South Korea - The Korea Times

Conflicts with minister further pushes top prosecutor's popularity as presidential hopeful

Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl arrives at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooProsecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl's popularity as a potential presidential candidate is expected to rise further after a court injunction granted Tuesday put a temporary stop to Justice Minster Choo Mi-ae's attempt to have him suspended. The ruling was the latest development in the drawn-out power struggle between the two.However, his emergence as a favored presidential candidate may be bittersweet for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), which welcomes the growing antipathy toward the incumbent government in the power struggle, but is also seeing its own presidential hopefuls outshone by Yoon. The prosecutor general has been considered as a potential presidential candidate among those supporting the opposition parties and centrist voters who are disappointed at the Moon Jae-in administration because of his noncompliance with arbitrary orders from the ruling authority. He has been in conflict with Choo over prosecutorial reform, one of Moon's key policy

Dec 2, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

Conflicts with minister further pushes top prosecutor's popularity as presidential hopeful

Time for President to determine fates of Choo, Yoon

Time for President to determine fates of Choo, Yoon

President Moon Jae-in adjusts his glasses during an event at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae The escalating conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and the nation's top prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl has reached a new chapter after the Seoul Administrative Court issued an injunction Tuesday to temporarily lift Yoon's suspension from duty that was ordered by Choo last week.The court determined that the justice minister's order suspending the prosecutor general lacked the proper grounds and procedural legitimacy. This allowed Yoon to immediately return to work later in the day. The ruling comes a week after Choo banned him from duty following an internal inspection by the Ministry of Justice into his alleged wrongdoings and interference in sensitive cases, and launched disciplinary proceedings against him.The court decision has dealt a blow to Choo who has been pushing President Moon Jae-in's prosecutorial reform despite a strong backlash from prosecutors. At the same time, it increases the political burden on the President.Now all eyes are now on what Moon will do to sett

Dec 2, 2020By Do Je-hae

Time for President to determine fates of Choo, Yoon

Conflicts with minister further pushes top prosecutor's popularity as presidential hopeful

Senior presidential aide stirs concern over attending football game

Senior presidential aide for political affairs Choi Jae-sung arrives at a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with President Moon Jae-in and other senior aides, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Senior presidential secretary for political affairs Choi Jae-sung has caused a stir for showing up at a football game Nov. 29, at a time when the public are being urged to refrain from group activities to comply with the government's heightened social distancing regulations.He attended a football game with the Samjeon Morning Football Club at a school in Songpa District, Seoul, Sunday. Choi, a former four-term lawmaker who is being considered among the possibilities for the next chief of staff, represented a district in Songpa in the 20th National Assembly and is known to be passionate about football.This went against Cheong Wa Dae's own emergency measures for employees which have been in place since Nov. 23, instructing all people working at the presidential office to cancel or postpone gatherings and events amid the recent COVID-19 surge. “The Ministry of Personnel Management said it would reprimand go

Dec 1, 2020By Do Je-hae

Senior presidential aide stirs concern over attending football game

World's largest anti-corruption forum kicks off

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) Chairwoman Jeon Hyun-heui appears at a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday, wearing a traditional outfit symbolizing a royal secret investigator during the Joseon Kingdom to promote the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC). The world's largest forum on anti-corruption policies, with more than 3,000 participants, opened at COEX in Seoul late Tuesday. Yonhap By Do Je-hae The 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC), the largest forum on sharing anti-corruption policies and discussing international cooperation on eradicating corruption, started Tuesday, according to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC). The event will run until Friday.This year, the biennial conference is being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants based in Korea gathering at COEX in southern Seoul. Despite the pandemic, more than 3,500 participants from 140 cou

Dec 1, 2020By Do Je-hae

World's largest anti-corruption forum kicks off

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae under siege

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae leaves the Government Complex Seoul after attending a Cabinet meeting, Tuesday. YonhapYoon returns to work following court decision to halt minister's orderBy Bahk Eun-jiJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae's push to remove Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl faced a setback on Tuesday after a court accepted Yoon's request for an injunction to temporarily halt her order suspending him from duty.Even the ruling bloc is floating the idea of President Moon Jae-in sacking both Choo and Yoon, considering the clashes between the two are creating unnecessary political turmoil between the rival parties and are obstructing the handling of other state affairs.On Nov. 24, Choo suspended Yoon from duty and formed a disciplinary committee to look into his “serious misconduct,” including the alleged illegal amassing of information on judges involved in controversial cases, and alleged interference in investigations to protect people close to him. Choo and Yoon have been at odds over prosecution reform and various investigations involving Yoon's aide and family members.

Dec 1, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Lee Nak-yon losing ground

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Nak-yon speaks during a Supreme Council meeting of the party at the National Assembly, Nov. 27, in which he participated through video as he was self-isolating after coming into contact with a COVID-19 patient on Nov.19. He tested negative. YonhapBy Jung Da-minRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Nak-yon is facing a political challenge in terms of keeping up momentum to run in the 2022 presidential election. Lee was inaugurated as the ruling party chairman only about three months ago in late August, but he may step down from the post by early March next year because he is widely expected to run in the 2022 presidential race. According to the party's regulations, a party member who plans to run in the presidential race must quit the party's other major posts, such as chairman or Supreme Council member, at least a year before the election. The next presidential election is slated for March 9, 2022.Considering these points, Lee has reached halfway mark of his six-month term as the DPK chairman.Lee's political ground, however,

Dec 1, 2020

Wang Yi's visit highlights differences in Korea, China's priorities

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during his meeting on Nov. 27 with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug. YonhapBy Do Je-hae Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's Nov. 25 to 27 visit to Seoul has left more questions than answers as the two countries showed some differing priorities in bilateral relations. After President Moon Jae-in received Wang at Cheong Wa Dae on the afternoon of Nov. 26, the presidential office stressed cooperation for regional peace, highlighting the need for the two countries to work together for a proposal made at the United Nations General Assembly last month for a Northeast Asia cooperative framework on health and disease control involving the two Koreas, China, Japan and Mongolia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that “State Councillor Wang expressed full support for the initiative, offering to continue close communication to promote it.” Also, Cheong Wa Dae and the ministry underlined bilateral cooperation on COVID-19; the establishment of a roadmap for deepening bilateral ties on the

Nov 30, 2020By Do Je-hae

Wang Yi's visit highlights differences in Korea, China's priorities

Parties differ on how to finance relief funds

Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, center, the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooWith the payout of the government's third emergency disaster relief package looming, major political parties are now locking horns with each other over how to finance the cash handouts that will be used to help people deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is seeking to secure the funds via a government bond issuance, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is calling for a drastic cut in the budget assigned to the government's New Deal initiative.According to the parties, the government will need 5 trillion won ($4.52 billion) to selectively distribute emergency disaster relief money to those hit hard by COVID-19, including the self-employed and small business owners. The money also includes 1.5 trillion won to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for public use. The government's proposed budget for next year was 556 trillion won before the third relie

Nov 30, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

Parties differ on how to finance relief funds

President nowhere to be seen

President Moon Jae-in attends an interagency meeting on drawing up carbon-neutral strategies at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. / Joint press corpsBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Moon Jae-in is in the hot seat over staying tight-lipped for the last month on controversial issues, inviting conflicts and divides and dragging down his leadership approval rating.As a result, more people are growing critical of his uncommunicative behavior, with his approval rating dropping to a near record low.Last week Moon again showed deafening silence when a yearlong power struggle between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl resulted in Choo's suspension of Yoon from duty over alleged ethical and legal breaches.Despite the unprecedented case that has drawn strong backlash from prosecutors to denounce Choo's decision as illegal and unjust, Moon, who appointed the top prosecutor, has kept silent on the issue. Regarding Yoon's suspension, Cheong Wa Dae said the President was briefed on the justice minister's decision shortly before the announcement but did not comment on it.Kim Chong-in,

Nov 29, 2020By Kang Seung-woo

Moon changing key members in diplomatic team

President Moon Jae-in, center, enters a special strategy meeting on low carbonization at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, left, and presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min. On the same day, Cheong Wa Dae replaced Moon's secretary for foreign policy, the latest in a series of changes in key posts dealing with foreign affairs. YonhapBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in changed one of his key personnel dealing with foreign affairs and diplomacy, Friday, ahead of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. He named Kim Yong-hyon, a former chief of the Korean Peninsula Peace Regime Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as presidential secretary for foreign policy, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Kim replaces Park Chul-min who has been named ambassador to Hungary after serving at the presidential office since March 2019. The presidential secretary for foreign policy under the National Security Office (NSO) is one of the key posts in charge of shaping the country's foreign policy.The presidential office announced the appointment of Kim Yong-hyon as presidential secretary for f

Nov 27, 2020By Do Je-hae

Politics