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Korea to host world's largest anti-corruption forum

President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting of the anti-corruption consultative council where Cabinet members and relevant government organizations review the nation's anticorruption efforts, at Cheong Wa Dae in this June 22 photo. Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaeBy Do Je-hae More than 3,000 policy experts and civic group members from 140 countries will discuss measures and international cooperation on rooting out corruption in the public and private sectors in the world's largest global forum on anti-corruption policies.Korea will host the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) from Dec. 1 to 4, according to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC).The biennial conference will be held via video link this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only participants from Korea gathering at the COEX in southern Seoul.Co-hosted by the ACRC and Transparency International (TI), the 19th IACC will include senior government officials, experts from NGOs and international organizations, and CEOs of global companies from 140 countries. President Moon Jae-in will share Korea

Nov 25, 2020By Do Je-hae
Korea to host world's largest anti-corruption forum

Parties divided over Choo-Yoon conflict

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is surrounded by reporters at the National Assembly, Tuesday, without answering questions over her conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. YonhapBy Do Je-hae The political circle here is divided over Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's order to suspend Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from duty following a months-long feud over prosecutorial reform and multiple investigations.The opposition parties claim the administration is trying to kick out the top prosecutor as he is being apolitical with regard to its policy directions, and called on President Moon Jae-in to make public his position on the issue, while the ruling bloc has continued to urge Yoon to step down over alleged ethics violations cited by the minister.On Tuesday, Choo held a press conference and underlined her reasoning behind the rare decision to suspend the prosecutor general due to alleged misdeeds. Yoon has hit back, saying he will take legal action.About an hour after Choo's announcement, the presidential office released a statement, saying that the President had been briefed shortly

Nov 25, 2020By Do Je-hae
Parties divided over Choo-Yoon conflict

Ruling party chief calls for parliamentary inquiry into top prosecutor

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl / Korea Times fileThe head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Wednesday that he was shocked by allegations against the nation's top prosecutor and ordered the party to consider pursuing a parliamentary inquiry into the matter.In an unprecedented move, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Tuesday suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from his duty, citing what she called an "improper" meeting with a media executive and the illegal inspection of judges involved in controversial cases, among other alleged misdeeds."The allegations revealed by the justice ministry are shocking," DP chief Rep. Lee Nak-yon said during a meeting of the party's Supreme Council. "I ask the party to review pushing for an inquiry by the National Assembly," he added. Lee joined the meeting through a video link, as he has quarantined himself after an acquaintance he met last week tested positive for COVID-19.Lee said the most shocking allegation was the illegal inspection of judges. "It's been said that the Supreme Prosecutors Office played a key role in the research of key

Nov 25, 2020
Ruling party chief calls for parliamentary inquiry into top prosecutor

Justice minister orders suspension of top prosecutor from duty amid feud over reforms, investigations

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae attends a National Assembly session in Seoul, Nov. 18. Choo suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from his duty, Tuesday, amid feud over prosecutorial reform and multiple investigations. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Tuesday suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from his duty, in an unprecedented move amid a feud over prosecution reforms and various investigations involving Yoon's aide and family members."The ministry has been investigating various allegations against the top prosecutor and found out some serious misconduct," the justice minister said during a briefing.As reasons to bar him from his duty and seek disciplinary actions, the minister cited what she called an "improper" meeting with a media executive, the illegal inspection of judges involved in controversial cases, interference with the prosecution's investigations to protect people close to him and damage to public trust in the political neutrality of the prosecution. She also cited his alleged leak of information to the press on the Supreme Prose

Nov 24, 2020
Justice minister orders suspension of top prosecutor from duty amid feud over reforms, investigations

Will Moon replace controversial housing minister?

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee arrives at the Government Complex in Seoul for a Cabinet meeting, Nov. 17. / YonhapBy Do Je-hae One highlight of an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle is whether President Moon Jae-in will replace his top housing policymaker Kim Hyun-mee, who has been at the center of rising public indignation over his administration's failure to contain soaring housing prices.For weeks there have been talks of an imminent reshuffle, primarily to refresh policy momentum by replacing some of the long-serving ministers as the President enters the final phase of his term next year. There is varying speculation as to what the President will do with Kim, who has been serving in his Cabinet right after the Moon administration was inaugurated in May 2017. She is among only a handful of ministers who have retained their posts since the beginning of the administration. This is considered to show Moon's unwavering trust of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport despite scathing criticism from the public and the opposition for the series of failed

Nov 24, 2020By Do Je-hae
Will Moon replace controversial housing minister?

Talks on third relief fund begin

Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young, second from left, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. The PPP said it would push ahead with budgeting 3.6 trillion won ($32.4 billion) to provide as relief funds next year for households with children for emergency childcare and small business owners facing economic crisis due to COVID-19. YonhapBy Jung Da-minTalks have begun on introducing the third round of emergency disaster relief handouts, after the health authorities said the third wave of coronavirus outbreaks is already in progress with a resurgence in the number of daily new COVID-19 cases nationwide.The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was quick to bring the issue of adopting the third such round of funding, especially to help people hit hard due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, including small business owners. But the government is taking a prudent stance, considering the financial pressure on the state coffer. While the National Assembly is reviewing next year's budget for a scheduled p

Nov 24, 2020
Talks on third relief fund begin

Moon's approval rating drops over policy failures

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Nov. 17. Moon's job approval rating has dropped over a series of policy failures, according to a poll agency, Monday. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seokBy Jung Da-min President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating has dropped over a series of policy failures, according to a poll agency, Monday, with the gap between his approval and disapproval rating recording highest since October 2019 when controversies were rising over former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's influence-peddling scandals.In a poll conducted of 2,514 adults by Realmeter last week, 42.7 percent of the respondents believed Moon was doing a good job, down 1.6 percentage points from a week before. Those expressing disapproval of Moon's job performance have been outnumbering those expressing support, with 53 percent viewing him negatively, up 2 percentage points from the week before.The gap between the approval and disapproval ratings of Moon's job performance was 10.3 percentage points, the highest since October 2019 when it recorded 14.7 percentage points wh

Nov 23, 2020
Moon's approval rating drops over policy failures

Moon names former lawmaker Kang Chang-il as new ambassador to Japan

Former lawmaker Kang Chang-il / Korea Times filePresident Moon Jae-in has picked Kang Chang-il, a former four-term ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, as South Korea's new ambassador to Japan, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday, expressing expectations for his role in improving relations between the neighboring countries.Moon's office took note of Kang's expertise in Tokyo-related affairs. Having earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo, he has long conducted academic research on Japan, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said.He also used to co-head the South Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union.On the occasion of the launch of Japan's Yoshihide Suga administration, Kang is expected to help produce a breakthrough in efforts to resolve pending bilateral issues and establish forward-looking relations on the basis of his "expertise, experience and high-level networks," the spokesman said in a statement.Seoul and Tokyo have long been in diplomatic standoffs with each other especially over Korean victims of forced labor at Japanese mines, factories and other facilitie

Nov 23, 2020
Moon names former lawmaker Kang Chang-il as new ambassador to Japan

Will Kim Jong-un attend Tokyo Olympics?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been more forthcoming about overseas trips than Kim Jong-il, his predecessor and father. The international community is watching whether the North Korean leader will visit a foreign country for the Olympics next year. Yonhap By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in and his ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are determined not to miss out on the chance for engaging North Korea and promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula during the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, a high-level delegation led by the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo-jong visited PyeongChang, paving the way for the first summit between President Moon and Kim Jong-un on April 27, 2018. That was first of three Moon-Kim summits that year, culminating in the one in Pyongyang in September. Therefore, Olympic diplomacy has a special meaning for Moon, who is looking increasingly out of options for a breakthrough in inter-Korean r

Nov 23, 2020By Do Je-hae
Will Kim Jong-un attend Tokyo Olympics?

Governors, mayors rush toward integration

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup, right, and South Jeolla Governor Kim Young-rok hold an agreement for administrative integration during a ceremony in Gwangju, Nov. 2. YonhapAdministrative mergers gain momentum for tackling low growth, population crisisBy Do Je-hae Governors and mayors are rushing to merge with adjacent cities for economic benefits as well as administrative effectiveness. The trend is highlighted by a series of discussions on administrative integration by cities and provinces that have been struggling particularly with low population and lack of jobs. This includes the ongoing discussions to merge Daegu and the adjacent North Gyeongsang Province, Gwangju and South Jeolla Province and some cities in the interior Chungcheong region. The heads of local governments have underlined the need to integrate with neighboring cities and provinces to enhance their competitiveness by increasing their population and economic size for survival in the face of the ever-growing Seoul metropolitan area. As of last year, more than 50 percent of the nation's population resided in Seoul and the

Nov 22, 2020By Do Je-hae
Governors, mayors rush toward integration
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