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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.

President appoints new civil affairs secretary

By Nam Hyun-wooKim Young-sik, new presidential senior secretary for civil affairs / Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaePresident Moon Jae-in appointed Kim Young-sik as his new senior secretary for civil affairs, 27 days after Kim's predecessor resigned from the post over a scandal involving his son. The appointment, which was announced during Moon's visit to the United Arab Emirates, is interpreted as the President's intention to keep his grip on state affairs and continue efforts to reform the prosecution in the less than five months of his remaining tenure. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, Moon has appointed Kim, 55, as his new senior secretary for civil affairs, replacing Kim Jin-kook, who resigned last month amid reports that his son attempted to use his father's influence to gain employment.The new senior secretary worked as a lawyer at law firm Lee & Ko and served as Moon's secretary for legal affairs from May 2019 to April last year. Before that he was a judge at local courts in Incheon and Gwangju. “The new senior secretary has experience serving as legal affairs secretary

Jan 17, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
President appoints new civil affairs secretary

Moon names new senior secretary for civil affairs

Kim Young-sikPresident Moon Jae-in named a new senior secretary for civil affairs Monday after the previous secretary resigned over ethical issues related to his son.Kim Young-sik, a former secretary for legal affairs under the Moon administration, was appointed to succeed Kim Jin-kook, who stepped down last month after his son was found to have leveraged the father's position on job applications."(Kim) has a high level of understanding of the Moon Jae-in government's administrative philosophy and has excellent work and communication ability," senior presidential secretary for public communication Park Soo-hyun said at a press briefing. "We expect him to smoothly fulfill his duties as the senior civil affairs secretary, including reform, the stable completion of administrative tasks and the establishment of public officials' discipline," he said.Moon gave his verbal approval before departing for his trip to the Middle East, Saturday, and plans to sign off on the appointment later in the day.The new senior secretary is set to begin his duties Tuesday. He is a former judge and current

Jan 17, 2022
Moon names new senior secretary for civil affairs

Jailed former President Lee Myung-bak admitted to hospital for chronic illness

Former President Lee Myung-bak / YonhapJailed former President Lee Myung-bak was admitted to a hospital on Monday for an unspecified chronic illness, the justice ministry said. The 81-year-old was transferred to the Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul from the Anyang Correctional Institution where he is serving a 17-year sentence for embezzlement and bribery convictions, according to the ministry. Lee will undergo medical examinations for his chronic illness, and when he will be discharged from the hospital will not be disclosed for security reasons, ministry officials said. It marks Lee's first hospitalization this year. He visited a hospital three times last year for chronic diseases, including diabetes. Lee, who served as president from 2008-2013, has been serving the sentence since the Supreme Court finalized the 17-year jail term in October 2020. Lee was excluded from the recent presidential pardons for the New Year, under which jailed ex-President Park Geun-hye was set free. (Yonhap)

Jan 17, 2022
Jailed former President Lee Myung-bak admitted to hospital for chronic illness

Yoon's wife says #MeToo cases occur when victims are not paid

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol / Korea Times fileThe wife of main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has suggested that #MeToo scandals occur because victims are not paid, according to a recording of a phone call aired Sunday.Kim Keon-hee is heard making the remark to a reporter for liberal YouTube channel Voice of Seoul in one of 52 phone conversations they had between July and December last year.The calls were recorded and parts of them broadcast by MBC TV after a court allowed them to air, albeit with parts omitted, despite an injunction request from Yoon's conservative People Power Party."Conservatives make sure they pay. They don't use people free of charge," Kim was heard saying. "That's why you don't see many #MeToo cases here. #MeToo happens when you don't pay your dues."Kim appeared to be referring to a series of sex scandals involving prominent liberal politicians, including the disgraced former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung."To be honest, I felt sorry for An Hee-jung," she said. "My husband and

Jan 17, 2022
Yoon's wife says #MeToo cases occur when victims are not paid

Should rising Ahn Cheol-soo join Lee-Yoon debate?

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate and leader of the minor opposition conservative People's Party, poses with a restaurant owner before he begins a one-day experience as a part time delivery worker to listen to the difficulties of members of the service industry, in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Joint Press CorpsMinor opposition candidate eyes 20-percent supportBy Jung Da-minThe rival presidential candidates of the country's two major parties, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), are set to face off in a two-way TV debate before the Lunar New Year holiday. The two sides are currently in discussions about the schedule before announcing the exact date of the debate.The presidential election, slated for March 9, is approaching with about 50 days left to go. However, the rival candidates are still in a neck-and-neck race, as both are failing to find a breakthrough in their support rates which have dropped over allegations of corruption, illegal acts or scandals surr

Jan 16, 2022
Should rising Ahn Cheol-soo join Lee-Yoon debate?

Justice Party presidential candidate resumes public activities after 'introspection'

Sim Sang-jeung, center, the presidential candidate of the minor progressive Justice Party, shakes hands with a rescue worker at the site of an apartment construction accident in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Jan. 16. YonhapThe presidential candidate of the minor progressive Justice Party visited the site of an apartment building collapse in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Sunday, four days after she suspended her campaign to review her strategy amid dismal approval ratings.Sim Sang-jeung traveled to Gwangju unannounced as rescue workers searched for a sixth day to locate five of six people who went missing in the collapse of the building under construction.The body of one person was retrieved from the rubble Friday."I felt sorry for not doing anything during a tragedy, so I came to meet the families of the missing," Sim told reporters after meeting with the family members inside a tent set up near the site.The candidate had announced Wednesday that she was suspending her campaign in an apparent effort to find solutions to her low approval ratings of below 5 percent.After the an

Jan 16, 2022
Justice Party presidential candidate resumes public activities after 'introspection'

Opposition party's presidential candidate vows tough response to unauthorized labor rallies

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the People Power Party, punches the air during a launch ceremony for his campaign's Seoul committee held in the capital, Jan. 16. YonhapMain opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday he will deal sternly with illegal labor rallies if elected in March.In a Facebook post, Yoon of the conservative People Power Party slammed the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a major umbrella labor group, over its massive street rally in downtown Seoul, Saturday."The KCTU, which reigns above the law, is a symbol of unfairness," he wrote, saying more than 15,000 people gathered in defiance of bans under the anti-pandemic restrictions. "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will deal strictly with militant labor unions' actions that are above the law." Yoon likened the labor group's actions to a mockery of the nation as the people put up with various COVID-19 restrictions on private gatherings, business hours and other rules."I will set right the law and principles to ensure unions are faithful to their original purpose of enhancing workers' ri

Jan 16, 2022
Opposition party's presidential candidate vows tough response to unauthorized labor rallies

Moon launches campaign to promote Busan as Expo 2030 host

President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook arrive at Dubai International Airport, Saturday (local time), on the first stop of his eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. YonhapKorea seeks to bolster ties with Middle EastBy Nam Hyun-wooDUBAI ― President Moon Jae-in has kicked off a tough campaign to promote Busan as the host city of World Expo 2030, spending a significant portion of his eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt to attend events related to Expo 2020 Dubai.Moon arrived in Dubai on Saturday (local time) and will pay a visit to a “Korea National Day” ceremony at the Korea Pavilion during Expo 2020 Dubai, Sunday, where he plans to highlight Korea's exhibition and Busan's bid to host the 2030 event. After the ceremony, Moon will hold a meeting with UAE Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, and attend a K-pop concert on the sidelines of the expo. Moon will also attend Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week's Opening Ceremony and the Zayed Sustainability Prize awards ceremon

Jan 16, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Moon launches campaign to promote Busan as Expo 2030 host
  • Seoul, Abu Dhabi to expand hydrogen ties amid UAE's post-oil transition
  • Talks between Moon, Abu Dhabi crown prince canceled

Korea's new presidential jet enters service for Moon's trip to Middle East

This photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae, Jan. 15, shows the new presidential jet, a Boeing 747-8i. Yonhap South Korea's new presidential jet entered service Saturday for a three-nation trip by President Moon Jae-in to the Middle East, according to Cheong Wa Dae.The new presidential plane, a Boeing 747-8i, was placed in commission Thursday. Moon and his entourage flew aboard the new “Air Force One” for an eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.The 213-seat plane is equipped with various security and communication devices, as well as hardware to improve its defense against outside attacks, such as missiles, while new engines have increased its cruising speed and maximum total range, the presidential office said.In 2020, the government signed a five-year contract with Korean Air Lines to lease the new plane.Under the 300 billion won ($252.7 million) deal, Korean Air Lines provides pilots, crew members, mechanics, as well as a back-up plane of t

Jan 15, 2022
Korea's new presidential jet enters service for Moon's trip to Middle East

Gender reemerges as hot button issue in presidential election

Above is a screenshot of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's Jan. 7 Facebook post that reads "abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family," and below is a screenshot of Justice Party presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung's Jan. 7 Facebook post that reads “strengthen the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.” Screenshots from FacebookBy Jung Da-min Some controversial issues that could cause division and conflicts between women and men have risen again in Korean politics with less than two months left to go to the March 9 presidential election. One such issue has come to the fore after Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in his Facebook post of Jan. 7.The post where Yoon only wrote “abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family,” without further explanation, went viral and drew different reactions among the political parties.The ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and its presidential cand

Jan 15, 2022
Gender reemerges as hot button issue in presidential election
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