South Korea - The Korea Times

Presidential hopeful Yoon vows to enhance Korea-China relations

Yoon Seok-youl, right, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, shakes hands with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming at the PPP's headquarters in Seoul, Friday. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooYoon Seok-youl, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said he would make efforts to improve ties with China during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming, Friday. Ambassador Xing paid a courtesy call to Yoon at PPP headquarters and discussed diplomatic issues between the two countries. Yoon said he hopes to better understand and promote bilateral ties with China if he wins the election. "Korea and China are important trading partners and I will try to improve Seoul-Beijing ties," Yoon said during the meeting with Xing."Korea-China ties have a long history of over 5,000 years. We expect to become even closer as Korea and China commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year."The ambassador emphasized the importance of trade China-Korea trade relations. "The trade volume between China and South K

Nov 19, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Presidential hopeful Yoon vows to enhance Korea-China relations

Ruling party's Lee seeking breakthrough in presidential race

Ruling party's Lee seeking breakthrough in presidential race

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press CorpsRuling party's Lee withdraws additional disaster relief fund proposalBy Jung Da-min Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is seeking a breakthrough in the next presidential election slated for March as in recent opinion polls he has been falling behind his rival candidate Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).Support for Lee, which started to decrease after news broke in late August of a corruption-ridden highly lucrative land development speculation scandal, has been stagnating in recent weeks, while Yoon has been enjoying a rise in his popularity. Since he was selected as the main opposition party's presidential candidate, Nov. 5, about a month after Lee was named as the candidate of the ruling party, Yoon has led in many opinion polls, ahead of Lee.As part of efforts to find a breakthrough and win back public support, Lee has withdrawn his propo

Nov 19, 2021

Ruling party's Lee seeking breakthrough in presidential race

Presidential hopeful Yoon vows to enhance Korea-China relations

Justice Party's candidate meets young women

Sim Sang-jeung, center, the presidential candidate of the progressive minor opposition Justice Party, speaks during a talk show with young women in their 20s at U-Plex in Seoul, Thursday. Sim and other participants talked about various factors that make young women's lives difficult. Yonhap

Nov 18, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Justice Party's candidate meets young women

Ruling party, satellite party agree to seek merger

This file photo shows Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Song Young-gil, left, shaking hands with Open Democratic Party leader Choe Kang-wook at the National Assembly in Seoul on May 11. YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party said Thursday it has agreed with the minor Open Democratic Party to seek their merger, a move that comes less than four months ahead of the presidential election.The agreement was reached Wednesday between DP Chairman Song Young-gil and his Open Democratic Party counterpart, Choe Kang-wook, according to Koh Yong-jin, a senior DP spokesperson.The minor party is considered a "satellite party" of the DP, as it was launched by former DP lawmakers ahead of last year's parliamentary elections. The party went on to win three proportional representation seats in the National Assembly.The DP, which holds an absolute majority of 169 out of 295 seats, has appointed Rep. Woo Sang-ho to lead the merger negotiations. The Open Democratic Party has yet to name his counterpart.The negotiators will be tasked with discussing when and how to merge the parties."If we were to merge by abs

Nov 18, 2021

Ruling party, satellite party agree to seek merger

Probe closes in on opposition candidate's wife over stock price rigging allegation

Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, center, enters the Seoul Central District Court, Tuesday, for the court to review whether to issue an arrest warrant for him over him having allegedly rigged his company's stock price. The court issued one later that day. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooKim Kun-hee, the wife of main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl, is seen during the ceremony at which Yoon was appointed the prosecutor general at Cheong Wa Dae, July 25, 2019. Joint Press CorpsThe prosecution is closing in on main opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl's wife, Kim Keon-hee, over the suspicion that she was involved in the alleged rigging of the stock price of an imported car dealer. Though prosecutors are yet to decide whether to summon Kim for questioning, chances are growing that the investigation will pick up speed in looking into possible links between Kim and the price rigging allegation, as the head of the dealership has been arrested.The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant late Tuesday to arrest Kwon Oh-soo,

Nov 17, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo

Probe closes in on opposition candidate's wife over stock price rigging allegation

Ruling party threatens finance ministry amid dispute over COVID-19 relief funds

Rep. Yun Ho-jung, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Nov. 16. YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party (DP) has threatened to conduct a parliamentary investigation into the finance ministry for underestimating this year's surplus tax revenue, ratcheting up pressure on the government to endorse the DP presidential nominee's push to provide universal COVID-19 relief funds.DP floor leader Rep. Yun Ho-jung said during a YTN radio interview Tuesday that this year's excess tax revenue is expected to reach 50 trillion won ($42.2 billion), which is 19 trillion won more than the ministry's estimate of 31 trillion won in July.Yun said the extra 19 trillion won can be used to finance a package of COVID-19 relief measures, including universal handouts, and blasted the ministry for the accounting error."(The ministry) must be held accountable for this," he said. "I believe they should apologize to the people."When asked if the discrepancy appeared intentional, Yun said, "If it was intentional, I think we should even conduct a

Nov 17, 2021

Ruling party threatens finance ministry amid dispute over COVID-19 relief funds

Cooperation on vaccine development

President Moon Jae-in poses with Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), during their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae to discuss cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine development, Tuesday. Yonhap

Nov 16, 2021By Lee Hae-rin

President Moon faces calls for 'political neutrality'

Senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Cheol-hee speaks during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Oct. 26. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog By Nam Hyun-wooPresident Moon Jae-in is facing growing calls for him to display political neutrality leading up to the presidential election in March, with the opposition bloc gearing up an offensive against Moon and his ministers' membership of the ruling party. During a radio interview, Tuesday, senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Cheol-hee dismissed the main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) demand for the President to abandon his Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) membership.“Former presidents have left their parties (mostly in the last years of their terms) in order to prevent their policy failures from becoming a burden to them. In terms of political responsibility, it is appropriate for the President to maintain his party membership,” Lee said during the interview on MBC Radio.The

Nov 16, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo

President Moon faces calls for 'political neutrality'

Rival presidential candidates differ on housing policy

Apartment buildings in Seoul / YonhapRival presidential candidates from the ruling and main opposition parties have put forward widely different policies on real estate tax, one of the most sensitive election issues amid skyrocketing home prices, raising questions about their feasibility.Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the liberal ruling Democratic Party, has called for introducing a "land ownership tax" on all land to fund his plan for a universal basic income.Yoon Seok-youl of the conservative main opposition People Power Party, on the other hand, has offered to reconsider the Gross Real Estate Tax, which is imposed on owners of multiple or high-end houses, to exempt single-home owners and possibly scrap it altogether.The pledges are seen as the first test of policy between the two candidates in an election many view as a referendum on the Moon Jae-in administration's failure to bring an overheated real estate market under control.Under Lee's plan, which the candidate first announced during his previous presidential bid in 2017, all land owners will be taxed for their la

Nov 16, 2021

Rival presidential candidates differ on housing policy

ANALYSIS Real estate tax policy bordering on populism stunt

Reporters covering presidential candidate's wife warned of stalking offenses by police

Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung / YonhapReporters covering the wife of the ruling party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung outside their home have been sent away by police after being warned of potential stalking offenses, officials said Tuesday.According to the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, South of Seoul, five reporters who were covering Kim Hye-kyung, Lee's wife, in front of her home Monday have been sent away after being warned they could be in potential violation of the anti-stalking law.The journalists reportedly staked out in front of Kim's house and chased her to a hospital. Police officials arrived on site after receiving a complaint from Kim.Police however did not specify which part of the news gathering activity was in breach of the law.Kim has become a subject of intense media coverage as of late after she was admitted to a hospital last week after sustaining injuries from a fall at their home. According to Lee, Kim was discharged the same day and has been recovering at home.The incident prom