President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday denounced the alleged speculative purchases of land by officials of the state-run housing developer, calling the snowballing insider trading scandal “unacceptable.”  “It is unacceptable that officials at public organizations or public servants make speculative land purchases based on related information. This is an act of undermining our society’s integrity and trust,” Moon said before a luncheon meeting with floor leaders o

Stepping into his interim role as the acting chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon pledged Wednesday to lead the party with an acute sense of urgency. "I will be serving in the (new) party seat with the acute determination to spend the two months as if they are two years," Kim said during a meeting of the top party council, which he presided over for the first time as the acting DP chairman. "With about a month to go before the April 7 by-elections (fo

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed the police and prosecution on Wednesday to work closely together to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung called the police and prosecution chiefs to a meeting, along with the justice and interior ministers, to discuss how they can collaborate to investigate the allegations of speculative land purchases by Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) employees. "More important than anything is organic commun

Hwang Kyo-ahn, a former leader of the main opposition party who has been out of the public eye since an election defeat last year, said Wednesday he will rise up against what he calls the Moon Jae-in government's "tyranny," practically declaring his return to politics. "I will be the first to rise up, however meager (my capacity is). I will muster my courage ... to go 'among the people' again to share their indignation against the Moon administration and safeguard the spark of ho

President Moon Jae-in will have a luncheon meeting with floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Attending the session to be held at the presidential compound in Seoul are Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, the DP's floor leader, and his party colleagues in charge of strategy and negotiations at the National Assembly. Kim has become the party's acting chief with the resignation of Lee Nak-yon the previous day. It would mark the first time for Moon to hold a

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), stepped down from his post in the party Tuesday, in his bid to run for presidency next year. The five-term lawmaker officially announced his resignation during a press conference in Seoul. Lee's departure comes more than six months after he was elected as the DP chairman in late August and exactly one year before the next presidential election slated for March 9, 2022. The resignation is in compliance with the DP's internal constitu

President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Tuesday for the government to go ahead with plans to expand the housing supply in spite of alleged speculative land purchases by employees of the state housing corporation, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon called for a two-track approach of looking thoroughly into relevant suspicions and pushing speedily for public-led construction of apartments aimed at stabilizing the housing market, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. "(Public) trust in

President Moon Jae-in called Monday for systemic cooperation between the prosecution service and the police in looking into the current land speculation scandal involving employees at the state housing corporation, Cheong Wa Dae said. "All administrative and investigative power that the country has should be mobilized. We must not let the people down," he was quoted as saying in his closing statement during a session to receive policy briefings from the Ministry of Justice and the Min

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Monday ordered the creation of a police-led investigative team to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung gave the order to Nam Gu-jun, the inaugural chief of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the National Police Agency, during a meeting in which Nam briefed the prime minister on the police's own investigation plans regarding the issue. The scandal centers on allegations that more than a dozen emp

The Constitutional Court on Monday rejected a request by retired judge Lim Seong-geun to exclude a particular justice from his impeachment trial. Lim filed the motion that the court should except Justice Lee Suk-tae from the upcoming trial, questioning Lee's capability to render a fair and impartial verdict, given his former legal activities. The eight justices of the court unanimously decided that there were not "objective circumstances" to accept the request. Lim was impeached las

President Moon Jae-in called on the state prosecution service Monday to earn public trust, saying the separation of its rights to investigate crimes and indict suspects is necessary to reform the prosecution. The prosecution should be able to assure the public that the exercise of its rights is fair, not arbitrary or selective, he stressed. There has been no improvement, however, in public confidence in the prosecution's impartiality despite efforts by most prosecutors, he added. The presiden

A progressive lawmaker said Monday she will push for a law revision in collaboration with two civic groups to toughen punishment of public officials who use inside information to speculate on land that is under review or chosen for a state housing project. Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, former head of the minor opposition Justice Party, and two civic groups -- People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Lawyers for a Democratic Society -- announced the plan to revise the Special Act on Public Ho

His political moves draw mixed reactions from politicians

President Moon Jae-in pledged Monday to redouble efforts to create a world where women can play the "role of leaders with equal rights" in every field. He issued the message on the occasion of International Women's Day. "When more women can work in a greater variety of positions without career interruptions, an inclusive recovery and leap forward will also accelerate," he wrote on his social messaging accounts. Even amid the difficulties caused by COVID-19, women have been

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is leading the ruling Democratic Party (DP) in public approval in Seoul, the latest opinion poll showed Monday, a month before a mayoral by-election in the capital. The poll conducted on 2,006 voters nationwide from Tuesday to Friday by Realmeter showed the PPP scored 34.2 percent of the support in Seoul while the DP had 29.6 percent. The PPP retook the lead after the DP was 1.8 percentage point ahead in the previous survey by the same pollster.