Lee vows to push for 4 1/2-day workweek

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday he will push to shorten the workweek from five days to 4 1/2 days if elected in March. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party announced a set of campaign pledges for laborers at a workers' welfare center in Bucheon, just west of Seoul. "I will begin a social dialogue for the introduction of a 4 1/2-day workweek and push for a trial project for its phased implementation," he said, offering to provide various incentives to b

Jan. 26, 2022

Moon hopes for free trade deal with Mexico

President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Wednesday for a free trade deal with Mexico as he exchanged letters with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to celebrate the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries. Moon said in the letter that a free trade pact between the two countries would support a post-pandemic economic recovery. The two sides launched free trade talks in 2006, but the negotiations have been stalled since 2008 amid opposition from business

Jan. 26, 2022

NSC discusses measures over risk of Russia-Ukraine conflict

The presidential National Security Council (NSC) has discussed tensions between Russia and Ukraine, including how the crisis will affect South Korea's economy and the situation in Northeast Asia, a senior presidential official said Wednesday. National security adviser Suh Hoon presided over an NSC meeting Tuesday and checked measures to ensure the safety of Korean nationals in Ukraine, according to Park Soo-hyun, a senior presidential secretary for public communication. The meeting also checke

Jan. 26, 2022

Moon to preside over COVID-19 response meeting amid rapid spread of omicron

President Moon Jae-in will preside over a COVID-19 response meeting Wednesday, a senior presidential official said, after the country's daily coronavirus cases shot up to over 13,000 amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Due to anti-virus guidelines, the meeting will be held with a small group of ministers, including Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Other health-related ministers will join the meeting virtually, according to Park Soo-hyun, a senior presidential secretary for public communic

Jan. 26, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 44.7% to 35.6%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 44.7 percent public support against Lee's 35.6 percent, a survey showed Wednesday. Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) gained 5.5 percentage points from a Jan. 10-11 survey, while Lee of the Democratic Party lost 1.3 points, according to the Realmeter survey conducted on 1,018 adults from Monday to Tuesday. Yoon led Lee by 9.1 percentage points, which was outside the margin of error of pl

Jan. 26, 2022

Ahn refutes secret negotiations, says alliance only possible under his banner

Ahn Cheol-soo, the minor opposition People’s Party presidential candidate, on Tuesday refuted rumors of behind-the-scenes negotiations with the main opposition People Power Party, saying once again that no alliance is possible unless he is the unified candidate. Speaking in a radio interview, Ahn said he is not considering merging his campaign with that of Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party.  “I assume that there isn’t a person (who is conducting unofficial negot

Jan. 25, 2022

Ruling party announces reforms to address weak support for Lee Jae-myung

The head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea announced he will not seek reelection in the next National Assembly, as part of large-scale reforms to the party aimed at boosting support for its presidential nominee, Lee Jae-myung. Rep. Song Young-gil, a five-term lawmaker and the chairman of the Democratic Party, said in a press conference Tuesday that he will not seek to run again as a lawmaker in the next parliamentary elections in 2024. He also announced his party will not make nominations

Jan. 25, 2022

Speculations rise on Kim Keon-hee’s official campaign debut

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, may be preparing to officially join her husband’s election campaign. Naver, one of the two largest internet portals in South Korea, on Tuesday registered an official profile page for Kim that listed her as an exhibition planner who has served as the president of Covana Contents since 2009. Four exhibitions were directed under her lead, the profile read. Kim was also found Sunday to be

Jan. 25, 2022

Yoon vows to scrap nuclear phaseout policy

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday he will scrap the nuclear phaseout policy and reduce the proportion of fossil fuel generation by a third to cut fine dust emissions by more than 30 percent. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party made the remarks while announcing his election pledges on the environment and agriculture at the party's headquarters in Seoul. Yoon said he, if elected president in March, will do his utmost to reduce fine dust pollution by abolis

Jan. 25, 2022

Nat'l Assembly speaker to attend Beijing Olympics opening

Parliamentary Speaker Park Byeong-seug will visit China next month and attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the National Assembly said Tuesday. He is scheduled to visit Beijing from Feb. 3-6 at the invitation of Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. They will discuss ways to boost exchanges between the parliaments of the two countries, which mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, the National Assembly said

Jan. 25, 2022

Lee pledges basic income for farming, fishing villages

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung pledged Tuesday to provide a basic income of up to 1 million won ($836) to residents of farming and fishing villages if elected in March. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party announced the pledge at a press conference in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, as he canvassed voters in Gyeonggi Province for a third day. Lee said he will increase the agriculture and fisheries industries' share of the government budget to 5 percent and conduct deve

Jan. 25, 2022

Opposition parties turn against each other

Opposition parties People Power Party and the People’s Party are engaging in an escalating war of words, while putting down rumors of unification for the presidential election. On Monday, Lee Jun-seok, head of the People Power Party, hit back at Ahn Cheol-soo’s barbed comments, claiming it was the People’s Party that was “immoral” during the Seoul mayor election held last year. “Talking about the candidate in third place is now called ‘immoral,&rsqu

Jan. 24, 2022

Yoon vows for stronger national defense, key to peace on Korean Peninsula

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party on Monday stressed the need to adopt strict measures to push North Korea’s denuclearization, and vowed to strengthen national defense, saying it is the key to prosperity and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Announcing his 20 election pledges on diplomacy and defense policies -- four on North Korea, 11 on diplomacy and five on national defense -- Yoon vowed to normalize inter-Korean relations and strengthen Sout

Jan. 24, 2022

PM implores people to refrain from traveling during Lunar New Year over omicron

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Monday asked people to refrain from traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday, as the highly transmissible omicron variant is beginning to tighten its grip on South Korea. Millions of people usually travel across the nation to meet relatives or visit tourist spots during the holiday for Lunar New Year that falls on Feb. 1 this year. The holiday runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Kim called for people to get booster shots if they want to travel during the holiday. &q

Jan. 24, 2022

[Election 101] Campaign merger? What it is and why it matters

Will two presidential candidates, Yoon Suk-yeol and Ahn Cheol-soo, merge their campaigns to win the upcoming election? It remains one of the burning questions ahead of the March presidential election. Unification during an election campaign refers to two or more candidates merging their campaigns to win the election. And “unification” is a word that comes up time and time again in election season. The first attempt to unify was in the 1987 presidential election. Many Koreans wh

Jan. 24, 2022

Lee Jae-myung vows quicker commute for Gyeonggi residents

Presidential candidate for South Korea’s ruling party vowed to heavily invest in high-speed trains and reduce the commute time in the greater Seoul area to within 30 minutes. Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party announced Monday he will expand the construction of Greater Train Express commuter network of railways, subways and expressways to improve the access of Gyeonggi Province residents to Seoul and other parts of the province. The announcement was made in Lee’s campaign

Jan. 24, 2022

Moon calls for swift shift to new response measures to cope with omicron

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed the government to swiftly shift to new response measures to cope with the spread of the omicron variant, warning the nation could see a surge in infections in the short term. "The spread of omicron is very fast, making it the dominant strain, and the number of confirmed cases could surge in a short period of time," Moon said, according to Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication. Moon urged the government to &quo

Jan. 24, 2022

Moon not to hold New Year's press conference in order to focus on handling omicron

President Moon Jae-in will not hold a New Year's press conference as he focuses on handling the COVID-19 situation with the highly transmissible omicron variant becoming the dominant strain in South Korea, a senior presidential official said Monday. The presidential office had been preparing for the New Year's press conference as Moon wrapped up his eight-day visit to the Middle East last Saturday. "In a situation where the omicron variant has become the dominant strain, the New Year's pr

Jan. 24, 2022

7 Lee confidants pledge not to take any appointed post

Seven confidants of ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Monday they will not take any appointed post even if Lee is elected, as they appealed for support for Lee amid sluggish support. The pledge from the seven former and current lawmakers, including the ruling Democratic Party's secretary-general Rep. Kim Young-jin and Rep. Jung Sung-ho, came as main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol has overtaken Lee in opinion polls. Earlier in the day, a survey showed Yoon is leading Lee wi

Jan. 24, 2022

Prosecution probing allegations Yoon refused raid on religious sect as prosecution chief

Prosecutors have opened a probe into allegations that main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, while serving as prosecutor general, refused to conduct a raid on a religious sect accused of spreading COVID-19 following advice from a shamanic adviser, sources said Monday. The Segye Times daily carried a report on the allegations last week, saying Yoon refused to carry out a prosecution search into the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in February 2020 over quarantine violations, upon a rec

Jan. 24, 2022