PPP claims suspicious online opinion rigging against Yoon

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) claimed Thursday it has detected suspicious opinion rigging attempts against its presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol as it plans to lodge complaints with election and law enforcement authorities over the issue. The PPP said it found signs of illicit cyber operations targeting Yoon through its self-developed software Kraken. The software was designed to spot manipulative online comments in order to prevent incidents like the 2017 opinion rigging scan

Dec. 30, 2021

Lee Jae-myung against Beijing Olympics boycott, opposes THAAD missiles

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea voiced his opinion against joining the US-led diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Olympics, saying South Korea should prioritize its own interests in its unique diplomatic circumstances. In a press event Thursday hosted by the Korea News Editors’ Association, Lee said South Korea should consider itself as a country that "encompasses" the interests of the US and China, which provides itself the powe

Dec. 30, 2021

Lee widens lead over Yoon to 11 percentage points: survey

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has widened his lead over his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol to 11 percentage points in a hypothetical four-way race, a survey showed Thursday. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party garnered 39 percent support against Yoon of the conservative People Power Party's 28 percent, according to the survey of 1,000 adults conducted Monday through Wednesday by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research. Lee gained 4 percentag

Dec. 30, 2021

S. Korea poised to let teenagers run for office next year

South Korea’s legislators are on track to grant final approval on lowering the age limit for people to run for office, with both ruling and opposition parties backing the bill that aims for better representation and diversity in local politics. The proposed revision to the Public Official Election Act asks the age requirement for electoral eligibility to be lowered from the current 25 to 18 when running to be a lawmaker, local council member or head of local government. While the country

Dec. 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ex-President Park to remain in hospital after midnight release

Former President Park Geun-hye was to be released at Thursday midnight, when the presidential pardon takes effect, after spending four years and nine months in prison for several corruption convictions. According to the Ministry of Justice, the amnesty of Park was to take effect at midnight. Park was to be released from her room at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, where she has been receiving treatment for several weeks. Park’s deteriorating health was an important consideration for the

Dec. 30, 2021

Govt. hints at easing real estate tax for temporary multiple homeowners

The government on Thursday hinted at easing a real estate holding tax for those who have become temporary multiple homeowners following a call from the ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. "There are some positive sides (of Lee's proposal)," Koo Yun-cheol, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, said in a MBC radio interview. He added that the government is currently discussing with the ruling Democratic Party (DP) over its real estate taxation scheme to stabilize

Dec. 30, 2021

PPP floor leader demands meeting with Moon over allegations of surveillance

The floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday demanded a meeting with President Moon Jae-in following revelations that a state investigative agency checked the phone records of its presidential nominee, the nominee's wife and dozens of party lawmakers. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has come under fire over revelations that it obtained the phone records of journalists in an alleged attempt to identify the source of leaks to th

Dec. 30, 2021

Lawmaker plans to accept political donations in cryptocurrencies

A ruling party lawmaker plans to accept political donations in cryptocurrencies, his office said Thursday, amid rising interest in virtual assets in the country. Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the ruling Democratic Party is trying to get campaign contributions in virtual currencies and issue non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a receipt for such donations starting mid-January. If realized, Lee would be the first lawmaker in South Korea to accept virtual assets for campaign finance. "We are currently re

Dec. 30, 2021

US declines comment on Chung's remarks about end of war declaration agreement

The United States declined to directly comment on any progress made on a draft for an end to the Korean War declaration professed by the South Korean foreign minister on Wednesday, only saying the US remains committed to dialogue with North Korea. South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday (Seoul time) said South Korea and the US have already reached a de facto agreement on the draft of a declaration to formally end the Korean War. A state department spokesperson offered no dire

Dec. 30, 2021

Lee aims to significantly improve quality of life

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung unveiled a set of campaign pledges on welfare on Wednesday, promising to improve the quality of life for South Koreans to the 15th best among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Under the pledges, the Democratic Party nominee said he will increase the coverage age of child allowance to 15 and reinforce sickness benefits, while expanding benefits of the national pension fund. Lee also said he

Dec. 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lookist evaluation of Yoon’s spouse raises eyebrows

Left-leaning figures have come under fire for making comments about Kim Keon-hee’s appearance, with some calling the remarks “misogynous.” The latest comments on Kim, the wife of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, came after she publicly apologized for embellishing her career history. On Wednesday, former lawmaker Sohn Hye-won once again took to social media to comment on Kim’s makeup and facial expressions when she delivered the apology. Sohn

Dec. 29, 2021

Yoon faces criticism for saying ‘most S. Koreans dislike China’

Main opposition People Power Party’s presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl has come under fire over a comment he made on Tuesday that “most South Koreans, especially young people, dislike China.” Following the comment, a spokesperson of the ruling Democratic Party’s campaign committee said the comment was “shocking” and “low” to reduce diplomatic relations between countries to whether who likes who. “China is an important partner in securit

Dec. 29, 2021

Lee takes controversies head-on

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, appears to be taking a head-on tactic to tackle controversies. In a radio interview Wednesday, Lee admitted to academic plagiarism and reiterated that Gachon University should revoke his master’s degree. “I did not provide citations in my thesis, and it is plagiarism. I gave up on my degree,” Lee said in the interview. “The school should cancel it, but it has not. They gave me a doc

Dec. 29, 2021

Minor candidates gain attention as two-way race stays ugly

Minor presidential candidates are gaining increasing attention as the two main contenders continue to lose appeal to politically neutral voters in the neck-and-neck race. The trend is particularly visible for People’s Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo, whose ratings rose significantly while the mudslinging was in force between Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party. The two main contenders have been battling controversies surroun

Dec. 29, 2021

Ruling party, govt. agree on need to extend virus curbs

The ruling Democratic Party and the government agreed Wednesday on the need to extend the current virus curbs and allocate funds for the purchase of a fourth shot of vaccines, a DP spokesperson said. The two sides reached the consensus during a meeting on the COVID-19 response, noting that key indicators, such as the operation of ICUs and the numbers of critically ill COVID-19 patients and deaths, have yet to improve, Rep. Shin Hyun-young said in a press briefing. The party asked, however, tha

Dec. 29, 2021

Moon vows more efforts to give students with disabilities equal rights to education

President Moon Jae-in pledged Wednesday to step up efforts to give students with disabilities equal rights to education so as to help them better integrate into society. Moon made the remarks at a ground-breaking ceremony of the nation's first vocational school affiliated with a state-run university for students with disabilities in Gongju, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. "We must have equal opportunity and anyone can equally contribute to society," Moon said. "Students with dis

Dec. 29, 2021

Moon's 5-year presidency gets approval rating of 42.1%

About 42 percent of South Koreans think that President Moon Jae-in did a good job in handling state affairs over the past five years, an approval rating slighly higher than the vote he received in the 2017 presidential election, a poll showed Wednesday. Moon, who was elected president with 41.1 percent of the vote, has enjoyed relatively high approval ratings through his term so far, compared with his predecessors. His single-five year term ends in May after the March 9 presidential election.

Dec. 29, 2021

CIO checked phone logs of 60 opposition lawmakers: PPP

The state anti-corruption investigation office has checked the phone logs of 60 lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), the party said Wednesday, accusing the powerful investigative agency of illegal surveillance. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has come under fire following revelations that it obtained the phone records of journalists, politicians and their family members in an alleged attempt to identify the source of leaks to the media.

Dec. 29, 2021

Lee expresses opposition to pardoning ex-President Lee

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, on Tuesday expressed opposition to granting a pardon to former President Lee Myung-bak, saying it could hamper national unity in the long term. After the government decided to pardon former President Park Geun-hye last week, some conservative supporters have been demanding that Lee, currently serving a 17-year prison term over embezzlement and bribery charges, should also be released. "We first need to think about whe

Dec. 28, 2021

To debate or not - candidates disagree

Whether to stage a televised debate or not is another topic being argued over between the two main contenders for South Korea’s upcoming presidential election, with no such event held so far with about 70 days left until the voting day. Lee Jae-myung, presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has called for his rival Yoon Suk-yeol from the main opposition People Power Party to join him for a debate over policies and visions as the two are the main contenders in the ong

Dec. 28, 2021