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Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
New S. Korean President's call for public to suggest Cabinet members ‘more than a populist move'
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung mooted the crowdsourcing idea as a 'meaningful first step towards the people becoming the main actors in running the state'. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - K-pop singer IU for Cultural Minister? How about Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho of the Parasite movie fame or even popular show host Yoo Jae-suk? A crowdsourcing exercise by the administration of the new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, seeking public inputs towards the forming of its new Cabinet, has yielded these amusing results, along with more considered suggestions. Mr Lee, who took office on June 4, had mooted the crowdsourcing idea as a 'meaningful first step towards the people becoming the main actors in running the state'. The 62-year-old former human rights lawyer was elected on June 3 in a snap election after the ouster of former president Yoon Suk Yeol over the botched martial law attempt of Dec 3, 2024. Given the lack of a transition period unlike usual elections, Mr Lee has been working with the old Cabinet of his predecessor Yoon, while taking steps to form his own Cabinet. While the unusual crowdsourcing exercise is widely seen as a populist move, observers say that it is a shrewd decision by Mr Lee in more ways than one. 'Through this public nomination system, Mr Lee is able to not only cater to his supporters by giving them a voice, but also buy time to vet nominations thoroughly before formalising his Cabinet,' said Kyonggi University political science and law lecturer Hahm Sung-deuk. In his social media post on June 10 promoting the initiative, President Lee said that the process marks the beginning of a 'national sovereign government' and pledged transparency and fairness in ensuring that only 'truly qualified people' are selected. The public nominations were open from June 10 to 16, allowing South Koreans to submit their choice of Cabinet ministers, vice-ministers or heads of public institutions along with supporting reasons, via a dedicated website, a dedicated e-mail account and even through direct messages to Mr Lee's social media accounts. Self-nominations were accepted. By the closing date of the public nomination exercise, some 74,000 suggestions had been received, with the posts of health minister, justice minister and prosecutor-general receiving the most number of nominations. South Korean media reported that while there were throwaway nominations like suggestions that ex-president Yoon, a former prosecutor-general, return to the top prosecutor job, there were more considered nominations too. These included one for former director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jeong Eun-kyeong, who had led the nation through the Covid-19 pandemic, to be considered for the health minister position. The tight-knit medical community, in particular, had called for doctors to actively nominate medical field experts with good understanding of medical issues for the health minister position, in order to resolve the fall-out from the mass doctors' walk-out in February 2024 when the previous Yoon administration tried to unilaterally increase medical school admissions. This would be an example of political figures or influential people in various sectors of South Korean society mobilising their support bases to influence the outcome, said Sogang University's Associate Professor Hannah Kim. She also pointed out that there would inevitably be concerns that the selection process 'prioritises popularity over competence' although the public nomination process may appeal to voters 'frustrated by elite-driven decision-making and the revolving-door of establishment politics'. Such a nomination process many also deepen existing divisions, given the country's political polarisation driven in part by extreme fandom in both the opposing conservative and liberal camps, said Prof Kim. 'Moreover, President Lee is likely to face backlash regardless of which decision he makes – whether he goes with popular suggestions or ignores them and appoints allies or controversial figures . And with the latter, this could increase cynicism about democratic participation itself ,' she added. At a press briefing on June 16, a presidential spokesperson gave the assurance that the public nomination system is 'not a popularity contest', so the recommendations would only be for reference. The presidential office has said that the received nominations will be put through rigorous vetting first, with final nominations to be released later at an unspecified date. Prof Hahm says such a time-buying tactic is a smart political move by Mr Lee, who has already faced roadblocks in the formation of his government in his first week of office. 'It allows him to further scrutinise his future nominations, to make sure there are no more controversies to trip them up,' he said. A senior presidential aide was forced to resign four days after his appointment, after allegations surfaced of his undisclosed real estate holdings and a hefty 1.5 billion won (S$1.4 million) loan he allegedly took out using a friend's name. Mr Lee's pick for the prime ministerial position, Mr Kim Min-seok, has also come under intense scrutiny over his past conviction for accepting illegal political funds and his significant increase in assets over the last five years. Mr Kim, a seasoned lawmaker from Mr Lee's ruling Democractic Party (DP) who had warned about Yoon's possible martial law attempt as early as August 2024 and was a key strategist in Mr Lee's presidential campaign, has refuted the allegations and called them politically motivated attacks by the erstwhile ruling People Power Party (PPP) . The PPP, now the main opposition party, had staged a rally in Seoul on June 20 calling for the withdrawal of Mr Kim's nomination. Referring to Mr Lee's legal woe s that have been temporarily put on hold because of his presidency, a PPP spokesperson said: 'If both the president and the prime minister have moral issues and a history of criminal offences, we cannot expect proper appointments of public officials below them!' Mr Kim, who met the foreign press corps in Seoul on June 17, said that he understands the reasons behind the attacks and is optimistic that he will win the opposition over with his patience. 'However, even if I understand their opposition, that doesn't mean that the legal allegations that are untrue, are true. I would definitely address all of the issues and do my best to clear the nomination hearing,' said Mr Kim, whose parliamentary confirmation hearings will take place on June 24-25. Mr Lee himself has expressed confidence that Mr Kim would be able to 'explain himself sufficiently' . Pointing out Mr Kim's contributions during the martial law crisis and the ruling Democratic Party's majority in the Parliament, Prof Hahm said it was unlikely that Mr Kim's nomination would fail. He said: 'Do not forget that this is still the 'honeymoon' period for the president. His popularity is running high and people would not want anything to obstruct his presidency at this moment.' Wendy Teo is The Straits Times' South Korea correspondent based in Seoul. She covers issues concerning the two Koreas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
North Korea's Covid-19 pandemic ‘miracle' was a deadly lie, report says
Pyongyang's repeated rejections of international help and its crackdown on the movement of people made their suffering worse, the report said. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - North Korea has long claimed that it defeated the Covid-19 pandemic without vaccines, losing only 74 lives in what it called 'a miracle unprecedented in the world's public health history.' But a report released on June 17 said the government lied and left many of its people to die without proper health care or access to outside help. As the pandemic raged, the already woeful economic and public health conditions of ordinary North Koreans rapidly worsened as a result of their government's efforts, especially in the first two years, to deny that the virus was spreading, according to a report compiled by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies and the George W. Bush Institute. Pyongyang's repeated rejections of international help and its crackdown on the movement of people made their suffering worse, the report said. The authors said their report was based on rare interviews with 100 people inside isolated North Korea – conducted by an outside intermediary that engaged them in 'casual, in-person conversations.' Their findings provide a rare glimpse into the scale of human distress inside the country during the pandemic. One woman interviewed for the report said that there were so many deaths in nursing homes in the winter of 2020 that 'there weren't enough coffins'. 'Deaths and suffering due to suspected Covid-19 cases were widespread in North Korea starting in 2020,' well before it reported its first outbreak in May 2022, the report said. 'The government's negligence was nothing short of abominable,' it noted. Citizens had virtually no access to vaccines, no anti-viral medications and minimal supply of personal protective equipment, although they had been available globally for more than a year, the report said. Nearly 90 of the 100 interviewees said they had not been tested for Covid-19. Nearly 40 reported not having received a vaccine during the pandemic. And 92 said they suspected that they or people they knew had been infected, though there was no way to be sure. Local health officials misreported Covid-19 deaths and diagnoses because of fear of punishment for not aligning with the government's claim that there were no cases, it said. So did citizens, because reporting that they were sick did not bring help from the government but rather forced detention or even collective lockdowns, either of which would have worsened already-acute food shortages. 'This resulted in a doubling of misinformation whereby the government and citizenry each lied to the other, creating further spread of the pandemic,' the report said. When the virus began spreading globally in early 2020, North Korea shut its borders and ordered troops to shoot to kill anyone trying to cross them. It reported 'zero cases' of the virus until it admitted to an outbreak in May 2022. But three months after that, North Korean state media declared a 'brilliant victory' in 'exterminating' the virus, thanking its leader, Mr Kim Jong Un, for 'his death-defying will for the people's happiness and well-being'. Some nations like China helped contain infections, at least initially, by closing borders and enforcing lockdowns, as North Korea tried to. But experts outside North Korea have long cast doubt on the North's pandemic-beating claims, in part because it lacked testing kits and laboratories to accurately track a major outbreak. They have warned that the pandemic provided Mr Kim with excuses to tighten surveillance and control on his people even as his pandemic-related crackdown was bound to worsen the scarcity of food and medicine. The report by the US research groups said that the interviews took place in the second half of 2023 through 'an organisation that has a successful track record of managing discrete and careful questionnaires in North Korea'. Several non-governmental groups, some of them run by defectors from the North, gather information through informants inside North Korea. The interviewees' accounts could not be independently verified in the famously closed-off country, but the assessment that the North's government shirked its responsibility echoed findings in a human rights report published by the South Korean government in 2024. That report, based on the accounts of recent North Korean defectors, said that when North Korea began vaccinating pockets of its population starting in June 2022, health officials told them to thank Mr Kim's generosity because they said the vaccine 'cost as much as a cow'. Mr Kim's regime sought to use the pandemic as political propaganda, the report by the two US research institutes also indicated. Interviewees reported that state media reports often emphasised how bad outbreaks were in other countries, while claiming that North Korea was safe thanks to Mr Kim's leadership. After finally admitting to an outbreak, North Korea accused South Korea of spreading the virus across the border. More than one-third of the 100 interviewees still believed that South Korea sent the virus to their country, the report said. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Multicultural acceptance rises among South Korean adults, drops for teens: Survey
Acceptance levels are typically higher among younger adults and students but decline with age. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - South Korean adults' level of acceptance toward immigrants has increased slightly since 2021, but the reverse is true for middle and high school students, a government survey revealed on June 5. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family released research results measuring Koreans' acceptance of multiculturalism through indicators such as cultural openness, prejudice toward immigrants and willingness to engage in intercultural relations. A total of 11,000 individuals participated in the research: 6,000 adults aged 19 to 74 and 5,000 middle and high school students. The research is conducted every three years as part of the government's efforts to develop effective policies. The 2025 results showed that the average multicultural acceptance score for adults rose to 53.38 out of 100, up from 52.27 in 2021. It is the first increase in nine years, signaling a shift toward more inclusive attitudes. In contrast, youth scores dipped, with middle school students averaging 71 points and high school students 68.52. Acceptance levels are typically higher among younger adults and students but decline with age. Among adults, those in their 20s showed the highest levels of acceptance (55.44), while those aged 60 and above recorded the lowest average score (51.14). The report also highlighted a strong link between direct contact with immigrants and positive attitudes. Respondents who had frequent interactions with people of different cultural backgrounds showed significantly higher acceptance scores. Additionally, the study found that participation in intercultural activities has a greater influence on improving acceptance than formal education. Youth who joined multicultural programs or volunteered with immigrant communities displayed consistently higher scores than those who only received classroom instruction. Public perception regarding the contribution of immigrants to society was largely positive, with over 78 per cent of adults agreeing that the increase in immigrants helps alleviate labor shortages. Over 65 per cent said they would have a positive impact on the general economy, while more than 55 per cent agreed that they would contribute to cultural diversity. The ministry plans to use these findings to improve national social integration policies, focusing on increasing practical opportunities for interaction between citizens and immigrant communities. A government official emphasised that fostering firsthand experiences, rather than passive education, will be key to building a more cohesive and inclusive society. The National Multicultural Acceptance Survey has been conducted every three years since 2012 and is used as foundational data for shaping multicultural and integration policy in South Korea. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Straits Times
South Korea to limit number of times day care centres need to respond to needless parent complaints
According to the new guidelines, the parent or legal guardian of a child can issue a complaint about a disciplinary action against a child within 14 days. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - The South Korean government plans to set up a guideline for operation of day care centres to prevent actions that may hinder the operations of child care facilities such as parents repeatedly issuing complaints for no good reason. The Ministry of Education reportedly issued an administrative notification ahead of implementing the guideline, with will specify the rights imposed on teachers and management of the day care centers. This follows Education Minister Lee Ju-ho — currently doubling as acting president — pledging in May to set up a criteria distinguishing 'justified guidance from child abuse crimes'. According to the new guidelines, the parent or legal guardian of a child can issue a complaint about a disciplinary action against a child within 14 days. The head of the day care centre is mandated to respond to a complaint within the 14 days it was made. But if the same complaint is made repeatedly without justifiable cause, the day care centre can refuse to reply after responding to the matter twice. The guideline specified that members of the day care centre may implement measures for guidance on a range of issues: matters related to the growth and development of children, those that may inflict health and danger of children or other people, those that infringe justified child care duties of those working for the centre or other children's right to be cared for, along with possession and use of items that can influence the overall atmosphere of the class. As such, teachers and heads of day care centres can guide the child on matters such as manners, use of language and overall communication, conflicts within children, and the attitude towards particularly vulnerable children. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
South Korea's unseasonal temperatures spark rise in heat illnesses
The spike in heat-related illnesses follows a streak of unusually high temperatures that began on May 17. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - Unseasonal heat in May has led to a surge in heat-related illnesses across South Korea, with 44 patients hospitalised over the past week — a dramatic 22-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024 . According to data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 21 people were treated for heat-related illnesses on May 21 alone. The cases were reported by 517 emergency medical facilities participating in the agency's nationwide heat illness surveillance system. Since the system began operations on May 15 — five days earlier than in 2024 — the cumulative number of heat-related patients reached 44, up from just two during the same week last year. No deaths have been reported so far. The spike in illnesses follows a streak of unusually high temperatures that began on May 17, with daytime highs ranging from 24 deg Celsius to over 30 deg Celsius in some regions. On May 21, many parts of the country also recorded the hottest May morning on record. The highest number of patients on May 21 came from Gyeonggi Province with seven cases, followed by Daegu and Incheon with three each, and Seoul, Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province each with two. Men accounted for 34 of the 44 patients. The most affected age groups were people in their 40s and 60s, each with nine, followed by those in their 30s (seven), 50s (six) and 20s (four). Patients aged 65 or older were a quarter of the cases. Most incidents occurred outdoors, with 16 patients collapsing on sidewalks, followed by nine at outdoor workplaces and six in mountainous areas. The most common times for heat-related incidents were between 10am to 11am, and 3pm to 4pm. The KDCA warned that with continued high temperatures forecast through June and even hotter weather expected in July and August, precautions should be taken seriously. Authorities advise checking daily temperatures before going outside, avoiding outdoor activities during peak heat hours, staying hydrated, wearing sun protection and taking frequent breaks. Vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses are particularly at risk and should not be left alone in enclosed spaces, especially with windows shut, the agency cautioned. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
