Moon urges policy measures to shield employment amid coronavirus crisis

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed his economic team to map out timely "special" measures to insulate jobs in the private sector, hours after the release of a report showing a surge in the number of dole applications in South Korea. He stressed the need to help firms maintain employment despite challenges from the coronavirus pandemic and suggested an initiative by the public sector for those who are not covered by the government's insurance system. He pointed out that the n

April 13, 2020

Election watchdog prioritizes preventing COVID-19 self-isolators from having contact with other voters

South Korea's election watchdog said Monday it will prioritize preventing those in self-isolation over the new coronavirus from having contact with other voters when they cast ballots in this week's elections. The government will allow people ordered to go into self-quarantine from April 1-14 and without symptoms of the virus to vote in Wednesday's parliamentary elections after regular voting ends at 6 p.m. Under measures revealed by the National Election Commission (NEC), self-isolators wear

April 13, 2020

Moon's approval rating hits 17-month high on coronavirus response: poll

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose to a 17-month high last week on the back of positive assessment of the government's handling of the new coronavirus, a poll showed Monday. Moon's support reached 54.4 percent last week, up 0.7 percentage point from the previous week, according to a Realmeter survey of 2,522 voters nationwide. The poll was conducted between last Monday and Friday. It marked the highest rating since November 2018, when Moon's rating hit 55.4 percent. "The asses

April 13, 2020

U2 leader asks S. Korean president to support Ireland in fight

Bono, the lead vocalist of Irish rock band U2, has sent a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in asking for support in his country's fight against the novel coronavirus, the presidential office here said Sunday. In the letter, Bono asked for South Korean protective equipment and diagnostic kits and said he would personally pay for it, according to Cheong Wa Dae. In a reply sent Friday, President Moon said he would have the health authorities discuss the issue and he hoped Ireland will o

April 12, 2020

Self-isolators without coronavirus symptoms allowed to vote

Self-isolators will be allowed to cast ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections if they do not show symptoms of coronavirus infection, authorities said Sunday. "People who were ordered to go into self-quarantine from April 1-14 and show no symptoms on the day of voting can cast ballots," Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a press briefing. "Wearing face masks, they should go to polling stations on foot or by car, while using mass transportation is strictly banned.&quo

April 12, 2020

Parties strive to turn early voting enthusiasm to their favor

  More than a quarter of all eligible voters in South Korea have already cast their votes in last week’s advance voting period. And parties are all out to turn the higher-than-expected voter enthusiasm to their favor in the lead up to Wednesday’s main voting. Voter turnout in the two-day early voting Friday and Saturday reached a record high of 26.67 percent with 11.7 million voters, according to the National Election Commission. The ruling Democratic Party interprets it as

April 12, 2020

Ex-Prime Minister Chung passes away at 91

Former Prime Minister Chung Won-shik, known for his role in crafting a pact for inter-Korean reconciliation in 1991, passed away Sunday after months of battling a kidney ailment, his family said. He was 91. Chung, who served as premier from 1991-1992, died at around 10 a.m. His memorial altar has been set up at Asan Medical Center in southern Seoul. Chung is best remembered for his efforts to reach a historic agreement with Pyongyang over cross-border reconciliation, nonaggression and exchang

April 12, 2020

Moon holds out hope for overcoming COVID-19 through unity in Easter message

President Moon Jae-in held out hope for overcoming the new coronavirus with a "single mind" in his Easter message Sunday, amid concerns the major Christian holiday could hamper the fight against the pandemic. "Although there are still many challenges ahead of us, and we cannot relax our containment efforts until the last patient fully recovers, we will definitely overcome this with a single mind and stand back up again," Moon tweeted. "Like the resurrection of Jesus C

April 12, 2020

Rival parties expect sweeping victory in longtime strongholds

This year’s general elections are shaping up to be a battle between the ruling party that aims to maintain dominance and the main opposition party that hopes to “pass judgment” on the Moon Jae-in administration. Both project that they will take majority, but the outlook remains unclear. The exceptions are centered on the southwestern city of Gwangju and surrounding North and South Jeolla provinces for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and Daegu and adjoining North Gyeongs

April 11, 2020

[Photo News] Early voting despite virus fears

Voters were advised to wear face masks and disposable gloves while casting their ballots for the April 15 general elections, on the first day of the two-day early voting Friday. Strict quarantine guidelines were presented to prevent virus spread, as public safety is a top priority in this year’s elections. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

April 10, 2020

Moon, Gates agree on coronavirus vaccines, treatment in phone talks

President Moon Jae-in and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates agreed Friday to expand cooperation in efforts to develop vaccines and treatments against the new coronavirus during their phone talks, Cheong Wa Dae said. In their 25-minute conversation, made at Gates' request, they focused on ways to tackle COVID-19 sweeping through the world. Leading the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for philanthropic campaigns, Gates has been striving to help the international community overcome the virus cris

April 10, 2020

Early voter turnout hits record high as of Friday noon amid health concerns

South Korea’s early voter turnout for the parliamentary elections flagged a record high as of Friday at noon on the back of voters seeking to avoid large crowds on April 15 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of 43.9 million eligible voters, 2.5 million, or 4.9 percent, had voted, according to the National Election Committee. By comparison, this is two times the turnout by the same time during the 2016 parliamentary elections and the highest ever since early voting for national elections w

April 10, 2020

Moon casts early vote for next week's general elections

Wearing a face mask and disposable gloves, President Moon Jae-in cast his ballot Friday, as South Korea began two-day early voting for the April 15 parliamentary elections that are seen as a referendum on Moon. He voted at a polling booth inside the Samcheong-dong community service center near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Moon cast his ballot early to help enhance public awareness of the elections and raise voter turnout, according to his aides. He showed up at the center with first lady Kim Ju

April 10, 2020

Ruling party hopes to extend dominance in Incheon, Gyeonggi

With more than a quarter of the constituencies in the balance in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, the ruling and main opposition parties are concentrating much of their firepower in the region in the run-up to the general elections. On Thursday, both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and main opposition United Future Party fielded heavyweights in the region to support their candidates’ campaigns, as they each seek at least half of the 72 constituencies there. The ruling party is said

April 10, 2020

S. Korea begins 2-day early voting for April 15 parliamentary elections

South Korea kicked off two days of early voting for the April 15 parliamentary elections on Friday in the midst of its fight against the new coronavirus pandemic. Eligible voters will be able to cast ballots at 3,508 polling stations nationwide from 6 a.m. to 6.p.m. through Saturday, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). The country will conduct the polls in the midst of its battle against COVID-19, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases here. Guaranteeing voter safety at polli

April 10, 2020

Moon vows W210b funds for COVID-19 vaccine R&D

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday pledged 210 billion won ($172 million) for the development of medicines and vaccines, including one for the novel coronavirus, saying he wants the country to lead the world not just in virus control but also in the prevention and cure of COVID-19. Presiding over a meeting of five related parties -- the government, academia, research institutions, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms -- Moon promised to cut the red tape to expedite clinical trials. “Wit

April 9, 2020

2-day early voting for April parliamentary elections to kick off Saturday

South Korea's election watchdog said Thursday the country will begin two days of early voting for the April 15 parliamentary elections the following day in the midst of the fight against the new coronavirus outbreak. Eligible voters will be able to cast ballots at 3,508 polling stations nationwide from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Friday and Saturday, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). The parliamentary elections that occur every four years will be held in the midst of the battl

April 9, 2020

Opposition campaign chief apologizes for candidates' remarks

The campaign chief of South Korea's main opposition party apologized Thursday for two candidates' controversial remarks a week ahead of the parliamentary elections. The United Future Party (UFP) decided Wednesday to expel candidate Kim Dae-ho for disparaging those in specific age groups and people with disability. The conservative party also referred Cha Myeong-jin to its ethics committee for slandering families of the victims of the 2014 ferry disaster. "I sincerely apologize for the tw

April 9, 2020

In bellwether Seoul, ruling Democratic Party ‘confident’ of victory

Seoul, which is the largest metropolis in South Korea that comprises one-fifth of the country’s 50 million-strong population, is a key battleground in the April 15 parliamentary elections between liberals and conservatives. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea said it has a clear lead in at least 33 out of 49 constituencies in the capital. The main opposition United Future Party projected it would secure 17 seats. The governing party expects to pick up seats in its traditional liberal

April 9, 2020

Election candidates run eye-catching campaigns amid coronavirus pandemic

Some candidates running in the April 15 parliamentary elections have been running eye-catching campaigns without having close contact with voters, in a bid to maintain social distancing and boost morale amid the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak has changed conventional methods of campaigning due to concerns that reaching out to voters could increase the risk of infection. Instead of shaking hands with voters, politicians are using fist bumps at election rallies. But quarantine auth

April 8, 2020