Category: Politics-Korea

If she earned her money legally what business is it of anyone on how she spends it?  If anything she is a walking economic stimulus plan!:

Cho Yoon-sun, a nominee for the minister of culture, sports and tourism, was grilled at a confirmation hearing, Wednesday, over various allegations including her excessive consumption which opposition lawmakers said goes beyond common sense.

The hearing by the National Assembly Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee took place after President Park Geun-hye nominated Cho to be the minister on Aug. 16.

The morning session of the hearing was crippled due to wrangling between rival lawmakers over an issue of a supplementary budget. The afternoon session was held with only opposition lawmakers from the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and the minor opposition People’s Party attending. Lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party refused to participate in the session.

One of major controversies facing Cho was her alleged extravagant lifestyle where she has spent about 500 million won ($448,000) a year.

Rep. Kim Byung-wook from the MPK, who estimated the amount of Cho’s annual consumption after reviewing her property details and tax payment, said it was also unclear where and how Cho and her husband have spent about 1.6 billion won from 2013 to 2015.

Rep. Kim said Cho currently has a property worth an estimated 5.2 billion won, noting that this has increased by 510 million won compared to her property worth 4.69 billion won reported in 2013 when she was serving as the minister of gender equality and family.

When the income of her and her husband was added up, the couple earned a total of 3.49 billion won from 2013 to 2015, Rep. Kim said, noting that the amount of her estimated annual expense is against the common sense of ordinary people.

Kim added that the couple provided the details of expenditures for the past three years only up to 230 million won, falling short of explaining how 1.6 billion won was spent.

Cho’s alleged excessive consumption also came into the spotlight during a 2013 hearing when she was a nominee to be the gender equality minister. At that time, she said, “My husband and I are generous when meeting friends and colleagues. So we were unable to manage our income well.”

But the public repulsion seems to have not been eased after it was known that the couple has spent only 1.1 percent of their income in donations for the past three years. [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but it sounds like another one of these phony political scandals.

Cho Yun-sun (R), the nominee for culture minister, talks to an aide before her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Aug. 31, 2016. Cho is a close confidante of President Park Geun-hye, having served as her minister of gender equality and senior secretary for political affairs. (Yonhap)

Who do these leftist politicians serve, the people of South Korea or China?:

President Park Geun-hye Monday lashed out at political rivals’ opposition to the deployment of a U.S.-made missile defense system, saying issues of national security should be bipartisan.

The president’s sharpest criticism was aimed at six first-term Minjoo Party lawmakers who embarked on a three-day visit to Beijing on Monday, describing them as siding with Beijing on the missile system deployment, which it vociferously opposes.

At a regular senior secretariat meeting at the Blue House, Park noted it was the basic responsibility of politicians “to work in a bipartisan manner and avoid creating internal divisions when it comes to issues of national security.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but this is just another example of how the Korean left is trying to keep the THAAD issue alive to use as a political weapon during next year’s Presidential race.

The expansion of the anti-corruption law is clearly targeted at the unions and civic groups that are largely left leaning.  With that said will these anti-corruption laws just make these groups instead focus on campaign contributions like what happens in the US to influence politicians?:

Lawmakers belonging to the ruling and opposition parties are generally in favor of expanding the anti-graft law to encompass the country’s labor unions and civic groups, a poll showed Sunday.

The survey carried out on lawmakers sitting on parliament’s National Policy Committee showed 10 supporting the expansion versus five who were opposed, with four saying they did not have a view on the matter.

The poll carried out by Yonhap News Agency shows awareness among lawmakers that the law can be revised down the line to make it more comprehensive and better reflect public calls to root out graft.

The Kim Young-ran anti-graft law, named after the former Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission chief, aims to tighten loopholes in existing anti-corruption rules under which public officials cannot be punished for accepting expensive gifts and services unless there is evidence of reciprocity.

The law passed by the National Assembly in March 2015 and set to go into effect on Sept. 28 subjects public officials, journalists and private school faculty to a maximum penalty of three years in prison or a fine of five times the amount they accept in money or valuables if they exceed 1 million won (US$896) in one lump sum or 3 million won in total annually, regardless of whether it is in exchange for favors or related to their work. The regulations make it illegal to accept meals exceeding 30,000 won, presents in excess of 50,000 won, and money for congratulations and condolences of over 100,000 won, and bars people in these occupations from from making improper solicitations.

“Although it may seem excessive by some because of the considerable influence civic groups and labor unions exert on society, it only makes sense that they are covered by the law,” a ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker said.

He pointed out that it makes no sense to include journalists and schoolteachers who are not public servants, while leaving out unionists and civic group members.  [Yonhap]

It will be interesting to see what the reaction to this is going to be.  It is difficult to lobby publicly against an anti-corruption law that is trying to end bribery.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a former head of the minor opposition People’s Party, speaks during a debate on the deployment of a sophisticated U.S. missile defense system in South Korea at the National Assembly Building in Seoul on July 14, 2016. Ahn, a potential candidate for the next presidential election, again voiced his opposition to the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here. (Yonhap)

South Korean president says nuclear North Korea not sustainable as nuclear power https://t.co/NqZ6jSbeTO

— Elizabeth Shim (@GlobalAsianista) June 24, 2016

It looks like if Ban Ki-moon wants the job as President of South Korea, it is his to lose:

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led all potential presidential contenders in a poll after he made the strongest hint yet of a possible run in next year’s election.

In a poll conducted by the JoongAng Ilbo on Friday and Saturday of 1,000 eligible voters nationwide, respondents were asked who they would like to see as Korea’s next president. Ban topped the list with 28.4 percent, followed by Moon Jae-in of the Minjoo Party of Korea with 16.2 percent. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-leader of the People’s Party, came in third with 11.9 percent.

The poll was seen as a testament to Ban’s far-reaching appeal to voters and a favorable image formed by his 10-year leadership of the United Nations.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who expressed an objection to Ban running, citing a UN resolution that calls on UN chiefs to refrain from taking government jobs, came in fourth with 7.2 percent, trailed by former Saenuri Chairman Kim Moo-sung with 4.2 percent.

In a three-way race with Moon and Ahn, both from the liberal bloc, Ban was far ahead of the two, with 45.7 percent of support, while Moon received 24.6 percent and Ahn had 20.1 percent. Of all respondents, 9.7 percent said they didn’t have a favorite.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

I have always liked Ban Ki-moon because when he was the foreign minister of South Korea he was the voice of sanity during the administration of Roh Moo-hyun.  Even during the fervent anti-American years Ban Ki-moon would still visit US military installations in Korea to thank US servicemembers for their service.  With that all said he is running the UN about as I expected.  Ban is a consensus builder and not a change agent.  He can run things low key and competently within an established framework which right now it appears this is what Korean voters want for their President.

https://twitter.com/geoffrey_cain/status/734364020447154176

It is always tough to run against candidates that promise free stuff to the public without the responsibility that goes along with paying for it:

President Park Geun-hye warned against the dangers of populist campaign pledges Friday, stressing that maintaining fiscal soundness is a key factor that the government should take into account in setting its 2017 budget proposal.

“Laws containing populist ideas will burden not only the current generation but the next,” Park said chairing the national fiscal strategy meeting at the presidential office. She added excessive spending on welfare could have an impact on the country’s long-term fiscal health.

The chief executive also advocated special administrative rules like the “pay-go” system. The system makes clear that any additional outlays must be offset by spending cuts or revenue increases.

“The problem of maintaining long-term fiscal soundness is something that is agreed upon by the people,” the president pointed out.

At the meeting that sets government guidelines on spending, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said it will maintain its expansionary fiscal policy mode for the next five years to prop up the economy. It, however, said every effort is going to be made to cut unnecessary outlays.

The ministry moreover has been moving to streamline the public sector to get rid of overlapping institutions. This can save money and lead to a more efficient fiscal spending structure.

The chief executive’s latest remarks apparently came after the political parties spearheaded different welfare pledges in the lead-up to the April 13 parliamentary elections.

Kim Chong-in, interim chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, stressed the importance of “productive welfare,” saying that the expanded welfare policy will eventually induce growth in related industries, such as health and medical services.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

S. Korea polls put conservatives near double support ratings of main opposition. They won fewer seats. (Gallup data) pic.twitter.com/UkAknhQFCY

— Alastair Gale (@AlastairGale) April 14, 2016