New South Korean leader goes bold with national finance
Lee, who was elected on June 3 in a snap election, said it was his top priority to improve the lives of the people, whose faith in government had been greatly shaken by "a national crisis" that hammered Asia's fourth-largest economy.
"It is a time when the proactive and bold role of national finance is more important than ever," Lee, who has pledged to implement expansionary fiscal policy, said on Thursday in his opening remarks at a news conference to mark 30 days in office.
Lee's predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law in December, shocking a nation that had come to pride itself as a thriving democracy having overcome military dictatorship in the 1980s and triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis.
Lee's administration has proposed $US14.7 billion ($A22 billion) of extra government spending to support sluggish domestic demand. Parliament controlled by his Democratic Party is expected to vote on the budget bill soon.
The president also said in his opening remarks that he was doing his best to achieve a "mutually beneficial and sustainable" outcome from trade negotiations with the United States.
South Korea is hoping to contain the impact of US President Donald Trump's threatened punishing tariffs that could weigh on an export-reliant economy with major semiconductor, auto and steel industries.
Lee said tariff negotiations with the United States had "not been easy," and he could not say if an agreement was possible in time for Washington's July 8 deadline when tough reciprocal import duties are set to kick in.
During high-level trade talks in June, Washington raised issues related to South Korea's non-tariff barriers, as Seoul already imposes nearly zero tariffs on US imports under a free trade agreement, a senior South Korean trade official has said.
Lee, a liberal former human rights lawyer, said the alliance with the United States was the cornerstone of his foreign policy, but pledged a pragmatic approach as the basis of a speedy effort to improve ties with China and Russia.
Peace with North Korea was not only a national security priority, but a crucial part of a "virtuous cycle of peace and economic growth", he said.
Lee said tension with Pyongyang has had a real negative economic impact despite South Korea's strong military capabilities, funded by a defence budget larger than the North's total economic output.
"Even if you're at war, you have to have diplomacy and dialogue. To completely cut off dialogue is truly foolish," Lee said when asked about his plans on relations with Pyongyang. The two Koreas remain technically in a state of war under a truce that ended fighting in 1953.
He said he had been surprised by the swift response from North Korea after he suspended loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts directed across the border and said he would take additional steps to ease tensions.
Under Yoon, who took a hard line against Pyongyang, the two sides scrapped a 2018 military agreement that sharply escalated hostility.
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ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
South Korea's new president faces battle over gender equality
In South Korea, children as young as eight are repeating misogynistic slurs they picked up from YouTube and online forums. "They think it's just a joke," said Seonyeong Baek, a researcher who studies online hate. "But it's actually a serious problem in everyday speech." This isn't fringe behaviour. It's part of a larger shift — where incel rhetoric and anti-feminist backlash have spilled from internet communities into real life, shaping how young people talk, how women are treated at work, and even how the government sets policy. President Lee Jae-myung's recent win gave many women hope that the country would finally tackle gender inequality. But so far, that hope is clashing with deep-rooted bias, rising digital abuse, and a culture that still treats working mothers like a problem to solve. South Korea has the worst gender pay gap in the developed world — hovering near 30 per cent — but that barely scratches the surface. "It's not always about the wage," said Hyunsook Jung from the southern port city of Mokpo. "It's about where the ladder stops." Even in female-heavy industries like fashion, she watched men rocket past her into overseas roles and executive positions. "When both parents work, it's still the mother who prepares meals, cares for in-laws, and gets the first phone call from school. That's the default," she said. The message is clear: women can work, but they're still expected to run the household — and look good doing it. "Korean women and working mothers still find themselves torn between being the 'perfect mother' and the 'perfect professional,'" said Young Ha Yoon, a 50-year-old mother from Incheon. Exit polls showed the majority of women voted for Mr Lee. Many voters, like Ms Hyunsook, told the ABC they wanted practical changes — stable economic policy, affordable child care, and more support for working mothers. JH, a mother of two from Gwangju who asked not to be identified, hoped the new government would help women stay in the workforce after childbirth — a key concern in a country with one of the world's lowest birth rates. "Flexible hours, reliable personal leave, and a workplace culture that supports carers should be treated as essential, not optional," she said. Some women spoke of returning to work just two months after giving birth. "Waiting lists are long for child care, and the hours don't reflect the reality of working parents," said Ms Young from Incheon. She said there had been some progress, citing "Women's Re-employment Centres". But barriers after career breaks remain. "The causes of the wage gap are complex — career interruptions, promotion discrimination, job instability, and gender-based job segregation," she said. "The government is looking at equal pay policies and a wage transparency system." Others described stress balancing long work hours and difficulties with solo parenting. Former president Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality. Mr Yoon's People Power Party leaned on that rhetoric, pushing many women to support the Democratic Party instead. "Not only did female approval ratings for the Democrats rise, but voter turnout among women — especially younger ones — increased," said Jeong Han-wool, a polling expert at the Research Institute of Korean People. The ministry — which translated literally from Korean is called the "Ministry of Women" — has faced criticism for underperformance and Mr Yoon's conservative base called it unfair to men. Yet analysts say its existence remains important. In early July, the ministry announced monthly support payments for single-parent families of 200,000 South Korean won ($220). The ministry also supports victims of sexual violence with a hotline service. The ABC contacted the South Korean government for comment. Mr Lee has tried to appease both sides, offering a rebrand of the department instead. "It's optics, not substance," said Youngmi Kim, a senior lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. "Renaming it won't fix structural problems — discrimination, career gaps, safety." Despite the pay gap, in a 2019 survey Mr Jeong found that nearly 70 per cent of men in their 20s think discrimination against men is serious. He said there had been a rise in the zero-sum thinking that women's gains come at men's expense. Much of this resentment brews in online echo chambers like Ilbe and FM Korea, both internet forums where anti-feminist comments flow, according to researchers. Ilbe gained notoriety in 2014 when its users mocked grieving parents of the Sewol ferry disaster by holding pizza parties during hunger strikes. "It wasn't just misogyny anymore. It became politicised — anti-liberal, anti-feminist, and deeply disrespectful," Ms Baek said. Since then, it's gotten darker. "Men come out of the compulsory military for two years and see their female peers ahead in the workplace," said Professor Kim. "There's a lot of anger," she added. But Mr Jeong cautioned against generalisation. "The narrative of young Korean men turning radical is often overstated. Most don't support extreme views. Many actually back reforms like increased conscript pay and more inclusive military policies." The term "incel" — involuntary celibate — originated in North America, but in South Korea, it has found a uniquely local expression. Ilbe is one of the most notorious communities. Ms Baek said the incel mindset was trickling down into universities. And it's not just words. There's a surge in deepfake porn, often made and shared by young men and even boys in middle school. Telegram chatrooms swap non-consensual AI-generated nudes like trading cards, Ms Baek said. "They don't even see it as a crime — it's just entertainment for them," she said. Students even compiled spreadsheets listing deepfake porn chat groups. Most of these deepfake communities operate on encrypted platforms like Telegram, making regulation difficult. The government has laws to punish people who possess or share deepfakes, regardless of their intent. But enforcement remains weak. "There's no way to monitor chat rooms unless someone reports it," Ms Baek said. "So if no-one speaks up, no-one is caught." Last year, nearly 800 people sought help from the national digital sex crime centre — an 11-fold increase since 2018. Telegram cannot proactively moderate private groups but accepts reports from users, NGOs and authorities. Mr Lee's approach has been described as cautious — more reactive than visionary. Mr Jeong said there was agreement that the pay gap should be closed. "But very little serious diagnosis of where and why it happens — and almost no concrete proposals on how to fix it." He noted that anti-feminist commentators often dismiss the gap as a statistical illusion. "That argument continues to muddy the public debate and prevent real progress," he said. Women's rights groups have been treading cautiously in recent months, avoiding open confrontations amid political uncertainty after Mr Yoon's failed martial law attempts. Still, activists hope to see movement on key issues: wage transparency, a consent-based rape law, LGBTQ+ protections, and gender equality lessons replacing patchy sex education at schools. So far, most of these are missing from the administration's early agenda. Despite the polarisation, some common ground is emerging: many across the political spectrum now recognise the urgency of tackling deepfake abuse and digital sexual violence. But broader reforms — from equal pay and childcare policy to cultural norms in the home and workplace — will require more than tweaks or rebranding. As polling expert Mr Jeong put it: "The political crisis has suppressed contentious issues like gender equality. But that doesn't mean they've gone away." Ms Young said the work ahead is clear. She said Korean women are stuck between policies that look good on paper, and a reality that hasn't caught up. "Although Korea's policies have made significant progress, workplace culture and societal perceptions are evolving more slowly."
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
South Korea's top court clears Samsung chairman Lee
South Korea's top court has upheld a not guilty verdict for the chairman of Samsung Electronics Jay Y Lee, backing two lower court rulings clearing him of accounting fraud and stock manipulation related to an $US8 billion ($A12 billion) merger in 2015. The Supreme Court's verdict on Thursday permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee as Samsung plays catch-up in a global race to develop cutting-edge AI chips. The Supreme Court upheld an appeals court's ruling dismissing all the charges in the case involving the merger a decade ago between two Samsung affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, which prosecutors said was designed to cement Lee's control of the tech giant. A lower court last year had also cleared Lee of the charges. Samsung's lawyers said they were "sincerely grateful" to the court for its decision and added in a statement that the ruling confirmed that the merger was legal. Samsung Electronics shares were little changed after the ruling, up 1.7 per cent. The Supreme Court ruling was widely expected, but comes at a critical moment for Lee, who has faced mounting questions about his ability to lead Samsung Electronics - the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker - as it grapples with growing competition and playing catch-up in artificial intelligence chips. For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma. South Korea's top court has upheld a not guilty verdict for the chairman of Samsung Electronics Jay Y Lee, backing two lower court rulings clearing him of accounting fraud and stock manipulation related to an $US8 billion ($A12 billion) merger in 2015. The Supreme Court's verdict on Thursday permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee as Samsung plays catch-up in a global race to develop cutting-edge AI chips. The Supreme Court upheld an appeals court's ruling dismissing all the charges in the case involving the merger a decade ago between two Samsung affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, which prosecutors said was designed to cement Lee's control of the tech giant. A lower court last year had also cleared Lee of the charges. Samsung's lawyers said they were "sincerely grateful" to the court for its decision and added in a statement that the ruling confirmed that the merger was legal. Samsung Electronics shares were little changed after the ruling, up 1.7 per cent. The Supreme Court ruling was widely expected, but comes at a critical moment for Lee, who has faced mounting questions about his ability to lead Samsung Electronics - the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker - as it grapples with growing competition and playing catch-up in artificial intelligence chips. For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma. South Korea's top court has upheld a not guilty verdict for the chairman of Samsung Electronics Jay Y Lee, backing two lower court rulings clearing him of accounting fraud and stock manipulation related to an $US8 billion ($A12 billion) merger in 2015. The Supreme Court's verdict on Thursday permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee as Samsung plays catch-up in a global race to develop cutting-edge AI chips. The Supreme Court upheld an appeals court's ruling dismissing all the charges in the case involving the merger a decade ago between two Samsung affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, which prosecutors said was designed to cement Lee's control of the tech giant. A lower court last year had also cleared Lee of the charges. Samsung's lawyers said they were "sincerely grateful" to the court for its decision and added in a statement that the ruling confirmed that the merger was legal. Samsung Electronics shares were little changed after the ruling, up 1.7 per cent. The Supreme Court ruling was widely expected, but comes at a critical moment for Lee, who has faced mounting questions about his ability to lead Samsung Electronics - the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker - as it grapples with growing competition and playing catch-up in artificial intelligence chips. For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma. South Korea's top court has upheld a not guilty verdict for the chairman of Samsung Electronics Jay Y Lee, backing two lower court rulings clearing him of accounting fraud and stock manipulation related to an $US8 billion ($A12 billion) merger in 2015. The Supreme Court's verdict on Thursday permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee as Samsung plays catch-up in a global race to develop cutting-edge AI chips. The Supreme Court upheld an appeals court's ruling dismissing all the charges in the case involving the merger a decade ago between two Samsung affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, which prosecutors said was designed to cement Lee's control of the tech giant. A lower court last year had also cleared Lee of the charges. Samsung's lawyers said they were "sincerely grateful" to the court for its decision and added in a statement that the ruling confirmed that the merger was legal. Samsung Electronics shares were little changed after the ruling, up 1.7 per cent. The Supreme Court ruling was widely expected, but comes at a critical moment for Lee, who has faced mounting questions about his ability to lead Samsung Electronics - the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker - as it grapples with growing competition and playing catch-up in artificial intelligence chips. For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
South Korea's top court clears Samsung chairman Lee
South Korea's top court has upheld a not guilty verdict for the chairman of Samsung Electronics Jay Y Lee, backing two lower court rulings clearing him of accounting fraud and stock manipulation related to an $US8 billion ($A12 billion) merger in 2015. The Supreme Court's verdict on Thursday permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee as Samsung plays catch-up in a global race to develop cutting-edge AI chips. The Supreme Court upheld an appeals court's ruling dismissing all the charges in the case involving the merger a decade ago between two Samsung affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, which prosecutors said was designed to cement Lee's control of the tech giant. A lower court last year had also cleared Lee of the charges. Samsung's lawyers said they were "sincerely grateful" to the court for its decision and added in a statement that the ruling confirmed that the merger was legal. Samsung Electronics shares were little changed after the ruling, up 1.7 per cent. The Supreme Court ruling was widely expected, but comes at a critical moment for Lee, who has faced mounting questions about his ability to lead Samsung Electronics - the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker - as it grapples with growing competition and playing catch-up in artificial intelligence chips. For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma.
