Yoon, Lee neck and neck in presidential race: survey

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), and his opponent Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) are neck and neck in a hypothetical multicandidate race, a survey showed Monday. Yoon garnered 40 percent support, while Lee trailed by only 0.5 percentage point at 39.5 percent, within the survey's margin of error, according to the survey of 1,007 adults conducted Friday and Saturday by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI). Yoon's r

Nov. 22, 2021

Moon says real estate issues ‘most regrettable’

President Moon Jae-in cited issues surrounding real estate as the most regrettable during his term in a live conversation with the public Sunday night. During a live talk with around 300 people attending for over 1 1/2 hours, Moon answered questions on the response to the pandemic, people's livelihoods and post-pandemic tasks. Moon said, "The most regrettable thing is that we did not give enough opportunities for people who don’t own homes, ordinary people and young people and new

Nov. 21, 2021

Moon voices worry on jump in COVID-19 cases, warns against complacency

President Moon Jae-in said Sunday that he is worried about a recent jump in new COVID-19 cases as the nation eased some social-distancing rules and urged people to strictly comply with containment rules despite higher vaccination rates. "The number of confirmed patients is on the increase as vaccination rates rise. Containment rules, including mask wearing, must be followed," Moon told a nationally televised town hall meeting. The nation's new coronavirus cases stayed above 3,000 fo

Nov. 21, 2021

Yoon Seok-youl’s election committee takes shape

The main opposition People Power Party’s presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl on Sunday finalized the leadership of his election committee, reaching across the aisle to shape his campaign. Former interim leader Kim Chong-in will head the election committee, and current and former party leaders Lee Jun-seok and Kim Byong-joon become standing committee chairmen. Former Democratic Party leader Kim Han-gil serves as chairman of the so-called New Era Preparatory Committee. Yoon revealed

Nov. 21, 2021

Ex-interim party leader named to lead presidential election campaign committee for Yoon

A former interim leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was named Sunday to lead the election campaign committee for the party's presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl. Yoon said Kim Chong-in, a veteran politician who resigned in April after heading the PPP as a caretaker leader, will be in charge of his campaign committee for the 2022 presidential election. Incumbent PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok will serve as a co-standing chairman for the election campaign committee along with Ki

Nov. 21, 2021

Ex-President Lee loses legal fight against forced sale of personal home

Former President Lee Myung-bak on Friday lost a lawsuit aimed at reversing the prosecution's sell-off of his home in southern Seoul as part of fines handed down to him for corruption charges, officials said. Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, is currently serving a 17-year jail sentence over embezzlement and bribery convictions. He was also handed a fine of 13 billion won ($11 million) and an additional forfeiture of 5.7 billion won. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled against Le

Nov. 19, 2021

Assembly panel passes unification ministry budget amid opposition boycott

A National Assembly committee passed the unification ministry's 2022 budget proposal on Friday despite a boycott by the main opposition party. The ministry had requested 1.27 trillion won ($1.07 billion) for the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to finance various humanitarian, economic and social projects between the South and the North. The ruling Democratic Party added an extra 10.7 billion won on top and passed the proposal during a meeting of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unificat

Nov. 19, 2021

DP office raided over govt. officials' alleged involvement in creating presidential campaign pledges

Prosecutors on Friday raided an office of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) over allegations government officials were illegally involved in the party's policy development process for the upcoming presidential election. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office dispatched a team of investigators to search the party's policy research office at a building inside the National Assembly compound in Yeouido, western Seoul, earlier in the day, according to judicial sources. The search came after

Nov. 19, 2021

PM calls for efficient hospital bed management amid surge in serious COVID-19 cases

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum called Friday for efficient hospital bed management as the country continued to see a rising number of critically ill COVID-19 patients amid no signs of letup in daily infections. Kim said the government's priority will be swiftly adding hospital beds and supporting medical resources needed at hospitals as quickly as possible. "There are concerns that our journey to return to normalcy may stop for a while if we cannot overcome this crisis," Kim said duri

Nov. 19, 2021

Presidential candidates’ wives under fire

The spouses of key presidential candidates have been making headlines for days and are finding themselves at the center of allegations, rumors and even mockery. Kim Kun-hee, wife of the main opposition People Power Party’s candidate, Yoon Seok-youl, has been mired in allegations of stock price manipulation related to the used car dealership Deutsch Motors. The prosecution arrested Deutsch Motors CEO Kwon Oh-soo on Tuesday. Kwon is suspected of playing a leading role in manipulating th

Nov. 18, 2021

Lee Jae-myung lashes out at Yoon Seok-youl’s view of national security

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has strongly criticized his archrival, Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party, for hinting at the possibility of canceling a symbolic inter-Korean military agreement, warning that the idea itself poses a serious threat to national security. On a Facebook post Wednesday titled “Candidate Yoon, please stop pushing in the wrong direction,” Lee lashed out at Yoon’s recent remarks t

Nov. 18, 2021

Ruling party, satellite party agree to seek merger

The ruling Democratic Party said Thursday it has agreed with the minor Open Democratic Party to seek their merger, a move that comes less than four months ahead of the presidential election. The agreement was reached during a meeting between DP Chairman Song Young-gil and his Open Democratic Party counterpart, Choe Kang-wook, according to Koh Yong-jin, a senior DP spokesperson. The minor party is considered a "satellite party" of the DP, as it was launched by former DP lawmakers ahea

Nov. 18, 2021

PM to meet hospital chiefs in capital area over critical care bed operations

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will hold a meeting with hospital chiefs in the Seoul metropolitan area to discuss operations of intensive care beds amid a rising number of critically ill coronavirus patients, his office said Thursday. Kim will have an emergency meeting with heads of 22 tertiary hospitals in the capital area on Friday to discuss the bed situation for serious COVID-19 patients following concerns over the region's medical capacity. The Seoul metropolitan area, including the surround

Nov. 18, 2021

Public land ownership tax: Solution to inequality or infringement of rights?

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s pledge to introduce a “public land ownership tax” is raising controversy, with some hailing it as a means to narrow social inequality while others say it would infringe on private property rights. Lee’s envisioned tax is similar to the nation’s comprehensive real estate holding tax, which is levied on high-priced real estate. But Lee hopes to impose taxes on all land, meaning homeowners would pay taxes on the

Nov. 17, 2021

Yoon says sinking of Cheonan warship clearly act of N. Korea

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said Wednesday that the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 was clearly the act of North Korea. Yoon made the remarks during a meeting with Choi Won-il, the retired captain of the sunken naval ship Cheonan, and Lee Seong-woo, who represents family members of the fallen soldiers, saying that questioning the scientifically proven investigation outcome comes from a "submissive" attitu

Nov. 17, 2021

Yoon Seok-youl hints at possibility of ditching inter-Korean military agreement

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, said he could consider scrapping a symbolic inter-Korean military agreement if there is no sign of change in North Korea’s attitude, adding he would not seek a summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un “just for show.” “A promise can be kept when the partner keeps it. In the event I’m elected president, I would call for the North to carry out the Sept. 19 military agreemen

Nov. 17, 2021

Venture industry at forefront of digital innovation in post-pandemic era: Moon

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that venture business executives are at the forefront of digital innovation in the post-pandemic era, praising them for helping to transform the nation's economy into a pacesetter. Moon made the remarks at an opening ceremony of an industry exhibition for startups, called "COMEUP 2021," earlier in the day. "By accelerating digital innovation, the world has now embarked on a new takeoff that goes beyond recovering from the COVID-19 crisis,&q

Nov. 17, 2021

Costa Rica's president to make state visit to S. Korea next week

Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado Quesada will make a state visit to South Korea next week to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues with President Moon Jae-in, Moon's office said Wednesday. The Costa Rican president will arrive in South Korea on Sunday for a four-day visit and hold a summit with Moon on Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee told reporters. The summit is aimed mainly at enhancing bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of space and

Nov. 17, 2021

Ruling party threatens parliamentary probe into finance ministry amid dispute over COVID-19 relief funds

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has threatened to conduct a parliamentary investigation into the finance ministry for underestimating this year's surplus tax revenue, ratcheting up pressure on the government to endorse the DP presidential nominee's push to provide universal COVID-19 relief funds. DP floor leader Rep. Yun Ho-jung said during a YTN radio interview Tuesday that this year's excess tax revenue is expected to reach 50 trillion won ($42.2 billion), which is 19 trillion won more than

Nov. 17, 2021

National Assembly sharply cuts budget for light aircraft carrier

The parliamentary defense committee on Tuesday sharply cut the Navy's 2022 budget for the country's first light aircraft carrier, giving a red light to the military shipbuilding project. The defense ministry requested 7.18 billion won ($60 million) for next year's budget to build the country's first light aircraft carrier, but the committee only approved 500 million won, questioning its feasibility. "We respect the Navy's opinion, but this is something that should not be done in a hurry,&

Nov. 16, 2021