logo
Political leaders to attend memorial service for late President Roh

Political leaders to attend memorial service for late President Roh

Korea Herald23-05-2025

Heavyweight politicians from both liberal and conservative parties, including Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, were set to attend a memorial service Friday marking the 16th anniversary of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun.
The memorial service in the southeastern rural village of Bongha, where Roh lived after his retirement, comes ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
On the sidelines, Lee is expected to meet with former President Moon Jae-in, who served as a key secretary under Roh's administration.
Among the participants were Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim leader of the conservative People Power Party, and DP floor leader Park Chan-dae.
Early Friday, Lee also paid tribute to the late president in a Facebook post, vowing to carry on Roh's legacy of fighting for justice and follow his path of choosing "principles over compromise."
Lee Jun-seok, presidential candidate of the conservative minor New Reform Party, also paid his respects to the late president by visiting Bongha on Friday.
Roh, a liberal politician who ran the country from 2003 to 2008, leaped to his death from a cliff behind his retirement home 15 years ago amid a corruption investigation involving his family and aides. (Yonhap)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

[Editorial] No retaliation in probes
[Editorial] No retaliation in probes

Korea Herald

time30 minutes ago

  • Korea Herald

[Editorial] No retaliation in probes

Special counsels should be neutral figures to avoid suspicions of revenge, oppression Three bills mandating special counsel probes into allegations involving the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol were enacted Tuesday following approval at a Cabinet meeting. One of the bills requires special counsels to investigate insurrection and treason charges related to Yoon's failed declaration of martial law. The second bill calls for a probe into allegations against Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee. She allegedly accepted luxury goods as bribes, manipulated stock prices and intervened illegally in the People Power Party's nomination of candidates for the National Assembly. The third bill deals with the death of a Marine who drowned while searching for missing flood victims and the presidential office's alleged pressure on officials investigating his death. The bills mark the first legislation for President Lee Jae-myung since taking office last week. Their passage through the Assembly was led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Simultaneous special counsels investigating three cases against key figures from the previous administration and possibly lawmakers from the People Power Party are unprecedented. In light of the seriousness of the allegations, the truth needs to be uncovered. But the investigations should be impartial and transparent. If not, they are likely to be caught up in suspicions of political retaliation. Investigations of the allegations in question are either completed or ongoing. They were conducted separately by the prosecution, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. The government and the ruling party say the legislation was intended to increase the efficiency of the investigations by integrating the separate probes and revealing the overall truth in all three cases, but there is concern about the scale of the investigation and how special counsels are appointed. As many as 120 prosecutors will be assigned to three special counsel teams. This figure is more than half of the number of prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the nation's largest. Hundreds of investigation officers and assistants will also join. Allocating so many resources to the special counsel probes could set back investigations into other cases affecting the lives of ordinary people. Among other provisions, the bills give only the Democratic Party and the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, which almost always stands by the now-ruling party, the exclusive right to recommend special counsels in the three cases. It is hard to dispel worries about the political neutrality of their investigations. The appointment of special counsels is a supplementary system designed to keep those in power from pushing biased investigations. It should be used in exceptional circumstances and only as necessary. But the Democratic Party unilaterally passed bills that expand the scope of special counsel probes and grant nominating authority exclusively to certain parties. It is true that suspicions about the previous administration still need to be addressed, and some investigations have been criticized as insufficient. But in a situation where Lee and the Democratic Party are now in power, it is questionable whether special counsels are even necessary to investigate the previous administration instead of using the existing judicial system. It is difficult to erase suspicions of political motivations. The opposition People Power Party has condemned the bills, arguing that the special counsels' "triple investigations" are political revenge. If the investigations were used as a lever of power for political suppression, as the People Power Party worries, it would be a grave threat to democracy. The special counsel investigations should not split the nation into "us versus them," either. People experienced deep division during the Moon Jae-in administration due to its drive to eliminate "the evils of the past," which led to claims of a political vendetta. Lee vowed to base his government on "integration." If so, the special counsel probes should serve as a just means of revealing the truth and ultimately restoring the rule of law, not a means for retaliation and oppression. That begins with appointing special counsels who are politically unbiased and widely respected.

Lee silences border loudspeakers
Lee silences border loudspeakers

Korea Herald

time10 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Lee silences border loudspeakers

Decision aimed at easing tension with Pyongyang: presidential office South Korea on Wednesday suspended its loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea, as part of the liberal Lee Jae-myung administration's efforts to ease tension with Pyongyang. According to the presidential office, President Lee ordered the broadcasts, via loudspeakers installed in border area, to be halted starting 2 p.m. Wednesday. 'This decision reflects President Lee's commitment to restoring trust with North Korea and advancing his peace policy for the Korean Peninsula,' Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a press briefing held Wednesday afternoon in Yongsan, Seoul. Kang further described the suspension as a 'step to ease the burden on residents in border areas who have long suffered from noise broadcasts targeting the North.' She added that the decision was made as a gesture of goodwill, particularly in light of the absence of any major provocations from North Korea in recent weeks. President Lee had pledged during his campaign ahead of the June 3 presidential election to halt the operation as part of broader efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions and rebuild trust. According to an official from the presidential office, the decision was made during a Cabinet meeting held the previous day. It came exactly a week after the Lee administration took office on June 4. The broadcasts had been resumed by the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration in June 2024 after a six-year hiatus. The decision came as North Korea continued sending waste-filled balloons across the border, prompting Seoul to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.

Lee, Fiala hail $18b nuclear power deal as 'touchstone' for broader economic exchange
Lee, Fiala hail $18b nuclear power deal as 'touchstone' for broader economic exchange

Korea Herald

time12 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Lee, Fiala hail $18b nuclear power deal as 'touchstone' for broader economic exchange

President Lee Jae-myung and the Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala in their first phone call on Wednesday acknowledged that the $18 billion nuclear exports deal with the European country could further stimulate bilateral economic exchanges. Referring to the deal signed between the two countries on June 4, Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters that the deal to build two nuclear reactors in Dukovany, Czech Republic, would "serve as a touchstone for the broader bilateral economic exchanges." Kang added that the two countries may also cooperate comprehensively in cutting-edge technologies, infrastructure and energy. In July 2024, a South Korean consortium led by the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power was chosen to build two 1,000 megawatt nuclear power units in the Czech Republic. However, the final contract was not signed until this month after the local court lifted an injunction filed by France-based EDF, which was a competing bidder. During their 20-minute phone call, both leaders also called for a more active people-to-people cultural exchange and cooperation, as this year marks the 35th anniversary of forging diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two nations. Lee also expressed his anticipation for Fiala's visit to South Korea at his convenience during their call, Kang added. Lee's phone call with Fiala followed those of US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store