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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.

After change of power, Yoon faces daunting task of cooperating with liberal bloc

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol faces not a few challenges as he heads into Cheong Wa Dae, and top among them are how to work with an unfriendly National Assembly controlled by what will be the main opposition party, and heal the deep national divisions laid bare in the ugly race.Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) returns to power five years after President Park Geun-hye was impeached and ousted from office in the middle of her term for corruption and President Moon Jae-in took over as new leader.Yoon's lack of experience in electoral politics raises questions about whether he can smoothly work with the Assembly to push ahead with his agenda at a time when the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) holds a majority. Including the DPK, the liberal bloc holds 180 seats in the 300-seat Assembly. Without their help, Yoon's presidency could end up in a "vegetative" state unable to pass key agenda items until the next parliamentary elections in 2024.For instance, under the DPK the unicameral National Assembly can vote down Yoon's nominee for prime minister. Political watchers said Yoon must se

Mar 10, 2022
After change of power, Yoon faces daunting task of cooperating with liberal bloc
  • Yoon to bolster cooperation with US, Japan in dealing with China, North Korea

Yoon heralds tough stance on North Korea as Pyongyang threatens to cross 'red line'

South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to take a hardline stance on North Korea, similar to approaches under the conservative Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, after taking office in May. He appears tempted to undo much of what the liberal Moon Jae-in administration has done over the past five years to engage Pyongyang in dialogue. Yoon, of the conservative main opposition People Power Party, won the election at a time when the Kim Jong-un regime has shifted back to provocative mode. Pyongyang has conducted a series of ballistic missile tests in recent months and even hinted at the possibility of firing a long-range rocket. The Korea peace process is in the doldrums. In response, the top prosecutor-turned-politician has raised the need to consider a preemptive strike on North Korea in the event of an imminent threat and the deployment of additional units of an advanced U.S. missile defense system, called THAAD, to counter the North's growing missile threats.From the start of his term, Yoon will likely be faced with the daunting task of handling Pyongyan

Mar 10, 2022
Yoon heralds tough stance on North Korea as Pyongyang threatens to cross 'red line'
  • Yoon to bolster cooperation with US, Japan in dealing with China, North Korea

Yoon Suk-yeol wins presidential election

People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, center, raises his arms during his election victory speech at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press CorpsBy Nam Hyun-wooYoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was elected as the new President of Korea early Thursday morning, taking the responsibility of leading the country for the next five years.The former prosecutor general secured some 16 million ballots, or 48.59 percent, of 97.67 percent of votes counted as of 3:50 a.m. Since Yoon was leading his rival ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung by 0.8 percentage points, he was expected to clinch the victory regardless of the uncounted ballots.After confirming his victory, Yoon appeared at the National Assembly for a speech and described his win as “a victory of the people.”“It was a heated race, and I learned many things while campaigning” Yoon said. “I believe the election result is a great victory of the people, rather than a victory of myself, the PPP, Ahn Cheol-soo and the

Mar 10, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon Suk-yeol wins presidential election
  • Uncompromising prosecutor's crusade to bring back justice
  • Moon congratulates President-elect Yoon on winning election
  • President-elect Yoon vows to 'trust, follow will of people'
  • Conservative Yoon Suk-yeol elected in presidential race

Uncompromising prosecutor's crusade to bring back justice

Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is well-known as a man with an uncompromising spirit.This trait has been a double-edged sword for him during his 26 years of work as a prosecutor, including less than two years as prosecutor-general.It helped him earn a reputation as a prosecutor with integrity. However, it also played its part in cutting his career short.He emerged as a star prosecutor in October 2013 following his bombshell disclosure -- during the National Assembly’s examination of the prosecution -- that he had been pressured to stop investigating the role of the country’s spy agency during the 2012 presidential election. Back then, he had been leading the probe into National Intelligence Service agents, on charges of meddling in the election so as to create favorable online public opinion for then-ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye, who ultimately won the election.Opposition politicians praised Yoon, calling him a heroic prosecutor who resisted calls to curry favor with the powerful president.His courage to speak out, however, ca

Mar 10, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
Uncompromising prosecutor's crusade to bring back justice
  • Yoon Suk-yeol wins presidential election

Yoon projected to win tight presidential race

Korea's opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapSouth Korea's opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol was projected to win Wednesday's election, broadcaster KBS said, with nearly 90 percent of votes counted, a race that will shape Asia's fourth-largest economy for the next five years.Conservative Yoon, with 48.6 percent, was slightly ahead of liberal Lee Jae-myung on 47.8 percent, with more than 89 percent of the ballots counted as of 2.30 a.m. on Thursday (1730 GMT Wednesday).KBS put Yoon's probability of winning the election at about 95 percent.The unusually bitter election campaign was marred by scandals and smears, but the policy stakes are high for the country of 52 million.Around 77 percent of South Korea's 44 million eligible voters cast ballots to pick the leader of a nation whose global status is rising even as it has been riven by gender and generational divisions, while facing a confrontational North Korea.The winner must tackle challenges including South Korea's worst wave of COVID-19 infections, growing inequality and surging home prices, while na

Mar 10, 2022
Yoon projected to win tight presidential race

Main opposition party poised to win at least 2 of 5 National Assembly seats in by-elections

The main opposition People Power Party's candidate Choe Jae-hyeong, center, watches the by-election ballot counting with campaign officials and supporters at his office in Jongno, central Seoul, March 10. YonhapThe main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was set to claim at least two of the five National Assembly seats up for grabs in by-elections that were overshadowed by a tightly fought presidential race. The PPP's first victory came in Anseong, south of Seoul, where veteran politician Kim Hack-yong confirmed his return to the National Assembly. Kim garnered 54.18 percent of the vote with about 99.94 percent of ballots counted as of 1:50 a.m.PPP candidate Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the national audit agency, was also projected to win in Seoul's Jongno district after collecting 48.96 percent of the vote, with about 58.69 percent of ballots counted as of 1:50 a.m. Another PPP candidate Chung Woo-taik was also leading in the central city of Cheongju.In the southeastern city of Daegu, independent candidate Lim Byung-heon was leading, while the ballot counting for a constituency

Mar 10, 2022
Main opposition party poised to win at least 2 of 5 National Assembly seats in by-elections

Voter turnout tentatively tallied at 77.1 pct

Voter turnout for South Korea's presidential election was tentatively tallied at 77.1 percent Wednesday, as more than 34 million people went to the polls, according to election authorities.Out of the total 44.2 million eligible voters nationwide, more than 34.07 million cast their ballots at 14,464 polling stations as of 7:30 p.m. when the voting closed, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). The tally, which included the results of the two-day early voting, was slightly down from 77.2 percent recorded during the previous presidential election in 2017.By region, Seoul recorded 77.9 percent, the surrounding province of Gyeonggi 76.7 percent and the western port city of Incheon 74.8 percent.The southwestern city of Gwangju posted the highest rate of 81.5 percent, while the southern resort island of Jeju registered the lowest turnout of 72.6 percent.More than 16 million, or 36.9 percent of the total, already cast their ballots in the early voting Friday and Saturday. (Yonhap)

Mar 9, 2022
Voter turnout tentatively tallied at 77.1 pct
  • Yoon overtakes Lee to hold razor-thin lead

South Korean diplomat meets with IAEA chief amid signs of North Korean reactor operation

A South Korean diplomat met the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency's chief in Vienna on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's nuclear issue, the safety of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine and other issues, Seoul's foreign ministry said.Park Young-hyo, the ministry's director-general for nonproliferation and nuclear affairs, had the meeting with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on the margins of an IAEA Board of Governors meeting.The meeting came after Grossi said the agency's monitoring team spotted indications of activity at the 5-megawatt reactor in the Yongbyon nuclear complex north of Pyongyang, calling the move "deeply regrettable."During the meeting, the two sides shared the understanding that they should work together to further deepen bilateral cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue, nuclear security and other areas, the ministry said.On the Ukraine-related issue, Park stressed that South Korea will actively support the IAEA's efforts to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants in the Eastern European country.Park also highlight

Mar 9, 2022
South Korean diplomat meets with IAEA chief amid signs of North Korean reactor operation

Yoon overtakes Lee to hold razor-thin lead

A voter casts a ballot for the 20th presidential election at Namgu District Office in Daegu on March 9. YonhapVoter turnout estimated at 77.1 percent; core loyalists align to their candidateBy Ko Dong-hwanLee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) were neck and neck in Wednesday’s presidential vote, according to the early vote-counting results and two exit polls.According to the National Election Commission (NEC), as of 1 a.m., with about 59 percent of ballots counted nationwide, Yoon had 48.48 percent of the vote against Lee's 48.06 percent,An exit poll conducted jointly by three local broadcasters – KBS, MBC and SBS – showed that Yoon, 61, a former prosecutor-general, won 48.4 percent of the votes and the ruling party candidate with 47.8 percent. The poll has a plus or minus 0.8 percentage point margin of error.In a separate exit poll conducted by broadcaster JTBC, Lee, 57, a former Gyeonggi Province Governor, is expected to garner 48.4 percent of the votes comp

Mar 9, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Yoon overtakes Lee to hold razor-thin lead
  • What polls taken prior to election say
  • Undeterred by worst COVID-19 wave, voters turn out to choose Korea's next president
  • Voter turnout tentatively tallied at 77.1 pct

Exit polls project Lee, Yoon in dead heat

Presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative main opposition People Power Party are seen during the final TV debate hosted by the National Election Commission, held at local broadcaster KBS' studio on Seoul's Yeouido, March 2. Joint Press CorpsRuling party candidate Lee Jae-myung and main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol are in a dead heat, with each sitting at slightly less than 50 percent of the vote, two exit polls showed Wednesday.Lee of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was expected to pull in 47.8 percent of the votes against 48.4 percent for Yoon of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), according to a joint exit poll by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS.In a separate exit poll by broadcaster JTBC, Lee was leading Yoon 48.4 percent to 47.7 percent.Sim Sang-jung, the candidate of the minor progressive Justice Party, garnered 2.5 percent in the exit poll by KBS, MBC and SBS.This year's election has been one of the closest presidential races in Korea's history, with Lee and Yoon neck

Mar 9, 2022
Exit polls project Lee, Yoon in dead heat
  • PHOTOS Nation goes to polls
  • What polls taken prior to election say
  • Political heavyweights, celebrities cast ballots
  • Undeterred by worst COVID-19 wave, voters turn out to choose Korea's next president
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