Category: Politics-Korea

Some people have no sense of shame if they think ordering employees to do chores around their house is okay:

Gender Equality Minister nominee Kang Sun-woo apologized Monday for having legislative aides perform her household chores, such as disposing of food waste at her home, amid opposition criticism and calls for her resignation over alleged abuse of power. 

Kang offered the apology during a parliamentary confirmation hearing on her nomination, when she was pressed by opposition lawmakers, including Rep. Lee Dal-hee of the People Power Party, who actually brought a plastic bag of food waste to the hearing to make her point. 

“I sincerely apologize for the controversy I’ve caused. I offer my heartfelt apologies to the aides who may have been hurt in the process,” Kang told lawmakers at the National Assembly. 

“I humbly accept my shortcomings and will take this as a lesson to be more mindful in my words and actions, and to move forward with greater care and consideration,” she said.

Kang, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party, was nominated for gender minister late last month. 

The controversy arose after some of her staff members raised allegations that she ordered her aides to do her household chores and repair her toilet, claiming that her abusive behavior amounts to “gapjil” — a Korean term used to describe a power-abusing workplace practice by a superior.

Yonhap

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This is one of the main reasons why Lee Jae-myung needed to become President, to avoid prosecution:

A district court said Tuesday it has decided to postpone President Lee Jae Myung’s trial on charges of misusing public funds, following two similarpostponements last month.

During a hearing on the case, the Suwon District Court said trial proceedings will remain on hold without setting a date for the next hearing, suspending the case.

The court cited the need for Lee to “fully dedicate himself to fulfilling his constitutional duties and ensure continuity in state affairs” as the president as the reason for suspending the trial.

Under the decision, the trial will remain on hold until the court sets a date for proceedings to resume.

The decision came amid speculation the court could postpone the fourth preparatory session as the Constitution exempts a sitting president from criminal indictment except in cases of treason or insurrection. Lee was elected president last month.

Yonhap

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It looks like former President Yoon’s wife is trying the tried and true hospitalization tactic to avoid investigations and going to court:

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted President Yook Suk Yeol, was hospitalized on Monday at a medical center in Seoul for an undisclosed illness.

She was admitted to Seoul Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul, where she has been receiving outpatient treatment for health issues. Her health condition was reported to be not critical. 

Kim’s hospitalization came after President Lee Jae-myung named Min Joong-ki, former chief of the Seoul Central District Court, last week to lead a special counsel probe into Kim over various allegations, including stock price manipulation, her acceptance of a luxury bag and interference with the election nomination process, with preparations under way for the official launch of the probe.

Her health has reportedly deteriorated since November, when allegations of influence peddling in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections emerged. 

Last month, she failed to comply with a summons from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office regarding the case, submitting a letter explaining health issues as the reason for her absence.

Yonhap

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This is just another step that the DPK is taking to ensure yet another Korean conservative President is sent to jail. This time it looks like his wife will be going with him as well:

 President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday promulgated bills mandating special counsel probes into a botched martial law bid by former President Yoon Suk Yeol and corruption allegations against his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Lee signed off on three bills in his first legislation since taking office last week, which also calls for a special counsel probe into the drowning death of a Marine during a rescue operation for flood victims in 2023.

The bills were approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.

Yonhap

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Both leaders may be talking nice now, but we all know how this is going end up:

President Lee Jae-myung expressed his wish to build a mature Korea-Japan relationship in his first phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Monday.

According to the presidential office, the two leaders spoke for approximately 25 minutes in their first exchange since Lee took office last week. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and advancing shared national interests. 

“The president expressed his gratitude to the prime minister for congratulating him on his inauguration and emphasized the growing importance of the Korea-Japan relationship amid today’s strategic environment,” presidential office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a press briefing.

Korea Times

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This is clearly a conflict of interest, but if President Lee wants his defense lawyer on the Constitutional Court he will get because the DPK controls the National Assembly which has to approve the nomination:

President Lee Jae-myung is considering nominating two sitting senior judges and a lawyer who served as his defense counsel in recent trials as candidates for two Constitutional Court justice positions, officials familiar with the matter said Sunday. 

Presiding Judge Oh Young-joon of the Seoul High Court and Judge Wi Kwang-ha of the same court are under review for the nomination, according to a presidential official. (…….)

The possible nomination of Lee is sparking debate, as he previously served as the president’s defense lawyer in a series of trials concerning allegations of election violations and unauthorized remittances to North Korea. 

The trials have been put on hold due to a South Korean president being immune from criminal prosecution while in office. 

The opposition People Power Party (PPP) criticized the presidential office over the potential nomination of Lee, saying the move would “amount to turning the judiciary into a private law firm.”

“The biggest reason why half of the people didn’t vote for President Lee Jae-myung was the suspicion and fear that he might exert influence over the judiciary if he gained control of the executive branch in addition to the legislature,” PPP spokesperson Seo Ji-young said.

Yonhap

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I hope Yoon Suk-yeol has some good lawyers because the Korean left will not be satisfied until him and his wife are thrown into jail:

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed contentious bills mandating special counsel probes into charges and scandals surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.

Three probe bills reintroduced by the Democratic Party were approved during a parliamentary plenary vote held in the afternoon. One pushes to launch a permanent special counsel to investigate 11 charges tied to Yoon’s failed martial bid in December; another seeks to mainly investigate Kim’s alleged inappropriate interference in the People Power Party’s candidate nomination process in previous general and by-elections as well as her luxury bag scandal; the third looks into the allegations that the Yoon administration interfered in the military’s investigation into a young Marine’s death in 2023.

All three bills were passed in a 194-3 vote with one abstention, in a package deal.

Korea Herald

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