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Mass infection at detention center leads to political wrangling over Moon's responsibility

President Moon Jae-in visits Seoul National Cemetery, Saturday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in is being criticized for the government's lax handling of mass infections at the Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul. The opposition bloc is increasing its attack on the President, calling for him to make a personal apology and demanding a National Assembly review of the incident.According to the justice ministry, Monday, 1,090 cases of COVID-19 infections have been reported among people related to the correctional facility including detainees, staff at the facility and their family members. Since the facility emerged as a major hotbed for COVID-19, the authorities have been moving some of the detainees to some other detention centers to reduce density, but evidence abounds of the correctional authorities' poor handling of the situation as the cause of the mass infection.Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun already apologized for the situation, but the main opposition has criticized President Moon for not paying attention to the situation. Main op

Jan 4, 2021By Do Je-hae
Mass infection at detention center leads to political wrangling over Moon's responsibility

Voters lean toward opposition

Main opposition People Power Party interim leader Kim Chong-in, center, and other PPP leaders attend a meeting on fielding candidates for the April 7 by-elections at the National Assembly on Yeouido in Seoul, Dec. 30. YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooMany voters support the opposition bloc for the April 7 by-elections, showing their discontent with the current liberal government, multiple polls conducted last week showed. People preferring the conservative opposition to win the 2022 presidential election also outnumbered those believing another president from the liberal side should be elected to continue the Moon Jae-in administration's political and social reform measures.The results comes as President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating has continued to drop amid the outcry over slow vaccine procurement, soaring real estate prices and other negative issues that analysts described as “affecting the daily lives of ordinary citizens.”In the poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Kstat Research from Dec. 27 to 29, 49.5 percent wanted candidates from the opposition bloc to win the April 7 by-e

Jan 3, 2021By Yi Whan-woo
Voters lean toward opposition

President Moon's approval rating drops to lowest point

South Korean President Moon Jae-in pays tribute to Memorial Tower at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District along with the country's ministers and other cabinet members on Jan. 2. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in's approval rating has reached an all-time low, while public disapproval of his performance also has hit its highest point, a poll showed Sunday.In a Realmeter survey of 1,000 people aged 18 and over, conducted over Friday and Saturday, 34.1 percent of respondents supported Moon.It's the lowest approval rating since Moon took office in May 2017. The figure in the previous Realmeter poll released last Monday was 36.7 percent.In the latest survey, 61.7 percent of respondents gave a negative assessment of Moon's presidency, up from 59.7 percent from last week.The survey, commissioned by local cable news channel YTN, had a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level.Among moderates, the approval rating for Moon came to 30.1 percent and the disapproval rating reached 68 percent. Respondents who said they didn't have any political leaning

Jan 3, 2021
President Moon's approval rating drops to lowest point

Chief prosecutor tops poll of presidential hopefuls

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Korea Times fileProsecutor General Yoon Seok-youl came out on top in the latest poll of potential presidential candidates released Sunday, building on the momentum of support gained during his tug-of-war with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.In a poll conducted by Realmeter on 1,000 people over the age of 18 on Friday and Saturday, 30.4 percent picked Yoon as their most favored president.The survey, commissioned by local cable news channel YTN, had a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level.Yoon had also topped some earlier polls, but he has now surpassed 30 percent of support for the first time.He was suspended by the justice ministry on Dec. 16 due to alleged misconduct, but he was reinstated on Christmas Eve after the Seoul Administrative Court granted him an injunction. It was viewed as a victory by Yoon over Choo in their feuds over prosecution reforms and politically sensitive probes.Yoon has yet to announce his intention to run in the 2022 presidential election. But he said during a parliamentary sess

Jan 3, 2021
Chief prosecutor tops poll of presidential hopefuls

Lee facing internal protest over pardon remark

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon, right, heads to his office at the National Assembly, Seoul, before a Supreme Council meeting of the party, Sunday. YonhapBy Kim RahnRep. Lee Nak-yon, the head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is facing internal backlash from party members over his recent remark on proposing pardons for jailed former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.Many party members are reacting negatively, saying the two former conservative presidents have never made a proper apology for their crimes and pardoning them would bring public protest rather than national unity. Lee's sudden proposal of pardons is widely seen as a part of his efforts to boost his falling favorability rating as a potential presidential candidate by gaining support from centrist and conservative voters. But it is also said his idea could backfire and lose him support from ardent liberal voters. In a New Year interview with local news agencies, Lee said he would propose pardons for the two former heads of state at an appropriate time to promote reconciliatio

Jan 3, 2021By Kim Rahn
Lee facing internal protest over pardon remark

Moon pays tribute at national cemetery

President Moon Jae-in pays tribute to fallen Korean heroes at Seoul National Cemetery, Saturday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in paid tribute to fallen Korean heroes at a state cemetery in Seoul, Saturday, before pledging to chart a path to normalcy for pandemic-weary citizens. Moon visited Seoul National Cemetery flanked by his top aides, including Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and his new chief of staff You Young-min, as he envisioned a strategy to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate an economic recovery this year."I will try to make citizens regain their normal life and guide our country to taking a leap forward as a leading nation," Moon wrote in the visitors' book at the cemetery.Also accompanying Moon were Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, outgoing Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and other Cabinet members, as well as National Security Office chief Suh Hoon. (Yonhap)

Jan 2, 2021
Moon pays tribute at national cemetery

President Moon's keywords for 2021: economy, stability, communication

President Moon Jae-in flies on the E-737 Peace Eye military aircraft early Friday to inspect combat readiness on New Year's Day. YonhapBy Do Je-hae For the first time, President Moon Jae-in's office will be run by an economic and ICT expert, a departure from the practice of filling the chief of staff post with political heavyweights with special personal ties to the President. The presidential office on Thursday announced You Young-min, Moon's first science and technology minister with years of experience in the corporate sector, as successor to outgoing chief of staff Noh Young-min after almost two years on the job. Moon also named Shin Hyun-soo, a former career prosecutor, as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. The announcement came just one day after Noh, civil affairs secretary Kim Jong-ho and the controversial chief of staff for policy Kim Sang-jo expressed their intention to resign on Dec. 30, 2020 in order to give the President a chance for a “fresh start.”EconomyThe presidential office was initially planning on announcing the replacements after th

Jan 1, 2021By Do Je-hae
President Moon's keywords for 2021: economy, stability, communication

Ruling party chief reviewing proposed pardoning of ex-presidents

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Nak-yon answers reporters after paying tribute to patriots buried at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, Friday, New Year's Day. YonhapBy Jung Da-minRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Nak-yon is seeking to propose pardons for former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, who have been behind bars on corruption charges, to President Moon Jae-in.“I will propose pardons for the two former presidents to President Moon Jae-in at an appropriate time,” Lee said during a New Year interview with local news agency Yonhap. Lee said the pardons of the two former presidents could be a way to promote reconciliation and overcome the ideological gap between conservatives and liberals.“This year is the de facto final year for President Moon to practice policies, and this matter (of pardoning the two former presidents) needs to be solved at a right time,” Lee said. “I am seeking to propose it (to President Moon) apart from pros and cons from the supporters of the ruling bloc. &hel

Jan 1, 2021
Ruling party chief reviewing proposed pardoning of ex-presidents

Female heavyweights gear up for Seoul mayoral election

On the left is Na Kyung-won, a political heavyweight and a former four-term lawmaker with the main opposition People Power Party, and on the right is SMEs and Startups Minister Park Young-sun, a former four-term lawmaker with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The two female heavyweights are expected to declare their bids to run in their parties' primaires for the Seoul mayoral by-election, which has remained vacant following the suicide of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon in last July, over sexual harassment allegations raised by a former secretary. YonhapBy Jung Da-minFemale political heavyweights are gearing up for April's by-election for the Seoul mayoral post, which has remained vacant following the suicide of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon last July, over sexual harassment allegations raised by a former secretary.As the by-election is about three months away, calls have been growing from the public and political circles for a candidate who could seek policies to protect and promote women's rights.From the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) side, SMEs and Startups Minister Park Young

Jan 1, 2021
Female heavyweights gear up for Seoul mayoral election

Ruling party chief to seek pardons for 2 imprisoned former presidents

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Nak-yon speaks during an interview at his office in the National Assembly, Friday. yonhapRuling Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Nak-yon said Friday he will ask President Moon Jae-in "at an appropriate time" to grant pardons to two former conservative presidents imprisoned for corruption charges.Lee, who served as prime minister under the Moon administration, made the remarks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency, also stressing that the party should play an active role in pushing for the matter in order to promote national unity."As this year will be effectively the last year that President Moon can work, I thought that the issue should be dealt with at an appropriate time," Lee said. "Going forward, the party should play a more active role."Former President Lee Myung-bak, who governed the country from 2008-2013, is serving a 17-year prison term after being convicted of corruption, while his successor Park Geun-hye is serving a 20-year prison term after being impeached over a far-reaching corruption and influence-peddling scandal

Jan 1, 2021
Ruling party chief to seek pardons for 2 imprisoned former presidents
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