[Newsmaker] Yoon hops on ‘Passion Train’ to woo voters from rival stronghold

YEOSU, South Jeolla Province -- It is Saturday, and People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is making a grand entrance outside Jeonju Station in North Jeolla Province. With supporters cheering -- some chanting “President Yoon Suk-yeol” to a drum beat -- Yoon is greeted by party Chairman Lee Jun-seok who arrived at the station on the “Passion Train,” a chartered four-carriage train that the party hired for a tour of the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces.

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2022

Yoon criticized for putting his feet on train seat

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has found himself in hot water after a photo of him putting his feet on a train seat sparked criticism that his gesture indicated a lack of public etiquette and courtesy. The photo of Yoon resting his legs was uploaded by Lee Sang-il, an aide to Yoon, on his Facebook page Sunday, apparently trying to show a glimpse of the candidate's time on a visit to cities in the southwestern Honam region on a campaign train. The People Power Party (PPP) re

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2022

Ex-president Park’s would-be residence in Daegu attracts visitors

An empty residential property in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province is drawing throngs of visitors in recent days following reports that it would soon be the home of the impeached President Park Geun-hye, who is currently in hospital. Park’s close aide and lawyer Yoo Young-ha reportedly signed a contract to purchase the property in Ssanggye-ri, Dalseong County, for around 2.5 billion won ($2.08 million). It consists of a main building with two stories and one basement level as well as thr

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2022

Ahn overwhelms other presidential candidates in reported assets

Ahn Cheol-soo of the centrist People's Party reported the most wealth among South Korean presidential candidates, the National Election Commission (NEC) said Monday. Ahn, an entrepreneur-turned-politician, reported his personal assets to be worth 197.99 billion won ($165 million), the biggest amount among the 11 presidential candidates who finished candidacy registration with the NEC on Sunday. Main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol declared the second most wealt

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2022

Seoul closely monitoring N. Korea's nuclear, missile activities: ministry

South Korea is keeping close tabs on North Korea's nuclear and missile activities, the unification ministry said Monday, following a news report that the secretive nation seems to be operating related facilities at its Yongbyon complex. "With regard to North Korea's nuclear and missile activities, including Yongbyon, (we) have been closely tracking and monitoring (them) on the basis of close South Korea-US coordination," ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo said at a press briefing. Olli

North KoreaFeb. 14, 2022

Govt. considering requiring at-home COVID-19 tests for young students

The education ministry is considering requiring kindergarten and elementary students to take rapid COVID-19 tests at home before going to school twice a week starting next month, officials said Monday. "We're conducting discussions while leaving various possibilities open, including a measure to have students go to school after tests at home," a ministry official said. Schools are bracing for the new semester next month amid the rapid spread of omicron, which has recently driven up the

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 43.5% to 40.4%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 43.5 percent support against Lee's 40.4 percent, a poll showed Monday. The 3.1 percentage-point gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, according to the survey of 1,005 adults conducted Friday and Saturday by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI). Compared with the previous week's survey, Yoon of the conservative People

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2022

Factory office of Yeosu petrochemical firm raided over last week's deadly explosion

Police and labor ministry officials raided the on-site office of a petrochemical factory in the southern city of Yeosu on Monday to see if the company violated safety regulations in the wake of a deadly explosion that killed four workers and injured four others. The explosion took place at the Yeochun NCC Co. factory in Yeosu, about 320 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday while workers were conducting a test on a heat exchanger. Four people -- one employee of the petrochemical company and three

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2022

Japan pushing for Sado mine as UNESCO heritage without reference to forced labor

TOKYO -- The Japanese government has effectively excluded its 20th century wartime atrocity against Koreans in a letter of formal recommendation for its former gold and silver mine, according to informed sources Monday. Tokyo has launched a campaign to get the Sado mine designated as UNESCO world heritage next year despite Seoul's strong protest. As many as 2,000 Koreans were forced into hard labor at the mine during World War II, as their country was under brutal colonial rule by Japan. "(

Foreign AffairsFeb. 14, 2022

New COVID-19 cases over 50,000 for 5th day amid worries over further spike

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 50,000 for the fifth day in a row Monday as health authorities brace for a further spike amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant across the nation. On Monday, the country began administering a fourth dose, or second booster shot, of COVID-19 vaccines, starting with those with weak immune systems, according to health authorities. Patients at nursing facilities will also begin receiving the fourth shots from early next month. T

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2022

N. Korea to convene conference of party's primary committees this month

North Korea plans to convene a conference of the ruling party's primary committee officials this month to push ahead with decisions made at a major party congress last year, according to Pyongyang's state media Monday. The 2nd Conference of Secretaries of Primary Committees of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) will be held in Pyongyang "during the last ten days of February," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said. "The WPK Central Committee decided to convene the con

North KoreaFeb. 14, 2022

S. Korea, US, Japan commit to aligning approaches on N. Korea, advancing security coordination

The top diplomats of South Korea, the US, and Japan committed to aligning their diplomatic approaches to North Korea and advancing trilateral security coordination in maintaining regional peace and stability. South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday in Honolulu, Hawaii, that was followed by a joint statement. “They committed to close trilateral cooperation to achieve complete denucle

Foreign AffairsFeb. 13, 2022

Yoon meets with ex-US Vice President Pence

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol met with former US Vice President Mike Pence in Seoul on Sunday and discussed security cooperation between the two countries, including the denuclearization of North Korea. "We discussed issues related to our security and Korea-US cooperation, including the denuclearization of North Korea," Yoon of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Pence. Pence, who served under former US Presiden

PoliticsFeb. 13, 2022

Chungcheong Megacity in the running to host 2027 Summer World University Games

Chungcheong Megacity 2027 World University Games Bid Committee, a joint organization launched by local governments in the Chungcheong region for the bid to host the 2027 FISU Summer World University Games, said earlier this month that the region has been officially selected as one of the candidates for the international multisport event. The committee, which includes officials from four local governments in the central region of South Korea -- Daejeon, Sejong and the North and South Chungcheong

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2022

Chungcheong Megacity to exert utmost efforts to host 2027 World University Games

The committee behind the Chungcheong Megacity bid for the 2027 World University Games has pledged to exert its utmost efforts to host the event. “Chungcheong will present the best World University Games of all time,” said Kim Yoon-suk, secretary-general of Chungcheong Megacity’s bid committee, told The Korea Herald. Kim was also secretary-general of the committee behind Gwangju’s successful bid for the 28th World University Games in 2015. And now he thinks Chungcheon

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2022

Ahn suggests unifying candidacy, ‘public primary’

Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party on Sunday suggested unifying candidacies with the main opposition party’s Yoon Suk-yeol, and letting the public decide which of them will run.  “Today I suggest the candidates of the opposition parties to merge campaigns for a complete regime change and to call an end to the old system (in politics),” Ahn said in a livestream on his YouTube channel. Ahn explained that, even if an opposition party candidat

PoliticsFeb. 13, 2022

Candidate registration begins for March 9 presidential election

Candidate registration began Sunday for the March 9 presidential election, with all four main contenders, including the ruling party's Lee Jae-myung and the main opposition's Yoon Suk-yeol, registering on the first day to become the country's next president. The National Election Commission (NEC) will receive candidacy registration for two days through Monday before the official 22-day campaign period kicks off Tuesday. Along with Lee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon of the People Po

PoliticsFeb. 13, 2022

COVID-19 self-test kits for 30 million people to be available in pharmacies, convenience stores

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Sunday self-test kits for 30 million people will be available at local pharmacies and convenience stores for two weeks starting this week. The ministry will also distribute self-test kits for 24 million people at COVID-19 testing clinics and virus-prone facilities starting Monday. In light of the surge in at-home treatment patients, the government earlier announced it will ban online sales of COVID-19 kits starting Sunday and temporarily restrict the pur

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2022

N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends 2nd groundbreaking ceremony for housing project

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended the second groundbreaking ceremony for 10,000 homes in the capital, calling the project a "long-cherished desire" of the country, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korea broke ground in the Hwasong area Saturday on the second part of the housing project and Kim delivered a speech at the ceremony. "The construction of 10,000 flats in the Hwasong area, one of the top priorit

North KoreaFeb. 13, 2022

Ahn to hold press conference via YouTube after wife tests positive for COVID-19

Minor presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo called off a planned press conference Sunday after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. Ahn of the centrist People's Party had called the press conference earlier in the day amid speculation he could make a proposal on how to merge candidacies with Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party to field a single opposition candidate in the March 9 election. But the plan was canceled after his wife was notified of the virus infection. Ahn was

PoliticsFeb. 13, 2022