominee who can successfully coordinate the Cabinet and address pending national tasks based on his rich experience.”Han said Korea faces grave economic and geopolitical challenges and the country has to make adjustments in its strategies to address th

Apr 3, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon nominates Han Duck-soo as prime minister

President-elect vows to heal wounds of Jeju Massacre victims

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a speech during a ceremony paying tribute to the victims of the Jeju Massacre at the Jeju April 3 Peace Park on Jeju Island, Sunday. Yoon is the first president or president-elect from a conservative party to attend the ceremony. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol visited Jeju Island, Sunday, to pay his tribute to the victims of the Jeju Massacre which began on April 3, 1948, vowing to restore the tarnished honor of the victims of the massacre and their families during his term.This is the first time for a president or president-elect of a conservative party to attend the ceremony to commemorate the anniversary. Yoon kept the promise he made in February during the presidential campaign to attend the memorial ceremony if elected.The incident, often referred to as April 3 or 4.3, began when Jeju islanders held a protest against the U.S. Army Military Government in Korea and its plan to hold an election for the southern half of the peninsula only. The uprising was suppressed with violence and the protesters were accused of being com

Apr 3, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
President-elect vows to heal wounds of Jeju Massacre victims

Aides to Yoon, Moon agree on budget for presidential office relocation

Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul / YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooAides to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and President Moon Jae-in have reached a temporary agreement on Yoon's plan to relocate the presidential office to the defense ministry compound, with his team seeking government approval for more than 30 billion won ($24.6 million) out of the 49.6 billion won total cost.According to multiple sources, Sunday, senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Cheol-hee and Yoon's Chief of Staff Rep. Chang Je-won have agreed on moving a number of branches of the Ministry of National Defense that do not participate in upcoming Korea-U.S. joint military exercises to the nearby Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) building first, to provide enough room to set up the new presidential office at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan District. Last month, Yoon announced his plan to relocate the presidential office to the defense ministry headquarters and begin his presidency in the new office. To make room, the president-elect sought to move the defense mini

Apr 3, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Aides to Yoon, Moon agree on budget for presidential office relocation

Ruling party views Seoul mayoral race as 'poisoned chalice'

Rep. Song Young-gil of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) speaks during a campaign speech for DPK's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in this March 8 file photo. Korea Times fileEx-DPK Chairman Song Young-gil joins Seoul mayoral race By Kang Hyun-kyungRep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) officially declared his bid to become the mayor of Seoul in the June 1 local elections, amid media reports that he was called upon by some members of the party to join the race.“I became a Seoul citizen,” he wrote on his social media on Friday, sharing his mixed feelings about leaving his home in Incheon. He had lived in the western port city since 1985 to dedicate his life to the labor movement there. On Friday, he moved from Incheon to Seoul, because candidates must have a physical address in the capital.Song stepped down from his position as DPK leader after his party's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, lost the March 9 election. He said he has been roaming around the country since then, contemplating on the election loss. “Wh

Apr 3, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ruling party views Seoul mayoral race as 'poisoned chalice'

President-elect Yoon honors victims of civilian massacre in visit to Jeju

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol paid tribute to victims of a civilian massacre on the southern island of Jeju, Saturday, saying he will be committed to restoring dignity to them and their surviving families.Yoon attended the memorial commemorating the victims of a 1948 massacre in Jeju. The occasion marked the 74th anniversary of the April 3 uprising of Jeju residents against the U.S. military-led rule following Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea.The then government distorted the uprising as a communist riot and massacred an estimated 30,000 civilians, about 10 percent of the island's population at the time, in armed crackdowns over the subsequent years."It is our responsibility to heal wounds and care for scars from April 3, as we move toward the future of reconciliation and coexistence," Yoon said in his address during the ceremony at the Jeju April 3 Peace Park. "The government will responsibly look after surviving family members who have endured so much pain."Yoon is the first president-elect to attend the annual ceremony in Jeju, due to the change in the political calendar follow

Apr 3, 2022
President-elect Yoon honors victims of civilian massacre in visit to Jeju

Yoon to nominate ex-PM Han for his first prime minister

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo / Yonhap President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will announce the nominee for his first prime minister, Sunday, his office said, with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo widely expected to take the job.Han effectively confirmed his nomination, saying in a phone call with Yonhap News Agency that he met with Yoon on Saturday night and held "comprehensive discussions on overall state affairs," including the issue of personnel appointments."I will attend a press conference at 3:30 p.m.," he said, referring to the news conference Yoon plans to hold to announce his prime minister nominee.Han, 72, has held a number of high positions in the government, including finance minister, prime minister under former President Roh Moo-hyun and ambassador to the United States. In those capacities, he played a key role in negotiating a free trade agreement with the U.S.Han is considered a trade specialist with expertise in foreign affairs, making him a suitable

Apr 3, 2022
Yoon to nominate ex-PM Han for his first prime minister
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