Gyeonggi governor takes lead in presidential polls

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is leading the polls among the four major candidates for next year’s presidential election, a survey showed Friday. According to a poll conducted by Gallup Korea, Lee is in the lead, with 34 percent of survey respondents saying they have favorable sentiment toward the Gyeonggi governor. Lee was followed by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl at 30 percent and Rep. Hong Joon-pyo at 28 percent. Both Yoon and Hong are vying to become the president

Sept. 21, 2021

S. Korea, Britain discuss vaccine swap in summit

The leaders of South Korea and Britain had discussions Monday on setting up a bilateral COVID-19 vaccine swap during their summit talks here, Cheong Wa Dae said. 　Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed progress in consultations on the issue. President Moon Jae-in also said it demonstrates friendly ties between the two sides, as they met each other on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. 　The president expressed hope that the

Sept. 21, 2021

Moon, first lady give regional specialties as Chuseok gifts

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook sent out regional specialties as Chuseok gifts for about 15,000 people, including front-line health care workers fighting COVID-19, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. The presidential couple favors locally produced foods when giving official gifts for major holidays. This year’s gift boxes consisted of rice from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province; Yanggu, Gangwon Province; Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; Yesan, South Chungcheong Provi

Sept. 19, 2021

Moon in New York for UN speech during Chuseok holiday in Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York on Sunday to attend an annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. He plans to deliver a keynote speech on Korean peace and Seoul's role in resolving global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, according to his office. His five-day visit to the US, which will also take him to Hawaii for an alliance event, comes as Korean people celebrate Chuseok, one of their biggest and most important traditional hol

Sept. 18, 2021

Moon to attend Major Economies Forum on climate

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate on Friday to discuss global warming ahead of the UN climate summit, known as COP26, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in October. The MEF is a US-led initiative that aims to ramp up supplies of clean energy while reducing carbon emissions. US President Joe Biden will convene the Friday meeting to strengthen the climate ambitions of the 17 members, including Australia, Canada, China, the EU and

Sept. 17, 2021

Lee Jun-seok urges supporters to be wary of YouTubers

In a press briefing that marks 100 days in office, People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok called on the opposition party and its supporters to be wary of false and misleading videos on YouTube. To win the presidential election, Lee said the party should focus on people thinking logically and rationally instead of people who see only what they want to see. “A new media called YouTube recommends videos that you might want to watch through algorithms,” Lee said. “The algori

Sept. 17, 2021

N.Korea media for domestic audience keeps mum on Kim Yo-jong's statement against Moon

North Korea's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, and other media outlets targeted toward the domestic audience did not carry a statement by leader Kim Jong-un's sister that warned South Korea of the deadlock of inter-Korean relations. On Wednesday, Kim Yo-jong released a statement slamming South Korean President Moon Jae-in for branding the North's weapons tests as a "provocation" and warned of a "total deadlock" of inter-Korean relations. As of early Thursday morning, the Ro

Sept. 16, 2021

Human rights groups call for revising media bill

Human Rights Watch and three other human rights organizations have sent a joint letter to President Moon Jae-in and the National Assembly calling for the revision of a media bill accused of undermining press freedom. The legislation calls for punitive damages up to five times more than usual if a media outlet is found guilty of running false or manipulated news reports. Critics argue that it could be used to silence critical media. The letter points out that the bill defines "false or manip

Sept. 16, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae to convene emergency NSC meeting on N. Korea's missile launches

President Moon Jae-in received an immediate briefing on North Korea's firing of ballistic missiles Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon received the briefing from Suh Hoon, director of national security, immediately after North Korea launched "unidentified projectiles today," presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a press statement. Cheong Wa Dae also plans to hold a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee as soon as the president returns to

Sept. 15, 2021

Moon requests China's unswerving support for Korea peace process

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Wednesday that China will continue support for the Korea peace process while meeting with the neighboring country's visiting top diplomat. Commencing 40-minute talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon took note of Beijing's role and contribution so far to the peace process. The session came shortly before news reports of North Korea firing what are believed to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "Our government will

Sept. 15, 2021

Main opposition picks 8 primary contenders in 1st 'cut-off'

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday eliminated three contenders from its primary for next year's presidential election, paving the way for the opening of long-awaited primary debates to be aired or livestreamed. The remaining eight contenders include former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Rep. Hong Joon-pyo. The others are former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong, Rep. Ha Tae-ke

Sept. 15, 2021

Moon vows S. Korea's role in resolving ocean garbage problem

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed South Korea's commitment Wednesday to stronger international cooperation in the campaign to protect the ocean. He delivered the message via his social media accounts on the occasion of the International Coastal Cleanup Day. "It takes 450 years for plastic to break down after being used for a moment," he pointed out. "Micro plastics threaten not only marine life but also our health." The president stressed South Korea will cut the amount of

Sept. 15, 2021

Moon heading to New York for UN General Assembly

President Moon Jae-in is heading to New York on Sunday to deliver his speech at the United Nations General Assembly but nothing has been decided on bilateral meetings, including a possible summit with US President Joe Biden, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday. The president plans to visit New York and Honolulu during his five-day trip to the US. This will be his fifth attendance at the annual General Assembly, a diplomatic mega event that convenes Sept. 21 for two weeks. Moon plans

Sept. 13, 2021

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun decides to drop out of ruling party's primary

Chung Sye-kyun, former prime minister and presidential hopeful, on Monday decided to drop out of the ruling party's presidential primary race, according to his campaign team representatives. The former business executive-turned-politician decided to end his primary race after holding a meeting with his campaign team and plans to hold a press conference to announce his decision at the National Assembly later in the day. Chung, a former six-term lawmaker, stepped down as prime minister in April

Sept. 13, 2021

Natl. Assembly OKs opposition lawmaker's resignation over father's alleged land speculation

The National Assembly on Monday approved the resignation of Rep. Yun Hee-suk of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who offered to resign following speculation allegations over her father's past real estate transaction. Yun, a former economist and a rising PPP freshman member, had offered to give up her seat and presidential bid last month after being included in a group of main opposition lawmakers who either themselves or their families were suspected of being linked to speculative

Sept. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon Seok-youl allegations threaten to push political arena

The allegations surrounding conservative presidential hopeful Yoon Seok-youl are expanding, with Yoon accusing the head of the National Intelligence Service of meddling in a presidential election. On Monday, Yoon reported NIS chief Park Jie-won and informant Cho Sung-eun to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, in a countermove for coming under investigation for allegations raised by Cho. Yoon has accused Park and Cho of violating the National Intelligence Service Ac

Sept. 13, 2021

S. Korea vows efforts to protect freedom of expression after UN criticism of media bill

South Korea will continue to protect freedom of expression of its people, the government has said in response after a UN expert called for the revision of a media bill that she said could seriously undermine press freedom. Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, made the request earlier this week, expressing concern that the ruling party-led bill would "severely restrict" the freedom of the press. The le

Sept. 13, 2021

Lee consolidates landslide lead in ruling party's primary race

SEOUL/WONJU -- Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung clinched two consecutive electoral victories Sunday in the ruling Democratic Party (DP)’s primary votes to pick its presidential candidate, solidifying his landslide lead. Lee finished first in one of the party‘s three rounds of electoral college votes, released in a regional primary event in Oak Valley Resort in Wonju, Gangwon Province, earlier in the day. The governor garnered 51 percent of the 496,672 ballots cast by in the

Sept. 12, 2021

Assembly speaker returns after parliamentary summit diplomacy

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug returned Saturday after meeting with his counterparts at the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Vienna. They agreed to cooperate on issues concerning economics, business, defense and North Korea, officials said Sunday. During the two-day conference, which began Tuesday, he met with 24 parliamentary leaders and with the secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and expanded the horizons of South Korea’s parliamentary di

Sept. 12, 2021

Moon expresses sympathy to Biden, American people on 9/11 anniversary

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday that South Korea will continue to contribute to the fight against terrorism as he marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "My deepest sympathies go out to President Joe Biden and the American people. Twenty years have passed, but the shock of that day still remains as deep wounds in the hearts of so many," he said in a Facebook message. Moon noted that violence cannot win over peace and inclusiveness and that the tragedy of the

Sept. 11, 2021