Lineup almost finalized for Democratic Party’s chair election

The lineup of contenders for the chair of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is almost finished, with the rivalry between rising stars and a major heavyweight at the forefront. So far, three members of the so-called “97 Generation” have joined the competition in a bid to bring a generational shift and help overcome an ongoing series of election defeats. Reps. Kang Byung-won, Park Yong-jin, Park Ju-min and Kang Hoon-sik have officially announced their bids.

July 13, 2022

Yoon resumes in-office interviews after just one day -- at a distance

President Yoon Suk-yeol resumed his morning press briefing after suspending it just a day earlier, hinting at a possible miscommunication within his office. When reporters greeted Yoon at a distance of about seven or eight meters in the lobby of the presidential building on his way to his office on Tuesday morning, he stopped and said, “I heard you (some reporters) were confirmed as having COVID-19, so we recommend that you work from home as much as possible. But you all still came.&

July 12, 2022

Lee Jun-seok breaks silence, encourages people to apply for party membership

People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok broke his silence Monday evening to encourage people to register as new party members, in an apparent bid to grow his influence and build a foundation to stage a comeback to fight the suspension ruling handed to him by the party’s ethics panel last week. “It is a good Monday to register as new party members,” the chairman wrote in a Facebook post at around 7:30 p.m. Monday. The message came hours after the ruling People Power Party deci

July 12, 2022

Yoon's new official residence to be ready as early as this week

President Yoon Suk-yeol's new official residence is likely to be ready as early as this week, allowing him and first lady Kim Keon-hee to move in by next month, an official said Tuesday. The foreign minister's official residence is currently being renovated to be used as the new presidential residence in line with Yoon's decision to relocate the presidential office to the defense ministry compound nearby. Yoon took office in May after winning the election on a pledge to move the p

July 12, 2022

PM calls for fundamental reform of labor market

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for a fundamental reform of the labor market, as the government seeks to promote job creation led by the private sector. "For sustainable recovery of employment, a fundamental improvement in the job market is needed," Han told a Cabinet meeting, urging ministers to "make more efforts to create an environment in which jobs are created by the private sector." Citing the labor ministry's data, Han said indicators of the job mark

July 12, 2022

Controversies cut short Yoon administration ‘honeymoon’

The first few months of a new president’s term can often be referred to as the “honeymoon” period, in which the new leader usually enjoys the benefit of high public support. But that no longer seems to apply to President Yoon Suk-yeol, as his constant blunders, controversies surrounding his spouse, personnel failures and issues within the ruling party continue to weaken his public support base. Yoon’s approval rating plunged again, a survey showed Monday, with negat

July 11, 2022

Yoon's symbolic in-office interviews put on pause. Why?

President Yoon Suk-yeol‘s symbolic efforts to communicate with the press every morning have been temporarily suspended. The presidential office said the halt is due to coronavirus resurge, but some critics say the recent plunge in Yoon’s approval ratings and his unprepared remarks could have affected the decision. On Monday, Yoon went to his office without talking to the press for the first time since his inauguration. The presidential office said, “It is inevitable to adj

July 11, 2022

Ruling party sets sail without chairman under penalization

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party started the week without Chairman Lee Jun-seok, apologizing for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s low ratings and making clear it will respect the decision the internal ethics panel issued Thursday. Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling party, oversaw his first senior party officials’ meeting as acting party chairman on Monday, apologizing for the party’s internal turmoil and dimming support for the Yoon administration. In a R

July 11, 2022

Yoon's approval rating falls below 40% amid turmoil at ruling party

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating fell below the 40 percent mark in two months since he took office, a poll showed Monday, reflecting the negative sentiment amid an ongoing power struggle at the ruling party. In the poll of 2,525 voters nationwide conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, only 37 percent gave a positive assessment of his performance, while 57 percent disapproved of Yoon's handling of state affairs. It is the first time Yoon's approval rating

July 11, 2022

Ruling party falls into chaos

The ruling People Power Party has been left mired in confusion by its leader’s refusal to step down from his post despite the suspension of his party membership in connection to allegations of sexual bribery. On Friday, the party’s internal ethics panel decided to suspend Chairman Lee Jun-seok’s membership for the next six months in connection to allegations that Lee received sexual favors as well as bribes from a business owner in 2013. “Chairman Lee Jun-seok violated

July 10, 2022

Yoon offers condolences over death of former Japanese PM Abe

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday expressed condolences over the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot by a gunman during a campaign event. 　 　“I express condolences and consolation to the bereaved family and the Japanese people over the death of the longest-serving prime minister in Japan‘s constitutional history who was a respected politician,” Yoon said in a message to Abe’s wife Akie Abe. 　 　Abe was pronounced dead in the afternoon,

July 8, 2022

S. Korea, U.S., Japan FMs hold talks in Bali on N. Korea

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan held a trilateral meeting in Indonesia on Friday, with their security cooperation against North Korea‘s nuclear and missile threat high on the agenda. 　 　The trilateral session, between South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, took place on the resort island of Bali on the margins of the Group of 20 meeting that was held from Thursday to Frid

July 8, 2022

[KH Explains] Aftermath of a monumental penalization

The internal ethics panel of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party on Friday morning suspend party Chairman Lee Jun-seok‘s party membership for six months. It was a landmark decision – the first ever to suspend a party chair – likely to spark intense strife within the ruling bloc for at least the next several weeks. Disputes have already been raised on how bylaws should be interpreted for the ruling to be processed, and the penalization is stirring debates on conseque

July 8, 2022

Ruling party’s ethics panel suspends Lee Jun-seok for six months

The ruling People Power Party on Friday suspended its chairman’s membership in connection to allegations surrounding sexual bribery, a decision expected to cause immense turmoil within the ruling bloc and broader political circles. The internal ethics panel of the People Power Party announced at 2:45 a.m. Friday, after an eight-hour-long meeting, that they have decided to suspend Chairman Lee Jun-seok for the next six months, threatening his chances of finishing his term, which ends next

July 8, 2022

PM defends remarks that led to resignation offer of think tank chief

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has defended his remarks that led to a resignation offer by the head of the Korea Development Institute (KDI), a state-run think tank, who was appointed by the previous Moon Jae-in administration. KDI President Hong Jang-pyo, an architect of the income-led growth policy under the Moon government, tendered his resignation earlier this week, days after Han called for Hong to step down, saying the government and KDI should be on the same page when it comes to policies an

July 8, 2022

Justice Minister Han tests positive for COVID-19 following trip to US

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has tested positive for COVID-19 following his trip to the United States, his ministry said Friday. Han took a polymerase chain reaction test late Thursday upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, and the result came back positive early Friday morning, according to the justice ministry. The minister will work from home until Wednesday in compliance with the mandatory seven-day self quarantine for those with COVID-19. Han visited Washington and

July 8, 2022

Govt. should tighten its belt to overcome financial crisis: Yoon

President Yoon Suk-yeol said the nation’s financial situation has deteriorated significantly over the past five years and that the government should tighten its belt to overcome the financial crisis, ordering ministries to conduct a thorough investigation of public sector assets. Yoon presided over the 2022 National Fiscal Strategy Meeting on Thursday at Chungbuk National University in North Chungcheong Province to discuss the direction of the new government’s five-year fiscal ma

July 7, 2022

Controversy continues over Yoon’s acquaintances’ involvement in state affairs

The presidential office is facing mounting criticism over President Yoon Suk-yeol’s personal acquaintances’ involvement in public affairs, following revelations that a relative of the president is working at the presidential office, days after the first lady drew fire for taking an acquaintance to the NATO summit. According to local news reports, Yoon’s relative, surnamed Choi, is working as a senior administrator equivalent to a post held by a grade three civil servant in

July 7, 2022

PPP to hold ethics committee meeting over sexual bribery allegations against leader

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) was set to hold an ethics committee meeting Thursday to discuss a sexual bribery scandal involving leader Lee Jun-seok amid speculation over whether he will be ousted as the leader. The PPP's ethics committee is scheduled to meet at the National Assembly at 7 p.m. to determine whether and how to discipline Lee over the allegations that he received sexual services paid for by a businessman as a bribe in 2013 and attempted to cover up the case. Lee, who has

July 7, 2022

Assembly speaker Kim meets with US congressional delegation

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo has met with a visiting delegation of the US House of Representatives and discussed various issues from investment to human rights, his office said Thursday. During the meeting held Wednesday, Kim called for US Congress to help foreign firms, such as South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., to benefit from the CHIPS Act aimed at bolstering the US chip industry by offering grants to chipmakers. "Many South Koreans were deeply impressed with US Pr

July 7, 2022