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Long road to unity: Yoon faces tough challenges in parliament

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps By Nam Hyun-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) has been stressing bipartisan efforts to achieve national unity after winning Wednesday's election as the results of voting underscored a deep national divide.Despite his efforts, it will be an uphill battle for Yoon to receive parliamentary support as the National Assembly is still dominated by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) which holds a majority of the seats in parliament. During a press conference on Thursday, Yoon said the opposition party's majority at the Assembly is “a very natural situation in a democratic country.” He added that the situation is not an obstacle, but “an opportunity for Korea's democracy to make a leap forward.”He also said during a ceremony marking the end of his campaign that he will “closely cooperate with the DPK” because b

Mar 11, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Long road to unity: Yoon faces tough challenges in parliament

Yoon mulls relocating presidential office to Gwanghwamun

The main entrance that leads to Cheong Wa Dae at the foot of Mount. Bukak / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has been mulling over whether to relocate the country's presidential office to Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, to keep a promise he made during the presidential campaign, according to his party, March 10.Citing a source familiar with the matter, local daily Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that relocating the top office is the first task among the campaign pledges he made as a presidential candidate.If the plan works out, the incoming president and his family are most likely to live in the prime minister's current residence in Samcheong-dong in Seoul's Jongno District. The prime minister's office will then move to Sejong city, an administrative metropolis that was completed in 2013 in South Chungcheong Province. According to media reports, Yoon's new office will likely move into the Government Complex Seoul building next to Gwanghwamun Square. During the campaign, Yoon said the current presidential office situated at the foot of Mount Bukak will be repurp

Mar 11, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Yoon mulls relocating presidential office to Gwanghwamun

Seoul Mayor Oh tests positive for COVID-19

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon / YonhapSeoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Friday tested positive for COVID-19.The city's officials said the mayor was diagnosed with the virus after a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which he took after his self-test kit check turned up positive earlier in the day.Oh had canceled an in-person meeting of his staff at Seoul City Hall while heading to work in the morning and held an online meeting instead.Per protocols, Oh will be isolating at home until next Thursday."Mayor Oh will continue to hold online meetings and stay on top of municipal affairs," a Seoul official said, adding that all in-person conferences and on-site visits will be pushed back.Oh had recently dined with People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, who tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antigen test earlier Friday."Mayor Oh had been taking self tests every morning, and today was no different," another city official said. "He didn't have any particular symptoms this morning."Other Seoul officials who had been in meetings with Oh all had negative results in their self tests. (Yonhap)

Mar 11, 2022
Seoul Mayor Oh tests positive for COVID-19

Rep. Kim Eun-hye named spokeswoman for President-elect Yoon

Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party / Yonhap A first-term lawmaker, who led the opposition's attack on a land development scandal surrounding the ruling party's presidential candidate, has been named a spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, his aide said Friday. Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party (PPP) will serve as a spokeswoman for the President-elect, according to Yoon's chief secretary Chang Je-won. Kim, who was elected in a district in Seongnam, south of Seoul, led a public affairs unit of the PPP's campaign committee to help Yoon's victory in Wednesday's presidential election over Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. She was called a "sniper" against Lee, attacking him over his possible involvement in a land development scandal that took place in Seongnam during his time as mayor.Kim, 50, a former TV anchorwoman, also served as a presidential spokesperson under the Lee Myung-bak administration. She also worked for the

Mar 11, 2022
Rep. Kim Eun-hye named spokeswoman for President-elect Yoon

Main opposition party chief Lee tests positive for COVID-19

People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok / Yonhap The head of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antigen test, Friday, while on a visit to the southwestern city of Gwangju, according to party officials.Should PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok's infection be confirmed in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will also have to take a virus test, because party officials said the two had lunch together Thursday.Lee was in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, to thank voters for supporting Yoon. According to party officials, Lee took a virus test at a hospital earlier in the day after feeling sick. He is now waiting for the results of a follow-up PCR test and has canceled all his appointments. Two Lee's aides have also tested positive in rapid antigen tests.In Wednesday's election, Yoon received 48.56 percent of the vote, beating Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who too

Mar 11, 2022
Main opposition party chief Lee tests positive for COVID-19

Decoding Yoon's upset win

People line up to cast ballots for the March 9 presidential election inside Chonnam National University in Gwangju during the early voting period on March 4. NewsisDespite Lee's 8 percent early-voting lead, Yoon wins as Election Day voters cast ballots in favor of the conservative candidateBy Ko Dong-hwanThe March 9 presidential election presented an interesting phenomenon: a huge gap between the public opinions revealed in early voting and on Election Day. Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was comfortably ahead of Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) by almost 8 percentage points. However, it was Yoon who became the winner as voters on Election Day gave him sufficient support to push him back into the lead.Early voters and Election Day voters were found to have different and opposing leanings. The former group, according to the National Election Commission (NEC), mostly consisted of Lee's staunch supporters in the Jeolla provinces. They were also mostly in their 30s and 40s and felt a sense of urgency to cas

Mar 11, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Decoding Yoon's upset win

DPK leadership to resign en masse following presidential election loss

Leaders of the Democratic Party of Korea announce their resignation, Thursday. YonhapThe leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) decided to resign en masse on Thursday following the party's loss in this week's presidential election, the party's chief announced.DPK Chairman Song Young-gil announced the decision following a meeting of the party's supreme council after Lee Jae-myung, the DPK's presidential candidate, was defeated by Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in Wednesday's election."We respect the people's decision shown through the votes and humbly accept the results," Song said at a press conference at the National Assembly. "I plan to resign by holding myself responsible for the election loss," he added.The party will operate under an emergency steering committee, which will be lead by DPK floor leader Yun Ho-jung. The party is reviewing on electing a new floor leader before March 25.With all the votes counted, the PPP's Yoon had 48.56 percent of the vote and the DPK's Lee took 47.83 percent in Wednesday's election, according to th

Mar 10, 2022
DPK leadership to resign en masse following presidential election loss

Yoon to redirect Korea's diplomacy with US, China, Japan

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party delivers a speech at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Thursday, March 10, hours after he was elected as the country's next leader in the 2022 presidential election held the day before. Joint Press CorpsPresident-elect calls for stronger Korea-US alliance, mutual trust-based Korea-China ties, future-oriented relations with JapanBy Jung Da-min President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) said he would make the Korea-U.S. alliance stronger, improve Seoul-Beijing ties based on mutual trust and bolster future-oriented Korea-Japan ties. “I will respond decisively to the illegal and unreasonable behaviors of North Korea based on principles, while always keeping the door for inter-Korean dialogue open,” Yoon said, during a news conference at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Thursday. His speech came hours after he was elected as the country's next leader in the 2022 presidential election conducted a day before.Earlier in the morning,

Mar 10, 2022
Yoon to redirect Korea's diplomacy with US, China, Japan

Yoon vows to open era of national unity

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly, Thursday. Joint Press CorpsPresident-elect seeks to restore values in democracy, market economyBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) vowed Thursday to rebuild the nation based on justice and common sense and open an era of national unity. Yoon was elected as the 20th President of Korea by a razor-thin margin in Wednesday's election.He also vowed to strengthen democracy and fight corruption to get the nation back on what he called the right track.During a news conference held at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday, Yoon said the Korean public chose him to be their next president because they pin hopes on his 26 years of experience as a prosecutor who fought for justice to bring back fairness despite the odds. “People are calling on me to rebuild the nation based on fair competition and common sense and work to achieve unity instead of dividing the country,” he said. “The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will restore va

Mar 10, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon vows to open era of national unity

Presidential transition team to be launched soon

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, second from right, and Ahn Cheol-soo, second from left, who merged his candidacy with Yoon's, clap in the People Power Party's situation room in the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) will soon form his Presidential Transition Committee.Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party, who merged his candidacy with Yoon's at the end of the campaign, has emerged as one of the possible names to lead the committee, as the two had announced that they would cooperate right from the outset, if Yoon were to be elected. In the agreement for the candidacy merger between Yoon and Ahn that came out six days ahead of the election, the two said, "We will consult (with each other) on everything from the makeup of the transition committee to the makeup of the joint government."Five years ago when Moon Jae-in was elected, he had no transition team and was inaugurated the day after winning the election, since the election was held after the impeachment

Mar 10, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Presidential transition team to be launched soon
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