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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.

Cheong Wa Dae aides flip sides becoming opposition presidential contenders

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl during the opening ceremony of a park built to memorialize independence activist Lee Hoe-yeong on Namsan, Jung-gu, Seoul, June 9. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooCheong Wa Dae is stunned and puzzled as a number of former or current aides of President Moon Jae-in are emerging as candidates for next year's presidential election ― but now for the conservative opposition bloc. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and current Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Chairman Choi Jae-hyeong are expected to announce their presidential bids this week. They had all been named to their positions by Moon, but have been receiving calls from the conservative opposition bloc after locking horns with the administration over investigating allegations unfavorable to the Moon government.Against this backdrop, Moon's first finance minister, Kim Dong-yeon, is also being mentioned as a potential opposition candidate, irritating the President and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).According to his spokesperson, Yoon is set to declare his bid for the presidency on Tues

Jun 27, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Cheong Wa Dae aides flip sides becoming opposition presidential contenders

Another presidential secretary in controversy over property speculation allegations

Kim Gi-pyo, presidential secretary for anti-corruption / YonhapKim Gi-pyo, presidential secretary for anti-corruption, has been mired in a controversy over real estate speculation by taking out multimillion dollar loans.Kim, who was appointed to the position in March, reported to the government that he owns real estate worth 9.12 billion won ($8.08 million) while having financial liabilities of 5.62 billion won, according to data.His registered properties include two commercial stores in Seoul worth 6.55 billion won combined; an apartment in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, worth 1.45 billion won; and forest land adjacent to a district currently under development in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, worth 830 million won."He made the investment when he worked as a lawyer," an official of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. "He is now trying to sell some of what he now has."Kim, who worked as a prosecutor, served as a lawyer between 2014 and 2021.While denying the speculation allegations, Kim apologized "for causing misunderstanding" and vowed to "swiftly" dispose of some of th

Jun 27, 2021
Another presidential secretary in controversy over property speculation allegations

Tight presidential race ahead, cohesion expected to be key for each rival bloc

gettyimagesbank With South Korea's presidential election less than nine months away, the race promises to be a tight battle between the ruling and opposition blocs.The curtain is about to rise first on the primary of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and this is getting off to a rough start, as demonstrated by in-house disputes over when to choose its standard bearer.A boisterous, albeit failed, attempt to postpone the contest by dozens of lawmakers who are apparently opposed to the front-runner Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, portends a fierce contest and probably more serious wrangles before a winner is decided on in early September ― the aftermath of which could be damaging. From left, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, and former Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun / Yonhap The DPK's primary is shaping up v

Jun 26, 2021
Tight presidential race ahead, cohesion expected to be key for each rival bloc

Opposition lawmakers criticize Moon's Time interview

Yoo Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), a former four-term lawmaker and a former presidential candidate in the 2017 election, looks at a memorial of the war dead during his visit to the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Friday, the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, in this photo provided by Yoo's office. YonhapBy Jung Da-min Members of the country's conservative opposition bloc have criticized President Moon Jae-in's recent interview with Time magazine, taking issue with Moon's description of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un as honest, enthusiastic and determined, as well as the timing of the article's publication on Thursday, the day before the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.Yoo Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), a former four-term lawmaker and former presidential candidate in the 2017 election, posted on Facebook Thursday that Moon's courting of Kim is delusional and upsets South Korean people, especially considering North Korea has issued a series of statements m

Jun 26, 2021
Opposition lawmakers criticize Moon's Time interview

President's son at center of debate over receipt of government art grant

Artist Moon Joon-yong hit for announcing he received government grant By Jung Da-min Media artist Moon Joon-yong, son of President Moon Jae-in / Screenshot from FacebookMedia artist Moon Joon-yong, the son of President Moon Jae-in, and Cheong Wa Dae have been engaged in a war of words with the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) over the alleged preferential treatment of the President's son who received another government grant for artists recently. The debate started heating up after the artist announced on Facebook on June 18, that he had received 69 million won ($61,135) from the Arts Council Korea (ARKO) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in the category of artists who combine art and technology in their work. “I would like to announce that I have been selected for a grant of 69 million won to support a project in the field of the creative fusion of art and technology, run by Arts Council Korea. Of the 102 applicants, a total of 24 recipients were selected, including 15 recipients who were awarded the same amount I was,” Moon said. &l

Jun 25, 2021
President's son at center of debate over receipt of government art grant

Moon's approval rating hits 40 percent for 1st time in 4 months: Gallup

President Moon Jae-in / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in's approval rating has rebounded to hit the 40 percent level for the first time in almost four months, the latest opinion poll showed Friday. In the poll of 1,002 voters nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday-Thursday, Moon gained positive reactions from 40 percent of the respondents, up 2 percentage points from the previous week. It is the first time the public support rating for Moon has reached the 40 percent mark in Gallup polls since the first week of March, when the corresponding figure was also 40 percent. The latest figure also marks a solid leap from the record low of 29 percent recorded in the last week of April. Among those who gave a positive assessment in the latest poll, 27 percent said they did so in appreciation of the government's COVID-19 response, while another 27 percent cited the president's diplomatic achievements as the reason. Moon returned home last Friday from a highly publicized weeklong visit to Europe, which included his attendance at the Group of Seven summit in Britain.The disapproval rating

Jun 25, 2021
Moon's approval rating hits 40 percent for 1st time in 4 months: Gallup

Ruling party opts not to postpone primaries for next year's presidential election

Key members of the ruling Democratic Party hold the supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, June 25. YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday decided not to postpone its primary elections to pick the standard bearer for next year's presidential election in March. The DP's supreme council made the decision at a close-door meeting held earlier in the day, confirming the party's schedule to pick its sole presidential candidate by Sept. 10. "The supreme council decided, via a unanimous agreement, to elect the (final presidential) candidate in accordance with the current party constitution," DP spokesman Koh Yong-jin said.The decision follows the party's monthslong internal division on the issue. The DP's internal constitution mandates the party elect its presidential candidate at least 180 days before the election day, unless otherwise decided by the party's administrative committee for "a considerable reason." A group of DP lawmakers, notably those known as supporters of high-profile DP presidential hopefuls Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun, have demand

Jun 25, 2021
Ruling party opts not to postpone primaries for next year's presidential election

Audit agency chief to soon offer resignation amid presidential bid speculation: source

Choe Jae-hyeong, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection / Korea Times fileChoe Jae-hyeong, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), plans to soon tender his resignation, a well-informed source said Friday, suggesting that the state audit agency chief has reached a decision to compete in next year's presidential race.The source close to the BAI head said that Choe will "arrange an occasion early next week to announce his decision," adding that the chairman will explain his future plans to his father over the weekend and reassure him amid concerns of entering politics.The BAI chief has emerged in the media and conservative circles as a potential opposition contender in next year's presidential race as of late, especially after a recent controversy over the supposed existence of opposition research dossiers on former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading figure in latest polls of presidential hopefuls. Choe and his agency became political targets by the ruling bloc since last year over an aggressive state audit centered on the early decommissioning of the Wolso

Jun 25, 2021
Audit agency chief to soon offer resignation amid presidential bid speculation: source

President honors war veterans

President Moon Jae-in bows to Ha Sa-yong, a Korean War veteran, after conferring an order of civil merit, the Dongbaek Medal, on him during a luncheon with Korean War veterans, other people of national merit and their families at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, the eve of the 71st anniversary of the start of the 1950-53 Korean War. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok

Jun 24, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
President honors war veterans

Ex-prosecutor-general to declare presidential bid Tuesday

Former Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl adjusts his mask during an opening ceremony of Namsan Yejang Park in Seoul, June 9. YonhapPresidential race expected to heat up following Yoon's declarationBy Jun Ji-hyeEx-Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl is set to declare his bid for the presidency next Tuesday, threatening to become the leading opposition presidential hopeful against a candidate from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea in the election scheduled for March next year. “I will speak to the people about what I will do from now on,” Yoon was quoted as saying by his vice-spokeswoman Choi Ji-hyun, Thursday.According to Choi, Yoon will announce his widely anticipated presidential bid at 1 p.m. in an event to be held in Seoul's Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall, which commemorates a national independence fighter. Yoon stepped down as prosecutor-general in early March to protest the ruling party's push to create a non-prosecution body, specializing in investigating “serious crimes,” which would take over the investigative powers of the prosecution.At the time, he had

Jun 24, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Ex-prosecutor-general to declare presidential bid Tuesday
  • Liberal YouTube channel discovered as origin of secret file on ex-prosecutor general
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