Category: Key Issues

SEOUL– A motion requesting parliamentary consent to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung’s arrest was reported in the National Assembly on Friday in the last step ahead of a vote on the motion next week.

Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), faces corruption and bribery charges in connection with development projects and donations to a municipal football club dating back to his time as the mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, from 2010-2018.

Last week, prosecutors sought a warrant to arrest him, marking the first such move ever against a leader of the country’s largest opposition party. The justice ministry has since asked for parliamentary consent to his arrest as required by law to detain a lawmaker while parliament is in session.

Such consent is necessary in order to arrest lawmakers while the Assembly is in session.

The Assembly is scheduled to put the motion to an anonymous vote on Monday under a law that stipulates that such a motion be put to a vote within the following 72 hours but after the elapse of 24 hours.

Lee has rejected all allegations as fabrication, claiming there is no evidence he received illicit money.

DP floor leader Park Hong-keun again denounced the motion on Friday, calling it a politically motivated warrant that “will be shamefully recorded in history as tyranny.”

With the DP holding majority power in parliament, controlling 169 out of the 299 seats, the request is unlikely to pass parliament.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has urged Lee to give up his immunity from arrest and show up for a court hearing on the arrest warrant. It has also criticized the DP for opening temporary parliamentary sessions to protect its leader from arrest.

“Chairman Lee says there is no evidence and he is confident, then he should receive that judgment in front of a judge,” PPP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young said.

If prosecutors fail to win parliamentary consent to Lee’s arrest, their arrest warrant request against him is automatically dismissed. In that case, prosecutors are widely expected to indict the opposition leader without detention.

In a parliamentary speech, Rep. Lee Eun-ju, the floor leader of the minor opposition Justice Party, also called on Lee to give up his immunity as he promised during the presidential election campaign last year.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL– The National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution calling for further strengthening the alliance with the United States to mark its 70th anniversary this year.

“The National Assembly reaffirms that the S. Korea-U.S. alliance was the foundation for the Republic of Korea’s democratization and economic growth and continues to function as a linchpin of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, the region and the world,” the resolution said.

“We make clear, internally and externally, the need to reciprocally expand and improve the alliance for mutual prosperity in line with the 70th anniversary of the alliance,” it said.

The resolution also calls on the two governments to bolster cooperation in fields like semiconductors, artificial intelligence and space technology as well as work together to stabilize the global supply chain as an “economic security and technology alliance.”

It also expressed concern over North Korea’s escalating nuclear and missile threats and called for the alliance to effectively deter such threats while working to bring peace through dialogue with the North.

Also included in the resolution were calls for stepping up legal and policy support for the “global strategic comprehensive alliance” agreed between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden last year and strengthening parliamentary exchange between the two countries.

South Korea and the U.S. signed their mutual defense treaty in October 1953, months after the end of the three-year Korean War.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL– A prosecutor-turned-lawyer has been recommended as the new chief of the National Office of Investigation in charge of commanding police investigation forces nationwide, officials said Friday.

National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun recently recommended Chung Sun-sin, 57, to President Yoon Suk Yeol to replace Nan Gu-jun, whose term is set to expire Saturday, officials said.

Chung had worked for the prosecution for about 20 years and served as the head of the Institute of Justice’s branch in Yongin, 40 kilometers south of Seoul.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL– A motion requesting parliamentary consent to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung’s arrest was set to be reported in the National Assembly on Friday in the last step ahead of a vote on the motion next week.

Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), faces corruption and bribery charges in connection with development projects and donations to a municipal football club dating back to his time as the mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, from 2010-2018.

Last week, prosecutors sought a warrant to arrest him, marking the first such move ever against a leader of the country’s largest opposition party. The justice ministry has since asked for parliamentary consent to his arrest as required by law to detain a lawmaker while parliament is in session.

Such consent is necessary in order to arrest lawmakers while the Assembly is in session.

Once the motion is reported to a parliamentary plenary session scheduled for later in the day, it is expected to be put to an anonymous vote on Monday under a law that stipulates that such a motion be put to a vote within the following 72 hours but after the elapse of 24 hours.

Lee has rejected all allegations as fabrication, claiming there is no evidence he received illicit money.

DP floor leader Park Hong-keun again denounced the motion on Friday, calling it a politically motivated warrant that “will be shamefully recorded in history as tyranny.”

With the DP holding majority power in parliament, controlling 169 out of the 299 seats, the request is unlikely to pass parliament.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has urged Lee to give up his immunity from arrest and show up for a court hearing on the arrest warrant. It has also criticized the DP for opening temporary parliamentary sessions to protect its leader from arrest.

“Chairman Lee says there is no evidence and he is confident, then he should receive that judgment in front of a judge,” PPP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young said.

If prosecutors fail to win parliamentary consent to Lee’s arrest, their arrest warrant request against him is automatically dismissed. In that case, prosecutors are widely expected to indict the opposition leader without detention.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL– South Korea has decided to provide Chile with US$100,000 worth of humanitarian aid, as a series of wildfires has swept across the country, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday.

“We hope this assistance helps the Chileans affected by the wildfires return to their daily lives and with their speedy recovery from the aftermath,” it said in a press release.

It added that South Korea will continue to provide humanitarian aid to countries and people affected by natural disasters.

The latest forest fires in Chile have left at least 24 dead and damaged around 430,000 hectares of land, an area equivalent to 8.5 times the size of Seoul, the ministry said, citing data as of Feb. 15 from Chile’s National Forestry Corp. (CONAF).

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL– Leeum Museum of Art said Friday it will open a special exhibition featuring extensive works of top-notch white porcelain from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

“Joseon White Porcelain: Paragon of Virtue” will run from Feb. 28 to May 28 at the nation’s largest private gallery run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture.

It marks the museum’s first special exhibition on ceramics since its opening in 2004.

It features a total of 185 pieces, including 10 national treasures and 21 lower-level treasures, as well 34 porcelain pieces owned by six Japanese museums and galleries.

The exhibition is divided into three sections: blue-and-white porcelain, white porcelain in iron-brown or copper-red underglaze and monochrome white porcelain.

The museum said it will provide in-depth understanding of white porcelain, which widely vary depending on the time period, production site and decorative technique.

Among the pieces is “White Porcelain Moon Jar” from the 18th century designated as a national treasure, known for its simple beauty of Joseon aesthetics.

“Notably, the development and modification of Joseon white porcelain over time directly reflects the ups and downs of the society as a whole,” the museum said in a release. “Hence, white porcelain can serve as a fascinating lens for examining the entire history of the Joseon Dynasty and the minds of its people.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency