[Reporter's Notebook] Election's about the future, but campaigns are focused on the past

South Koreans to this day have directly elected seven presidents to lead the country and are on course to vote for their eighth leader next month. Since direct elections began in 1987, every presidential candidate has carried slogans and signature policy aims to win support while outlining his or her vision. However outlandish or vain they may be, these promises have carried considerable weight in swaying voters. So it would not be unreasonable to expect policy to take center stage in debates

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2022

S. Korea to step up quarantine efforts against animal diseases

South Korea said Monday it plans to step up the monitoring of local farms and implement stronger quarantine steps to curb the spread of African swine fever (ASF) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI). The country has reported an increase in the outbreak of ASF cases from wild boars in recent weeks, and a series of bird flu cases at local farms since November last year across the country. Swine fever has shown signs of spreading further to southern regions after being recently reported in th

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2022

Ahns vows to start again after scrapping opposition merger

Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party on Monday renewed his resolve to finish the presidential race on his own after scrapping a potential merger with main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. Ahn revealed in a Facebook post that he visited a museum dedicated to revered Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun on Sunday just hours before he held a press conference to announce the withdrawal of his offer to merge campaigns with Yoon of the People Power Party

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2022

Seoul urges N. Korea to return to dialogue as Beijing Olympics wrap up

South Korea's unification ministry on Monday urged North Korea to return to dialogue amid speculation Pyongyang may resume major weapons tests following the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics. North Korea conducted seven rounds of missile tests in January, but refrained from shows of force during the Olympics period which ran from Feb. 4-20. Asked to comment on the possibility of Pyongyang resuming its weapons tests, Lee Jong-joo, spokesperson for Seoul's unification ministry handling inter-Ko

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2022

Lee vows to establish special COVID-19 relief committee

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Monday that establishing a special committee for emergency COVID-19 relief will be his No. 1 executive order if he wins the March 9 presidential election. Lee of the Democratic Party (DP) also promised that South Korea's virus response will "definitely change" from March 10 as he distances himself from the current government's COVID-19 scheme in an effort to win public support ahead of the election. "The presidential transitio

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2022

S. Korea, Armenia mark 30th year since forging diplomatic ties

The top diplomats of South Korea and Armenia exchanged congratulatory messages on Monday to mark the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan exchanged the letters and welcomed the development of bilateral relations in political, cultural and economic fields over the past three decades, according to the ministry. They also expressed hope that the two sides will continue to wo

Foreign AffairsFeb. 21, 2022

S. Korean FM to visit France for Indo-Pacific forum

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will head to France later Monday to participate in a forum designed to promote cooperation among countries from the Indo-Pacific region. The Indo Pacific Ministerial Forum 2022 will be hosted by France, the current chair of the Council of the European Union. It has invited ministers and other senior representatives from 56 nations for the forum slated for Tuesday (local time) to address challenges in security, economy, health and climate change in the

Foreign AffairsFeb. 21, 2022

Lee, Yoon neck and neck at 43.7% vs. 42.2%: survey

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is neck and neck with main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol with 43.7 percent against 42.2 percent, a survey showed Monday. In the survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), Lee of the liberal Democratic Party gained 3.3 percentage points from last week, while Yoon of the conservative People Power Party lost 1.3 percentage points. The 1.5 percentage-point gap is within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2022

Court rules in favor of GM Korea seeking cancellation of govt. order to return subsidy

A court has ruled in favor of GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., in a lawsuit filed against the government's decision to retrieve its subsidy provided for a facility the carmaker disposed of in 2019, sources said Monday. The suit was filed by GM Korea to annul the labor ministry's order for the company to return 2.23 billion won ($1.86 million) of residual value from a total of 3.25 billion won of state subsidy it received for building and operating a technology institute

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2022

New cases dip below 100,000; current wave to peak from late Feb.-March

South Korea logged fewer than 100,000 daily coronavirus cases Monday, due to less testing over the weekend, while health authorities forecast the current COVID-19 wave to peak between late February and March. The country reported 95,362 new COVID-19 infections, including 95,218 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,058,184, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Monday's tally is down from 104,829 on Sunday when the country's new caseload surpassed 100,000

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2022

Parcel delivery union to hold rally demanding CJ Logistics negotiates with striking workers

Thousands of unionized parcel delivery workers were set to hold a large-scale rally in Seoul on Monday to demand CJ Logistics Corp., South Korea's largest logistics firm, agree to hold talks with striking workers seeking better working conditions. The courier union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the more militant of the country's two major umbrella unions, said around 2,000 workers are expected to gather at the demonstration to be held in front of Cheonggye Stream in cent

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2022

Ukraine committed to politico-diplomatic settlement

Ukraine remains firmly committed to a politico-diplomatic settlement, maximizing efforts with partners to reduce tensions and keep the situation in line with diplomatic dialogue, the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul said in a press statement Saturday.  Tensions have mounted over Russia’s deployment of troops at Ukraine’s borders, with the United States and its allies warning of a package of sanctions against Moscow.  The situation worsened after pro-Russia rebels shelled Ukrain

Diplomatic CircuitFeb. 20, 2022

Minor progressive candidate attacks two front runners for corruption related scandals

Over the weekend, Sim Sang-jung, the minor progressive Justice Party’s presidential candidate, attacked the two front-runners for their corruption-related scandals, stressing she is “the only clean candidate qualified to be president.” On Sunday, she led her canvassing in Seoul, meeting with the people at Gwanaksan and Gangnam Station. “What is the most important quality of a president? It is the morality to refrain from using power -- given to use for the people -- fo

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2022

[Voters &] Conservatism no longer the realm of the aged

The divide among age groups’ political inclinations in South Korea is breaking down, with many younger voters supporting conservatives, joining older voters. However, though the two age groups may root for the same candidate and party, the reasons behind their support differ. While older conservatives’ support for Yoon Suk-yeol and the People Power Party has firmer footing, young conservative voters’ support is characterized by disappointment in the existing political situati

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2022

Candidacy merger now off the table, Ahn Cheol-soo says

Presidential nominee Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party announced he will no longer consider a candidacy merger with Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, vowing to finish the race on his own even if the path ahead may be "rough and difficult." The presidential candidate said in an emergency press briefing Sunday that he will no longer wait for Yoon to respond to his offer to unify their candidacy as the opposition bloc from a week earlier, as it b

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2022

Lee vows to push back COVID-19 curfew to midnight if elected

SEOUL/SUWON -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Sunday he will push back the COVID-19 curfew on cafes, restaurants and other multiuse facilities to midnight on the first day after the March 9 election. "On March 10, I will put a stop to unnecessary, excessive quarantine and let businesses operate freely until midnight for those fully vaccinated with booster shots," Lee said during a campaign speech in Suwon, south of Seoul. Lee said COVID-19 has "evolved to b

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2022

Infections exceed 100,000 for 3 days; expected to surge further

Even on weekends when COVID-19 testing drops, the number of new confirmed cases surpassed 100,000 for three consecutive days and is expected to rise further in the coming weeks. The government expects the pandemic to peak at the end of this month or early next month. It predicted that the new cases would rise to 180,000 in early March. As of Saturday midnight, there were 104,829 new infections and the number of critically ill patients increased by 31 from the previous day to 439. The numbe

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2022

Military reports 628 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Sunday reported 628 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 12,197. The new cases included 362 from the Army, 167 from the Air Force, 48 from the Navy, 23 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, 22 from the Marine Corps, and six from the ministry. Currently, 3,532 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2022

S. Korea contemplating sharing LNG with Europe amid Ukraine crisis

South Korea is thinking seriously about sharing its liquefied natural gas (LNG) inventories with Europe amid looming supply disruptions sparked by the Ukraine crisis, officials said Sunday. "The government is seriously contemplating supporting Europe should the situation aggravate in Ukraine and create difficulties in the supply of natural gas," a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Observers have been expressing concerns over a possible disruption in the supply o

Foreign AffairsFeb. 20, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 42.9% to 38.7%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 42.9 percent public support to 38.7 percent, a survey showed Sunday. Yoon of the People Power Party gained 1.3 percentage points from a week ago, while Lee of the Democratic Party lost 0.4 percentage point, according to the Realmeter survey conducted on 3,043 adults from last Sunday to Friday. The gap between Yoon and Lee widened to 4.2 percentage points from the previous week's 2.5 percenta

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2022