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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.

Mayoral hopefuls' pledges for shorter workweek inspire interest, debate

Rep. Cho Jung-hun, right, leader of the liberal minor opposition party Transition Korea, and former SMEs and Startups Minister Park Young-sun, left, a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, attend a policy debate hosted by local pollster Realmeter for potential candidates running in the Seoul mayoral by-election, in its studio in Seoul, Monday, in this screenshot from Cho Jung-hun's Transition Seoul YouTube account. The two mayoral hopefuls both vowed to shorten the workweek as an election pledges. YonhapBy Jung Da-minSeveral Seoul mayoral hopefuls competing for the April 7 by-election have pledged to shorten the workweek to four or 4.5 days per week from the current five. Although debate is underway about the feasibility of shortening the workweek, it may be on the agenda in the next presidential election, set to be held in March 2022, with the issue increasingly drawing public attention.Those who support the idea of introducing a four-day workweek system say it has already been introduced at some large companies and in specific sectors, and it is about time for the country

Feb 23, 2021
Mayoral hopefuls' pledges for shorter workweek inspire interest, debate

Fuss about senior presidential secretary shows cracks in state management system

Shin Hyun-soo, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, listens as President Moon Jae-in, shown on the video screen, speaks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Shin Hyun-soo, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, has decided to remain at Cheong Wa Dae despite offering his resignation earlier after a feud with the new justice minister over the reshuffle of senior prosecutors, according to the presidential office, Monday. Although the brouhaha about his resignation has been wrapped up for the time being, it showed Cheong Wa Dae has lost its grip on state management and that internal disputes in the ruling bloc are not being controlled properly in the latter part of President Moon Jae-in's term. “Shin has decided to ask the President to decide what to do with his offer of resignation,” Chung Man-ho, senior presidential secretary for public communication, told reporters, Monday. Shin carried out his duties as usual on the day, taking part in the weekly meeting with President Moon in the afternoon. The announcement

Feb 22, 2021By Do Je-hae
Fuss about senior presidential secretary shows cracks in state management system

Should President Moon be 1st in line for COVID-19 vaccine?

President Moon Jae-in puts on a face mask during a meeting with senior members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyePresident Moon Jae-in has faced calls from the conservative main opposition party to be the first recipient of Korea's administration of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, as public concerns have deepened due to the government's inconsistent stance on the matter, leading to questions of its safety and efficacy, especially for the elderly.In response, some members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) slammed the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) for treating the head of the state as “something to be experimented on.”The political disputes over whether Moon should be vaccinated first came ahead of the start of the government's COVID-19 inoculation program with AstraZeneca's vaccine this coming Friday, and Pfizer's vaccine on Saturday. Former four-term conservative lawmaker Yoo Seong-min of the PPP said President Moon should receive AstraZeneca's vaccine first to ease public fears. “As the gover

Feb 22, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Should President Moon be 1st in line for COVID-19 vaccine?

Candidates, parties present reckless SOC promises ahead of election

Members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea hold a rally urging the National Assembly to pass a special bill for the construction of an airport on Gadeok Island in Busan, Feb. 7. Korea Times fileBy Kang Seung-wooThe rival parties and their candidates running in the upcoming mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan are raising eyebrows for their ill-advised promoting of vote-buying social overhead capital (SOC) projects. Critics say given that the winning candidate will stay in office until the next local elections, scheduled for June 2022, such large construction plans, pursued recklessly without reviewing their economic feasibility, would lead to a waste of taxpayers' money with many of them likely to remain central and local government liabilities.The mayoral posts of the nation's largest- and second-largest cities have been vacant following the resignation of former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don and the suicide of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon amid accusations of sexual harassment.A recent National Assembly committee's approval of a special bill aimed at constructing a new internat

Feb 22, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Candidates, parties present reckless SOC promises ahead of election

Seoul mayoral candidate's remarks on LGBTQ bring controversy

Conservative minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, left, who's running in the April 7 by-election for Seoul mayor, participates in a televised debate with rival candidate and former lawmaker Keum Tae-sup, Thursday. YonhapBy Jung Da-minA Seoul mayoral candidate's recent remarks related to the issue of rights of the LGBTQ community have rekindled debates on the matter in political circles. Conservative minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, who is running in the April 7 by-election for Seoul mayor, brought about the controversy after saying that the rights of those who oppose an annual parade held in central Seoul by LGBTQ community members should also be respected, during a televised debate with his rival candidate and former ruling party lawmaker Keum Tae-sup, last Thursday.LGBTQ community members here and activists supporting them have been staging the Seoul Queer Culture Festival every year since 2000 in central Seoul to call for rights for the community. Since 2015, the parade has set off from the main festival site at Seoul Plaza in front of City Ha

Feb 21, 2021
Seoul mayoral candidate's remarks on LGBTQ bring controversy
  • K-Queen: Not gay?

Number of foreigners overstaying their visas hits record high amid COVID-19

Undocumented foreigners stand in line to make voluntary reports on their status at Incheon International Airport in this March 2020 photo. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The estimated number of foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas in Korea has reached an all-time high amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. Earlier this week, the Korea Immigration Service (KIS) released its statistics for 2020 that included the estimated number of such people overstaying their visas. The rate among the total number of foreign nationals marked a record high of 19.3 percent, up 3.8 percentage points from 15.5 percent in 2019.The total number of undocumented foreigners also reached a record high of 392,196, up from 392,081 in 2019. The figure has been steadily rising since 2016.Among them, around 281,000, or 70 percent, were short-term visitors, who had initially entered the country without a visa for a 90-day stay.Another 108,000 were long-term stayers, according to the report. The KIS added that there has been an increase in the number of foreign workers overs

Feb 20, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Number of foreigners overstaying their visas hits record high amid COVID-19
  • National Human Rights Commission welcomes birth registration of undocumented foreigners' kids
  • Coronavirus field inspections due at foreigner-dense workplaces

Transport ministry faces growing calls to retract plan on 2nd Jeju airport

A panoramic view of the site for a new international airport on Jeju Island / Korea Times fileBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is facing growing calls to rescind a plan to build a new international airport on the southern resort island of Jeju after opponents of the plan outnumbered supporters in an opinion poll of residents. Nine local news outlets commissioned Gallup Korea to conduct the poll to ask the residents' view of the government's move to build the second airport on the island. The result of the poll of about 2,000 residents, announced Thursday, showed that 47 percent opposed the plan, while 44.1 percent were in favor. It had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.In a separate poll by Embrain Public, 51.1 percent were against the plan, while 43.8 percent supported it. This poll had a 95 percent confidence level and a margin of error of 2.19 percentage points.However, residents of Seongsan, the town selected as the site for the second airport, were overwhelmingly in favor of the project, according to se

Feb 20, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Transport ministry faces growing calls to retract plan on 2nd Jeju airport

Moon says gov't open to special 'consolatory money' for Korean people over coronavirus damages

President Moon Jae-in, right, greets Lee Nak-yon, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, ahead of a policy meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in floated the idea Friday of providing South Korean people with special "consolatory money" once the COVID-19 pandemic is overcome, according to his office.It was unveiled during his meeting with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) at Cheong Wa Dae.The president was responding to the proposal of offering another batch of emergency cash handouts to support people and businesses against the fallout of the pandemic, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said.As the DP chief Lee Nak-yon and floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon raised the issue of envisioned emergency direct financial support, largely aimed at stimulating the economy, Moon replied that the government can even give the people "consolatory money" to help boost both their "morale" and consumption under as South Korea works to get out of the coronavirus crisis, Kang told reporters.The left-leaning Moon administration and the party have agreed in princip

Feb 19, 2021
Moon says gov't open to special 'consolatory money' for Korean people over coronavirus damages

Embattled chief justice apologizes for lying about his alleged role in judge's impeachment

Chief Supreme Court Justice Kim Meong-su arrives at his office, Friday. YonhapChief Supreme Court Justice Kim Meong-su apologized again Friday for lying about his alleged role in the recent impeachment of a senior judge as he faces growing heat from opposition lawmakers to step down."I give my deep apology for causing grave disappointment and concerns with my uncareful reply," the chief justice said in a post uploaded in the intranet for judges and court employees.This marks his second apology over the controversy after the first one issued early this month.The chief justice has been under growing pressure from the main opposition People Power Party to step down for his alleged involvement in the impeachment of judge Lim Seong-geun. According to an audio recording released by Lim's side, Lim offered to resign in May last year due to lawmakers' move to impeach him over his alleged meddling in politically sensitive trials presided over by other judges during the Park Geun-hye administration, but Kim refused to accept it so the legislature could pass the motion to impeach him. Kim initi

Feb 19, 2021
Embattled chief justice apologizes for lying about his alleged role in judge's impeachment

Key presidential aides making trouble for Moon

President Moon Jae-in, left, and justice minister Cho Kuk, Moon's first senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, head toward a meeting room after an appointment ceremony for new Cabinet ministers at Cheong Wa Dae in September 2019. Moon appointed Cho as justice minister despite fierce protests from the opposition. Korea Times fileFour senior secretaries for civil affairs at center of political controversies By Do Je-haePresident Moon Jae-in has had four senior secretaries for civil affairs since taking office in May 2017, all of whom have ended up causing controversies that have damaged the public's trust in Moon's leadership.The senior aide for civil affairs is among the most powerful positions within Cheong Wa Dae ― Moon himself served in this position for the late former President Roh Moo-hyun from 2005 to 2006. One of the primary duties of the post is to oversee affairs related to the prosecution. It has been a longtime practice at the presidential office to name a prosecutor to the position, but the practice has not been followed so far in the current administration. Moo

Feb 19, 2021By Do Je-hae
Key presidential aides making trouble for Moon
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