South Korea - The Korea Times

Moon appoints embattled aide as justice minister

President Moon Jae-in poses with Justice Minister Cho Kuk at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, after giving him a letter of appointment. YonhapPresident defends Chos' 'innocence' in public address By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in appointed Cho Kuk as justice minister, Monday, defying the mounting calls to cancel the nomination over allegation of corruption scandal involving the former presidential aide and his family members. The appointment comes a month after Cho was named to the post in an Aug. 9 Cabinet reshuffle. The Sept. 6 indictment of Cho's wife on the charge of document forgery to facilitate their daughter's university admission was not enough to overturn the President's determination to appoint him to the post charged with judiciary reform. In a rare public address after handing out the official letters of appointment to Cho and five other ministerial-level officials, Moon explained why Cho had to be appointed and asked the public for their understanding and support for reforming a “powerful institution,” particularly the prosecution, which has been criticized for exerc

Sep 9, 2019By Do Je-hae

Moon appoints embattled aide as justice minister

Financial expert may head delegation for defense cost sharing negotiation

By Lee Min-hyungKim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security OfficeForeign Minister Kang Kyung-whaSouth Korea is considering naming an expert in the financial sector as the head of the delegation for the upcoming defense cost-sharing negotiations with the United States.Washington is expected to shift more of the cost burden to Seoul for the 2020 Special Measures Agreement (SMA) amid U.S. President Donald Trump's intensifying political pressure.The government is in the final phase of deciding on the members of the delegation, including its leader, and is expected to announce details sometime after the nation's Chuseok holidays which fall at the end of this week.“As of now, it has not been officially decided who will lead the South Korean delegation for the upcoming defense cost sharing talks,” a government official said. The source did not rule out the likelihood of a finance ministry official heading the delegation.The government is expected to announce details of the delegation sometime in a near future after the nation's thanksgiving holiday, a

Sep 9, 2019By Lee Min-hyung

Financial expert may head delegation for defense cost sharing negotiation

Political storm looms over Cho appointment

By Park Ji-won, Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in's confirmation of Cho Kuk as justice minister will bring a heavy political storm, as opposition parties vowed, Monday, to launch a pressure campaign on the minister including a plan to submit requests to name a special investigator to look into corruption and nepotism allegations against Cho.“South Korea's democracy is dead. We plan to use all available cards responding to President Moon's nomination of Cho to the justice minister position including a plan to team up with minor opposition parties to submit requests to name a special investigator to look into Cho's alleged corruption and nepotism allegations,” a spokesman at the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said in a party commentary after the President's confirmation of Cho, Monday afternoon.The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party (BMP) said it will discuss action plans with the LKP. “Floor leaders of the country's major political parties were discussing detailed plans for the next Assembly sessions, but I received a short phone call from senior president

Sep 9, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul

Political storm looms over Cho appointment

PHOTOS Rep. Lee Un-ju shaves her head to protest new justice minister

Presidential aides in possible power game over Japan issue

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon participates in a ministerial meeting on Japan's trade regulations at the Sejong Government Complex, Tuesday. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonAfter Seoul announced its intent to cancel its bilateral military information-sharing pact, commonly known as GSOMIA, with Tokyo, a resolution to the diplomatic and trade conflict seems further away than ever before. The decision, which comes after Japan's decision to remove South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners, appears to be part of a “tit-for-tat” power game between senior presidential aides.Sources inside Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) told The Korea Times while the defense and foreign ministers and the prime minister had hoped to renew the agreement given the diplomatic and security costs associated with Seoul's termination of the GSOMIA, the National Security Office deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong downplayed the security implications of the move.

Sep 9, 2019By Park Ji-won

Presidential aides in possible power game over Japan issue

Moon appoints Cho Kuk as new justice minister despite scandals

President Moon Jae-in, right, presents new Justice Minister Cho Kuk with his certificate of appointment at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Monday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in appointed Cho Kuk as justice minister Monday in spite of ferocious public criticism of Cho and his family over alleged ethical lapses and illegalities.Moon has approved the nomination of Cho, a law professor and former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, Ko Min-jung.The move apparently reflects Moon's resolve for the reform of South Korea's law-enforcement system, especially the role and power of state prosecutors. It also heralds the deepening of political wrangling over the Cho issue.The appointment came amid a widening probe by state prosecutors into allegations that Cho and his wife forged documents and used personal connections to help their daughter get admissions at prestigious schools. Also at issue is their suspicious investment in a private equity fund.A month earlier, Moon nominated Cho to lead the Ministry of Justice in a Cabine

Sep 9, 2019

Moon appoints Cho Kuk as new justice minister despite scandals

Seoul, Tokyo step up 'media war'

The headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Korea Times fileTwo governments spreading respective positions on wartime history conflictBy Park Ji-wonThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to fight Japan through international media in a move to convince the international community that Tokyo is in the wrong in the ongoing trade dispute with Seoul.Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim In-chul wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal ― published Friday ― claiming that Japan was not keeping the bilateral agreement normalizing ties with Korea signed in 1965 while Seoul was being faithful to it.In the piece, Kim highlighted that Korea's Supreme Court ruling that ordered Japanese firms to compensate surviving Koreans who were forced to work for them during colonial rule did not violate the 1965 bilateral treaty, adding that Tokyo had also promoted individual's rights to settlement claims. Kim criticized Japan's opinion piece published Aug. 22 in the same newspaper, titled, “Japan is adhering to its treaty with Korea” by Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Takesh

Sep 8, 2019By Park Ji-won

INTERVIEW 'Japan's 'breach of treaty' claim is wrong'

Moon struggling with Cho appointment

President Moon Jae-inBy Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in is taking an extra careful approach to the official appointment of his trusted aide Cho Kuk as justice minister after the prosecution's indictment of the nominee's wife late Friday on charges of document forgery.The indictment, which took place even as Cho was undergoing a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, emerged as a new critical factor in the president's decision on the appointment of the former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. “At this point, it is too early to jump to conclusions. Nothing has been decided on the appointment or when it will take place,” a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters Sunday. Moon has the authority to appoint Cho since the Sept. 6 deadline for the National Assembly's confirmation report has passed. He was expected to approve the appointment Sunday, following his return from a three-nation Southeast Asian tour. Cheong Wa Dae sources said that a final decision has been delayed to collect public opinion through various channels. During his overseas tour, Moon sen

Sep 8, 2019By Do Je-hae

'Cho Kuk fatigue' creates satire

Prosecution's indictment of Cho's wife raising eyebrows

Members of the media wait in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to see whether the prosecution will summon for questioning justice minister nominee Cho Kuk's wife, who has been indicted on charges of fabricating a school certificate tBy Kang Seung-wooThe prosecution's decision to indict the wife of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk for the alleged forgery of a document without questioning her is raising eyebrows as some consider it an indication that the law enforcement agency is going all-out to thwart Cho's nomination.Cho, a law professor at Seoul National University, is considered the perfect fit to carry out President Moon Jae-in's plan to reform the prosecution by removing its exclusive investigative rights and dividing them up with the police. Many believe if Cho takes office, the prosecution will be in the firing line.On Friday night when Cho was undergoing his long-awaited confirmation hearing, the prosecution filed a formal charge against his wife, surnamed Chung, as part of its investigation into an array of corruption allegations involving his family. T

Sep 8, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Prosecution's indictment of Cho's wife raising eyebrows

'Cho Kuk fatigue' creates satire

Naver expands cryptocurrency business in Japan

By Kim Bo-eunNaver's Japan-based subsidiary Line is expanding its cryptocurrency business, with another of its affiliates obtaining a cryptocurrency exchange license last week.LVC Corporation, Line's subsidiary operating its cryptocurrency and block-chain-related business, obtained a cryptocurrency exchange license from Japan's financial authority, Friday. Cryptocurrencies that can be traded on the exchange are Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Money, Litecoin and XRP.Line Tech Plus has been operating the Singapore-based BITBOX cryptocurrency exchange since July 2018, and listed its own cryptocurrency, Link, in October the same year. However, services have not been available in Japan and the U.S.With its new license, Line is expected to establish a cryptocurrency exchange for Japanese traders, which may include the roughly 80 million users of Line's messaging app. Line estimates it has 187 million global users monthly, and 50 million users registered with its mobile payment service Line Pay.After Line disclosed the developments, Link was traded at prices that jumped as much as 45 percent, Frid

Sep 8, 2019By Kim Bo-eun

'Cho Kuk fatigue' creates satire

GETTYIMAGESBANKPortmanteau, satirical works about justice minister nominee in vogue By Kang Hyun-kyungIn his 2012 tweets, justice minister nominee Cho Kuk was critical of Korean society which, according to him, no longer allowed people with humble beginnings to succeed. “We like the story about creek dragons,” he tweeted. Creek dragons refer to self-made people or those who achieved dramatic success after overcoming their humble beginnings. “Unfortunately, the chances for creek dragons are getting slimmer due to the widening income gap which pits the top 10 percent of highest-paid people against the remaining 90 percent… The thing is we can make it work. We can create the creek ecosystem to help every species there, such as carp, crawfish and frogs, feel happy about being themselves, even though they are not going to become creek dragons. Together, we can make a beautiful, warm creek that can make every species happier.” Cho didn’t walk the talk. In his own terms, he is not the person who tried to create a "warm, livable creek

Sep 8, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Politics