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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.

INTERVIEW Korea launches electronic travel authorization system

Korea Immigration Service Commissioner Cha Gyu-geun speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, June 23. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Pre-screening process to be required for visitors from visa-free countries By Lee Hyo-jin Border management has become one of the biggest challenges for countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, as strict control is needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while the right to essential cross-border movement should also be guaranteed. Korea Immigration Service (KIS) Commissioner Cha Gyu-geun said that swift COVID-19 response measures have been a major task for the immigration authority over the past 18 months, since the coronavirus was first reported here in January 2020But now, as many countries around the world, including Korea, scramble to reopen borders in the coming months, the KIS is preparing for a possible surge in the number of inbound travelers. To

Jun 30, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
[INTERVIEW] Korea launches electronic travel authorization system

Former three-term lawmaker found dead in Seoul

Kim Jae-yun, a former three-term lawmaker from the liberal bloc, was found dead on a road in southern Seoul on Tuesday, apparently after falling from a building, police said.Kim Jae-yun, a former three-term lawmaker from the liberal bloc, was found dead on a road in southern Seoul on Tuesday, apparently after falling from a building, according to the police. YonhapThe 55-year-old Kim, who was elected to the National Assembly three times between 2004 and 2015 from a constituency on the southern resort island of Jeju, was discovered dead by a passer-by on a Seocho Ward road at 12:55 p.m.Police said no suicide note was found at the scene and the cause of his death was presumed to be a fall from a building.Police said they were investigating the cause of Kim's death, without ruling out various possibilities, including suicide.Kim has been serving as a chair professor at a local university. (Yonhap)

Jun 29, 2021
Former three-term lawmaker found dead in Seoul

Assembly stints no longer prerequisite for presidential bid

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, left, and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl / YonhapPublic desire for fresh figures reflects distrust in established politicians By Jung Da-minPeople who have never served as lawmakers at the National Assembly have risen as strong presidential hopefuls ― a surprising new development in the nation's political scene.Since the introduction of direct presidential elections in a 1987 constitutional amendment, all six presidents ― including Moon ― had prior experience in the National Assembly. For the liberal ruling bloc's side, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is the leading presidential hopeful among other potential contenders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). Lee has ranked second in recent polls of presidential hopefuls of both the ruling and opposition blocs, trailing former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who has become a strong contender for the opposition bloc after his resignation from the top prosecutor post in early March.From the opposition side, other potential candidates without careers as lawmakers are

Jun 29, 2021
Assembly stints no longer prerequisite for presidential bid
  • Change of 'corrupt and incompetent' administration a must: ex-prosecutor general

Change of 'corrupt and incompetent' administration a must: ex-prosecutor general

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl speaks during a press conference at the Maeheon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Museum in Seoul, Tuesday, to announce his presidential bid. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanYoon declares presidential bid; hints at joining PPPBy Kang Seung-wooFormer Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl announced Tuesday that he will compete in the next presidential election in a bid to stop the “corrupt and incompetent” Moon Jae-in administration from extending its rule. While urging people agreeing with him to combine forces, Yoon hinted that he could join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The 60-year-old also vowed to rebuild justice and the rule of law.Yoon is now a front-runner in many opinion polls among potential presidential hopefuls, who will take over from President Moon in May 2022. The presidential election is scheduled to take place, March 9 next year.Yoon held his first official press conference in Seoul since his resignation from the top prosecutor post in March to unveil his political ambitions. “This government not only privatize

Jun 29, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Change of 'corrupt and incompetent' administration a must: ex-prosecutor general
  • Assembly stints no longer prerequisite for presidential bid

'I will rebuild rule of law and justice': Ex-prosecutor general declares presidential bid

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl speaks during a press conference at the Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall in southern Seoul, June 29. YonhapYoon Seok-youl officially launched his high-profile presidential bid Tuesday, four months after he stepped down as prosecutor general, vowing to rebuild justice and the rule of law.Yoon announced the declaration to run in the March 9 presidential election at his first official press conference since his resignation in March, held in southern Seoul. "With common sense as my weapon, I will definitely rebuild the free democracy and the rule of law that have fallen apart, as well as the value of justice, that could reverberate through different eras and generations," Yoon said. He mounted attacks on the Moon Jae-in administration to make his case for entering the presidential race. "This government not only privatizes power but also tries to extend its reign to plunder the nation," Yoon said. "I can no longer sit and watch it."He said the country needs to stand up and resist the reign of the "corrupt and incompetent" ruling force, adding, "I am rea

Jun 29, 2021
'I will rebuild rule of law and justice': Ex-prosecutor general declares presidential bid

Moon accepts resignation of chief state auditor

Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choe Jae-hyeong gets in the car after announcing his intention to resign from the post at the audit agency's headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Monday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in on Monday accepted the resignation of the head of South Korea's state audit agency after he offered to step down earlier in the day in a move widely viewed as a prelude to joining the presidential election race.The resignation of Choe Jae-hyeong, the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), came six months before the end of his four-year term and the presidential election slated for March.Moon approved Choe's offer to be relieved of his post at around 5:50 p.m., about nine hours after he made his decision public.“Considering the term of a top state auditor is guaranteed to maintain the political neutrality, Chairman Choe has set an undesirable precedent,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president expressed regret over Choi's move, she added.A Cheong Wa Dae official later said it is unprecedented for a B

Jun 28, 2021
Moon accepts resignation of chief state auditor

Debate arises over whether academic background is factor of discrimination

Rep. Jang Hye-young of the minor opposition Justice Party, right, asks questions related to the anti-discrimination law she proposed last year to Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, left, during an interpellation session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Jang criticized the education ministry's view that seeks to exclude discrimination based on one's academic background in the law. Captured from National Assembly's video minutes By Jung Da-minDebate has arisen over whether a person's academic background should be considered as a discriminatory factor, and if any such discrimination should be banned under law. The issue came to light last week when the Ministry of Education submitted an opinion to the National Assembly and Ministry of Justice regarding a bill on the promulgation on an anti-discrimination law. In recent years, the liberal bloc has been promoting the enactment of a law to prevent discrimination based on gender, disability, age, language, country

Jun 28, 2021
Debate arises over whether academic background is factor of discrimination

Presidential race heats up

Gyeonggi Province governor Lee Jae-myung, left, and former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl / Korea Times fileGyeonggi governor, ex-prosecutor to announce presidential bids this weekBy Kang Seung-wooThe race for Cheong Wa Dae is beginning in earnest, with the high-profile candidates set to declare their bids for the presidency this week. Gyeonggi Province governor Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential hopeful of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is expected to announce on Thursday, that he will join the party's primary, which will pick its winner by early September. Yoon Seok-youl, the former prosecutor general who has led many opinion polls, is scheduled officially to declare his presidential bid on Tuesday. South Korea's presidential election is scheduled to take place on March 9, 2022. According to Rep. Park Hong-keun of the DPK, one of Lee's aides, the governor plans to declare his candidacy on Thursday, after registering as a preliminary candidate with the DPK. In 2017, he competed in the party primary and came in third, after now-President Moon Jae-in and f

Jun 28, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Presidential race heats up

Chief state auditor offers to resign amid speculation on his political ambition

Choe Jae-hyeong, head of Korea's state audit agency, speaks to reporters as he enters his office in central Seoul, June 28. YonhapChoe Jae-hyeong, head of South Korea's state audit agency, offered to step down Monday in what is viewed as a prelude to joining the presidential election race.If President Moon Jae-in accepts his resignation, the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) would quit the job half a year before his four-year term finishes.Choe told reporters that he had tendered his resignation earlier in the day. He added he had thought that it is "inappropriate" to carry on his duty amid "plenty of disputes" over his position.He apologized to the people, the president and other BAI officials for resigning ahead of the end of his tenure.The former judge is widely expected to seek to run in next year's presidential election as an opposition candidate.He has hinted for months at the possibility of doing so, drawing criticism from the ruling bloc for its impact on the BAI's independence.Local media regard Choe as a potential alternative presidential candidate to form

Jun 28, 2021
Chief state auditor offers to resign amid speculation on his political ambition

Presidential anti-corruption secretary resigns over land speculation allegations

By Kwon Mee-yooKim Gi-pyo, presidential secretary for anti-corruption / Korea Times fileKim Gi-pyo, the presidential secretary for anti-corruption, resigned on Sunday following mounting criticism over allegations of his real estate speculation. Kim purchased billions of won worth of real estate mainly through loans ― a practice that the Moon Jae-in government has criticized for contributing to property speculation and pledged to root out. Park Soo-hyun, the senior presidential secretary for public communication, said that Kim offered his resignation because he did not want to burden the administration. The President accepted the resignation immediately.Kim, who was named as the anti-corruption secretary in March, reported that he owns 9 billion won ($8 million) worth of real estate: an apartment in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province valued at 1.45 billion won, two commercial stores in Seoul worth 6.55 billion won and forest land in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, valued at 840 million won. He has 5.62 billion won worth of debt, suggesting that he purchased a large portion of this real estate th

Jun 27, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Presidential anti-corruption secretary resigns over land speculation allegations
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