Acting chief of broadcasting regulator resigns ahead of impeachment vote

Lee Sang-in, acting chief of South Korea's state broadcasting regulator, voluntarily stepped down Friday ahead of the National Assembly's planned vote on his impeachment motion. The main opposition Democratic Party, which has the majority of seats in the National Assembly, tabled a motion to impeach Lee, apparently aimed at blocking the Korea Communications Commission from taking control of public broadcaster MBC. President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted Lee's resignation offer, his offic

July 26, 2024

Yoon urges municipalities to embrace foreigners

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that local governments' cooperation with the state was crucial in encouraging foreign residents to settle here to address the population crisis in South Korea. At a meeting held in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, Yoon, who presided over a meeting with heads of the autonomous governments, said the central and local governments should take preemptive actions to support foreign nationals to settle and work in Korean society, as the country faces a gr

July 25, 2024

Yoon taps economics expert as population planning aide

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office announced Thursday it has established a new senior presidential secretary position dedicated to addressing South Korea's population crisis. Yoon's office also said You Hye-mi, an economics professor at Hanyang University, was appointed as the inaugural senior secretary tasked with tackling South Korea's low birth rate and addressing the nation's demographic challenges. Chung Jin-suk, Yoon's chief of staff, told reporters that You's position will serve as a "

July 25, 2024

Bill for special probe into Marine's death nixed in Assembly revote

A bill recently vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol that would mandate a special counsel investigation into the Defense Ministry's and military's response to a Marine's death, was scrapped at the National Assembly on Thursday amid intensifying bipartisan struggle. The revote had 194 votes in favor to 104 against the bill. Overriding a presidential veto requires a majority of the 300-member body to be present with two-thirds of them in favor. There was one abstention in the revote th

July 25, 2024

Yoon appoints new environment minister

President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Kim Wan-sup, a former vice finance minister with expertise in budget planning, as the new environment minister Wednesday, his office said. Kim, known for his expertise in environment-related budget planning while serving in the finance ministry's key positions, was nominated by Yoon early this month to replace Environment Minister Han Wha-jin. The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee adopted a report on his confirmation hearing earlier i

July 24, 2024

North Korean trash balloon falls on Seoul presidential office

At least one North Korean balloon carrying trash landed on the grounds shared by the South Korean presidential office and the National Defense Ministry in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Wednesday morning. South Korea’s Presidential Security Service said that some trash dropped by the North Korean balloon was identified on the grounds of the Yongsan presidential office and the adjacent defense ministry. The balloon contained mostly scraps of paper and plastic, according to the South Korean mili

July 24, 2024

Han begins as PPP chief; Yoon calls for unity

The new ruling People Power Party leadership kicked off its first day by highlighting unity amid concerns over lingering tensions between President Yoon Suk Yeol and newly elected party Chair Han Dong-hoon. The two met for dinner at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu in Seoul at the invitation of the president, Yoon's office said, noting that the meeting was intended to nurture "a grand harmony." Han was invited along with some other contenders at the party's national conv

July 24, 2024

S. Korean cultural influence is causing 'cracks' in rigid NK society: unification minister

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Tuesday underscored the importance of "cultural" approaches to fostering internal change in North Korea, saying the inflow of South Korean pop culture is causing "cracks" in a rigid ideology-based society of the reclusive country. Kim also pointed out North Korean authorities' "sense of crisis" over their people's growing rejection of the North's culture anchored in the ideology of "juche" or self-reliance

July 24, 2024

Yoon to visit Czech Republic in September to discuss nuclear power project

President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke by phone with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy and other areas, his office said. During their talks, Yoon agreed to visit Prague in September at the request of Fiala to discuss the successful implementation of a major nuclear power plant project following the Czech Republic's selection of a South Korean consortium as the preferred bidder. Yoon said the project will serve as an opportunity for both c

July 23, 2024

US-Korean dual national elected to PPP Supreme Council

South Korea's ruling People Power Party on Tuesday elected Rep. Ihn Yohan, Korea’s first American Korean lawmaker, to its five-member Supreme Council, the party's highest decision-making body led by newly elected Chair Han Dong-hoon. Ihn, whose English name is John Linton, served as chair of the party's innovation committee last year. Elected to parliament this year through proportional representation, the dual US-Korean national was running mate to chair candidate Won Hee-r

July 23, 2024

Eyes turn back to Yoon-Han tensions

A series of conflicts between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his political lieutenant Han Dong-hoon have come under renewed focus as Han was elected as the new chair of the ruling People Power Party in a resounding victory at the party's National Convention on Tuesday. Han was constantly at odds with Yoon's office in Seoul as he led the campaign for the April 10 general election as the ruling party's interim leader. On the latest occasion, earlier in July, Han zeroed in on the presidential office b

July 23, 2024

Han Dong-hoon back at helm of People Power Party

The ruling People Power Party wrapped up its 2024 national convention on Tuesday with Han Dong-hoon back at its helm. At the finale of the convention in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, Han emerged victorious in the contentious four-way race to be the party’s chair. He won more than 62 percent of the ballots from the 408,272 registered voters who participated, according to the party’s final count. In his victory speech, the former justice minister said he wanted to transform his party into

July 23, 2024

New special counsel bill zeroes in on both Yoon, first lady

Lawmakers of the minor liberal opposition Rebuilding Korea Party proposed a bill Tuesday to launch a special counsel probe into both President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee. This is the latest development following disputes and the prosecution's internal strife concerning the legal enforcement institution's decision to interrogate Kim outside of its office, in what Yoon's political enemies have depicted as preferential treatment for the president's wife. Led by Rep. Park Eun-jung, a

July 23, 2024

Ruling party set to hold national convention to pick new leader

The ruling People Power Party was set to hold a national convention Tuesday to elect a new party leader to head the embattled party following the party's crushing defeat in April's parliamentary elections. The party convention comes nearly three months after former interim leader Han Dong-hoon resigned after the general elections to take responsibility for the defeat. Han, running again to become the new PPP chief, is leading the race by a relatively significant margin, according to op

July 23, 2024

Parliamentary committee passes pro-labor 'yellow envelope bill'

A parliamentary committee unilaterally passed a pro-labor bill Monday that aims to limit companies from making claims for damages against legitimate labor union disputes. Lawmakers affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party and other progressive parties passed the revision to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, nicknamed the yellow envelop bill, during a plenary session of the parliamentary environment and labor committee. In protest, the ruling People Power Party left

July 22, 2024

People Power Party leader candidates diverge on Trump

As South Korea’s ruling People Power Party counts down to the national convention set for Tuesday, Han Dong-hoon -- the leading candidate for the party’s top post -- was seen promoting his views on former US President Donald Trump in a last-minute move to set himself apart from his main challengers. Han on Sunday posted to Facebook saying, “The South Korea-US alliance is at the core of our country’s progress in diplomacy, defense, economy and science, as well as peace in

July 22, 2024

Prosecution in disarray over first lady investigation

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok on Monday apologized for the prosecution's secretive questioning of first lady Kim Keon Hee over the weekend, saying that investigation principles were neglected while interrogating her. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office questioned Kim as a suspect at an undisclosed venue believed to be somewhere other than a prosecutors' office. The prosecution general, whose Supreme Prosecutors Office oversees the Seoul office, said he was not briefed

July 22, 2024

What's driving Seoul back to DMZ loudspeaker broadcasts?

South Korea entered its second day of renewed loudspeaker broadcasts along its border with North Korea on Monday, a retaliatory response to Pyongyang's recent barrage of trash-laden balloons sent southward. Hours after North Korea floated hundreds of balloons toward the South, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that "full-scale" broadcasting began Sunday afternoon and would continue on Monday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. As of 8 a.m., Monday, the South Korean military iden

July 22, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Vehicle recording mandates, chip incentives

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Motor Vehicle Management Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Hun-seung (People Power Party) ● Recently, nine people have lost their lives in front of Seoul City Hall due to an acceleration accident with an unclear cause. The driver attributed the incident to a sudden unintended acceleration, but there are no definitive means to support this claim or to prove driver error. In the Fair Trade Commission’s Status Research Report on the Operation of the Product Liab

July 22, 2024

Leadership race heats up for major parties

The leadership race for the two major parties here heated up in recent days, with the main opposition kicking off its primaries and the ruling party wrapping up its weekslong contest with an election scheduled for Tuesday. Ex-main opposition leader and Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Sunday won a primary in Gangwon Province, the third of the 15-leg race across the country, as he tries to secure a second term. Lee won a whopping 90.02 percent of the total ballots cast by registere

July 21, 2024