Presidential office names new senior science secretary in R&D push

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office announced on Thursday it has created a new senior secretary post for science and technology to embolden the administration's push for research and development. Park Sang-ook, associate professor of science policy at Seoul National University, will take the new role, according to Yoon's office. Park, under Sung Tae-yoon, presidential chief of staff for policy, will supervise four presidential secretaries -- each dedicated to R&D-related policy,

Jan. 25, 2024

Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? LGBTQ+ and politics (4)

South Korea defaults to heterosexuality as the predominant sexual identity publicly represented by political leaders. Among national politicians and elected parliamentarians, there have not been any public disclosures of a politician's sexual orientation throughout Korea’s entire legislative history. This lack of openly acknowledged LGBTQ+ representation in the country's top political leadership underscores the degree of exclusion and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in

Jan. 25, 2024

Korea unveils W134tr rail plan to cut Seoul commutes to 30 minutes

South Korea on Thursday unveiled a spending package worth 134 trillion won ($100.4 billion) to achieve a 30-minute commute for residents in the Greater Seoul area, mainly through a new suburban rail network called the GTX. The plan encompasses spending 38.6 trillion won to build GTX routes aimed at shrinking daily commute times to a quarter of what they are currently. The GTX, or Great Train Express, will comprise six lines covering the Greater Seoul area, as well as potentially parts of Gangwon

Jan. 25, 2024

Main opposition leader proposes military pay raise

The main opposition party on Wednesday rolled out a set of pledges aimed at improving the livelihoods of soldiers here, including raising their night and weekend shift payments. The pledges were announced by Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung during his visit to the Second Marine Division in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, in the morning. The party plans to help the Ministry of Defense raise the weekday late shift pay for soldiers from the current 10,000 won ($7.50) to 30,000 won per shif

Jan. 24, 2024

Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Disabilities and politics (3)

As of 2022, individuals with disabilities make up 5.2 percent of South Korea's population. Using basic arithmetic, this percentage corresponds to approximately 15 seats in the country’s 300-member unicameral parliament. In reality, just four seats are currently occupied by individuals with disabilities, constituting only 1.3 percent. The first person with a disability to win a parliamentary seat as a constituency representative was Lee Chul-yong. In 1988, on the ticket of the libera

Jan. 24, 2024

Yoon-Han meeting at fire-torn market signals mending ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol and the People Power Party's interim leader Han Dong-hoon met on Tuesday at a traditional market in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, signaling their efforts to mend the political rift that stemmed from differing views toward allegations of graft involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and questions about Han's fairness in the candidate nomination process. Han told reporters at Seoul Station, as he returned to the capital city after the surprise trip, his "deep respect

Jan. 23, 2024

Yoon's ex-boss named justice minister nominee

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday picked his former boss Park Sung-jae, who led the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, as the nominee for the minister of justice. The Justice Ministry oversees legal affairs, correctional services, the prosecution service and immigration. The nominee must go through a confirmation hearing in the National Assembly before receiving Yoon's final approval. Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Kwan-sup said Park would be a good fit for the Yoon administration'

Jan. 23, 2024

[KH Explains] How Dior bag footage shook Korean politics

When a YouTube video of South Korea's first lady receiving a Dior handbag went viral last year, it initially made few waves in mainstream news media. In the weeks before April's general election, the footage has become a wedge that is straining relationships among People Power Party lawmakers, as well as a piece of political ammunition for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Opposition lawmakers have been raising their suspicions that first lady Kim Keon Hee violated anti-gr

Jan. 23, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Substitute holidays, solid fuel restrictions, tech leak prevention

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Public Holidays Proposed by Rep. Yoo Gyeong-joon (People Power Party) ● The existing law does not specify a deadline for announcing the designation of substitute holidays, which has caused difficulties for people to plan for the holidays. Therefore, this amendment requires the government to designate substitute holidays at least two months (60 days) in advance except in cases where it is "unpredictable." Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to

Jan. 23, 2024

Han refuses presidential office's request to resign

People Power Party interim Chair Han Dong-hoon said Monday he had rejected the presidential office’s request that he step down from his current leadership position, in a surprising turn of events ahead of April's general election. “I’m not going to make an assessment on the matter,” Han told a group of reporters, who asked about the resignation request and the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s involvement in the ruling party’s affairs as he entered th

Jan. 22, 2024

Parties recruit ex-presidents of Samsung, Hyundai Motor

The ruling People Power Party on Monday recruited Koh Dong-jin, a former president of Samsung Electronics who was considered to be the driving force behind the launch of the Galaxy range of mobile devices. On the same day, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea brought in Kong Young-woon, a former president of Hyundai Motor dedicated to the company's strategy planning and communications. Both figures, who formerly represented South Korea's largest business conglomerates, are lik

Jan. 22, 2024

Yoon to skip public debate amid clash between presidential office, ruling party chief

President Yoon Suk Yeol skipped a government-public debate scheduled for Monday, triggering speculation as to whether the decision was related to a clash between the presidential office and the ruling party chief. The presidential office sent a notice to reporters half an hour before the start of the debate that Yoon had no events on his public schedule for the day. The debate was the fifth in a series of sessions on people's livelihood issues and Yoon had led all previous sessions. Monday&

Jan. 22, 2024

Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Women in politics (1)

Half of Korea's population are women, yet in the realm of politics, women are a minority group. In the current 21st session of parliament, the representation of female lawmakers stands at 57 out of the total 300 members -- only 19.1 percent. This percentage places South Korea significantly below average in terms of gender diversity in politics compared to other nations. The average among the 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations is 33.8 percent, while the

Jan. 21, 2024

Skepticism grows over alliance among new parties

The endeavor of new political parties to forge an alliance may face challenges in garnering momentum in the run-up to the legislative elections in April, as the former leader of the ruling party Lee Jun-seok declared that the opportune moment for the so-called "big tent" strategy has elapsed. Lee on Saturday openly distanced himself from the increasing calls for a union, while supporters of an alliance argued that the strategy is the best way to gain ground against the current two-part

Jan. 21, 2024

Minor opposition demands Yoon's apology after its lawmaker forcibly removed by bodyguards

The minor opposition progressive Jinbo Party demanded on Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol apologize and dismiss the head of the presidential security service, Kim Yong-hyun, a day after Jinbo Party lawmaker Rep. Kang Sung-hee was forcibly removed from a ceremony to celebrate the launch of Jeonbuk State. Kang, 51, represents the Eul constituency in Jeonju, Jeonbuk State's capital, and is the only member of the National Assembly from the Jinbo Party. The former labor activist won a parliam

Jan. 19, 2024

Opposition leader urges NK leader to stop provocations

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to stop its missile provocations, saying it will only lead to further isolation of the regime and intensify the suffering of its people. Lee, chairman of the Democratic Party, made the remarks amid heightened tensions over North Korea's continued saber-rattling, such as its recent test-launch of a solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile and artillery firings near the western inter-Korean sea border

Jan. 19, 2024

Parties roll out competing birth rate boosting pledges

The two main parties on Thursday each announced a set of pledges designed to reverse the country’s falling birth rate as the April 10 legislative election approaches. The ruling People Power Party vowed to establish a government agency dedicated to population planning and birth rate boosting. “We plan to establish a separate agency to deal with the country’s declining birth rate,” its election policy committee said during a press conference held in southern Seoul. “

Jan. 18, 2024

Minor opposition lawmaker dragged out of hall after telling Yoon to 'change his policies'

Commotion erupted Thursday as minor progressive Jinbo Party lawmaker Rep. Kang Sung-hee was dragged out of a venue in Jeonju, Jeonbuk State, after telling President Yoon Suk Yeol to change his policies. He was physically removed during a ceremony at Moak Hall at Sori Arts Center in Jeonju by the president's four bodyguards after he "did not let go of the handshake with Yoon and shouted at him," according to a source at the presidential office who declined to be named. Kang was forced o

Jan. 18, 2024

With increased autonomy, Jeonbuk State seeks growth

A new law to elevate North Jeolla Province to Jeonbuk State came into effect on Thursday, giving the region the autonomy to foster new industries in the field of agricultural biotechnology, the silver economy and the K-pop industry, as well as burgeoning technologies related to batteries and autonomous mobility. President Yoon Suk Yeol hailed Jeonbuk State's elevation by a special law promulgated in December as the momentum needed for rebalancing national growth -- one of his policy focal points

Jan. 18, 2024

Reinvestigation ordered into 2 ex-presidential officials over 2018 Ulsan mayoral election meddling scandal

The prosecution has ordered a reinvestigation into two former high-ranking presidential officials over their suspected involvement in the election meddling scandal surrounding the 2018 mayoral election in the southeastern city of Ulsan, officials said Thursday. The Seoul High Prosecutors Office issued the order to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, determining that an additional investigation into former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok and former senior presidential secretar

Jan. 18, 2024