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Moon, Yoon to have one-on-one meeting to discuss tricky issues

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and President Moon Jae-in / YonhapPardoning ex-president Lee Myung-bak, North Korea to be discussed over luncheonBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will meet outgoing President Moon Jae-in, Wednesday. In what appears to be an awkward encounter, they are expected to talk about granting presidential amnesty to former President Lee Myung-bak, appointing the chief of the central bank and handling North Korea's recent intercontinental ballistic missile tests.According to Cheong Wa Dae and the presidential transition committee, Tuesday, Yoon and Moon will have lunch together at Cheong Wa Dae at noon. “In order to have a candid talk, the luncheon will be held without other attendants,” presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The meeting comes a week after Yoon won the presidential election on March 9. He was the prosecutor-general appointed by Moon, who turned into the flag-bearer of the main opposition People Power Party, and will now meet Moon as the president-elect. It will be their first meeting since Yoon

Mar 15, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Moon, Yoon to have one-on-one meeting to discuss tricky issues

Yoon mulls relocating presidential office to foreign or defense ministries

The Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan District, Seoul / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol may work out of either the foreign ministry building in Seoul's Jongno District or the defense ministry building in Yongsan District after taking office in May.According to his taskforce working on relocating the presidential office of the Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, the two ministry buildings have been emerging as the top possibilities for housing the new president's office. Relocating the presidential office to Gwanghwamun in central Seoul was one of Yoon's election pledges, and following his election, his camp has been looking into the task of moving from the current building in Samcheong-dong. The Seoul Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, home to several government organizations, had been cited as the most likely site. However, it has been excluded due to security reasons. “Both ministry buildings are candidates and the site will be decided after comprehensive consideration of the importance of close and daily encounters with the people and presidential sec

Mar 15, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon mulls relocating presidential office to foreign or defense ministries

Ex-vice FM to head transition team subcommittee for foreign affairs, security

Kim Sung-han, left, Kim Tae-hyo, center, and Lee Jong-sup / Yonhap Former Vice Foreign Minister Kim Sung-han will lead a foreign affairs and security subcommittee of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition team, Yoon's spokesperson said Tuesday.Kim, a Korea University professor, is a well-known international politics scholar and served as second vice foreign minister from 2012 to 2013. He is a long-time friend of Yoon, as they went to the same elementary school, and is known as a foreign policy mentor for him.Kim is expected to play a role in bolstering the alliance with the United States, Yoon's spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said.Two other members of the foreign policy subcommittee are Kim Tae-hyo, who served as presidential secretary on national security strategy between 2008 and 2012, and Lee Jong-sup, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kim Tae-hyo, a Sungkyunkwan University professor, is expected to draw up North Korea policy based on reciprocity,

Mar 15, 2022
Ex-vice FM to head transition team subcommittee for foreign affairs, security

Yoon to benchmark US personnel vetting system

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol / Yonhap President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to benchmark the U.S. personnel vetting system, and have the justice ministry and police take over the roles after abolishing the office of senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, his spokesperson said Tuesday."The office of the president will only have the role of recommending candidates. With regard to vetting senior officials, Cabinet members and others, we will have the justice ministry and police do it," spokesperson Kim Eun-hye told reporters at a press briefing."In the U.S., the FBI and other agencies carry out the role," she said.The move comes after Yoon reiterated his pledge to abolish the office of senior secretary for civil affairs, which is in charge of personnel vetting and screening roles, as the unit has often been accused of secret probes into political opponents and civilians, The former prosecutor general pointed out the civil secretary office has often been used t

Mar 15, 2022
Yoon to benchmark US personnel vetting system

Yoon to use one-on-one meeting with Moon to ask for pardon for ex-President Lee

President Moon Jae-in, left, and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol / Yonhap President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will ask for a special pardon for imprisoned former President Lee Myung-bak when he holds a one-on-one meeting with President Moon Jae-in, Wednesday, his spokesperson said.Yoon has long thought Lee should be pardoned, spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said."We hope this meeting will serve as a chance for national unity and reconciliation," she said.Wednesday's meeting will take place only between Moon and Yoon with no aides in attendance, she said.The two are expected to discuss a range of issues, including the presidential transition, coronavirus responses and North Korea's likely long-range missile test, during the meeting, which will be their first since June 2020, when Yoon was prosecutor general. Lee is serving a 17-year prison term for embezzlement and bribery. (Yonhap)

Mar 15, 2022
Yoon to use one-on-one meeting with Moon to ask for pardon for ex-President Lee

Yoon likely to ask Moon to grant special pardon to ex-President Lee

Former President Lee Myung-bak arrives at the Seoul High Court in Seocho District to attend a hearing in this May 2019 photo. YonhapPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is likely to ask President Moon Jae-in to grant a special pardon to jailed former President Lee Myung-bak when they hold a meeting expected to take place this week, a senior official close to Yoon said Monday.Lee, who was president from 2008-13, has been serving a 17-year sentence for embezzlement and bribery. He was excluded from the recent presidential pardons for the new year, under which jailed ex-President Park Geun-hye was set free.Yoon has voiced support for pardoning Lee, citing his old age and deteriorating health."We cannot rule out the possibility of asking President Moon to pardon former President Lee," the senior official said.Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP) also publicly asked Moon to grant a pardon to Lee.In a Facebook posting, PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon urged Moon to grant a pardon to the former President Lee and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted for briber

Mar 14, 2022
Yoon likely to ask Moon to grant special pardon to ex-President Lee

Moon calls for national unity after ruling party's presidential election loss

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, March 14. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in called for national unity Monday to address the challenges facing South Korea after a polarizing presidential vote, saying the most urgent task for now was to heal national divisions. Moon made the remarks at a meeting with his senior aides, as President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party is stepping up efforts to form a transition committee.Moon said the March 9 election exposed "many conflicts amid unprecedented fierce competition." "Above all, this is a time for unity. The most urgent task is to deal with, heal and integrate the divided public sentiment clearly revealed in the election process and result," Moon said. The election of Yoon, who won a tight election last week by a razor-thin margin of 0.73 percent with 48.56 percent of the vote, was partly viewed as a referendum on the liberal Moon Jae-in

Mar 14, 2022
Moon calls for national unity after ruling party's presidential election loss

Yoon administration to focus on restoring fairness, democracy

Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee, speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. YonhapTransition team chief unveils five national tasksBy Kang Seung-wooThe incoming administration will place top priority on restoring democracy and creating a country ruled by law and fairness, Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee, said Monday.The pledge was one of the five key national tasks to be achieved under the new administration unveiled by Ahn during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, the same day.On Sunday, the president-elect appointed Ahn, chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, to lead his transition committee in accordance with an agreement they made during the election campaign. On March 3, when announcing a candidacy merger deal, they agreed to consult on everything from the makeup of the transition committee to the composition of the coalition government.First of all, Ahn said the new government will focus on restoring fairness, constitutionalis

Mar 14, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon administration to focus on restoring fairness, democracy

Ruling party seeks makeover after losing presidential election

Rep. Yun-ho-jung, center, floor leader and emergency committee chief of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, presides over a party meeting at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Monday. Joint Press CorpsDPK seeks support from women, progressive voters for local elections to be held in June By Jung Da-min The liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been seeking an image makeover after its presidential election loss to the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP).Mindful of the upcoming June local elections, the DPK has especially been reinforcing its strategies targeting young swing voters, vowing to pass an anti-discrimination bill in the National Assembly and expand the party's quotas for women as well as young members.Political watchers said the party is trying to consolidate its support base among members of the liberal bloc by adding progressive policies to its agenda, as it is preparing for the June 1 local elections in which voters will select the leaders of local governments across the nation.On Monday, the DPK held a meeting of its emerg

Mar 14, 2022
Ruling party seeks makeover after losing presidential election

President-elect Yoon moves forward after election

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol dines with representatives of Namdaemun Market in Seoul after having a meeting with them, March 14. It was his first outdoor event after being elected the country's new president. Joint Press Corp Yoon reaffirms need to scrap senior presidential secretary on civil affairs to end era of spying on civilians By Ko Dong-hwanIn the wake of Yoon Suk-yeol's razor-thin victory in the presidential election last week, with a heavily divided electorate, the former prosecutor general has begun moving toward rebuilding the nation in a more constructive way. One of the signs showing his willingness to follow through on his campaign promises came on Monday, when he visited Namdaemun Market for a meeting with its merchant association. In his previous visit last November, he pledged that, if elected, he would provide 100 trillion won ($80.5 billion) in emergency rescue funds to help merchants who were hit hard by the economic fallout of the pandemic.“

Mar 14, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
President-elect Yoon moves forward after election
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