Govt. to place emergency controls on urea water solution amid supply shortage

South Korea plans to place emergency controls on production and provision of urea water solution (UWS), the prime minister's office said Tuesday, in a move to ease the supply crunch of the material used to reduce emissions in diesel vehicles. A government notice that allows public authorities to command urea water solution makers' production, shipment and sales is expected to be approved at the Cabinet's extraordinary meeting on Thursday and come into force no later than this week. South Kore

Nov. 9, 2021

Moon calls for revision of laws on workplace harassment at civil service

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday instructed aides to take steps to revise laws on workplace harassment in the civil service, citing a lack of legal stipulations on compensation for victims in the field of public administration. The instruction came after a newly recruited civil servant at the city government of Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, was found dead at the person's home in September, about three months after the official was assigned to the post.  Family members of the dec

Nov. 9, 2021

Moon to attend virtual APEC summit

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this week during which he will focus on the pandemic recovery and vaccine donations, a presidential spokesperson said Tuesday. Leaders of the 21-nation APEC will hold the virtual summit Friday, with the region's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and carbon neutrality expected to be high on the agenda. During the summit, Moon plans to emphasize South Korea's role

Nov. 9, 2021

Anti-discrimination law again discussed, gains momentum

Debate on enacting an anti-discrimination law is again gaining steam with the support of civic groups and left-wing lawmakers. The South Korean Coalition for Anti-Discrimination Legislation on Monday protested in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, demanding that the bill be passed within this year’s parliamentary session. The group says its passage cannot be delayed any longer. “Our demand is simply this: Pass the anti-discrimination law and uphold the virtue

Nov. 9, 2021

Yoon far ahead of Lee in multiple polls after primary

People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl appears to be speeding past his contender, Lee Jae-myung, with various polls placing him more than 10 percentage points ahead. A Realmeter poll carried out between Sunday and Monday showed that Yoon recorded 46.2 percent in approval ratings, up 11.8 percentage points from the previous week. The ruling Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung fell 0.4 percentage points from the last survey to 34.2 percent. The People’s Party lea

Nov. 9, 2021

Ruling party pushes to provide universal relief handouts in Jan.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will try to provide COVID-19 relief handouts to all people in January after earmarking the money in the next year's national budget despite opposition from the government and its rival party.  The DP plans to use this year's excess tax revenue to fund its universal relief grant scheme. If the government does not issue additional state bonds, the party believes 200,000-250,000 won ($170-$210) can be given to each person. "We will try

Nov. 9, 2021

Bill to allow singles to be eligible for full adoptions announced

The justice ministry announced Tuesday it has come up with a law revision to allow capable singles to become eligible for full adoptions. The ministry said it plans to submit the bill to revise the current civil law to allow singles 25 and older capable of supporting the well-being of an adoptee to become eligible for full adoptions. According to the current law, full adoptions, which cuts off all legal ties of an adoptee with the original family, are allowed only for married couples, while s

Nov. 9, 2021

With half-year in office remaining, Moon vows to complete return to normal life

With half year in office remaining, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his administration will do everything possible for a complete return to normal life from the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recovery. South Korea began easing virus curbs this month in its first step of its "living with COVID-19" policy after more than 70 percent of its population were fully vaccinated. Still, health authorities remain on high alert as virus cases could trend back upward again. Moon's single, f

Nov. 9, 2021

DP presidential candidate cancels campaign schedule after wife's hospitalization

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), has canceled his campaign activities set for Tuesday after his wife was admitted to a hospital for injuries sustained in a fall, his party said. The former Gyeonggi governor had been scheduled to hold meetings with firefighters and young people on virtual assets and attend a convention for women, but all those events were called off after his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, was admitted to a hospital in Gyeonggi Province aroun

Nov. 9, 2021

Moon pledges to open firefighter hospital in 2024

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday pledged to open a hospital for firefighters in 2024 to better safeguard their safety and health. In a message marking the 59th Fire Service Day, Moon also vowed to improve firefighting equipment and provide more personal safety gear. The firefighter hospital, which is under construction as planned, will open in 2024 as the nation "will do its utmost to continue to safeguard firefighters' safety and health," Moon said. "People have always had fai

Nov. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon urges all-out efforts on urea shortages

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed his aides to use diplomacy and public reserves to stave off a urea shortage in the private sector, as the country runs low on diesel exhaust fluid after China tightened exports to avert its own power crisis. Urea solutions are used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions, and about 97 percent of Korea’s imports came from China during the first nine months of the year, according to the Trade Ministry. Seoul has already asked Beijing to ease its exp

Nov. 8, 2021

[Us and Them] Why does Korea have such a deep political divide?

Political conflict in South Korea reaches sharp and sometimes violent extremes, with politicians on either side of the aisle accusing each other of “ruining” the country and bringing unrecoverable disaster. The left-right clash often reaches down to the individual level, with families and friends divided, and branding each other naive. Korea’s short history of democracy and how it has shaped personal experiences are a source of tension between generations. But some experts

Nov. 8, 2021

Both presidential campaigns targeting voters in their 20s and 30s

The presidential nominees of both the ruling and opposition camps are targeting young voters, aware that lack of support from this demographic presents major challenges for their campaigns. So far neither candidate has gained wide support from voters in their 20s and 30s. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, presidential nominee for the main opposition People Power Party, is forming his campaign team with that objective in mind. "As supporters have vouched for different candidates d

Nov. 8, 2021

Moon’s approval rating slips to 6-month low

President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating slipped to a six-month low of 34.2 percent, hit hard by the snowballing development scandal involving Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, a recent poll found Monday. According to Realmeter, his approval rating in the first week of November was 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percent from the previous week, while his disapproval rating increased 5.3 percent to 62.9 percent during the same period. The approval

Nov. 8, 2021

Yoon subject to new probe over charges of illegal documenting of judges: activist group

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has been booked on additional charges connected to the prosecution's documenting of judges' traits in the past, an activist group said Monday. The group of self-claimed "judicial justice" activists said it received notification from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on Oct. 22 that Yoon has been booked by the office in connection with its complaint. The group f

Nov. 8, 2021

Yoon leads Lee by almost 12% points in presidential race: survey

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party, is leading his opponent Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party by nearly 12 percentage points in a hypothetical multicandidate race, a survey showed Monday. Yoon garnered 43 percent support against Lee's 31.2 percent in the survey conducted on 1,009 adults nationwide on Friday and Saturday, according to the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI). Yoon's rating jumped 10.6 percentage points from the previo

Nov. 8, 2021

Yoon says he is open to inter-Korean summit, but not 'for show'

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has said he is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit but is not interested in doing it "for show." Yoon made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, saying a summit should be held when it is expected to lead to concrete results. "I will always leave it open, but I won't do it for show," Yoon said when asked about the possibility of

Nov. 8, 2021

Moon's approval rating near record low; main opposition party's support hits new high

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell to a near record low, while that of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) rose to a new high after the PPP nominated a former top prosecutor as its presidential candidate, a poll showed Monday. Moon's rating dropped to 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percentage points from a week ago, according to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,525 people over the age of 18 from Nov. 1-5. In the Realmeter surveys, Moon's lowest rating of 33 percentage points w

Nov. 8, 2021

S. Korea to expand high-level communication with U.S. on chip supply chain cooperation: gov‘t

South Korea will expand high-level communication with the United States to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in ensuring stable semiconductor supply chains, the Seoul government said Sunday. 　 　Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs Hong Nam-ki led a meeting on economic security, a day before the deadline by which the U.S. government asked global semiconductor manufacturers to submit information to help address global chip shortages. 　 　“After the deadline for the submission of

Nov. 7, 2021

Lee proposes special envoy to China over urea water solution shortages

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, said Sunday South Korea should consider sending a special delegation to China to tackle the supply shortage of urea water solution (UWS), a key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions. Calling the current crisis a "China risk," Lee also urged party officials to review other materials that similarly have limited import channels and look into imposing price control, when necessary, to prevent acts cor

Nov. 7, 2021