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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.

Favorability for prosecutor general as presidential candidate surpasses 25%

By Kim RahnProsecutor General Yoon Seok-youl / YonhapPublic approval for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl as a potential presidential candidate topped opinion polls, with his support rate surpassing 25 percent for the first time, Wednesday. The survey results were announced a day before the justice ministry is scheduled to hold a disciplinary committee meeting on Yoon's alleged misconduct upon the request of Minister Choo Mi-ae who has been in a power struggle with the top prosecutor over prosecutorial reform.According to a survey by Realmeter, 25.8 percent of 1,000 adults supported Yoon as a prospective presidential candidate. He was followed by Rep. Lee Nak-yon and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, both members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who each gained 20.2 percent.Another survey by Hangil Research of 1,002 adults also showed 28.2 percent of the respondents favored Yoon, followed by the Gyeonggi governor at 21.3 percent and the DPK chairman at 18 percent.The survey also showed 54 percent of respondents were against Choo's plan to discipline Yoon, while

Dec 9, 2020By Kim Rahn
Favorability for prosecutor general as presidential candidate surpasses 25%
  • New investigative body losing original purpose

Trying to prevent bill approval

Rep. Joo Ho-young, second from left, the floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, seizes the arm of Rep. Yun Ho-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who chairs the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, during a committee meeting at the Assembly, Tuesday, to block the DPK's move to approve a bill to revise laws related to a new investigative body that will look into corruption by high-ranking officials. Despite the protest, the ruling party unilaterally approved the bill, which will have to undergo a vote at a plenary session of the Assembly soon. The revision is aimed at reducing the opposition's right to recommend candidates for the chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials. / Yonhap

Dec 8, 2020
Trying to prevent bill approval

Preparing for April by-elections

Officials at the Seoul branch of the National Election Commission examine documents, Tuesday, as registration began for candidates wishing to run in the 2021 by-election for Seoul mayor, slated for April 7. The by-election follows the suicide of former Seoul mayor Park Won-soon in July following sexual misconduct allegations. Some other cities, including Busan, will also have by-elections to elect mayors. / Yonhap

Dec 8, 2020
Preparing for April by-elections

Judges decide not to respond to alleged surveillance of judiciary by prosecutors

The Supreme Court in Seoul / YonhapSouth Korean judges on Monday decided not to officially respond to allegations of surveillance of the judiciary by prosecutors, a politically explosive accusation that, if proven, could unseat the country's top prosecutor.The National Conference of Judges, which meets biannually to discuss various issues affecting trials, said in a statement that while the issue was being discussed, more than a majority of the judges had reservations about the discussions being made public and wanted to remain cautious about the subject."Judges are obliged to uphold political impartiality, and there was common awareness of the need to guard against political interpretations of today's discussions and conclusion," it said in the statement.The topic had been included on the agenda at the last minute, which drew wide media and public attention for its potential political implications.Before the discussion began, the group said, judges would "comprehensively go over a series of topics and issues, including the prosecution's alleged spying on judges, with an aim to impro

Dec 7, 2020
Judges decide not to respond to alleged surveillance of judiciary by prosecutors

Specter of lame duck looms over President Moon

President Moon Jae-in arrives at a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. / YonhapMoon apologizes for Choo-Yoon conflict amid record low approval ratingBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in faces multiple, months-long issues that have been preventing him from moving forward with state affairs ― housing prices that never go down despite dozens of government measures, the ongoing conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over prosecutorial reform, and the year-long COVID-19 pandemic that is now resurging.These are pulling down the job approval rating for the President, with some cautiously saying this could be the signal for a lame duck presidency.On Monday, a Realmeter survey showed that the President's job approval rating dropped to a record low 37.4 percent, a 6.4 percentage points drop from the previous week, while support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also dropped to 29.7 percent. The pollster said one of the biggest reasons for the increasing loss of support for Moon was the prolonged conflict between Choo an

Dec 7, 2020By Do Je-hae
Specter of lame duck looms over President Moon
  • Main opposition in internal dispute over apology for ex-presidents' crimes

Protest against anti-corruption body

Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) stage a protest at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) push to revise a law on the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials to facilitate its launch if a bipartisan agreement on picking the new investigative body's chief is not made. The DPK has a big enough parliamentary majority to revise a law unilaterally. / Yonhap

Dec 7, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Protest against anti-corruption body

Main opposition in internal dispute over apology for ex-presidents' crimes

Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the main opposition People Power Party, participates in a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooMain opposition People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Kim Chong-in is facing a heavy backlash from party members over his plan to issue a public apology for the crimes of jailed former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.The Supreme Court confirmed Lee's 17-year prison sentence for embezzlement and bribery in October and he was forced to return to prison, while Park has been locked up since March 2017 after she was convicted of corruption. Both of them belonged to predecessors (in name) of the PPP.On Sunday, Kim, who agreed to lead the party following its landslide defeat in April's general election, said the time has come for the party to issue an apology for the criminal acts of the former presidents.“The public apology was something that I openly decided to do when I joined the party, but I could not do it until now because I had to take many things into consideration,” he told reporters

Dec 7, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Main opposition in internal dispute over apology for ex-presidents' crimes
  • Specter of lame duck looms over President Moon

Wolsong probe may deal further blow to Cheong Wa Dae

A Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy official enters the ministry building in Sejong, Nov. 3. The prosecution arrested two ministry officials, Dec. 4, for allegedly ordering or abetting destruction of evidence on an economic feasibility study of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor. YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooThe latest arrests of two energy officials amid the prosecution's investigation into suspicions of a politically motivated decision to close a nuclear reactor is fueling speculation that the probe may extend to Cheong Wa Dae.Political analysts said Sunday the widening probe may deal a blow to President Moon Jae-in's push for a nuclear-free energy policy as well as prosecution reform.The arrests, Dec. 4, of the two Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials ― one senior, one working-level ― came as the prosecution has been addressing data manipulation allegations in an economic feasibility study of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) earlier found that the ministry and state-owned Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) intentionally undervalued unit s

Dec 6, 2020By Yi Whan-woo

Additional Cabinet reshuffle looming

President Moon Jae-in participates in an event at Cheong Wa Dae, Dec. 4. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Speculations are rising that President Moon Jae-in will undertake another Cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks to renew policy momentum as he enters the final phase of his presidency next year. During a Cabinet reshuffle announced Dec. 4, Moon removed four ministers, including the controversial Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee, who has been blamed for the government's housing policy failures. Their four replacements will undergo confirmation hearings at the National Assembly.The presidential office has hinted at the possibility of another reshuffle, ahead of the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan and in preparation for policy changes in the coming year. “As the prime minister said previously, the personnel appointments will take place twice,” a presidential aide told reporters. “It is inappropriate to talk in advance about the timing and scope of prospective personnel changes. But there could be new appointments ahead of the by-elections.”One of the big question marks o

Dec 6, 2020By Do Je-hae
Additional Cabinet reshuffle looming

Parties gearing up for Seoul, Busan by-elections

Seoul and Busan, the nation's two largest cities, will have by-elections for selecting their mayors on April 7, 2021. Korea Times graphic by Cho Sang-wonBy Yi Whan-wooWith about four months remaining before the 2021 by-elections to elect the mayors of Seoul and Busan, the rival parties are gearing up to search for potential candidates and are also developing winning strategies.Scheduled for April 7, the by-elections are a result of the suicide of the former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon in July and the resignation of former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don in April after the two faced seperate sexual misconduct allegations. Both belonged to the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).Oh admitted to molesting a City Hall employee, and the investigation is still ongoing. But with Park gone, the veracity of the allegations has been disputed by his supporters and those on the victim's side. Accordingly, the majority of the potential candidates in Seoul are women, showing the rival parties' bid to promote themselves as women-friendly.Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Kim Chong-in,

Dec 5, 2020By Yi Whan-woo
Parties gearing up for Seoul, Busan by-elections
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