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Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Presidential aide steps down over book defending Yoon's martial law
Kang Jun-wook, the presidential secretary for national integration, resigned Tuesday, the presidential office has announced, after drawing public criticism over his book defending former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. Merely a week after President Lee Jae Myung named Kang to take on the newly established position within his office, the secretary offered to resign in them morning, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The president accepted the resignation after considering 'the public opinion that (Kang's beliefs) do not align with the governing philosophy and principles of the administration,' the spokesperson added. Public concerns were stoked after it was found that Kang, who had been tasked with unifying a politically divided country, expressed opinions aligned with far-right ideologies through social media and a book published in the past. Kang published a political commentary book in March this year that contained portions supporting Yoon's martial law bid. '(Yoon's) martial law was imposed as an act of rebellion as he could no longer bear the violent abuse of power of the majority party,' he wrote in the book, referring to the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds a firm parliamentary majority. He added that the public's view of Yoon's martial law as an act of insurrection is the result of manipulation of opinion by the Democratic Party. A Facebook post uploaded by Kang around 2018 also reflected pro-Japan views, as he supported the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule over Korea as a way of modernization, while undermining the forced nature of Japan's wartime military sexual slavery. 'The attitude of the Japanese people is too respectful to have recklessly taken away anyone from the streets, including comfort women,' Kang wrote, using the euphemistic term for Korean victims of sexual slavery. 'I believe that the colonial rule modernized (Korea) and do not believe in forced labor.' Far-right scholars tend to deprecate independence fighters against Japan in the early 20th century as terrorists, based on a view that Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule helped Korea modernize. The presidential office said it plans to name as Kang's successor another conservative figure who shares the Lee administration's political philosophy. In recent weeks, several of Lee's Cabinet picks have been mired in controversies. Kang's resignation closely follows the president's decision to withdraw his nomination of Education Minister Lee Jin-sook, following allegations of academic plagiarism and of breaking the law to send her daughter to study overseas. The former nominee had apologized for sending her daughter overseas in 2007, when she was a ninth grader, against Korean law that stipulates compulsory education through middle school, which ends after ninth grade. However, she denied allegations of academic plagiarism. The president appears, on the other hand, likely to push forward with the appointment of Gender Minister nominee Kang Sun-woo, who has been accused of mistreating staff members at her legislative office in recent years as a two-term Democratic Party lawmaker. Kang Sun-woo is alleged to have replaced staff members 46 times over just five years and made demands of them outside of their legislative support duties, such as asking them to fix her toilet, according to reports. The nominee said at her hearing that the correct figure was actually 27, not 46. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said at Tuesday's morning press briefing that President Lee is expected to file a request with the National Assembly by the end of the day to reconsider and adopt Kang's personnel hearing report. The rival parties last week failed to agree on the adoption of Kang's personnel hearing report, which is a mandatory step in a Cabinet nomination. Yet while Cabinet ministers are required to undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing, their appointment by the president is not contingent on the Assembly's approval.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Corporate anxiety
DP pushing 'Yellow Envelope Law'; Corporate tax rates to be raised back Korean companies are concerned that the Lee Jae Myung administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea are stepping up legislation that could add to their burdens, following the revision of the Commercial Act. The revised Commercial Act proposed by the party passed the National Assembly on July 3. The revision expands the fiduciary duty of corporate board members to serve the interests not only of their companies but of shareholders as well. Business circles worry that the change could make directors avoid long-term investments because of shareholder objections. Last Friday, Democratic Party lawmakers presented a bill to revise the Labor Union Act — a proposal known as the "Yellow Envelope Law" — to the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee, then proceeded to forward it to the subcommittee for deliberation. The party, which has a large majority in parliament, vowed to get the bill passed in an extraordinary session of the Assembly next month. Article 2 of the Labor Union Act revision would require primary contractors to bargain collectively with the employees of subcontractors. Article 3 makes it practically impossible for companies to claim damages from workers taking industrial action. If hundreds or thousands of subcontractor employees were to demand collective bargaining, subcontractors and the large companies that outsource work to them could be mired in incessant labor disputes. The article limiting damage claims against workers could encourage more industrial action. For these reasons, former President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed the bill twice. The deepening anxiety of companies is understandable. Koo Yun-cheol, the nominee for deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, mentioned the decline in corporate tax revenue during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly last Thursday. He said he would consider restoring the higher corporate tax rates that the Yoon administration lowered. The Moon Jae-in government raised corporate tax rates to a range of 10-25 percent, then the Yoon administration eased them by 1 percentage point to 9-24 percent. Koo blamed the tax cuts for a decrease in corporate tax revenue. He argued that the tax reductions failed to have the desired effects, such as increased investment and economic growth. Corporate tax revenue decreased from 103 trillion won ($74 billion) in 2022 to 80 trillion won in 2023 and 62 trillion won in 2024. Koo is mistaken. Corporate tax revenue did not shrink by 41 trillion won in two years because of tax rate reductions. The biggest factor was the deterioration of business performance, affected by an export slowdown and a semiconductor slump. Unless the economy improves, raising corporate tax rates will not guarantee an increase in tax revenue. Rather, it could reduce tax revenue by dampening corporate investment. If corporate tax revenue diminished because of a weaker economy, common sense says to help businesses attain better results by lowering tax rates. However, Koo says he would do the opposite. The US and European countries offer tax incentives to foster their strategic industries and attract foreign investments. It is questionable whether revising the tax code to increase tax collection can enhance companies' international competitiveness. In his meeting with Korean business leaders last month, President Lee promised to fully support their business activities. Last week, he had separate dinners with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Eui-sun and LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo to discuss trade issues. Lee emphasized cooperation between the government and their businesses. But the bill to amend the Labor Union Act is far from a show of support for companies. Lee's economic policy seems to be deviating from the pragmatism that he vowed to champion. If revising the Labor Union Act is inevitable, lawmakers may as well hold further discussions about whether to make it mandatory for primary contractors to bargain collectively with subcontractor employees.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Mandatory USIM encryption, penalties for safety negligence
Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Personal Information Protection Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Woo-young (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This bill would expand requirements for mandatory encryption, currently limited to personally identifiable information and biometric data, to include USIM-related data. Proposed bill: Special Act on Construction Safety Proposed by Rep. Moon Jin-seog (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This bill would impose a business suspension of up to one year or a penalty surcharge of up to 3 percent of sales on construction firms, construction engineering businesses, and architects whose negligence in fulfilling safety management duties results in a fatality. Pending bill: Partial Amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Yong-woo (Democratic Party of Korea), Rep. Shin Chang-sik (Rebuilding Korea Party) and Rep. Jung Hye-kyung (Progressive Party) ● This bill would strengthen limits on corporate damage claims against unions and redefine 'worker' to include union organizers and members, while broadening the scope of 'employer' to include persons having de facto control over the working conditions of workers. Promulgated bill: Enforcement Decree of the Petroleum and Alternative Fuel Business Act Competent authority: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy ● Effective July 1, the amended law extends the reduced surcharge on natural gas imports for petroleum refiners, exporters, and importers of non-power generation natural gas through the end of the year, setting the surcharge at 20,605 won ($14.79) per ton. Administrative announcement: Partial Amendment to the Employment Insurance Act Competent authority: Ministry of Employment and Labor ● The draft amendment would revise the eligibility criteria for employment insurance by replacing the previous 'working hours' standard with an income-based threshold, thereby allowing part-time workers to enroll. The Korea Herald republishes a weekly legislative report by local law firm DR & AJU LLC to provide the latest information on bills approved, proposed, pending and set to be promulgated. — Ed.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae Myung pulls Education Minister nomination
President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday pulled Lee Jin-sook's nomination to become Education Minister in an unconventional fashion for South Korea's politics, Woo Sang-ho, Lee's senior secretary for political affairs, said in a briefing Sunday. Lee Jin-sook, who became the first minister nominee to have dropped out under the new administration, was one of the liberal president's picks for inaugural Cabinet members. But the 65-year-old has been embroiled in allegations related to academic plagiarism and excessive spending on her children's education overseas, which allegedly involved her violation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. "After contemplation, President Lee decided to withdraw his nomination of Lee Jin-sook as the Education Minister," Woo told reporters. Woo said he had briefed the president about the controversies and public views regarding Cabinet nominees, including the embattled Education Minister nominee, after the president held a closed-door meeting Saturday with floor leaders of rival parties. the the meeting, main opposition whip Rep. Song Eon-seog demanded that the president cancel at least two of his minister nominations. Woo added that the president's decision came after serious contemplation on Sunday afternoon, without further elaborating on how he reached his conclusion. A president's withdrawal is seen as a rare move in South Korea's politics, as most of South Korea's ministerial nominees have voluntarily withdrawn from their positions before the presidential office made any announcement. A notable exception was Cho Dong-ho, who was nominated as the Science Minister in 2019 by former President Moon Jae-in, but his nomination was canceled. However, Lee's decision Sunday translates into his possible greenlight on another controversial Gender Minister nominee, Rep. Kang Sun-woo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Woo confirmed Lee did not withdraw his nomination of Kang, without providing a reason. Kang is alleged to have abused her authority by asking her secretaries to do her personal chores and by making false statements at the hearing to conceal wrongdoing Meanwhile, Woo also confirmed a news report on Sunday that National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac was flying to Washington for talks with undisclosed government officials there. Woo added Wi's trip "is not the last one" before the proposed Aug. 1 deadline for the US tariff hike on South Korean imports and will take place "any time he finds it necessary."
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae Myung faces mounting criticism over minister picks
President Lee Jae Myung faces calls to cancel some ministerial picks as he moves to fill Cabinet posts, while all eyes are on whether Lee will override the criticism raised against some nominees. The conservative main opposition People Power Party's interim leader, Rep. Song Eon-seog, demanded that Lee not proceed with presidential nominations of at least two nominees at a closed-door meeting with President Lee and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's floor leader Rep. Kim Byung-kee, according to the People Power Party. There, Kim demanded that Lee approve all 16 minister nominees who completed the confirmation hearing over the past week. This came alongside the main opposition party's statement Sunday that the presidential nominations of Rep. Kang Sun-woo to lead the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and former Chungnam National University President Lee Jin-sook for Education Minister should be withdrawn. In South Korea, a president may proceed with the approval of their nominations for all Cabinet ministers once they have undergone a parliamentary confirmation hearing. The National Assembly is supposed to adopt confirmation hearing reports if the two rival parties agree on the presidential nomination, but they are not required for a president to proceed with his approval. Kang, a two-time lawmaker of the ruling party, is suspected of having abused her authority by asking her secretaries to do her personal chores. Lee is embroiled in allegations related to academic plagiarism and excessive spending on her children's education overseas, which allegedly involved a violation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The brewing controversy over Lee's nomination of Kang has drawn mixed reactions, even from within the ruling party. Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who openly expressed support for Kang by describing her as not only "a warmhearted mother and outstanding lawmaker" but also a "soon-to-be gender equality minister," has taken the lead in the primary to elect the new chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Jung's contender and former party whip Rep. Park Chan-dae, on the other hand, called for prudence before the presidential confirmation of the matter. According to the presidential office, Lee was to make up his mind on his nominations following a presidential office closed-door briefing on Sunday; his final decision had yet to be announced as of press time. Meanwhile, such controversies appear to have had little impact on Lee's popularity. A poll by Gallup Korea showed Friday that Lee's job approval rating reached 64 percent, as responses hovered around the mid-60 percent range over the past month. Among those who disapproved of Lee's performance, only 11 percent cited his presidential nominations as the reason for their disapproval. Before Sunday, Lee approved the nominations of six ministers of the Cabinet. These are Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yoon-cheol, Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Interior Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok gained a final presidential confirmation on July 3. They were among the 16 ministerial nominees who underwent confirmation hearings throughout the previous week. Along with them, Lim Kwang-hyun, who was picked for the role of the chief of the tax authorities — a vice-ministerial level position — also went through the hearing. South Korea's Cabinet comprises 20 members, including a prime minister and 19 ministers. Among them, incumbent Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung, who had been serving in the role before President Lee took office, will not undergo a confirmation hearing. The two remaining nominees — Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport — have yet to go through confirmation hearings.
