Lee Jae-myung vows to raise annual export volume to $1 trillion

The ruling party's presidential nominee vowed to ensure South Korea‘s yearly exports reach $1 trillion within his five-year term by fostering traditionally strong and novel sectors and diversifying trade routes. Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea said in an event Wednesday that, if elected, his government would lead a digital transition in the manufacturing sector and foster the renewable energy sector to adapt to the new global business environment. "Products and market

Jan. 12, 2022

Yoon vows to resolve unfair practices in gaming industry

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday unveiled a set of measures to upgrade the country's gaming industry, including disclosing information on randomized in-game items, in his latest move to woo young male voters ahead of the upcoming election. Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) said he would mandate game developers to disclose the odds of getting randomized items, which has been a hot topic among gamers here. In some online games, users pay to receive items ran

Jan. 12, 2022

Moon orders thorough investigation into accident at Gwangju construction site

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday ordered a thorough investigation into a construction site accident that left six people unaccounted for, his spokesperson said. Moon's order comes a day after the facade of a high-rise apartment building under construction in the southwestern city of Gwangju collapsed, leaving six workers missing. "Thoroughly investigate the fundamental cause of the recent series of safety accidents," Moon said during a meeting with his aides, according to his spoke

Jan. 12, 2022

Yoon overtakes Lee 38% to 35.3%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol overtook his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung after gaining 38 percent public support against Lee's 35.3 percent, a survey showed Wednesday. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party added 3.1 percentage points, while Lee of the liberal Democratic Party lost 7.1 points, according to the survey of 1,014 adults conducted by Hangil Research from Saturday to Monday. In the pollster's previous survey conducted from Dec. 25-27, Yoon trailed Lee

Jan. 12, 2022

Moon expresses concern over N. Korea's repeated missile launches ahead of election

President Moon Jae-in expressed concern Tuesday over North Korea's repeated missile launches ahead of South Korea's presidential election in March, his spokesperson said. Moon made the remark after being briefed on the results of a National Security Council meeting held earlier in the day following the North's firing of a suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea, Park Kyung-mee said during a press briefing. "It is concerning that North Korea test-fired missiles in succession ahead of

Jan. 11, 2022

Moon hopes new cathode plant will boost EV battery sector

President Moon Jae-in attended the groundbreaking ceremony for an LG Chem cathode plant in the southeastern city of Gumi on Tuesday, saying he hopes the 475 billion won ($397 million) project will boost South Korea's competitiveness in the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector. Moon traveled to the city 260 kilometers southeast of Seoul to meet with officials involved in the construction of the plant for the key battery component. The project was launched under a jobs program led by LG Chem and

Jan. 11, 2022

[Election 2022] Yoon pledges 1 million won monthly subsidy for childbirth

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party pledged Tuesday to provide a monthly allowance to parents to encourage childbirth, and to come up with compensation measures for small business owners suffering financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As North Korea fired a projectile identified as a ballistic missile into the East Sea earlier in the day, the conservative party candidate also highlighted the importance of international sanctions, and said the

Jan. 11, 2022

Lee lays out economic pledges with $50,000 in GDP per capita target

The presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea vowed to grow the nation into the fifth-largest economy in the world while reaching a gross domestic product per capita of $50,000 and seeing the main bourse Kospi hit 5,000 points during his term. In a press event held Tuesday, Lee Jae-myung promised to focus on investing in advanced technologies and fostering key sectors to achieve sustainable growth with an emphasis on digital and eco-friendly transitions. Lee emphasized that

Jan. 11, 2022

Anchovies, beans and #AnnihilateCommunism cause campaign uproar

When Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin wrote “Annihilate communism” on his Instagram along with a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, it is unlikely that he intended to start a fad.  But for some conservatives salivating over a chance to slam the ruling camp’s guiding philosophy of diplomacy known as strategic ambiguity, the half-joke was just too spot on. A day after Chung’s post, Yoon Suk-yeol, presidential candidate of the conservative Pe

Jan. 10, 2022

Moon to visit three Middle East countries on Jan. 15

President Moon Jae-in will visit three countries in the Middle East -- the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt -- on an eight-day trip beginning Jan. 15, according to the presidential office on Monday. Moon will first visit the UAE between Jan. 16-17 at the invitation of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. It is Moon‘s first visit to the country in four years. After the UAE, he will visit Saudi Arabia for two days to hold talks with Saudi Arabia‘s de

Jan. 10, 2022

[Election 2022] Parties focus on online for ‘viral’ campaign gimmick

As suspenseful music plays in the background, two politicians appear closely facing each other. One politician asks, “Did you know that the Moon Jae-in administration is raising the cost of electricity for charging electric vehicles?” The other answers, “Who will ride EVs then? What about the environment?” To this, his counterpart says, “We will freeze the electricity prices for the next five years!” This is the conversation between the main opposition Peopl

Jan. 10, 2022

Can South Korea pay enlisted soldiers 2 million won a month?

Presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party vowed to raise the wage of enlisted soldiers to 2 million won a month, following the vows of his rival Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party made weeks earlier. The campaign promise draws discussions on its administrative and financial feasibility, following calls from the past for the government to assure at least minimum wage for conscripts. The issue also extends to whether it can start bringing long-overdue

Jan. 10, 2022

Moon urges greater vigilance against spread of omicron

President Moon Jae-in called for senior aides to do everything possible to employ anti-epidemic measures against the spread of the omicron variant, saying it is only a matter of time before the omicron becomes the dominant strain in South Korea. While emphasizing the government's urgency in coping with the omicron, Moon convinced people the nation could overcome the highly transmissible variant if it makes utmost efforts to curb the spread of the variant. "It will only be a matter of ti

Jan. 10, 2022

Ahn’s rise splits presidential race three ways

People’s Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo has rapidly gained on his ruling and main opposition rivals in recent weeks, as he is appearing to absorb voters peeling away from People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol. Ahn came out on top in a Realmeter poll of 3,042 people released Monday in a hypothetical alliance with the main opposition party. The poll, requested by local media outlet Oh My News, was held from Jan. 2 to Friday. Some 35.9 percent answered they would vote for hi

Jan. 10, 2022

Yoon says coding should be given priority in children's education

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that computer programming should be dealt with as a school subject that's more important than mathematics, English and Korean in order to meet a need for digital-savvy human resources. "I think it will only be possible to supply ample digital-savvy human capital to the market by allotting a greater weight to coding than those to the subjects of the Korean language, mathematics and English in evaluation for school admissions,

Jan. 10, 2022

Lee leads Yoon by 6 percentage points: poll

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is leading his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol by 6 percentage points with the election less than two months away, a survey showed Monday. Lee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) garnered 40.1 percent, while Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) gained 34.1 percent, according to the Realmeter survey of 3,042 adults conducted last week. Lee's support edged down 0.8 percentage point from a week earlier, and Yoon's support fel

Jan. 10, 2022

[Contribution] No first use for all

Nuclear weapons are one of today’s most critical international issues. We face rising tension between nuclear-armed states such as the United States, the Russian Federation, and the People’s Republic of China. From the border between Russia and Ukraine to the Taiwan Strait, growing military activity in those regions concerns the global community. Hence the recent joint statement by the five nuclear-armed states -- China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States -- gave u

Jan. 9, 2022

Ahn tops presidential nominees in hypothetical alliance with Yoon: poll

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, came out on top in a poll released Sunday in a hypothetical alliance with the major opposition nominee Yoon Suk-yeol. In a survey by Southern Post, Ahn earned 42.3 percent of support as the main opposition candidate in case of a unified presidential bid with Yoon, the People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Lee Jae-myung, representing the ruling Democratic Party, had 28.9 percent support in that scenario. The survey wa

Jan. 9, 2022

Gender war revisited in presidential race

Presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has revisited the option of abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a move deemed controversial by many amid aggravating gender conflict in South Korea. Yoon is explicitly appealing to male voters in their 20s as recommended by People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok after the two came to a truce days earlier following a period of damaging internal strife. On Friday, the presidential nominee posted a s

Jan. 9, 2022

Moon attends send-off ceremony for firefighters killed in warehouse blaze

President Moon Jae-in on Saturday attended the send-off ceremony for three firefighters killed in a warehouse blaze earlier this week, expressing his sympathy to the bereaved families. On Wednesday, the fire broke out at a seven-story warehouse in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The victims were unaccounted for on Thursday morning, and their bodies were recovered later. "Moon expressed condolences to each member of the bereaved families, saying he wishes to deliver consolation o

Jan. 8, 2022