PM calls this week 'watershed' in efforts to prevent new wave of coronavirus infections

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday that South Korea is at a critical juncture this week in its bid to preclude a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. "A sense of crisis is heightening, with coronavirus cases spreading rapidly especially in the greater Seoul area," he said during a daily interagency meeting on the coronavirus response. This week will be a "grave watershed" to determine whether the country enters the path of a fourth wave of large-scale outbreaks or it

April 6, 2021

Parties scramble for last-minute campaigns on eve of by-elections

On the eve of the April 7 Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, rival parties scrambled to make final appeals to voters in the country's two biggest cities Tuesday. Voting for the two mayoral seats and 19 other regional public posts is set to begin at 6 a.m. and last till 8 p.m. on Wednesday at 3,459 polling stations across the country in by-elections that are deemed harbingers of public opinions ahead of next year's presidential poll. Leaders and candidates of the ruling Democratic Party (DP)

April 6, 2021

PM Chung may offer resignation next week: source

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, a potential presidential candidate, is likely to offer his resignation as early as next week, a source said Monday. "Chung has made up his mind to offer his resignation to President Moon Jae-in next week when he returns from a visit to the Middle East," said the source who asked not to be named. Chung is scheduled to visit Tehran to close the negotiations with Iranian officials regarding a South Korean ship was seized by Iran over three months ago. The

April 5, 2021

S. Korea, US agree 'in principle' on Moon-Biden summit in Washington

Seoul and Washington reached an agreement "in principle" to hold a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden in Washington, Seoul's national security adviser Suh Hoon said Monday. Suh made the remarks as he arrived in Seoul from a three-way meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Shigeru Kitamura, at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Suh, however, stopped short of saying when Moon and Biden will hold a summit, b

April 5, 2021

Moon attends tree-planting day event at historic power plant site

President Moon Jae-in planted trees Monday at a highly symbolic site in South Korea's push for low-carbon, environment-friendly energy use. Marking Korean Arbor Day, called "Sikmogil" here, he reaffirmed the nation's commitment to going carbon neutral by 2050. He joined the official ceremony held at the Dangin-ri power plant site in the western Seoul district of Mapo. Dangin-ri was constructed in the 1930s as the country's first coal-fired power plant. A major remodeling project is u

April 5, 2021

High turnout in early voting draws mixed views

High early voting turnout for next week’s by-elections has prompted both the ruling and opposition camps to claim it as an indication that the polls will swing in their favor. According to the National Election Commission, 2.49 million eligible voters, or 20.54 percent of the total 12.16 million, cast their votes during the two-day early voting period that ended 6 p.m. Saturday. The figure is the highest advance voting turnout in South Korea’s by-election history, exceedi

April 4, 2021

[Photo News] Early voting turnout for by-elections

Early voting for next week’s by-elections finished Saturday with a turnout of 20.54 percent, the highest in South Korea’s by-election history, according to election authorities. During the two-day advance voting period that ended at 6 p.m. on the day, 2.49 million of the total 12.16 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the National Election Commission. The previous record high of 19.40 percent was posted in the Oct. 29 by-elections in 2014. (Yonhap)  Presi

April 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Poll shows increase in conservatives among S. Koreans for 3rd straight year

A poll released by a state research body on Sunday showed an increase in conservatives among South Koreans for a third consecutive year. The Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA) also said the number of those who consider themselves liberals fell for the second straight year. KIPA polled 8,336 South Koreans, aged 19 and over, from September to October last year on their political leanings. The results showed that 25.7 percent of the polled said they are conservatives, up 1 percentage

April 4, 2021

Early voting turnout for by-elections hits record high of 20.54%

Early voting for next week's by-elections finished Saturday with a turnout of 20.54 percent, the highest in South Korea's by-election history, according to election authorities. During the two-day advance voting period that ended at 6 p.m. on the day, 2.49 million of the total 12.16 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the National Election Commission. The previous record high of 19.40 percent was posted in the Oct. 29 by-elections in 2014. Voters will choose new mayors of

April 4, 2021

Moon vows continued push for honor of Jeju April 3 incident victims

President Moon Jae-in assured Jeju residents and others Saturday that the government will faithfully implement a revised special law on compensating the victims and bereaved families of the April 3 massacre seven decades ago. He described the legislation as a "blueprint for building a house of history" related to the tragedy, speaking at a memorial ceremony held on the southern island. "(The government) promises to elaborate the blueprint and faithfully implement it," he sa

April 3, 2021

Yoon casts early ballot, fans speculations of political career

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl on Friday cast his ballot in the by-election for Seoul mayor, fanning speculations that he may enter politics himself. Yoon’s plans to cast his ballot Friday – the first day of two days of early voting – was made known Thursday. The decision to reveal his voting plans fanned speculations that he may make some form of announcement on the day, or use the early voting to signal the start of his own political career. Yoon, however, did no

April 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon's approval rating drops to another record low of 32%: Gallup

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has fallen for the third consecutive week, reaching an all-time low of 32 percent, due mainly to his government's unpopular housing policy, a poll showed Friday. In Gallup Korea's survey of 1,000 adults nationwide conducted from Tuesday through Thursday, only 32 percent gave a positive assessment of Moon's presidency, down 2 percentage points from the previous week and the lowest since his inauguration in 2017. But 58 percent negatively assessed Moon's p

April 2, 2021

Early voting for next week's by-elections begin

Voters headed to polling stations Friday as two-day early voting kicked off ahead of next week's by-elections for mayors of the country's two biggest cities. Early voting began at 6 a.m. and will last till Saturday evening at 722 polling stations ahead of the election day on Wednesday. Besides the two mayoral seats in Seoul and Busan, two regional administrative posts and 17 seats on regional legislative councils are also up for grabs. On the first day, 1.11 million of the total 12.16 millio

April 2, 2021

Seoul High Court judge nominated as new Supreme Court justice

A senior judge at the Seoul High Court has been selected as the final candidate to succeed outgoing Supreme Court Justice Park Sang-ok, the top court said Thursday. Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su picked Seoul High Court Judge Cheon Dae-yeop out of three candidates proposed by the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommending Committee and recommended him to President Moon Jae-in for official appointment, the court said. Cheong Wa Dae announced later that Moon plans to submit a motion on Cheon's no

April 1, 2021

Assembly speaker starts trade mission in Central Asia

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug began his nine-day visit to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to strengthen economic ties with the three emerging Central Asian nations, the National Assembly said Thursday. During the visit, Park will discuss cooperation in areas such as health care, energy, information and communications technology, public administration, agriculture and textiles. On Wednesday, Park visited Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, to hold talks with National Assem

April 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Rival parties try to drum up turnout as early voting for by-elections set to begin

With one day left before the start of the early voting for next week's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, rival parties on Thursday strived to encourage more of their supporters to go to the polls. The advance polling is set to begin at 6 a.m. on Friday and last till Saturday evening at 722 polling stations in Seoul, Busan and other regions ahead of the election day on Wednesday. Both sides believe turnout of their supporters for the early voting will be a prime determinant in the elections

April 1, 2021

Early voting for upcoming by-elections set to kick off for 2-day run

Early voting for the upcoming by-elections, including polls for the new Seoul and Busan mayors, is set to kick off this week for a two-day run, election officials said Thursday. The advance polling will begin at 6 a.m. on Friday and last till Saturday evening, ahead of the election day on April 7. Some 8.4 million voters in Seoul are eligible to cast ballots for a new mayor in the by-elections that come about a year ahead of the 2022 presidential poll. In Busan, South Korea's second-bigges

April 1, 2021

PM demands Japan withdraw history distortion amid renewed Dokdo sovereignty claims

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday criticized Japan for the country's latest territorial claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo and demanded that Tokyo withdraw its attempts to distort history. A textbook screening committee under Japan's education ministry approved 296 textbooks Tuesday for first-year high school students, including 30 kinds for social studies subjects that contain Tokyo's territorial claims to Dokdo. "We demand that Japan, as a responsible member of

March 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Minor Seoul mayoral candidates pledge to support women, LGBTQ people

As the April 7 by-election to choose Seoul’s next mayor approaches, a fierce battle is ongoing between the ruling and main opposition parties. At the same time, 10 minor parties and independent candidates are appealing to voters by talking about gender equality, LGBTQ rights, basic income and the environment. The 10 candidates, whose combined approval rating is less than 5 percent, are getting voters’ attention with issues that major candidates haven’t paid much attention to.

March 31, 2021

Week ahead of bellwether by-elections, rival parties rush for last-minute campaigning

Rival parties were rushing to rally support in their last-minute election campaigning Wednesday, with the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, seen as a potential game changer for next year's presidential election, only a week away. Some 8.4 million voters in Seoul are set to vote for a new mayor on April 7 in the by-elections that come about a year ahead of the 2022 presidential poll. The mayoral seat in Busan, South Korea's second-biggest city, is also up for grabs in the elections, along w

March 31, 2021