Category: Politics

Rival camps have agreed to handle in Thursday’s plenary session a special bill that seeks to establish a probe team to shed light on the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush disaster. 

The senior deputy floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party(PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) reached the agreement on Wednesday to revise parts of the special bill. 

The two parties are said to have worked out details on the formation and operation period of the envisioned team and the method of investigation the team will implement. 

The special bill was passed in the opposition-dominated parliament on January 9 but was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol later that month.

It currently is pending in parliament for a revote.

The nation's biggest entertainment company Hybe has filed a complaint with the police against subsidiary ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin over alleged breach of trust.

The Seoul Yongsan Police Station said on Friday that the complaint against Min, as well as ADOR Vice President Shin Dong-hoon was received in the morning.

Announcing interim findings from an audit against the sublabel on Thursday, Hybe claimed that it has verified concrete facts about a scheme to seize control of the company led by Min, and has obtained related physical evidence.

Hybe claimed Min ordered the management to come up with ways to pressure Hybe to sell off its ADOR shares, leading to discussions of the early termination of a contract with K-pop girl group NewJeans and nullifying a contract between Min and Hybe.

Min disputed this at a press conference on Thursday, accusing Hybe of manipulating the content of her private conversation with ADOR management to make a distorted claim that she had attempted to seize corporate control.

South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea's launch of a military reconnaissance satellite and its weapons shipments to Russia as violation of UN Security Council resolutions. 

Seoul’s defense ministry said on Friday that the three nations made the statements in the 14th Defense Trilateral Talks(DTT) held virtually on Wednesday. 

The chief delegates of the three nations denounced the North’s recent diversification of nuclear delivery systems, tests and launches of multiple ballistic missiles and the launch of what the North purports to be a military reconnaissance satellite using ballistic missile technology as clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions. They also condemned the North’s illicit ship-to-ship transfers and arms shipments to Russia. 

The three sides then reaffirmed that North Korea’s seventh nuclear test, if conducted, will be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community. 

Noting Russia’s recent veto of a renewal of the mandate of a UN panel monitoring violations of sanctions on North Korea, the three sides affirmed their commitment to strengthening efforts to ensure effective sanctions implementation.

MALE, Maldives — Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's political party has swept parliamentary elections in a strong endorsement of his pro-China foreign policy, according to preliminary results reported Monday by local media.

The People's National Congress won 70 out of 93 seats in Sunday's vote, and along with three seats secured by its allies has taken absolute control of Parliament, according to the preliminary results.

The Maldivian Democratic Party, led by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as pro-India, held 65 seats in the previous Parliament but won only 15 seats, the news site Mihaaru.com reported.

Official results are expected later Monday.

The election was closely watched by regional powers India and China, which are competing for influence in the archipelago nation, which has a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.

Muizzu’s election as president last year sharpened the rivalry between India and China as he took a pro-China stand and acted to remove Indian troops stationed on one of Maldives' islets.

Sunday's election was easier than expected for Muizzu, who had been expected to face a tough fight because some of his allies had fallen out and more parties entered the race.

Six political parties and independent groups fielded 368 candidates for the 93 seats in Parliament. The number of seats is six more than in the previous Parliament following adjustments for population growth.

Muizzu ran for president on a campaign theme of “India out,” accusing his predecessor of compromising national sovereignty by giving India too much influence.

At least 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives and their known activities were operating two aircraft donated by India and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea. Muizzu has taken steps to have civilians take over those activities.

Relations were strained further when Indian social media activists started a boycott of tourism in Maldives. That was in retaliation for three Maldivian deputy ministers making derogatory statements about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, India’s own string of islands similar to the Maldives.

India has fallen from being the top source of foreign visitors to Maldives to No. 6, according to Maldives government statistics.

Muizzu visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in the number of tourists and inbound flights from China.

In 2013, Maldives joined China’s “Belt and Road” initiative meant to build ports and highways to expand trade — and China’s influence — across Asia, Africa and Europe.

ISTANBUL -- Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers emphasized that the military confrontation and crises in the Middle East could potentially widen to a larger area, underscoring the necessity for urgent action.

Hakan Fidan and Sameh Shoukry met in Türkiye's Istanbul on Saturday to discuss current regional challenges and bilateral relations.

"Conflicts, incomprehension, and violence must not continue," said Shoukry at a joint conference with Fidan. "There is a possibility that the conflict may spread. The tension between Iran and Israel has increased... We have called for restraint," he noted.

The Egyptian foreign minister also noted that the strain between Iran and Israel diverted the international community's attention from the "tragic situation" in Gaza, underscoring the significance of delivering aid to the region.

Shoukry called for the immediate opening of six Israeli crossings with Gaza for humanitarian aid, stressing that any failure to do so constitutes a violation of international law.

"It is very important that a ceasefire is established first and that the Palestinian people receive the humanitarian aid they need," he remarked.

Fidan, for his part, noted that everything that happens in Palestine could trigger global fault lines and expand across both Eastern and Western spheres.

"The disruption of logistics chains and the surge in prices are just the tip of the iceberg. To curb the proliferation of crises, proactive measures are imperative to address these issues at their core," the Turkish minister said.

"Our priority should be the end of the Israeli occupation and the realization of the two-state solution formula. Without this resolution, yesterday's attacks from Yemen, today's Iran-Israel tension, tomorrow's potential for another war, and the day after's risk of civil unrest will persist," he said.

Meanwhile, the two ministers also underscored the profound and constructive relations between Türkiye and Egypt, emphasizing their positive impact on the region.

"We are committed to elevating our political, economic, cultural, and security relations to a superior standard. Our strong ties will contribute significantly to the security and stability of the region," Shoukry said.

In February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to Cairo in over a decade, aiming to revitalize ties with Egypt after more than a decade of estrangement. 

United Nations, United States -- The Security Council vote on the Palestinians' bid to become a full member state of the United Nations is expected to occur Thursday or Friday, diplomats said, as discussions continued.

Several diplomatic sources had told AFP earlier that the vote would take place on Thursday, but the situation has since changed with some member states asking for a Friday vote.

No firm decision had been taken as of late Wednesday, according to several diplomatic sources.

"It's still in the air," Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Samuel Zbogar told journalists.

"The vote is tomorrow at 3:00 o'clock. I'm sure. If you don't believe me, you will see it tomorrow," said Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour.

Malta's diplomatic mission, which holds the presidency of the Security Council in April, has yet to confirm a schedule.

Whatever the date, the Palestinian initiative appears doomed to fail due to opposition from the United States.

The Palestinians, who have had observer status at the world body since 2012, have lobbied for years to gain full membership, which would amount to recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Any request to become a UN member state must first pass through the Security Council -- where Israel's ally the United States wields a veto -- and then be endorsed by the General Assembly.

In light of Israel's offensive in Gaza following Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack, Palestinians revived a 2011 UN membership application last week, prompting the Security Council to launch a formal review process.

© Agence France-Presse

Taipei, Taiwan -- Taiwan's incoming president Lai Ching-te has made Time Magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People of 2024", which the island hailed Thursday as a recognition of its "democratic achievements".

Vice President Lai, who won the January presidential election to succeed Tsai Ing-wen, will take office on May 20 at a time of growing tensions between Taiwan and China.

Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

China has ramped up military and political pressure in recent years and has denounced Lai as a "dangerous separatist" because he -- like Tsai -- refuses to acknowledge Beijing's claim.

"(T)he health of the island's 23 million inhabitants is just one part of a much larger task he is inheriting: ensuring his government's very survival, amid China's amped-up campaign to reclaim the nascent democracy," Jon Huntsman, a former governor of Utah and one-time US ambassador to China, wrote in Time.

He added Taiwan's "risk profile couldn't be higher".

Taiwan's Presidential Office praised Lai's entry to the list, calling it an "important recognition from the international community to the democratic achievements" of the Taiwanese people.

It added Lai would "bear the crucial responsibility of safeguarding Taiwan's democracy".

Also making Time's list of the influential was Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who ascended to the country's number-two position last year.

Tsai made the list in 2020, with Republican senator Ted Cruz calling her a "signal light casting out China's looming shadow, conveying to the world that Taiwan will not acquiesce to the Chinese Communist Party".

The ruling People Power Party(PPP) has launched the process of merging with its satellite People’s Future Party, which was formed for last week’s general elections. 

Rep. Lee Hun-seung, the chief of the PPP’s national committee, announced on Wednesday that the party’s standing national committee will hold a session on Thursday to decide on whether to hold a national committee meeting. 

The virtual session will be held on Thursday morning, where the participants will vote on convening the national committee through the auto response system. 

The national committee will then convene on Monday to vote on the merger. 

The PPP and its sister party agreed on the merger on Tuesday in a meeting of the lawmakers-elect — 90 from the PPP and 18 from the satellite party.