A political standoff between the ruling and main opposition parties appeared imminent Thursday, as key National Assembly committees were scheduled to decide on the parliamentary approvals of scandal-ridden minister nominees recently picked by President Moon Jae-in. Earlier this week, parliamentary confirmation hearings on nominees for science, oceans, land, trade and labor ministers were carried out by the National Assembly. Of those, Lim Hye-sook, Park Jun-young and Noh Hyeong-ouk, nominees f

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his condolences to Mexican people over a deadly metro line disaster in their country, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In a letter delivered to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador the previous day, Moon noted that the accident was regrettable, having a lot of victims and causing damage, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon sent a message of condolence to the victims and their families and hoped for the speedy recovery o

Oceans Minister nominee Park Jun-young is facing criticism over allegations his wife smuggled in highly valuable porcelain without a customs declaration and sold it to customers while running a cafe. Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the main opposition People Power Party first raised the issue last week, suggesting Park’s wife bought a large quantity of porcelain teacups, teapots, plates and ornaments in Britain and brought them back to Korea without reporting it to customs, before illegally selling s

President Moon Jae-in held an online meeting with a group of elementary school students on the occasion of Children's Day. He joined the event from his Cheong Wa Dae office on Tuesday, together with first lady Kim Jung-sook, and a related video clip was released Wednesday, which marks the 99th Children's Day in South Korea. Invited to the meeting were all 38 students at Doseong Elementary School in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. Located in the county, 180 kilometers east of Seoul, the tiny sch

Oceans Minister nominee Park Jun-young came under fire for his wife's alleged smuggling of porcelain ware during a parliamentary confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the main opposition People Power Party took a swipe at the nominee during the parliamentary session over the allegations of possible tariff evasion. Kim first raised the allegations last week, suggesting that Park's wife bought a heap of porcelain teaware, plates and ornaments in Britain while the nominee was servi

Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook drew heat from opposition lawmakers during a parliamentary confirmation hearing Tuesday for alleged ethical lapses. Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) bombarded Lim with a barrage of allegations of ethical lapses and demanded she withdraw from the nomination during the parliamentary session. Lim, a professor of electronic and electrical engineering at Ewha Womans University and the chair of the National Research Council of Science &

The new corruption investigative body's policy to supersede the prosecution has triggered an escalating backlash, offering a potential flash point between the two powerful agencies. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) announced Monday its rules on investigation, including superseding power over indictment in certain cases. The CIO, which began operation in January, is authorized to investigate and prosecute former and current public officials for corruption, in

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed South Korea’s possible role as a production hub for COVID-19 vaccines, pledging efforts to ramp up local production, including securing more licensing deals with global vaccine makers. “Our nation, boasting the world’s second-largest production capacity of biomedicines, is getting renewed attention as a potential global hub for vaccine production,” Moon said in an urgent COVID-19 response meeting with related government offices.

zPresident Moon Jae-in named former Vice Justice Minister Kim Oh-soo as the new chief of South Korea's prosecution service, Cheong Wa Dae said. Justice Minister Park Beom-kye recommended Kim, who was a veteran prosecutor, for the position that has been vacant for two months since Yoon Seok-youl stepped down. The president accepted the recommendation, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Kim is required to go through the National Assembly's confirmation hearing, for which a d

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has fallen to the lowest point since the start of his tenure in 2017, a new poll showed Monday. Just 33 percent of South Koreans approve of his leadership, while 62.6 percent disapprove, according to a survey by Realmeter. It conducted the tracking poll on 2,523 people, aged 18 and older, nationwide for five days through last Friday. The latest approval number marks a 0.8 percentage-point drop from a week earlier. The previous record low of 33.4 percent

Five-term legislator and former Incheon Mayor Rep. Song Young-gil was elected the new chairman of the ruling Democratic Party Sunday as it seeks a major reform drive following a recent election defeat. Song earned 35.6 percent of the ballots cast before and during the party's congress held at its headquarters in Seoul earlier in the day, defeating Reps. Hong Young-pyo and Woo Won-shik, both in their fourth terms. The election of Song comes as the DP, which commands 174 of the 300 parliamentary

The recent parliamentary passage of the so-called conflict of interest prevention law, which took eight years since its first proposal, is expected to bring about a vast change of culture in the public sector in terms of improved transparency and work ethics. The National Assembly on Thursday passed the bill that prohibits public officials, including lawmakers, from seeking personal gain using information related to their job responsibilities. Similar anti-graft bills were proposed over the pa

Calls for pardoning Lee Jae-yong, the incarcerated de facto chief of Samsung Group, have resurfaced after his family unveiled plans to donate a chunk of the immense assets inherited from Lee's late father and company Chairman Lee Kun-hee. But the government and the ruling party remain adamant that it is too early to deliberate on the issue. Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum on Thursday highly assessed Samsung heirs' donation pledges but stressed it would hardly influence the government's sta

Four-term legislator and ex-Mayor of Ulsan Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon was elected the new floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party on Friday. Kim, based in the southeastern city of Ulsan, secured 66 of the 100 ballots cast in the party's runoff voting to become the new floor leader, defeating rival Rep. Kim Tae-heum. He will replace Rep. Joo Ho-young, who is retiring as floor leader and acting party chairman. One of the most urgent issues facing Kim in the new post is the party's ongoing

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped below 30 percent for the first time since his inauguration in May 2017, a Gallup Korea poll showed Friday. In its three-day survey from Tuesday of 1,000 adults nationwide, 29 percent of respondents supported Moon's leadership, down 2 percentage points from a week earlier. His approval rating has been on the decline since recording 40 percent in the first week of March. The proportion of those disapproving of his presidency stayed at 60 percent.