The five presidential candidates backed by the main parliamentary parties will participate in the second round of live televised debates Wednesday.Hosted by the Korean Broadcasting System, the two-hour debate will be conducted in the form of a standing debate for the first time, during which the participants will debate standing up. The candidates cannot be aided with any reference materials, but paper will be provided for note taking.  The five major presidential candidates Tuesday campaign nat

Politics April 18, 2017

Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Moon Jae-in’s fundraising vehicle “Moon Fund” will open for public donations from Wednesday. Moon’s campaign aides said Sunday that the fund will be launched at 9 a.m. Wednesday on the official website -- www.moonfund.co.kr. Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)According to campaign officials, the fund comes as part of Moon’s plan to make politics more transparent, seeking to “prepare campaign funds from the citizen

Politics April 17, 2017

A motorcyclist was hit and killed by an electioneering truck for Democratic Party of Korea candidate Moon Jae-in in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday.The accident took place at 1:45 p.m. as the 1-ton truck driver, identified by his last name Lee, hit the motorcyclist, identified by his surname Cho, as he tried to change lanes, according to local police. (Yonhap)Cho, 36, died on the way to a nearby hospital. The police said the truck was heading to Seoul, and that they are investigating the

Politics April 17, 2017

Presidential candidate Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea asked for active investment from foreign investors Wednesday, while also vowing to raise government support in a meeting with the chambers of commerce for the United States and Europe in Korea. In the meeting, organized by Moon’s campaign, the front-runner in the presidential race reiterated his election pledge to create some 810,000 new jobs in the public sector and pledged to “promote a new economic paradigm for continuous dev

Politics April 12, 2017

For all the big-name politicians of the world -- whether it be Trump, Obama or Merkel -- you’ll find echoes of them in South Korea’s presidential race. In their efforts to make strong impressions on voters, some presidential candidates are emulating famous figures overseas and tagging themselves with nicknames.  Five major presidential candidates (Yonhap)Ahn Cheol-soo, the hottest candidate right now with a rapid rise in the polls, was a mixture of several US politicians when he delivered a spee

Politics April 9, 2017

Moon Jae-in declared victory in the Democratic Party of Korea’s primary race Monday, becoming the liberal standard-bearer for the second time in his life and setting out on a battle to carry on the legacy of his late friend and liberal icon President Roh Moo-hyun. Moon cruised to easy victories in all four of the party’s regional primaries, securing a majority of 57 percent and confirming his win without a runoff. South Chungcheong Gov. Ahn Hee-jung came in second place with 21.5 of votes, follo

Politics April 3, 2017

With five weeks to go to the May 9 election, the race for South Korean presidency is shaping up to be, in essence, a contest to stop Moon Jae-in, the clear front-runner from the liberal camp. Moon, topping polls with a 30-40 percent support rating for the past 13 consecutive weeks, received a further boost to his momentum Monday, clinching the presidential ticket of the Democratic Party of Korea. With that, the 64-year-old former human rights lawyer and friend of the late liberal icon President

Politics April 3, 2017

The teenager who allegedly kidnapped and killed an 8-year-old girl in Incheon has been suffering from schizophrenia, police confirmed Sunday. Police concluded that the suspect, a 17-year-old high school dropout, acted alone, ruling out the possibility of an accomplice.  The 17-year-old suspect walks into local court in Incheon on Friday. (Yonhap)Investigators plan to send the case to prosecutors for further investigation and an indictment. The suspect, identified only by her surname Kim, was app

Social Affairs April 2, 2017

With the clock ticking toward the May 9 presidential election, centrist Ahn Cheol-soo is quickly emerging as the candidate to challenge liberal front-runner Moon Jae-in. While Moon of the main liberal Democratic Party of Korea maintaided a steady lead, Ahn of the People’s Party narrowed the gap, beating Moon’s in-party rival South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung to come in second in local polls.Centrist contender Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party (Yonhap)The rapid rise of the No. 2 figur

Politics March 30, 2017

Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea claimed a victory in the party’s second primary race Wednesday, taking him one step closer to becoming a candidate in the presidential election slated for May 9. The former party chief won 47.8 percent of the primary votes in the second round of four planned regional primaries for the Daejeon-Chungcheong region, beating his rival South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung in the latter’s home ground.Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-

Politics March 29, 2017

As rare as it is for a progressive party member to grab much attention as a presidential candidate, Rep. Sim Sang-jeung has followed an unusual career path for a woman in Korea. The only female candidate in this year’s early presidential race and the mother of a 24-year-old son, Sim graduated from the elite Seoul National University, but devoted herself to labor activism.Sim Sang-jeung (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)Instead of choosing a high-paying job at a conglomerate, she chose to work at a

Politics March 29, 2017

Pieces of bones found during the South Korean government‘s ongoing salvage operation of the sunken Sewol ferry turned out to be animal bones, authorities said late Tuesday. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries had previously said that it had found human bones, presumably remains of a victim of the 2014 ferry disaster that left more than 300 passengers dead.The salvage team found the seven pieces of bones at 11:25 a.m. on the deck of a semisubmersible ship on which Sewol currently sits, after hav

Social Affairs March 28, 2017

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin was Tuesday to host Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani for talks that will be closely watched for signs of their next moves in Syria.Rouhani’s first official visit to Russia comes as the two Syrian regime supporters push for ways to end the six-year conflict, having done much to marginalize US influence in peace talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during their meeting at the Kreml

World News March 28, 2017

BEIJING (AFP) -- People in the Chinese megacity Chongqing could be fined for using VPNs to jump over the country’s “Great Firewall” that blocks access to forbidden websites from Google to Facebook. The punishment would be meted out to people using virtual private networks to access banned sites for commercial purposes, but Amnesty International said the wording was vague enough that it could affect any business or individual.  (Yonhap)Anyone who skirts censorship controls in the southwestern met

March 28, 2017

South Korean national U-20 football team defender Jeong Tae-wook will be out for six weeks due to a small fracture in his neck following a ferocious collision with a Zambian player, the Korea Football Association said Tuesday.Jeong fell to the ground unconscious during the match against Zambia in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, at a FIFA U-20 World Cup test event on Monday. In the 80th minute, he and Zambian midfielder Kenneth Kalunga collided in the air when vying for the ball. Jeong Tae-w

Soccer March 28, 2017