Concerns are mounting over whether COVID-19 patients will be unable to cast their votes for the 20th presidential election, as those confirmed with the virus after the mail-in ballot registration period may be unable to report to voting booths on March 9. The National Election Commission said Friday it would receive applications for mail-in ballots from Wednesday to Sunday next week. The registration is available to COVID-19 patients housed in treatment centers or those in isolation or self-qua

Politics Feb. 4, 2022

Four major candidates met in a studio Thursday night for the first televised debate ahead of South Korea’s 20th presidential election. Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and his main rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party met their minor counterparts Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People’s Party and Sim Sang-jeung of the left-wing Justice Party. In a span of two hours until 10 p.m., the candidates clashed over topics ranging from rea

Politics Feb. 4, 2022

Presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party claimed Thursday that it was impossible to transition to 100 percent renewable energy sources, adding that traditional sources of energy must be maintained as well in working toward sustainable growth. During a TV debate held among four major presidential candidates, Yoon said the initiative of RE100, which entails committing to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, is impossible to achieve, as the demand for energ

Politics Feb. 3, 2022

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea firmly distanced himself from the Moon Jae-in administration, accusing it of being reckless and failing to address the difficulties of Koreans during the pandemic. During a TV debate held Thursday among four major presidential candidates, Lee said the Moon administration had made small business owners shoulder the burden of taking care of the public. "Even at this very moment, somebody out there is dying,"

Politics Feb. 3, 2022

The wife of presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is under fire for possibly abusing her status while her husband served in his gubernatorial post, prior to announcing his presidential bid. Lee's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, has faced allegations of having made indirect orders for a Gyeonggi Provincial Government official to deliver food and fetch prescribed medicine for herself while her husband served as the governor for the province until October 2021. Local med

Politics Feb. 3, 2022

Kim Ki-hyeon, a 30-year-old salesperson based in Seoul, cast his first ballot in a presidential election in December 2012. That election was won by Park Geun-hye from the conservative Saenuri Party. The first election he ever participated in turned out to be a huge disappointment. His preferred candidate won, but Park was riddled with allegations of corruption, misbehavior and a lackluster performance, and ultimately impeached after hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the Gwanghwamun

Politics Feb. 3, 2022

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a four-year prison sentence for Chung Kyung-sim, the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, on a number of charges linked to falsifying documents to help her daughter gain admission to medical school and for other actions concerning a private equity fund. The top court found Chung, a former Dongyang University professor, guilty of all charges related to the unfair college admission of her daughter and upheld the August ruling of the Seoul High Court. C

Social Affairs Jan. 27, 2022

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday called for an end to mudslinging, in an apparent bid to improve his stagnant support ratings. Lee declared that he would stop all denunciations of other candidates, as he fears voters are displeased with the presidential race being riddled with accusations and denunciations against one another. "I understand that the people are deeply concerned with the 'negative' moves intensified during the pres

Politics Jan. 26, 2022

South Korea is hinted to report nearly 10,000 cases for a single day as coronavirus variant outbreak continues to take center stage in the ongoing pandemic. The Yonhap News Agency reported late Tuesday afternoon that South Korea reported 9,218 cases as of 9 p.m. Tuesday with the number of cases escalating due to increasing prevalence of omicron variant of coronavirus cases. A day earlier, South Korea reported 8,571 cases throughout Monday, according to tally form the Korea Disease Control and

Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2022

The head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea announced he will not seek reelection in the next National Assembly, as part of large-scale reforms to the party aimed at boosting support for its presidential nominee, Lee Jae-myung. Rep. Song Young-gil, a five-term lawmaker and the chairman of the Democratic Party, said in a press conference Tuesday that he will not seek to run again as a lawmaker in the next parliamentary elections in 2024. He also announced his party will not make nominations

Politics Jan. 25, 2022

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, may be preparing to officially join her husband’s election campaign. Naver, one of the two largest internet portals in South Korea, on Tuesday registered an official profile page for Kim that listed her as an exhibition planner who has served as the president of Covana Contents since 2009. Four exhibitions were directed under her lead, the profile read. Kim was also found Sunday to be

Politics Jan. 25, 2022

Presidential candidate for South Korea’s ruling party vowed to heavily invest in high-speed trains and reduce the commute time in the greater Seoul area to within 30 minutes. Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party announced Monday he will expand the construction of Greater Train Express commuter network of railways, subways and expressways to improve the access of Gyeonggi Province residents to Seoul and other parts of the province. The announcement was made in Lee’s campaign

Politics Jan. 24, 2022

Last year was the second hottest year for South Korea on record as climate change continued to drive up global temperatures, the national weather agency said Sunday. A report from the Korea Meteorological Administration said South Korea’s average temperature for 2021 reached 13.3 degrees Celsius, becoming the second-hottest year since data were compiled from 1973. The record follows 13.4 degrees reached in 2016. By region, last year was the hottest year on record for Seoul, Incheon, Gye

Technology Jan. 23, 2022

There is growing opinion that presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party should go it alone in the ongoing race as some consider it unnecessary for him to unite forces with others when his ratings have already recovered lost ground. They believe there is no need for Yoon to merge forces with other opposition heavyweights for the election so it would become a two-way race between him and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Such views come at

Politics Jan. 23, 2022

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s campaign has been marred by a level of drama unusual even by the standards of Korea’s convoluted and chaotic politics -- deaths of three individuals with links to allegations involving the candidate. The latest death was reported on Jan. 12, when the police found the body of lawyer named Lee Byung-chul in a motel room in Yangcheon-gu, western Seoul. He was found about three days after his sister reported him missing. His death

Politics Jan. 19, 2022