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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.

Controversial media bill passes last hurdle to go on parliamentary plenary vote

Ruling party members of the Parliamentary Committee on Legislation and Judiciary review a proposed revision to the law on press arbitration and remedies at the National Assembly in Seoul, Aug. 25, while seats vacated by protesting opposition party members remain empty. YonhapA controversial bill on curbing fake news passed the last parliamentary hurdle Wednesday to be put to a final plenary vote at the National Assembly amid heated protests from opposition parties and journalists' associations.The bill to revise the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports received the green light from the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the final gatekeeping committee for all bills before they go on a final vote at a parliamentary plenary session. The ruling-party controlled judiciary committee passed the bill after committee members of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) walked out of its session in protest.The ruling Democratic Party (DP) had unilaterally pushed the bill through the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism on Aug. 1

Aug 25, 2021
Controversial media bill passes last hurdle to go on parliamentary plenary vote

Moon names new secretary for New Southern and Northern policies

From left are new presidential secretary for civil participation Kang Kwun-chan, presidential secretary for New Southern and Northern policies Kim Jeong-hoi and presidential secretary for land and transport Kim Yi-tak. Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaeBy Nam Hyun-wooKim Jeong-hoi, deputy minister for trade negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, was appointed as presidential secretary for New Southern and Northern policies, which are aimed at bolstering economic ties with countries south and north to Korea. Presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Tuesday that President Moon Jae-in named Kim, 50, as his new secretary in charge of the policies. The post has been vacant since Kim's predecessor, Yeo Han-koo, was appointed as trade minister earlier this month.Kim is a career bureaucrat, taking key posts related to Korea's U.S.-bound trade at the trade ministry. He also served at the ministry's departments on vehicle-technology convergence and energy resources, before becoming the deputy minister for trade negotiation last December.Kim graduated from Seoul National Univer

Aug 25, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Moon names new secretary for New Southern and Northern policies

U.S. decides not to use military bases in S. Korea for Afghan evacuees: report

Senior Airman Moon, left, escorts Afghan evacuees arrived at the Naval Air Station Sigonella, in Sicily, southern Italy, on Aug. 22. AP- YonhapThe United States decided not to use its military bases in South Korea to temporarily house Afghan evacuees, Reuters reported Tuesday.U.S. officials "appeared to have figured out better sites" and decided to remove South Korea, as well as Japan, from the list "because of logistics and geography among other reasons," Reuters reported, citing sources well-versed in the issue.The U.S. is currently working to transport tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees following the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has yet to comment on the latest report.In response to an earlier Wall Street Journal report that Washington is considering USFK bases for those evacuees, USFK said, "To date, USFK has not been tasked to provide temporary housing or other support for anyone departing Afghanistan."On Monday, South Korea's National Security Adviser Suh Hoon also said that the U.S. has decided to use its military bases in the Middle

Aug 24, 2021
U.S. decides not to use military bases in S. Korea for Afghan evacuees: report

British aircraft carrier calls off planned port call at S. Korean port due to pandemic

The HMS Artful, a nuclear-powered fleet submarine accompanying the British Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, is docked at a naval base in Busan, Aug. 12. YonhapThe British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its strike group will not make a planned port call at a port in South Korea's southern city of Busan due to the pandemic, sources said Tuesday.The aircraft carrier had planned the port call later this month, during which they were to hold various joint events for friendship and exchanges, and stage combined exercises. Ahead of its arrival, the HMS Artful submarine firstly docked at the port of the Naval Operations Command in Busan earlier this month."We've decided to cancel the port call given the coronavirus situation. Exchanges and other in-person events between the sailors will not take place. But some combined field maneuvers are likely to be staged as planned," a military source said.South Korea has experienced the fourth wave of COVID-19 since July, and Britain reported nearly 100 COVID-19 confirmed cases among around 3,700 sailors aboard the strike gr

Aug 24, 2021
British aircraft carrier calls off planned port call at S. Korean port due to pandemic

Korea-Russia envoys meeting

Noh Kyu-duk, right, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, bumps elbows with Igor Morgulov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and envoy for North Korean issues, before their talks at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Noh called for Russia's role in bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table. Yonhap

Aug 24, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea-Russia envoys meeting

Protest against 'fake news' bill

Yoon Chang-hyun, head of the National Union of Media Workers, speaks in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, during a protest against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's move to pass a controversial media bill aimed at sharply increasing punishment for what it calls “fake news.” The ruling party, which holds a majority of Assembly seats, is moving to pass the bill unilaterally during a plenary session scheduled for Wednesday, despite protests from opposition parties and media industry groups. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

Aug 24, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Protest against 'fake news' bill

Ruling party, gov't agree on record budget for 2022 to tackle COVID-19 crisis

Officials from the Democratic Party and the goverment hold a consultative meeting, Aug. 24. YonhapThe ruling party and the government on Tuesday agreed to draw up the biggest ever annual state budget of 605 trillion won ($518.7 billion) for 2022 to finance the country's efforts to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.This represents a slight increase from this year's budget of 604.7 trillion won, including the regular budget of 558 trillion won and two rounds of COVID-19 response extra budget, they said."The party and the government shared their commitment to allotting sufficient resources needed to completely overcome COVID-19 through proactive expansionary financial policies and spur speedy economic recovery," Rep. Park Wan-joo, the Democratic Party's policy committee chief, said, following the party's consultation with the government side.According to Park, next year's budget will include an additional 1.8 trillion won to compensate small business owners ravaged by anti-virus social distancing measures as the unexpected spread of COVID-19 variants weighs down the efforts to combat the coron

Aug 24, 2021
Ruling party, gov't agree on record budget for 2022 to tackle COVID-19 crisis

Korea Times-APLN Essay Contest

The Korea Times and The Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) will co-host an essay contest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the theme: “Youth, Disarmament, and Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region.” We invite not only Korean but all international students ― graduate and undergraduate ― to submit essays for the contest, which aims to foster a new generation of scholars committed to examining nuclear issues.Applicants should submit their essays (of between 800 and 1,000 words) in English, and include the following details: name, major area of study, year-level, email and phone number. All submissions will be placed in the same judging pool.Essays must address one of the following  major themes:1. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and international nuclear governance2. Emerging nuclear trends (new technologies, the future of arms control, big data, etc.)Submission deadline: Sept. 30, 2021Submission instructions: submit your essay to apln@apln.network with the subject line “APLN-KT Essay Contest_Name&r

Aug 23, 2021
Korea Times-APLN Essay Contest

Rival parties on collision course ahead of plenary vote on controversial media arbitration bill

In this Aug. 19 file photo, lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party storm the podium of Do Jong-hwan, chief of the culture, sports and tourism committee, during the committee's plenary meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, as they attempt to foil the ruling Democratic Party's push to enact a media arbitration bill. YonhapA partisan showdown loomed large at the National Assembly on Monday, as the ruling Democratic Party (DP) with a controlling number of parliamentary seats was set to railroad a controversial media bill this week fiercely contested by opposition parties and media industry trade groups. The revision of the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports, which was passed by parliament's culture committee last week, is expected to be put to a final vote during the National Assembly's plenary session Wednesday.The DP, which holds an absolute parliamentary majority, is predicted to unilaterally pass the bill during the session.Spearheaded by the DP as part of its broader vision to "reform" the media, the bill aims to sharply

Aug 23, 2021
Rival parties on collision course ahead of plenary vote on controversial media arbitration bill

Rival parties' leading contenders in tight race for president, poll shows

From left, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, and Rep. Lee Nak-yon / YonhapTwo leading contenders in South Korea's presidential race ― Yoon Seok-youl and Lee Jae-myung ― are still neck and neck, with the election less than seven months away, a survey showed Monday.In the two-day poll on 1,007 voters nationwide through last Saturday by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), former Prosecutor General Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) had 29.8 percent of support, down 0.8 percentage point from a week earlier.Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) gained 0.6 percentage point to 26.8 percent, according to the survey on who is "suitable" to become the country's next president. The election is slated for March 9, 2022.Rep. Lee Nak-yon, former head of the DP, ranked third with 12.4 percent, down 0.5 percentage point, followed by Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the PPP. Hong's rating rose 1.1 percentage points to 8.4 percent.President Moon Jae-in's approval rating climbed 0.7 percentage point to 39.5 percent, w

Aug 23, 2021
Rival parties' leading contenders in tight race for president, poll shows
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