DP narrows field of presidential contenders down to six in 1st-stage primary

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday narrowed its lineup of presidential contenders down to six in the first round of the party primary to pick its candidate in next year's presidential election. The DP declared Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, ex-DP chief Lee Nak-yon, ex-Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, ex-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and two others as the six final winners of the first-stage presidential primary. The results are based on opinion polls conducted from Friday-Sunday on party

July 11, 2021

Donations roll in for candidates as presidential race heats up

As candidates officially register themselves for next year’s presidential election, donations have started rolling in, giving a preliminary glance at the public support for each candidate and party. Attention toward the upcoming election is believed to be much more heated than before, with hundreds of millions of won pouring in for candidates even on the first day of them opening accounts to receive donations. The campaign office for Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Saturday tha

July 11, 2021

Assembly speaker urges Italy to include Korea in COVID ‘Green Pass’ travel list

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, who was on an official visit to Italy and Greek, discussed with the two countries’ politicians ways to bolster cooperation in areas of travel, smart city development, energy and infrastructure, officials said Friday. Park visited Italy on Thursday and met with Senate Speaker Elisabetta Casellati and House Speaker Roberto Fico to exchange opinions on pending issues between the two countries. He urged Italy to include Korea in their Green Pass s

July 9, 2021

Heat wave advisory issued for many parts of S. Korea

Following several days of downpours in the southern South Korean regions over the past week, a heat wave advisory was issued for many parts of the country Friday, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it issued the heat wave advisory for almost all parts of the southern provinces of Gyeongsang and Jeolla, the central provinces of Chungcheong, and parts of the Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces as of 10 a.m. Seoul was excluded from the advisory, which is

July 9, 2021

Moon thanks US Congress for support in advancement of Seoul-Washington alliance

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed gratitude for the support the US Congress has provided in the advancement of the decades-old Seoul-Washington alliance during a meeting with a group of visiting US lawmakers at Cheong Wa Dae. Moon hosted a reception for the visiting members of the US Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK), a bipartisan study group on South Korea, at the presidential office. The CSGK, consisting of about 54 US lawmakers, was launched in 2018 as part of diplomatic effo

July 9, 2021

Main opposition's approval rating outstrips ruling party's for 1st time in nearly 5 yrs: Gallup

The main opposition party outstripped the rival ruling party in public support for the first time since a major corruption scandal involving former conservative President Park Geun-hye about five years ago, an opinion poll showed Friday. The latest survey by Gallup Korea showed the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) garnered 32 percent of support while the ruling Democratic Party (DP) had 31 percent. The poll was conducted on 1,000 voters nationwide from Tuesday-Thursday. T

July 9, 2021

Moon to hold emergency meeting on coronavirus crisis next Monday

President Moon Jae-in will hold an emergency inter-agency meeting to discuss the COVID-19 crisis in the greater Seoul area early next week, his office said Friday. Moon instructed that the "special" session be convened at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Participants will include Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, as well as Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Jeong Eun-kyeong, head

July 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘Yoon shouldn’t run for president’

Former prime minister and presidential hopeful of the ruling party Rep. Lee Nak-yon said on Thursday it doesn’t make sense that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is running for president given what he said earlier about his convicted mother-in-law. “When he was in the prosecution, (the prosecution) did not indict his mother-in-law, and he told Parliament that he will obviously have to step down as prosecutor general if she is guilty,” Lee said in a radio interview Thurs

July 8, 2021

Majority of PPP supporters back Yoon Seok-youl as president

Some 6 in 10 supporters of the main opposition People Power Party think Yoon Seok-youl is fit to be the next president of South Korea, dwarfing support for the established politicians of the party, a recent poll showed Thursday. The survey was conducted with 1,006 eligible voters by Realmeter and commissioned by OhmyNews, a left-leaning internet news outlet. According to survey results, the ex-prosecutor general received a 58 percent support rating among 383 respondents who said they suppor

July 8, 2021

DP pushing for legislation to curb fake, false news

  The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is pushing for a bill aimed at dramatically increasing the media's burden of responsibility for false or fake news, sources said Wednesday. According to the political sources, a subcommittee of the parliamentary Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on Tuesday tabled a bill to revise the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports, at the initiative of the ruling party. The subcommittee meeting, however, ended shortly,

July 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Opposition talks about scrapping Ministry of Gender Equality

Presidential hopefuls and the leader of the main opposition party have begun talking about scrapping the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, saying all it does is carry out campaigns and make gender conflicts worse. The ministry, launched in 2001, has often been slammed for underperforming, making divisive statements, and responding passively to sexual harassment by the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. “Fifteen to 20 years of trial and error is enough for campaigns based on se

July 7, 2021

Civil servant fined for lying about visits to COVID-19-hit facilities

A civil servant was fined heavily Wednesday for failing to disclose his visits to COVID-19 clusters before testing positive for the coronavirus. The 24-year-old official, whose identity was withheld, was sentenced to a fine of 20 million won ($17,600) by the Daejeon District Court in the central city of Daejeon for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Twenty million won is the maximum amount of fine stipulated by the infectious disease control law for obstructing epidem

July 7, 2021

Special counsel for Park Geun-hye case resigns amid bribery allegations

Special Counsel Park Young-soo, who has led an investigation into a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, resigned Wednesday amid allegations he accepted a Porsche car from a fishery businessman. Park said in a statement to reporters that he submitted his letter of resignation in the belief that it became "difficult" for him to carry out his duties as special counsel. "I feel a strong moral responsibility for such things as introducing a controversial figu

July 7, 2021

Critics dismiss ruling party’s olive branch to North Korea

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is desperately seeking to carry on President Moon Jae-in’s legacy and revitalize inter-Korean ties, but with North Korea still unwilling to engage, its last-minute attempt at diplomacy stands little chance, critics say. Recently, the party has said it will seek parliamentary approval of the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration -- the first of Moon’s two peace deals with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- to rekindle talks. At the 2018 summits, Moon and Kim

July 7, 2021

Former top auditor expresses will to join politics

Choe Jae-hyeong, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), on Wednesday officially expressed his intent to enter politics. The former BAI chairman told Yonhap News Agency that he "has determined to participate in politics" but added that he will need more time to streamline his future plans, possibly including whether to run in next year's presidential race. Choe resigned in late June in a move widely viewed as a prelude to joining the presidential election race. The re

July 7, 2021

Moon urges swift measures to trace COVID-19 infections amid another wave of pandemic

President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Wednesday to step up efforts to speedily trace COVID-19 infections amid a sharp hike in confirmed cases. He called for the establishment of more temporary testing centers in areas with many residents or visitors and swift mobilization of military personnel, police officers and civil servants to that end, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president ordered "preemptive" steps to expand testing on people related t

July 7, 2021

S. Korea's opposition leader thanks acting US envoy for America's vaccine provision

South Korea's main opposition party leader on Tuesday thanked the acting US ambassador to South Korea for his country's COVID-19 vaccine provision. Lee Jun-seok, head of the People Power Party (PPP), noted that he was one of the beneficiaries, during his meeting with Robert Rapson, the acting US ambassador to Seoul, at the National Assembly. "I was among those who benefited from the US' recent provision of 1 million doses of the Janssen vaccine," Lee said. "It is something that

July 6, 2021

S. Korean, Fijian leaders note bilateral agreement on aid in letters

The leaders of South Korea and Fiji have exchanged letters on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the two sides establishing diplomatic ties, Cheong Wa Dae said. In a letter to his Fijian counterpart, Jioji Konousi Konrote, President Moon Jae-in pointed out that bilateral relations have constantly developed since 1971, according to Moon's spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon expressed hope that the two countries will expand cooperation in various fields, including politics, business and cultu

July 6, 2021

[Herald Interview] Korea needs a leader who can handle external issues: Lee Nak-yon

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, a Democratic Party of Korea heavyweight who announced his presidential bid Monday, believes South Korea now needs a new leader befitting its raised status. “South Korea’s status has risen to a high level,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “The public has gained a lot of confidence both internally and externally, but at the same time we face a lot of challenges. “We need a leader who is worthy of strengthening the nation’s s

July 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lee Jae-myung says ‘shall I pull down my pants’ on TV

Gyeonggi Province governor and presidential front-runner Lee Jae-myung asked in a televised debate “shall I pull down my pants again?” when asked to explain his scandal with an actor. During the debate among eight candidates for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s primary for next year’s presidential election Monday evening, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun asked Lee to explain a previous scandal, saying the morality of a president is very important. Lee explaine

July 6, 2021