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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.

Court allows partial airing of Yoon's wife's phone calls

Kim Keon-hee, wife of the main opposition People Power Party's presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol / Korea Times fileA court on Friday decided to allow a local TV station to broadcast parts of the main opposition presidential candidate's wife's phone calls, while other parts will be banned.Kim Keon-hee, the wife of Yoon Suk-yeol, filed an injunction earlier to stop MBC from airing recordings of her phone conversations with a staff member of the YouTube channel Voice of Seoul last year. The broadcast was set for Sunday.Seoul Western District Court, which deliberated on the arguments of both sides earlier in the day, said it made the decision in consideration of an ongoing investigation.Kim is currently under investigation in connection with a stock manipulation case surrounding Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea."If (Kim) undergoes an investigation or probe in the future, the broadcast could significantly infringe on her right to refuse to make statements, which is guaranteed under the criminal procedure," the court said in a statement. But the court also noted that as Kim is

Jan 14, 2022
Court allows partial airing of Yoon's wife's phone calls

Extra budget plan using tax surplus criticized as populist before election

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Kim announced that the government will come up with an extra budget for COVID-19 disaster relief before the Lunar New Year holiday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooThe government is facing a strong backlash from the opposition bloc for its decision to draw up an extra budget worth 14 trillion won ($11.8 billion) for COVID-19 disaster relief by using the tax surplus, as it is seen as a political move coming less than two months before the March 9 presidential election.“In order to beef up supports to the self-employed and small shop owners, the government decided to propose a supplementary budget using available resources such as the tax surplus,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said, Friday. “We will promptly prepare the proposal and submit related bills to the National Assembly before the Lunar New Year holiday (Jan. 31 to Feb. 2).”Economy and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki elaborated that 14 trillion won will be budgeted, and th

Jan 14, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Extra budget plan using tax surplus criticized as populist before election

National insurance coverage for hair loss treatment becomes Lee's official campaign pledge

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung / YonhapRuling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Friday he will add hair loss to ailments covered by National Health Insurance as previously suggested by his campaign.The idea of getting the state to cover the cost of hair loss treatment generated a huge public response last week as supporters welcomed the plan and critics denounced it as populist."I will help people suffering from hair loss to focus on their treatment by sharing the economic burden," the Democratic Party of Korea nominee wrote on Facebook. "I will expand the national insurance plan's coverage of hair loss treatment drugs and actively look into including hair transplants for the treatment of serious cases of hair loss as well."Lee's campaign has said that one in five South Koreans suffers from hair loss but they resort to buying drug treatments from overseas or alternative drugs meant for the prostate due to the high cost of receiving proper medication here.The candidate stopped short of unveiling the details of his plan, saying he will set the extent an

Jan 14, 2022
National insurance coverage for hair loss treatment becomes Lee's official campaign pledge
  • Patients of rare diseases slam DPK candidate's health insurance coverage plan for hair loss treatment

Controversy rises over Yoon's preemptive strike remarks

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition conservative People Power Party, answers questions from other participants in a policy debate at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press CorpsBy Jung Da-min Tensions are rising over main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks that South Korea would have no choice but to carry out a preemptive strike to prevent North Korea's possible missile attack if necessary, following the North's latest launch of what it called a hypersonic missile.Critics including ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung called Yoon's remarks irresponsible, as support for a preemptive strike against the North could escalate tensions not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the East Asian region as well as the international community.However, others said further discussions are needed on the matter, as a preemptive strike could be necessary in an emergency situation where a nuclear missile attack from the North could be immi

Jan 13, 2022
Controversy rises over Yoon's preemptive strike remarks
  • No room left for Moon gov't in US-North Korea tit for tat

Questions to presidential candidates

Members of a youth civic group wearing caricature-like costumes of presidential candidates pose during a performance at the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy office in central Seoul, Thursday, to deliver young voters' questions to the candidates about their youth policies. The costumed figures resemble, from left, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party, Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party. Yonhap

Jan 13, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Questions to presidential candidates

Will North Korea sway South Korea's presidential election?

This photo carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, Wednesday, shows what the North says was a test launch of a hypersonic missile a day earlier. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooNorth Korea's consecutive missile tests in the new year have shifted attention to how the bellicose actions across the border will influence the March 9 presidential election in South Korea.South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his concern on Tuesday over the North's missile launches taking place “before the presidential election” and debate is raging over the so-called “North Wind,” which is a South Korean political term referring to Pyongyang's provocations ending up affecting the sense of security people in the South feel, thus enticing them to choose a conservative candidate.The North's Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday that the regime successfully tested a hypersonic missile a day earlier, and the test was overseen by its leader Kim Jong-un. The launch came just six days after Pyongyang tested what it claims was a hypersonic missile, showing that the Kim regime

Jan 12, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Will North Korea sway South Korea's presidential election?
  • US designates 6 North Koreans for sanctions over WMD, ballistic missile programs

Meeting with religious leaders

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a luncheon meeting with the leaders of the country's major religions, Protestantism, Catholicism and Buddhism, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday, to ask for their support towards national unity. Yonhap

Jan 12, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Meeting with religious leaders

Education sector divided over lowering minimum age for political party membership

Students study in a classroom of a high school in Daegu, in this Oct. 19, 2021 photo. NewsisBy Jung Da-min The education sector has been divided over the recent passage of a bill that lowered the age of eligibility for joining a political party to 16. Some welcomed the change which could open up chances for political participation to younger people, while others expressed concerns over possible consequences like ideological conflicts and divisions among students.On Tuesday, the National Assembly passed the revision bill to the Political Parties Act to lower the minimum age for joining a political party from 18 to 16, meaning high school freshmen can join a political party and seniors can run in an election. It followed an earlier decision to lower the age limit for those running in general and local elections from 25 to 18.With a series of major elections set to be held this year, including the presidential election and Assembly by-elections on March 9 and local elections on June 1, more young people are expected to participate in politics by joining political parties or running in s

Jan 12, 2022
Education sector divided over lowering minimum age for political party membership

Over half of Koreans support abolishing gender ministry: poll

A sign for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at the government complex in Seoulis seen in this photo taken Jan. 10. YonhapA little over half of South Koreans support abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family as proposed by the main opposition party's presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, a poll showed Wednesday.According to the Realmeter survey of 1,011 adults, Monday and Tuesday, 51.9 percent said they supported the dissolution of the ministry in charge of women's affairs, while 38.5 percent opposed it. The remaining 9.6 percent said they were undecided on the issue.By gender, 64 percent of male respondents supported the abolition, while 47.1 percent of female respondents were against the closure. Age-wise, 60.8 percent of those aged 18 to 29 and 56.7 percent of respondents in their 30s were in favor of the abolishment. In contrast, 44.1 percent of respondents in their 40s and 39.7 percent of respondents in their 50s were against it.The poll showed 79 percent of supporters of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and 73.3 percent of supporters of the mino

Jan 12, 2022
Over half of Koreans support abolishing gender ministry: poll

Main opposition candidate vows big gov't spending to overcome pandemic

Main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol presents his policy promises during a New Year press conference at a cafe in Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press CorpsBy Kim RahnMain opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has pledged enormous financial support from the government to cope with pandemic-triggered economic difficulties and the nation's ever-declining birthrate.While he showed commitment to turning the crisis into a chance for the nation's development, concerns have also risen over how the government intends to secure the necessary budget.He announced his campaign promises during a New Year press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.One of the schemes was trilateral “rent sharing” among leaseholders, tenants and the government to help small business owners and self-employed people who have been hit hard by quarantine measures against COVID-19 and have had difficulty paying monthly rent.“I'll introduce the 'rent sharing system' under which leaseholders, tenants and the government pay one third of the rent each,&rd

Jan 11, 2022By Kim Rahn
Main opposition candidate vows big gov't spending to overcome pandemic
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