Politicians split over revival of controversial party district chapters

South Korea’s politicians on Friday remained divided on the issue of reviving party district offices, 20 years after they were shut down due to bribery and corruption accusations. As the 22nd National Assembly kicked-off its four-year term Thursday, main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-bae proposed a bill that would mandate the return of district offices, which were all shut down in 2004, two years after it was found they were abused in a 2002 political bribery scandal.

May 31, 2024

FM Cho highlights S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state' at Jeju Forum

South Korea's top diplomat has said that the country will actively position itself as a cooperation hub in various networks, highlighting its vision as a "global pivotal state." The vision, promoted by the current government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, aims for South Korea to serve as a responsible nation that upholds and promotes freedom, human rights and the rule of law. "Under the vision of 'global pivotal state,' the government is participating in multilateral a

May 31, 2024

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, Japan discuss bilateral ties, N. Korea in Washington

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Japan have met in Washington to discuss bilateral relations and North Korea's recent launches of a military spy satellite and ballistic missiles, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The 70-minute luncheon meeting took place between First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Japanese counterpart, Masataka Okano, on Thursday, a day before they were to have trilateral talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. The two condemned the

May 31, 2024

48 African nations to join summit in Seoul next week

Delegations from 48 African countries and 25 state leaders are coming to Seoul next week on South Korea's invitation to its first-ever multilateral summit organized in hopes of strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with the continent, the presidential office said Thursday. At the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place from June 4-5, President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to hold formal talks with 25 leaders of African countries, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the p

May 30, 2024

Korea to send moon rover by 2032, flag on Mars by 2045

South Korea will send the first lunar rover by 2032 and plant the first Korean flag on Mars by 2045, according to a blueprint for space exploration that President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled Thursday. At the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)'s temporary headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoon said these goals would be part of the so-called "Space Gwanggaeto Project" unveiled Thursday, named after King Gwanggaeto the Great who ruled the Goguryeo empire on the Korean Peni

May 30, 2024

22nd Assembly begins new 4-year term

The National Assembly began its 22nd four-year session Thursday, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea having the majority of 175 seats in the 300-member parliament, foreshadowing another heated partisan struggle against the conservative president and ruling party, which holds 108 seats. The National Assembly will hold its first plenary session on June 5, where it will elect a new speaker to lead the new parliament for the first two years. As it is customary for the party with the

May 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Fandom politics must end to protect representative democracy'

Article 1 of South Korea’s National Assembly Act states that the parliament is a representative body of the people. However, Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker of the 21st National Assembly and a political heavyweight with 50 years in public service, views the widespread phenomenon of fandom politics as a major obstacle to the country's representative democracy. He believes this trend is the primary cause of increasing political confrontations, which continue to undermine the spirit of compro

May 30, 2024

Yoon vetoes 4 contentious bills, including on supporting victims of home rental scams

President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed four contentious bills Wednesday, including one requiring the government to support victims of home rental scams, in his 11th to 14th vetoes of a bill since taking office two years ago. Yoon exercised his veto power by endorsing motions demanding the National Assembly reconsider the bills, which the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed Tuesday despite objections from the ruling People Power Party (PPP). Yoon had been expected to veto the bills before the

May 29, 2024

Partisan tension grips last day of 21st Assembly session

The 21st legislative session of the National Assembly ended Wednesday amid an unceasing partisan gridlock. On the last day of the four-year session, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea staged a rally outside the Yoon Suk Yeol presidential office to protest a contentious special counsel investigation bill failing to pass the Assembly in a vote held Tuesday. The Democratic Party-led bill seeking the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the on-duty death of a marine in July las

May 29, 2024

Govt. to enact Sewol ferry victim support act, request veto on contentious bills

The government has decided to accept and promulgate an opposition-led bill extending support for victims of the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol, while asking President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto four other contentious bills, sources said Wednesday. The legislation on the Sewol disaster was one of five bills that the main opposition Democratic Party and other minor opposition parties unilaterally passed through the National Assembly on Tuesday despite objections from the ruling People Power Party. The

May 29, 2024

Yoon, UAE president stroll through palace, have dinner

President Yoon Suk Yeol and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan bonded over dinner and a stroll through an ancient palace as the UAE leader embarks on a state visit to South Korea on Tuesday, Yoon's office said. The two leaders visited the Huwon Secret Garden at Changdeok Palace in Seoul and discussed various topics, including South Korean culture, while taking a walk through the palace grounds, the presidential office said. First lady Kim Keon Hee joined the two. Als

May 28, 2024

Special counsel bill on death of Marine fails to pass in Assembly revote

A bill mandating a special counsel probe into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the death of a young marine last year failed to pass in a revote held during the final plenary session of the 21st National Assembly on Tuesday. The bill was scrapped after failing to win two-thirds of approval from lawmakers physically present in the parliamentary vote, which is required to override the presidential veto under current law. Of the 294 Assembly members that participated in the revot

May 28, 2024

National Assembly to hold revote on special counsel probe bill over Marine's death

A bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year will likely be put up for a revote Tuesday at the final session of the current National Assembly. The bill, which was passed by the opposition-controlled parliament early this month and vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, calls for the appointment of a special counsel to look into allegations Yoon's office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the military�

May 28, 2024

Main opposition condemns Korea-Japan summit talks as failure

The main opposition party here on late Sunday denounced the latest bilateral talks between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling it Yoon’s “declaration of surrender” to Tokyo. The Democratic Party of Korea, in a written briefing released after the conclusion of talks between Yoon and Kishida, criticized the South Korean leader’s decision to recognize the Japanese government’s apparent pressure on Naver to give up its

May 27, 2024

Leaders agree to revive 3-way cooperation, reaffirm security efforts

Leaders of South Korea, Japan and China reaffirmed Monday that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula serves their common interest and is their responsibility, amid continued provocations from North Korea that have undermined regional peace in Northeast Asia. In the first trilateral summit in 4 1/2 years hosted in Seoul, the three countries represented by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated their stan

May 27, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Tax exemption for strategic tech, subcontracted labor protection

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Labor Standards Act Proposed by Rep. Yang Kyung-kyoo (Green Justice Party) ● As of March 2023, the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s employment type disclosure system revealed that companies with 300-500 employees hire 25.2 percent of their workforce directly and 3.4 percent indirectly. However, companies with at least 10,000 employees employ 11.7 percent of their workforce directly and 32.0 percent indirectly. This indicates a trend where larger co

May 27, 2024

Less than 2% of those questioned over dating violence arrested

Approximately 4,400 people were accused of dating abuse during the first four months of this year, but only 1.9 percent faced a formal arrest, a police report showed Monday. According to the Korean National Police Agency data received by People Power Party Rep. Kim Mi-ae, out of 25,967 allegations of dating violence reported to police from January to April, 4,395 suspects were brought in for questioning. Of these suspects, 82 were arrested, representing a rate of 1.87 percent. Among the suspec

May 27, 2024

Yoon, Kishida agree on close communication over Naver's Line app row

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed a recent row surrounding Naver Corp.'s Line app in their talks Sunday and agreed to closely communicate to prevent it from hampering bilateral ties, a senior presidential official said. The feud surrounds Japan's LY Corp., the operator of the popular Line messaging app in Japan, which is a 50-50 joint venture between South Korea's top portal Naver and Japan's SoftBank Corp. The Japanese government has

May 27, 2024

S. Korea, Japan, China set for summit amid N. Korea's imminent satellite launch

Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan were set to meet in Seoul on Monday for their first trilateral summit in over four years amid rising tension over North Korea's impending spy satellite launch. President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will sit down for a trilateral summit, the ninth such meeting and the first since December 2019, following a hiatus due to COVID-19 and historical disputes among the Asian neighbors. The leaders are expe

May 27, 2024

South Korea, China to open channel on security, resume FTA talks

South Korea and China have agreed to create a communication channel for diplomacy and security and resume negotiations on an expanded free trade agreement, the Yoon Suk Yeol presidential office said Sunday. The two sides have decided to “establish a new high-level dialogue on diplomacy and security, with the first meeting to take place mid-June” and to “open up our markets beyond the trade of goods to include services such as culture and tourism,” a senior Yoon official t

May 26, 2024