The facts of his kids getting into the same college he was the President of seems less concerning to me than the draft exemption his son received:
Health Minister nominee Chung Ho-young arrives at an office set up for the nominee in Seoul on April 18, 2022. (Yonhap)
The office of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that whether the health minister nominee is fit for office should be determined after his confirmation hearing, despite calls for withdrawing the nomination over suspicions he used his position to get his children into a medical school.
The nomination of Chung Ho-young, a former chief of Kyungpook National University Hospital, has become the hottest political issue after allegations surfaced that he used his position to help his daughter and son gain admission to the university’s medical school and exempt his son from active duty military service.
You can read more at the link, but the facts around his kids admission seem flimsy to me. However, his son claiming a back injury is preventing him from doing his mandatory active military service I find questionable. The medical exam for the exemption was done at his father’s university hospital:
On Oct. 27, 2015, Chung’s son visited Kyungpook National University Hospital again. The medical certificate issued for military examination stated on Oct. 29, 2015 that “Patient is waiting follow-up after being diagnosed with a herniated disc in the 5th to 6th lumbar vertebrae.” On Nov. 6, Chung’s son was diagnosed with a “spine disease” during a second physical examination at Daegu Gyeongbuk Regional Military Manpower Administrationand deemed a Level 4 draftee, eligible for a desk job instead of active-duty service.
Chung’s son completed his military service by working at a desk job instead of active-duty service. It was also notable that Chung’s son only spent about 150,000 won for medical expenses over the past five years, according to press accounts, suggesting a good level of health.
If his back is so bad that he can’t do active military service than he should have a long medical record of physical therapy, acupuncture, and follow up medical examinations. If the 150,000 won figure is true then all this follow treatment was likely not done which shows his back must not hurt all that bad.
It looks like President Moon was serious about assisting President-Elect Yoon with moving the presidential office after initial skepticism:
This file photo from March 22, 2022, shows the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul. (Yonhap)
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved 36 billion won (US$29.5 million) in reserve government funds for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plan to relocate the presidential office.
The spending was approved in an extraordinary Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, a day after President Moon Jae-in ordered the swift approval of the relocation budget.
Kim said the approval was made in the context of cooperation for a “smooth government transition without a security vacuum” amid the heightening situation on the Korean Peninsula.
This all should have happened many years ago, so it will be interesting to see if Yoon is able to get any traction on moving more of the government to Sejong City:
An aerial view of Sejong Government Complex. Korea Times file
The incoming administration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is moving to elevate the status of Sejong City, an administrative town 144 kilometers south of Seoul, as illustrated by the transition committee’s plan to transfer major components of the National Assembly to Sejong and set up a second presidential office there by 2027, according to government officials Thursday.
Setting up the second presidential office and a legislative building in Sejong was a key campaign pledge of Yoon, a vision he said would cement the sparsely populated city as the administrative capital where a number of central government ministries and state-run organizations will be relocated.
The city houses 47 central administrative organizations, 16 state think tanks and 24 government-affiliated institutions. About 20 key government organizations remain in Seoul including the foreign, defense, unification and gender equality ministries.
You can read more at the link, but the move the Sejong City reminds me a lot of the move to Camp Humphreys by USFK. That move took much longer than it should of because people were comfortable at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul and thus no urgency to complete the move. There is probably few people working in the Korean government that want to move out of Seoul as well to a rural area as well.
The Korean opposition party is not happy with President Moon’s latest interview:
Yoo Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), a former four-term lawmaker and a former presidential candidate in the 2017 election, looks at a memorial of the war dead during his visit to the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Friday, the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, in this photo provided by Yoo’s office. Yonhap
Members of the country’s conservative opposition bloc have criticized President Moon Jae-in’s recent interview with Time magazine, taking issue with Moon’s description of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un as honest, enthusiastic and determined, as well as the timing of the article’s publication on Thursday, the day before the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Yoo Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), a former four-term lawmaker and former presidential candidate in the 2017 election, posted on Facebook Thursday that Moon’s courting of Kim is delusional and upsets South Korean people, especially considering North Korea has issued a series of statements mocking Moon and his peace efforts.
“Who is Kim Jong-un’s honesty, passion and determination for? Is it for North Korean people? Is it for South Korean people? Or is it for North Korea’s nuclear missiles?” Yoo said. “The appearance of the President being swayed at Kim Jong-un despite so many humiliations is frustrating as a South Korean citizen.”
You would think they would have vetted this guy for property speculation before giving him the job:
Kim Gi-pyo
The presidential secretary for anti-corruption, Kim Gi-pyo, has offered to resign, the presidential office said Sunday, following allegations of real estate speculation involving multimillion dollar loans.
President Moon Jae-in also immediately accepted his resignation, according to Park Soo-hyun, Cheong Wa Dae’s senior secretary for public communication.
“Presidential secretary Kim Gi-pyo has expressed his views that, although he did not acquire the real estate for purposes of speculation, he should no longer be a burden to the state affairs given the public’s expectations of a public servant’s ethical and social responsibilities,” Park said at a briefing.
It is believed that this appointment came in response to the election of 36-year-old Lee Jun-seok to the leadership of the opposition People Power Party:
Park Seong-min, the newly appointed presidential secretary for youth-related affairs. Her appointment has raised fairness issues among young people.
Cheong Wa Dae’s appointment of a 25-year-old as a presidential secretary has created stir among politicians and citizens. While the presidential office tried to demonstrate its efforts to meet young people’s needs by appointing the political rookie to the high-ranking position, many citizens ― especially young ones ― view the appointment as “unfair” amid the reality where it is difficult for the majority of young people to get a job despite years of struggle.
On Monday, Cheong Wa Dae announced Park Seong-min’s appointment as the secretary for youth-related affairs, a newly created position.
Park was one of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) spokespeople representing young members, and was picked as a member of the party’s Supreme Council last August by then-party Chairman Lee Nak-yon. Still studying at Korea University, Park plans to request a leave of absence from the university soon, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
She will get a salary and other perks equivalent to those of first-level government officials in the nine-tier public servant system, in which the first-level is the top level.
You can read more at the link, but Lee Jun-seok was elected into Parliament a decade ago and worked his way up through the ranks to his current position. This is in contrast to Park Seong-min who has not been elected to anything and yet was appointed to her position.
Moon’s Cabinet reshuffle This combined file photo shows (from L to R) Jeon Hae-cheol, a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party; Kwon Deok-cheol, head of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute; Byeon Chang-heum, head of Korea Land and Housing Corp.; and Chung Young-ai, head of the Korea Foundation For Women, who President Moon Jae-in nominated as new ministers of interior, health, land and transport and gender equality, respectively, on Dec. 4, 2020. (Yonhap)
Huge anti-Moon, anti-Choo Mi-ae rallies were planned for 10/3 (natl holiday).
The Moon/local govts say no gathering >9, citing, u guessed it, Coronavirus. So they were going to have car rallies. The govt said no car gathering >9, & will cancel licenses.#FreedomofAssemblyhttps://t.co/V4TqBMwbCC
This is what the Korean left has wanted to acheive for years, a rubber stamp national assembly:
Main opposition United Future Party members condemn the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)’s unilateral legislative actions during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. They all wore ribbons which read “DPK: Abuse of power, Collapse of democracy.” Yonhap
Concerns are growing over the frequent railroading of controversial bills by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) without enough time for them to be discussed at the National Assembly, with the ruling party giving the excuse that the bills are related to “urgent issues.”
Calling such moves “autocratic,” opposition parties claim the ruling bloc is ruining democracy by taking advantage of its supermajority status, holding 176 among the Assembly’s 300 seats.
At a plenary session of the Assembly, Thursday, the DPK passed two of three real estate bills, which are aimed at enhancing tenants’ rights in the wake of soaring housing prices, with the remaining one likely to be passed at an upcoming plenary session to be held next Tuesday.
You can read more at the link, but this issue is just another example of the unintended brilliance of the filibuster concept in the U.S. Senate that forces a large consensus to get bills passed. Maybe Korea needs a filibuster rule added to their National Assembly.
