Yonhap News Summary

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday.

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Assembly committee mulls pushing for Zelenskyy's speech at S. Korean parliament

SEOUL -- A National Assembly committee has been considering pushing for a virtual speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, officials said Tuesday, as Zelenskyy rallies global support for his nation's fight against Russia's invasion.

Led by Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the Democratic Party, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, ruling and opposition members of the committee discussed the idea last weekend, according to the officials.

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White House said to be role model for Yoon's presidential office reform

SEOUL -- An upcoming government reform envisioned by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is centered on diminishing the power of the presidential office and strengthening the Cabinet's discretionary power to end the controversial imperial presidential system, officials close to him said Tuesday.

Yoon, a prosecutor-turned-politician, is said to have set the White House as a role model for not only the layout of his new presidential office but also the way the presidential secretariat and the Cabinet work.

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S. Korea, Turkey seek deeper economic ties via FTA

SEOUL -- South Korea and Turkey on Tuesday checked the outcome of their free trade agreement that went into effect nine years ago and discussed ways to further deepen trade and investment ties within the framework, Seoul's industry ministry said.

The matter was discussed during the director-level meeting of the Korea-Turkey FTA joint committee, the fifth of its kind, which was held via teleconferencing and brought together some 20 trade officials from the two sides.

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Finance minister holds meeting to discuss economic risks at home and abroad

SEOUL -- Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki on Tuesday held an emergency meeting to discuss economic risk factors at home and abroad, including growing inflationary pressure and global supply chain disruptions.

Hong met with ranking officials at the finance ministry to discuss ways to tackle a set of economic risks and how to respond to them amid concerns about stagflation, a mix of slumping growth and high inflation.

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Ex-President Park to leave hospital Thursday

SEOUL -- Former President Park Geun-hye, who was pardoned while serving a prison sentence for corruption, will be discharged from the hospital this week and return to her hometown of Daegu, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Park plans to leave Samsung Medical Center on Thursday morning and take a car to her new residence in Daegu, 302 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Yoo Yeong-ha said.

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Proportion of women in high-ranking gov't posts reaches 10 pct

SEOUL -- The proportion of high-ranking female officials in the South Korean government reached 10 percent last year for the first time ever, a government report showed Tuesday.

According to the report by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 160, or 10 percent, out of 1,601 high-level civil servants in the central government were women as of the end of last year, up from 8.5 percent recorded a year ago.

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Eastar Jet graduates from court-led debt rescheduling program

SEOUL -- Eastar Jet Co., a South Korean low-cost carrier, said Tuesday it has graduated from the court-led debt-rescheduling program in one year after it was placed under court receivership amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eastar applied for court receivership in January 2021 as it had failed to find a strategic investor since July 2020, when Jeju Air Co., the country's biggest budget carrier, scrapped its plan to acquire Eastar amid the pandemic.

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S. Korean high jump world champion eyes 2024 Olympic gold

INCHEON -- Having recently claimed his first world indoor title, South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has set his sights on a bigger prize, or the biggest of them all -- an Olympic gold medal.

Woo received a hero's welcome home Tuesday, two days after winning the men's high jump gold medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. By clearing 2.34 meters, Woo became the first South Korean to win a world title in any track and field event, indoor or outdoor.
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