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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.

Ex-Finance Minister Kim announces presidential bid as independent

Former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon is greeted by a merchant at a market in his hometown of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, Aug. 20. YonhapFormer Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon announced Friday he will run in the presidential election slated for March as an independent."I will run in next year's presidential election," Kim said during a press conference in his hometown of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province. He added he would win the race outside of the political establishment, explaining the ruling and main opposition parties are only interested in maintaining their vested rights rather than improving the livelihoods of the people. Kim said he will do his best to move forward with his campaign, likening his endeavor to that of French President Emmanuel Macron, who came to power by first leading an independent political grassroots movement in the country.When asked on the prospects of meeting with Ahn Cheol-soo, head of the minor opposition People's Party, to discuss forming a political alliance, Kim said he does not have such plans."As of now, we're essentially a small star

Aug 20, 2021
Ex-Finance Minister Kim announces presidential bid as independent

Ruling party ignores protests against 'fake news' law

Rep. Do Jong-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who chairs the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, presides over a plenary meeting of the committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, in which lawmakers of the DPK and a minor liberal party lawmaker passed the ruling party's revision bill for the Act on Press Arbitration. Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who boycotted the meeting, protest the meeting holding placards to condemn the revision bill which they call a “gag” on the media. YonhapAssembly's culture committee endorses 'unconstitutional' media reform billBy Jung Da-min The supermajority ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is railroading the process for revising a law to punish media outlets for producing what it calls “fake news,” with its members of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee endorsing a revision to the Act on Press Arbitration at the committee's plenary meeting, Thursday.Nine members of the 16-member committee are from the ruling bloc, so it w

Aug 19, 2021
Ruling party ignores protests against 'fake news' law

Gyeonggi governor's presidential bid marred by rough-spoken nominee

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, presidential contender of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, touches his face mask during a press conference at his camp on Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-woo Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, a leading presidential contender of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is being criticized over his nomination of renowned food columnist Hwang Gyo-ik as chief of the province's tourism body. Hwang is now clashing with former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, the main rival of Governor Lee in the DPK primary, who raised questions over Hwang's expertise and relationship with the governor.While refuting allegations against him, Hwang responded with stern comments for former Prime Minister Lee, referring to some of his close allies as “not humans but animals” and promising to “focus on ending former Prime Minister Lee's political career.” As controversy grows, Hwang said Thursday that he would “think about what to do next for the sake of the DPK's election win,” implying that he would ref

Aug 19, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Gyeonggi governor's presidential bid marred by rough-spoken nominee

Main opposition party leader facing crisis

Conservative main opposition conservative People Power Party Chairperson Lee Jun-seok speaks during a Supreme Council meeting of the party at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapConflicts between party leader and presidential contenders deepen ahead of primary By Jung Da-min Conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Chairperson Lee Jun-seok is facing a leadership crisis while the party is preparing for its primary to select its candidate for the presidential election, slated for next March. The PPP is planning to select eight among the current 14 presidential contenders on Sept. 15 through a first-stage cut-off, and then four from those eight on Oct. 8. The PPP's presidential candidate will be selected on Nov. 9 at the party convention.Lee, who was elected the party chairman two months ago, is tasked with running the primary to lead it to a victory in the presidential election, but his leadership is already being questioned, as his conflicts with the party's presidential contenders are deepening over the details of the primary. With his election, there were hig

Aug 18, 2021
Main opposition party leader facing crisis

Ruling party chief calls for swift OPCON transfer as lesson from Afghan crisis

Rep. Song Young-gil / YonhapThe chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday called for speeding up South Korea's envisioned takeover of wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the United States in reflection of the recent crisis in Afghanistan."We need OPCON transfer to further strengthen our will and capability of self-defense against the backdrop of the Afghanistan crisis," Rep. Song Young-gil said in his Facebook post. Song wrote the post as a direct rebuttal to a claim recently made by March A. Thiessen, The Washington Post's foreign policy columnist, that South Korea can suffer similar consequences as Kabul if the U.S. withdraws its military forces from the country, referring to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. "The North Korean military is more advanced than the Taliban. The point is South Korea could not defend itself without U.S. help. If you disagree then we can save ourselves billions of dollars every year and withdraw our troops," Thiessen said on his Twitter account earlier this week. Song slammed the claim, saying it is slander to compare

Aug 18, 2021
Ruling party chief calls for swift OPCON transfer as lesson from Afghan crisis

Five-term lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo announces 2nd presidential bid

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the main opposition People Power Party holds an online press conference after announcing his bid for the presidency, Aug. 17. YonhapRep. Hong Joon-pyo, a five-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), officially announced Tuesday he will run in the presidential election slated for March.Hong, who lost the 2017 election against President Moon Jae-in, held an online press conference announcing his second bid for the presidency, in which he pledged to "correct the nation heading in the wrong direction."The former prosecutor-turned-politician presented a vision in which South Korea wins respect as an advanced country by becoming a "proud member" of the Group of Seven industrialized nations and becoming a wealthy state.Hong also blasted the Moon administration for its "populist" welfare programs, warning against creating massive government-driven debt and handing it over to future generations.He insisted that only a "defect-free" candidate can secure a victory for the opposition bloc, in an apparent swipe ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the

Aug 17, 2021
Five-term lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo announces 2nd presidential bid

Revered independence fighter awarded medal 78 years after death

Rep. Woo Won-shik, left, chairman of the Hong Beom-do Commemoration Committee, receives the Order of Merit for National Foundation from President Moon Jae-in on behalf of Hong, a historic independence fighter, at Cheong Wa Dae, Aug. 17. YonhapSouth Korea awarded a posthumous medal of honor Tuesday to Hong Beom-do, a historic independence fighter, whose remains returned from Kazakhstan two days earlier.President Moon Jae-in conferred the Order of Merit for National Foundation on Hong in a ceremony attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at Cheong Wa Dae.Hong, who served as commander of Korea's independence army, is revered for leading victories in the troops' battles against Japanese forces during the 1910-45 colonial rule, especially the Battle of Fengwudong in Manchuria, China, in 1920. He died in 1943 at the age of 75 in the Kazakh region of Kyzylorda.In 1962, the South Korean government bestowed on him the Presidential Medal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation.On the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the Fengwudong battle, Moon presented the top-tier Republ

Aug 17, 2021
Revered independence fighter awarded medal 78 years after death
  • PHOTOS Remains of national hero return home after 78 years

'Sightseeing flights' take passengers over Dokdo on Liberation Day

Passengers look out of the window to enjoy the view, Sunday, during a “sightseeing flight” that took them over South Korean islets in the East Sea, Dokdo, on the Liberation Day. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hye'Sightseeing flights' to the Dokdo islets were operated for the first time on Sunday, on the occasion of National Liberation Day marking the 76th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. North Gyeongsang Province hosted the special event in a bid to promote a new Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province integrated airport scheduled to open in 2028 and another one scheduled to open on Ulleung Island near Dokdo in 2025.Dokdo has long been at the center of a territorial dispute between Korea and Japan, and the airspace over the islets is a military zone where passenger planes are usually not permitted to fly.The special event involving passenger flights was possible this time as a result of a month of consultations between the province and the Ministry of National Defense. Domestic air carrier Hi Air sent two 50-seat flights out of Daegu International Airport at

Aug 16, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
'Sightseeing flights' take passengers over Dokdo on Liberation Day
  • South Korea protests Japan's repeated claims to Dokdo in defense white paper for children

Ruling party's leading presidential contender receives calls to quit governor post

Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Lee Jae-myung announces his plan to provide universal COVID-19 relief handouts to all residents in Gyeonggi Province, during a news conference at his office in Suwon, Friday. YonhapBy Jung Da-minGyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential contender of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is facing growing criticism from other presidential hopefuls of both the DPK and the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP). They say the governor is taking advantage of his post in the campaign for the presidential race, calling for Lee to quit as governor post to compete “fairly” in the next presidential election slated for March of next year.Such criticism grew especially after the governor announced his decision to offer universal COVID-19 relief funds to all provincial residents, Friday, contrary to the central government's plan to provide selective relief payments for individuals in the bottom 88 percent income bracket, endorsed by the National Assembly in late July. The Assembly passed a 34.9 trillion won ($30

Aug 16, 2021
Ruling party's leading presidential contender receives calls to quit governor post

Moon says return of Korean independence fighter's remains very meaningful

President Moon Jae-in said it is very meaningful that the remains of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a legendary Korean independence fighter, have been repatriated to South Korea's soil, according to his office Monday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in said it is very meaningful that the remains of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a legendary Korean independence fighter, have been repatriated to South Korea's soil, according to his office Monday.Moon conversed with the three members of his special delegation at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, the previous day. They traveled to Kazakhstan to bring Hong's remains home, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian country. Moon observed the arrival of the remains at the base during a ceremony broadcast live and had a conversation with the team led by Hwang Ki-chul, minister of patriot and veterans affairs."It represents a very meaningful return for us," Moon was quoted as telling them.The other members of the delegation are Rep. Woo Won-shik of the ruling Democratic Party and Cho Jin-woong, an actor who starred in films on Korea's fight for liberation

Aug 16, 2021
Moon says return of Korean independence fighter's remains very meaningful
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