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Ruling Party expels 2 proportional representation lawmakers over alleged property speculation

Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, left, and Rep. Yang Yi Won-young / YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party (DP) expelled two of its proportional representation lawmakers Tuesday over allegations of illegal real estate dealings.The party made the decision to expel Reps. Youn Mee-hyang and Yang Yi Won-young during a plenary meeting of its sitting lawmakers held earlier in the day.The two were among the 12 DP lawmakers who, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said in early June, were allegedly involved in illegal real estate dealings by themselves or their families.In reaction to the findings by the anti-corruption body, the DP immediately recommended the accused lawmakers leave the party voluntarily under the condition that their party membership will be reinstated if their land speculation allegations are cleared.As for Youn and Yang, however, the party opted to expel them from the party instead of seeking their voluntary departure, which will automatically eliminate their legislatorship as proportional representation lawmakers.Youn and Yang are facing allegations of abusing land trusts an

Jun 22, 2021
Ruling Party expels 2 proportional representation lawmakers over alleged property speculation

As ex-Prosecutor General Yoon 'falters,' new opposition presidential hopefuls rise

Yoon Seok-youl, former Prosecutor General / Yonhap As former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful for the opposition bloc, faces challenges even before he declares his bid, new hopefuls are emerging as possible conservative runners with about eight months left before the election.Having led a majority of public opinion polls for presidential hopefuls since late last year, Yoon saw a major setback in his yet-to-be-declared presidential bid this week from the sudden resignation of his chief spokesman and a dossier allegedly detailing his and his family's suspected illegalities.The spokesman Lee Dong-hoon abruptly stepped down Sunday, only 10 days after his appointment, over what the media pinpointed as being out of step with the former prosecutor general.Separately, Yoon is witnessing the dossier called the "Yoon Seok-youl X-file" allegedly getting circulated in the political circle. Exact details of the controversial document remain unkno

Jun 22, 2021
As ex-Prosecutor General Yoon 'falters,' new opposition presidential hopefuls rise

South Korea, US agree to consider ending 'working group' forum on North Korea policy

South Korea and the United States have agreed to consider terminating their "working group" forum on North Korea policy, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture to Pyongyang that has decried the forum as a hurdle to inter-Korean ties.Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul on Monday, as they sought a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang."During the talks between the top nuclear envoys, the two sides checked the operation of the existing working group and agreed to consider terminating it," the ministry said in a press release.The ministry said that the two sides agreed to strengthen their director-general level consultations in addition to dialogue between their chief nuclear negotiators.Seoul and Washington set up the working group in November 2018 to coordinate their approaches on the North's denuclearization, humanitarian aid, sanctions enforcement and inter-Korean relations. (Yonhap)

Jun 22, 2021

Moon to meet US envoy on North Korea at Cheong Wa Dae

Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy on North Korea / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in will meet with Sung Kim, the Joe Biden administration's special envoy for North Korea, Tuesday afternoon, Cheong Wa Dae said.Moon is expected to stress the need for the United States to restart talks with North Korea during the meeting with Kim at Cheong Wa Dae.Kim is on his first visit here since being appointed as Washington's "special representative" to Pyongyang.President Biden announced his pick of the Korean American career diplomat right after holding a summit with Moon at the White House in late May.The move was widely viewed as reflecting the Biden administration's hope for dialogue with North Korea.Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly called on his regime to gear up for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the U.S. in consideration of the "policy tendency" of its new government.The U.S. envoy, meanwhile, had discussions with Seoul's chief nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk on Monday and sat down with Unification Minister Lee In-young on Tuesday morning. (Yonhap)

Jun 22, 2021
Moon to meet US envoy on North Korea at Cheong Wa Dae

Domestic tasks await Moon after Europe trip

President Moon Jae-in and People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok / YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident Moon Jae-in has finished his visit to the Group of Seven summit, as well as stops in Austria and Spain, receiving praise there for the country's elevated global status. He is now poised to address a series of domestic tasks, including an extra budget for public assistance due to COVID-19 and a meeting with the new conservative main opposition bloc leader. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon has been focusing on reviewing domestic issues after returning from Europe last Friday. On top of those issues is a supplementary budget to provide financial assistance to those suffering from the pandemic's after effects. As the number of at least partially vaccinated Koreans has surpassed 15 million, nearly 30 percent of the country's population, Moon is now shifting his focus onto speeding up economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a new round of financial assistance to the public. Concerning the budget, which will be the second supplementary budget this year when approved, the gov

Jun 21, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Domestic tasks await Moon after Europe trip

Korean gov't to assist mRNA vaccine tech growth

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook, front row fourth from left, poses with Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim, front row third from left, and government officials, during a meeting at the Incheon Free Economic Zone headquarters in Songdo, west of Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy By Baek Byung-yeulEver since Korea saw its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in January 2020, the country's reaction to the virus pandemic has stood out as it succeeded in curbing the virus spread quickly without closing down the economy.But the pandemic also rang the alarm signaling that the country still lags behind other advanced countries in terms of developing vaccines, which is ultimately necessary for people to get back to a more normal life.To be more capable of handling such critical diseases next time, Korea is speeding up its support of the country's biotech industry. As part of these efforts, Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sun

Jun 21, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Korean gov't to assist mRNA vaccine tech growth

4 Myanmar women seeking refugee status in Korea

Protesters make the three-finger salute and hold posters of Myanmar's detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to mark her birthday as they take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, June 19. AFP-YonhapBy Jung Da-minFour Myanmarese women who claim to have been persecuted by the Myanmar junta are seeking refugee status in Korea, according to their country's community here, Monday. Yan Naing Htun, who leads the Korean chapter of Myanmar's National League for Democracy, said in a June 13 Facebook post that the four arrived at the Incheon International Airport, June 10, from Yangon International Airport, supposedly in transit to their final destination of Dubai.But instead of heading for the Middle East country, the four, known to be in their 20s and 30s, applied for asylum here, submitting photos to the Korean authorities to prove they took part in pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar.The four women's refugee applications are the first such case since the military coup took place in the Asian country in early February. Among them, one is reportedly from Mon St

Jun 21, 2021
4 Myanmar women seeking refugee status in Korea

Moon picks new Cheong Wa Dae secretaries for political affairs, youth affairs, education

From left, Kim Han-kyu, a new presidential secretary for political affairs, Park Seong-min, a new presidential secretary for youth-related affairs, and Lee Seung-bok, a new presidential secretary for education / Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaePresident Moon Jae-in nominated Kim Han-kyu, a lawyer, as his new secretary for political affairs Monday.Having worked as a legal counsel for the ruling Democratic Party (DP), he is a lawyer at the Seoul-based law firm Kim & Chang and also a standing member of the National Unification Advisory Council. Park Seong-min, another DP official who is 25 years old, was tapped as secretary for youth-related affairs, Cheong Wa Dae said. She has long handled youth-related issues at the party.The move is apparently part of the ruling bloc's efforts to reach out to voters in their 20s and 30s.Park is replacing Kim Kwang-jin, a 40-year-old former DP lawmaker.The president named Lee Seung-bok, an education ministry official, as secretary for education, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. (Yonhap)

Jun 21, 2021
Moon picks new Cheong Wa Dae secretaries for political affairs, youth affairs, education

Ex-prosecutor-general's presidential bid facing challenges

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, right, poses for a photo with Kim Sung-jae, the executive director of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, during his visit to the memorial center for former President Kim in Mapo District, Seoul, June 11. YonhapBy Jung Da-min Former Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, who has been a leading presidential hopeful since he resigned from the post in March, is facing a series of challenges even before he declares a bid for the presidency. His spokesman, recruited from an influential daily newspaper, has abruptly stepped down, while allegations made about his wife and mother-in-law seem to be emerging as hot-button issues that could hamper his political ambitions.Lee Dong-hoon, who had been Yoon's spokesman, resigned Sunday for “personal reasons,” just 10 days after his appointment. The resignation came about a week before Yoon is expected to make an official announcement on a presidential bid, around June 27, according to his supporters. Lee Dong-hoon, a former journalist who had the spokesman for Yoon resigned for “personal reasons&rd

Jun 20, 2021
Ex-prosecutor-general's presidential bid facing challenges

Ex-Justice Minister Choo to declare presidential bid this week

Former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae / Korea Times fileFormer Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Sunday announced a plan to declare her presidential bid this week, entering an increasingly crowded field of the race to become the ruling Democratic Party's standard-bearer for next year's election.Choo said that she plans to announce her intention to run for president through her social media channel at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Choo put forward her vision of a "Country that Elevates People.""There is nothing above people. People stand higher than money, higher than earth, higher than power," she wrote on Facebook, saying she would pursue a country that "elevates the dignity of its people at the entrance of becoming an advanced, strong country."A series of ruling party members have expressed their intentions to join the race to win a ticket for the presidential election. Among them are former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon and Rep. Park Yong-jin.Until late January, Choo, known as a loyalist to President Moon Jae-in, served as justice minister for more than a ye

Jun 20, 2021
Ex-Justice Minister Choo to declare presidential bid this week
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