Ex-prime ministers share concerns over DP's deepening divide

Three ex-prime ministers under the previous Moon Jae-in administration have expressed concerns over the deepening divide within the main opposition party and throughout the liberal bloc as of Tuesday. Former Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yon, Chung Se-kyun and Kim Bu-gyeom pointed to the Democratic Party of Korea's current leader Lee Jae-myung's monopolization of power within the party as a major hurdle to party unification ahead of next year's general elections, in two separate meeting

Dec. 26, 2023

Yoon calls for different perspective to boost birthrate

President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for approaching the issue of the country's surprisingly declining birthrate from a fundamentally different perspective, emphasizing the need to identify its causes and find effective solutions. Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting as South Korea's fertility rate, already the world's lowest, experienced another decline in the latest setback to the government's efforts to boost its declining population. According to the statistics

Dec. 26, 2023

Ex-Justice Minister Han to take over as ruling party leader

Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon was set to be sworn in as chief of the ruling People Power Party on Tuesday, taking on the daunting mission of leading the party through April's parliamentary elections. Han will take office as chairman of the PPP's emergency committee after the party's national committee endorsed his nomination through phone voting. His inauguration ceremony is set for 3 p.m., party officials said. Han takes over at a time when the PPP has been struggling to

Dec. 26, 2023

Political parties gear up for crunch election just 100 days away

With about 100 days until April's parliamentary elections, political parties are vying to get a head start in the crucial race that observers say could determine whether President Yoon Suk Yeol will be able to push his agenda forward or end up an early lame duck. Recent public surveys largely suggest a challenging path for the ruling People Power Party amid Yoon's low approval ratings, as shown in the party's crushing defeat in October's local by-election for Seoul's Gan

Dec. 26, 2023

Yoon attends Christmas service at church

President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a Christmas service at a church in Seoul on Monday and vowed efforts to build the state to become a "good gift" to people, his office said. Yoon visited the Chungdong First Methodist Church in central Seoul in the morning to take part in the church service for about an hour, according to the presidential office. In response to a supportive message by an elderly Christian after the service, Yoon said he will make efforts to make the country become a &quo

Dec. 25, 2023

Incoming ruling party chief faces uphill battle

The ruling party interim nominee, former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon faces an uphill battle as he seeks to lead party reform while tackling opposition proposals for a special investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee. Han will be elected as the chair of the emergency committee of the ruling People Power Party on Tuesday, following the approval of the party's national committee. An emergency committee led by Han will be launched on Friday. But even prior to the official launch, Han will

Dec. 25, 2023

Yoon wishes joy of blessing on Christmas Eve

President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed hope for a happy and blessed Christmas in a message to the public posted on the eve on Sunday. "It is a Christmas full of love from Jesus ... Today, there are many people around us who practice Jesus' love and grow the embers of hope," Yoon said in a Facebook post. "The government and I will also try harder to make small embers burn with greater love. I hope all of you will enjoy the joy of a happy and blessed Christmas," Yoon said.

Dec. 25, 2023

Presidential office says special probe bills are designed to leave 'scratch' on Yoon administration

The presidential office believes that opposition-led special investigation proposals, including one into allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, are designed to leave a "scratch" on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration ahead of the general elections, a senior official said Sunday. Lee Kwan-sup, director of national policy at the presidential office, made the remark during his appearance on KBS TV, as the main opposition Democratic Party plans to pass the two investigation proposals

Dec. 24, 2023

[Newsmaker] Hype builds for Yoon’s ‘wingman’ to helm ruling party

Han Dong-hoon, the star prosecutor who was President Yoon Suk Yeol’s first justice minister, is about to make his official debut in politics as the leader of the ruling party. One of the best-known figures in Yoon’s Cabinet, Han surprised Seoul’s political capital Yeouido on Thursday when he accepted an offer to lead the People Power Party, the top seat of which had been left vacant for over a week. Previous party leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon stepped down amid an open power struggl

Dec. 22, 2023

S. Korea's fiscal deficit, debt to rise further in 2024: ministry

South Korea's fiscal deficit is projected to rise to nearly 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year, the finance ministry said Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on stricter terms, is expected to post a deficit of 91.6 trillion won ($70.19 billion) in 2024, or 3.9 percent of the country's GDP, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The amount was 400 billion won smaller than what the government expected earlier, as the N

Dec. 21, 2023

Cho Tae-yong: Who is the new pick for South Korea’s spy chief?

Cho Tae-yong was tapped again by President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this week to head the National Intelligence Service, marking his third presidential nomination under the administration that is less than two years old. Since Yoon took power about a year and a half ago, Cho was made his ambassador to the US and then his national security adviser -- a minister-level role he would be leaving if his appointment as the new leader of the spy agency is finalized. A seasoned diplomat, Cho built a career

Dec. 21, 2023

Rival parties reach deal on 2024 budget, enter full election mode

South Korea’s ruling and main opposition parties on Wednesday agreed to pass the 2024 government budget through the National Assembly, propelling the rival parties into a full-fledged election race, widely expected to serve as a litmus test for the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The parliament’s special committee for budget settlement and floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced they agreed on a budget plan with a reduc

Dec. 20, 2023

[News Analysis] Will justice minister become beacon of hope for Korea’s conservative bloc?

There is currently one man in South Korea who many in the conservative bloc believe is popular enough to win voters' hearts, despite his lack of political experience. The man of the hour is Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon -- President Yoon Suk Yeol’s right-hand man and a strong candidate to lead the ruling People Power Party at its helm into next year’s April general election. A survey conducted by local polling agency Gallup Korea earlier this month showed Han as Korea’s

Dec. 20, 2023

Ex-DP leader Song's arrest rattles party ahead of election

A Seoul court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Song Young-gil, ex-leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, could pose some risks for the liberal bloc ahead of next year’s general election, observers said Tuesday. The Seoul Central District Court on late Monday granted the warrant sought by prosecutors against Song on charges of bribing several of his fellow Democratic Party lawmakers in the time frame leading up to the party’s leadership election in May

Dec. 19, 2023

Eyeing economic security, Yoon names NIS, foreign minister picks

South Korea’s presidential office on Tuesday announced another batch in the ongoing Cabinet reshuffle, with President Yoon Suk Yeol nominating his national security adviser to be chief of the intelligence agency and a former top envoy to the United Nations as new foreign minister. A new bureau dedicated to economic security in the presidential National Security Office will also be created as part of the reshuffle, his office said. According to the office, Yoon named Director of the Nationa

Dec. 19, 2023

Yoon pledges to break up e-commerce market monopoly

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday pledged stricter corrective measures and law enforcement on e-commerce players to curtail their dominance in South Korea's online market, claiming these marketplace operators were bullying mom-and-pop vendors and undermining consumer choice. This will accompany the Yoon administration's proposal of a new law to restrict business activities of e-commerce companies designated as "dominant platform business entities," which was announced later in the day

Dec. 19, 2023

Yoon says N. Korea will learn its provocations only bring 'greater pain'

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday North Korea will come to realize its provocations will only bring "greater pain," as he referred to its series of missile launches. "North Korea launched a short-range missile and an ICBM yesterday and the day before for two consecutive days," he said during a Cabinet meeting, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. "The North Korean regime will come to realize its provocations will only bring greater pain," he said.

Dec. 19, 2023

'Women are useless': professor investigated for misogyny, extortion

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday launched an investigation of a male professor here over a string of allegations including misogynistic comments and extortion. Local media outlets reported that a professor at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage has been accused of insulting students, extorting money from them and making them run personal errands. Educational institutions here are conventionally under the supervision of the Education Ministry, but this particular institut

Dec. 18, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Bills to promote software, high-tech industries

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Software Promotion Act Proposed by Rep. Yoon Doo-hyun (People Power Party) ● This amendment aims to minimize quality problems in software projects by allowing companies to participate in public domain software projects based on capacity. It exceptionally allows large enterprises to engage in design and planning projects that are ordered separately from software development projects. It also allows companies belonging to business groups subject to cross-sha

Dec. 18, 2023

Yoon's approval rating down for 3rd straight week

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has declined for the third consecutive week to 36.3 percent, according to a poll released Monday. The survey, conducted by the polling agency Realmeter, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's performance went down by 1.1 percentage points from the previous week, while 61.2 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance, up 2 percentage points. Yoon's approval rating has seen a continuous decline over the past three weeks, dro

Dec. 18, 2023