Ha Jeong-woo Offers to Resign as Presidential AI Secretary, Eyes Busan Buk-gu Gap By-Election

Ha Jeong-woo, the presidential senior secretary for AI future planning, answers a question from President Lee Jae-myung during a briefing by public institutions and related agencies held April 17 at the state guesthouse in Cheong Wa Dae. 

Ha Jeong-woo signals resignation as presidential AI secretary; expected to run in Busan Buk-gu Gap

Ha Jeong-woo, a key aide to President Lee Jae-myung and the presidential senior secretary for artificial intelligence (AI) future planning, offered to resign on Sunday, according to political circles. 

He is expected to step up preparations to run in the June 3 parliamentary by-election ahead of the May 4 deadline for public officials to resign in order to run for office.

He is expected to submit his resignation later Sunday and to formally announce his bid on Monday for the by-election in Busan’s Buk-gu Gap district.

The seat became vacant after Rep. Jeon Jae-soo launched a run for mayor of Busan. Park Min-sik, a former minister of patriots and veterans affairs, and Han Dong-hoon, a former leader of the People Power Party, have declared their candidacies.

The Democratic Party plans to hold a talent recruitment event around Tuesday and make a strategic nomination through that process． Prosecutors on Sunday sought a 20-year prison term for Park Sung-jae, a former justice minister, who is on trial on charges including participating in an insurrection tied to the Dec. 3 martial law declaration and allegedly acting on a request related to an investigation involving first lady Kim Keon-hee.

At a sentencing hearing in Seoul Central District Court, the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok asked the court to impose a severe punishment, saying it was needed to warn “legal technicians” who “destroy the law in the name of the law.”

Park is accused of convening a Justice Ministry executives’ meeting after martial law was declared on Dec. 3, 2024, and of directing steps including reviewing the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint investigation headquarters, checking prison capacity and ordering staff responsible for travel bans to report to work, as part of what prosecutors describe as sequential participation in former President Yoon’s insurrection crimes.

He is also accused of giving improper instructions to a subordinate after receiving a request from Kim in May last year to look into how a dedicated investigative team was formed at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for a case involving the alleged receipt of a luxury bag.

The court is set to deliver its first-instance verdict on June 9. 


Japan Holds First Expert Meeting on Revising Three Key Security Documents

Japan’s government held the first meeting Sunday of an expert panel formed to revise three major national security documents, Kyodo News and other outlets reported.

Yonhap reported the panel, titled “Expert Meeting to Think About Security Through Comprehensive National Power,” includes 15 members such as former U.S. ambassador Kenichiro Sasae, former vice defense minister Tetsuro Kuroe, University of Tokyo professor Kazuto Suzuki and Waseda University researcher Noriko Endo. The meeting was held Sunday evening at the prime minister’s office. 

The panel follows Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement in October last year that Japan would revise this year the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program.

Takaichi said at the meeting that the relatively stable international order since the Cold War “has become a thing of the past,” and called for Japan to “independently push forward a fundamental strengthening of defense capabilities.”

Labor Panel Says Cargo Truckers Union Also Has Bargaining Rights 

A labor relations commission ruled that the Cargo Truckers Solidarity division, which received bargaining authority from the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union, is also a bargaining counterpart in cases involving CJ Logistics and Hanjin, according to Yonhap.

The Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission on Sunday accepted a request to correct a notice related to objections filed over the confirmation of the union seeking bargaining rights for CJ Logistics and Hanjin, Yonhap reported. 

The decision could affect the BGF case, where disputes have continued, including over a union member’s death, observers said.

A Labor Ministry official said the situations should be viewed separately, noting that while the bargaining request came through the Cargo Truckers Solidarity in broad terms, “this case came in through the procedures,” while the BGF case involves demands for collective bargaining outside the labor commission process.

Man in His 50s Tries to Set Himself on Fire Outside Democratic Party HQ; Police Stop Him 

A man who tried to set himself on fire outside the Democratic Party’s headquarters in Seoul was stopped by police and taken to a hospital, Yonhap reported Sunday.

The man, identified only as A, poured oil on himself and attempted self-immolation at about 4:22 p.m. outside the party’s central office in Yeouido, Yonhap said. Police intervened and confirmed that his body did not catch fire.

He told authorities he went to the headquarters to appeal for help resolving a grudge with an acquaintance, and he was not believed to have a specific political motive. He was transported to a hospital under procedures for handling suicide attempts.

Nikkei: Samsung Electronics to Exit China Home Appliance, TV Sales This Year 

Samsung Electronics will withdraw from its home appliance and TV sales business in China within the year, Japan’s Nikkei reported Sunday.

Yonhap reported the company may finalize a decision as early as this month to halt the business, then explain the move to business partners and local employees and gradually dispose of inventory, fully ending sales within the year. 

Samsung plans to maintain its local production system for products such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners, using it as a supply base for nearby countries, the report said.

Nikkei quoted Samsung as saying, “Nothing has been decided.” 

Prosecutors Dismiss Complaint Against President Lee Over Gas Corp. Land Allegations After 3 Years
 
Prosecutors have closed, without indictment, a case in which President Lee Jae-myung was accused of granting improper development benefits related to land owned by the Korea Gas Corp. in Jeongja-dong, Seongnam, after three years, Yonhap reported Sunday.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 3 dismissed the case on April 17, Yonhap said, rejecting allegations of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty.

The allegations were raised during the 20th presidential election along with claims tied to the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development projects.

Prosecutors concluded the complaint was speculative and lacked sufficient specific grounds or circumstances to open an investigation, and dismissed the case after three years.

Appeal Trial Begins for Yoon Suk Yeol on Insurrection Ringleader Charge; Constitutional Dispute Raised

An appeals trial for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection related to the Dec. 3 martial law declaration began Sunday.

The Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 12-1 held the first pretrial hearing. Trials also began for seven senior military and police officials indicted with Yoon, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho. 

Defendants are not required to appear at pretrial hearings. Yoon did not attend. Among the defendants, only Yoon Seung-young, former planning and coordination chief at the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters, and Mok Hyun-tae, former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s National Assembly security unit, appeared in court.

The court said it will hold a second pretrial hearing on May 7 to detail the order and method of evidence examination.

[Weather for Tuesday] Cloudy Nationwide With Rain; Wildfire Caution 

Tuesday is expected to be mostly cloudy nationwide.

Rain is forecast at times through early morning in the Chungcheong region, through the afternoon in the Seoul metropolitan area, and through the evening in Gangwon Province, excluding the southern East Sea coast. 

Expected rainfall totals are 5 to 10 millimeters in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province; around 5 millimeters in the five West Sea islands; 5 to 20 millimeters in Gangwon inland and mountainous areas; and less than 5 millimeters in Gangwon’s central and northern East Sea coast and in Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong provinces.

Authorities urged caution for wildfires and other fires as conditions will be very dry, especially in central regions and North Gyeongsang Province.

Morning lows are forecast at 9 to 14 Celsius, with daytime highs of 14 to 24 Celsius.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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