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Justice minister nominee apologizes for causing concern over alleged lobbying

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won on Friday apologized for causing public concern over allegations of illegal lobbying for a new drug but continued to claim innocence, saying he will provide a detailed explanation at his parliamentary confirmation hearing. "As a politician, I am truly sorry for causing concern to the public," Kim told reporters arriving at his temporary office in Seoul. Kim, a two-term lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party, was tapped by President Lee Jae Myung late last month but has since come under fire over allegations that he illegally lobbied the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2021 to help win approval for a COVID-19 treatment. He is accused of asking the then food and drug safety minister to expedite approval of the treatment's clinical trial at the request of a broker. Kim characterized his lobbying of the food and drug ministry as a public interest petition. "My intent was to ask why and how a small company's (approval) procedures were stalled due to pressure from a multinational corporation and to request that such unfairness be addressed," Kim sai

Sep 11, 2026By Yonhap
Justice minister nominee apologizes for causing concern over alleged lobbying

Korea seeks to expand US naval cooperation from MRO to shipbuilding

Korea is seeking to expand its naval cooperation with the United States beyond maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) to the construction of U.S. support and combat vessels, as Washington looks to its allies to help ease constraints in its shipbuilding capacity. Korean shipbuilders have won 12 U.S. Navy MRO contracts since 2024, including five this year, according to Kim Il-dong, vice minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). But Kim said the significance of those contracts goes beyond the number of vessels serviced. “MRO is not an end in itself, but a gateway to broader cooperation,” Kim said during a policy seminar on Korea-U.S. defense industrial cooperation at the National Assembly, Wednesday. “The two countries should work to build on the experience gained through MRO and extend it to combat vessel maintenance and, eventually, shipbuilding." The seminar was co-hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) and the office of Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the People Power Party. Kim said Korean shipyards have been learning U.S. Navy procedures as we

Sep 10, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea seeks to expand US naval cooperation from MRO to shipbuilding

Gender minister nominee reiterates intention to maintain Assembly seat

Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in on Thursday reiterated her intention to retain her National Assembly seat, stressing that lawmakers are allowed to concurrently serve as Cabinet members by law. The remarks came amid growing calls for Yong to give up her parliamentary seat after she earlier said she would keep her seat even after joining the Cabinet. "The law allows lawmakers to concurrently serve as Cabinet members," she said during a press conference at the National Assembly. Under current law, lawmakers can double as members of the Cabinet, though proportional representatives have customarily given up their parliamentary seats to join the Cabinet, passing on the post to the next candidate in line on the proportional representation list. Yong, who is currently the sole lawmaker of the minor Basic Income Party, earlier said she would keep her Assembly seat even if she becomes the minister, noting that her party would become a non-parliamentary party should she resign as lawmaker. "It is difficult to simply apply past convention to my case, as I am the first sitting opposition lawmaker

Sep 10, 2026By Yonhap
Gender minister nominee reiterates intention to maintain Assembly seat

Lee orders review of measures to help families of Koreans missing in Nepal

President Lee Jae Myung instructed the government Thursday to review measures to help the families of nine Koreans who went missing in devastating floods in Nepal last month, his office said. Lee gave the order after being briefed on the families' difficulties upon returning from a state visit to France earlier in the day, according to Cheong Wa Dae. "(Lee) instructed a review of necessary measures so that after fully listening to and respecting the wishes of the families of the missing, the wishes of the families can be incorporated as much as possible," it said in a notice to the press. "The government plans to continue efforts to support the families of our nationals who have suffered in Nepal's floods." A search has been ongoing for nine Koreans — six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three employees of Korea South-East Power — since massive floods and landslides struck the construction site where they were working near the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug. 26. Earlier in the day, the families of the three Korea South-East Power employees held a press conference in Kathmandu to demand

Sep 10, 2026By Yonhap
Lee orders review of measures to help families of Koreans missing in Nepal

President moves to quell reelection talk, but stops short of explicit denial

President Lee Jae Myung has stressed that his term in office is constitutionally limited, in what was seen as an attempt to defuse controversy amid speculation that he wants to extend his presidency through constitutional reform. His remark, however, appears to have fallen short of ending the criticism, with the main opposition party criticizing him for not explicitly denying that he intends to seek another term. “In any event, my term is clearly limited under the Constitution,” the president said during a meeting with the Korean community in Paris on the final day of his state visit to France, Wednesday (local time). He arrived back in Korea on Thursday. Lee’s comment came as he explained why he had arranged multiple overseas trips during his second year in office under Korea’s current single five-year presidency. “Even if I build strong relations with other countries later in my term, there will inevitably be limited opportunities to capitalize on them ... I need to begin summit diplomacy early to ensure that its benefits can be enjoyed for as long as possible,” he said. Alt

Sep 10, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
President moves to quell reelection talk, but stops short of explicit denial

President Lee returns home after 4-day trip to France

President Lee Jae Myung returned home Thursday from a trip to France, where he held a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Lee made a four-day trip to France from Sunday, which included a two-day state visit to Paris for a summit with Macron at the Elysee Palace. The two countries signed a dozen memorandums of understanding and pacts to enhance cooperation in areas ranging from artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, defense and culture. Lee's visit reciprocated Macron's trip to Seoul in April, as the countries mark the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

Sep 10, 2026By Yonhap
President Lee returns home after 4-day trip to France

Lee's approval rating drops to lowest level since taking office: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell to the lowest level since he took office in June last year, a poll showed Thursday. In a National Barometer Survey of 1,002 people aged 18 and older conducted Monday to Wednesday, 43 percent positively assessed Lee's handling of state affairs, down 7 percentage points from the previous survey conducted two weeks earlier. Disapproval of his performance stood at 48 percent, marking the first time it has surpassed his approval rating in the biweekly survey. On the recent Cabinet reshuffle, 47 percent negatively assessed the nomination of Rep. Kim Seung-won as justice minister, compared with 24 percent who viewed it positively. For the gender equality minister nominee, 63 percent said Lee's pick of Rep. Yong Hye-in was a poor choice, while 17 percent supported his decision. Following their nominations late last month, the two nominees have come under fire over separate controversies, with Kim accused of illegally lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment in 2021 and Yong for refusing to give up her proportional representation seat in the National Assembl

Sep 10, 2026By Yonhap
Lee's approval rating drops to lowest level since taking office: poll

Decision on appointments of justice, gender ministers to be made after confirmation hearings: official

A presidential official said Thursday that a decision on whether to go ahead with the appointments of the controversial nominees for justice and gender equality minister will be made after their confirmation hearings. Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, made the remark during an interview on MBC radio, referring to Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality Minister nominee Yong Hye-in. Kim and Yong were tapped by President Lee Jae Myung as part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle late last month. Since then, Kim has come under fire over allegations that he illegally lobbied the food and drug safety ministry in 2021 to win approval for a COVID-19 treatment. Yong has separately drawn flak for refusing to give up her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly following her ministerial appointment. "We plan to make a decision from the people's standpoint after they have gone through the confirmation process," Seong said. "I think we have to listen to what the nominees have to say within the formal question-and-answ

Sep 10, 2026By Yonhap
Decision on appointments of justice, gender ministers to be made after confirmation hearings: official

Presidential office says no final decision on Hormuz Strait deployment

Korea has not yet made a final decision on whether to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz, a presidential official said Wednesday, amid U.S. pressure on Seoul to help secure the waterway. "The government has not yet finalized its policy and is cautiously assessing it," Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, said in a YouTube interview. Korea has been deliberating whether to join efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the conflict-stricken strait. It recently sent a team from the defense ministry to the United Arab Emirates to assess the situation. The move has sparked speculation over a possible South Korean deployment, with a news report claiming Washington had asked Seoul to dispatch troops by November. "While the government's final policy has yet to be decided, working-level discussions have leaked, leading to media reports that have gone too far," Seong said. He also noted that President Lee Jae Myung's discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron on efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the strait should not be immediat

Sep 9, 2026By Yonhap
Presidential office says no final decision on Hormuz Strait deployment

PM says gov't to look into lawmaker's release of alleged investigation records on lobbying scandal

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Wednesday the government will look into whether any illegality was involved in the release by a prosecutor-turned lawmaker of what appeared to be investigative records over a lobbying scandal involving the justice minister nominee. Han said during a parliamentary interpellation session that she will have a relevant agency look into how such records were leaked and whether it is illegal, adding that had classified investigation records been leaked without due procedures, it would amount to a "very grave" case. Rep. Han Dong-hoon has been releasing a series of phone conversation transcripts and other records on a near-daily basis since Rep. Kim Seung-won of the ruling party was nominated for justice minister, alleging that Kim exercised undue influence on the food and drug safety ministry to approve a COVID-19 treatment in 2021. The prosecutor-turned lawmaker also served justice minister under ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and then as head of the main opposition People Power Party before being expelled from the party amid an internal feud. He was

Sep 9, 2026By Yonhap
PM says gov't to look into lawmaker's release of alleged investigation records on lobbying scandal
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