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≡ Prosecutors Question Ex-Cheong Wa Dae Aide Woo Byung-Woo Over Corruption Allegations
Seoul prosecutors are questioning former senior presidential secretary Woo Byung-woo for the first time since his arrest last week over a slew of corruption charges.
He appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office earlier this afternoon.
Woo is accused of being involved in illegal surveillance operations against various figures, including Lee Seok-su, who served as the independent inspector-general from 2015 to last year.
The former aide to ex-President Park Geun-hye is also suspected of being involved in creating and managing a blacklist of cultural figures deemed critical of the conservative government.■[2017.12.18]
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≡ Moon's Approval Rating Falls For 3rd Straight Week
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has fallen for a third straight week to below 70 percent.
A Realmeter survey conducted last week showed his approval rating at 68.6 percent, down 2.2 percentage points from a week earlier.
His disapproval rating rose 2.3 percentage points to 25.7 percent.
The pollster attributed the drop to opposition criticism that Moon did not receive proper treatment during his state visit to China.
The phone survey was conducted on over 2,500 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.■
[2017.12.18]
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≡ Korea Expects US Pressure On Auto Industry In FTA Talks
Korea's trade ministry says it expects the United States will play hardball, especially when it comes to cars, when negotiations begin to revise the two countries' free trade agreement.
In its FTA plan, reported this morning to the National Assembly, the ministry said there's a chance the U.S. could even demand that Korea abolish all tariffs on goods to resolve the trade imbalance.
The ministry's plan for the negotiations is to start the talks within the next month or so, and then hold follow-up meetings every three or four weeks.
When it comes to agricultural goods, however, the ministry says it will resist opening the local sector any further.■[2017.12.18]
