Presidential nominee Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party announced he will no longer consider a candidacy merger with Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, vowing to finish the race on his own even if the path ahead may be "rough and difficult." The presidential candidate said in an emergency press briefing Sunday that he will no longer wait for Yoon to respond to his offer to unify their candidacy as the opposition bloc from a week earlier, as it b

Politics Feb. 20, 2022

In the biting cold morning of Feb. 16, dozens of officials, campaign workers and volunteers were running left and right preparing a stage for the Democratic Party of Korea to launch its campaign event near Gangnam Station. Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling party was scheduled to take the stage at noon, but plans were already in place to gather crowds to the area and have his senior campaign officials make supportive speeches hours beforehand. Most supporters gradually flocked to

Politics Feb. 17, 2022

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's attempt to again embroil People Power Party’s presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol with shamanism allegations backfired, after photos hinted key figures within their own faction could be involved as well. Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom of the Democratic Party raised an allegation in a press conference Tuesday that Yoon and his wife were found linked to a dubious religious ritual in 2018 run by a shaman accused of being unofficially involved with Yoon’s cam

Politics Feb. 16, 2022

In every election, candidates backed by major parties -- as well as minor league lone rangers -- travel across provinces, appear on TV, buy adverts on newspapers and run large-scale campaign teams staffed with experts and heavyweights across industries. All of these obviously come with hefty price tags, and while each election is mostly remembered as a competition among candidates appealing to meet the eyes of voters, each campaign only comes to existence with billions of won gathered and spent

Politics Feb. 15, 2022

Since joining the presidential race as a political novice representing the main opposition People Power Party, Yoon Suk-yeol has emphasized how much damage South Korea endured under the incumbent administration, promising the next five years will be drastically different under his lead. Partly siding with free-market policies and advocating for happier lives of the people, Yoon is preparing to assign a new role for the central government: assisting businesses and facilitating their growth, rath

Politics Feb. 14, 2022

Bringing universal basic income to South Korea is central to the socioeconomic vision of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Under the scheme, citizens would unconditionally receive the same sum of money each year, a plan touted by Lee and his aides as a means to tackle growing inequality and provide funds for people to sustain their livelihoods should difficulties arise. Some will receive more based on their social and economic standings. Kang Nam

Politics Feb. 14, 2022

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s foreign and security policies are rooted in "pro-North, pro-China, anti-US" ideas, claimed his main rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party. During a presidential debate program aired Friday, Yoon claimed the set of views Lee has in approaching North Korea is essentially in favor of maintaining close ties with China while shunning South Korea's relationship with the United States.

Politics Feb. 11, 2022

The four major candidates in the ongoing presidential race for South Korea were united in the need to assure freedom of the press, but had differing views on whether additional agencies or laws were needed to achieve it and to protect people from false reports. The responses were made following a general question during a debate program Friday on what measures candidates have in mind to protect freedom of the press, respond to victims of "fake news" and prevent undue influence from th

Politics Feb. 11, 2022

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol spent much of his allotted time during a debate program Friday on questioning his main rival Lee Jae-myung on allegations of corruption. Yoon asked Lee during his turn to ask the two other candidates in the debate if Lee would call his past behavior, in which he allegedly favored certain entities in real estate contracts, as truly fair. The candidate representing the main opposition People Power Party was referring to an allegation that&

Politics Feb. 11, 2022

Rep. Sim Sang-jung, presidential nominee of the left-wing Justice Party stressed the need to establish an eco-friendly welfare nation as South Korea faces myriad of socioeconomic challenges on Friday at the second televised presidential candidates’ debate. In the debate hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea on Friday, Sim veered away from the more ususual pledge to become an “economic president,” instead opting to stress that the country must change completely if wan

Politics Feb. 11, 2022

South Korea could extend voting hours on March 9 to let voters afflicted with COVID-19 to vote in the presidential election and by-elections held that day. Legislators on Thursday agreed to revise the Public Official Election Act so that voters afflicted with COVID-19 under self-quarantine will be allowed to vote within a 90-minute window until 7:30 p.m. after voting booths close for regular voters at 6 p.m. Lawmakers also agreed to add a clause mandating voters afflicted with COVID-19 to be p

Politics Feb. 10, 2022

The wife of presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea offered an official apology in person Wednesday in regards to allegations of power abuse while her husband served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province before entering the presidential race. Kim Hye-kyung appeared before reporters Wednesday afternoon and bowed to apologize, saying she has failed to draw distinctions between public and private lives, adding she will take responsibility for any outcome of the in

Politics Feb. 9, 2022

Rep. An Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is once again raising controversy, this time linking unfair decisions at the Beijing Olympics to Samsung. An said in a radio interview Wednesday that the core reason behind the refereeing decisions that disqualified two short track speedskaters in the men’s 1,000-meter semifinals on Monday is that Samsung Group stopped financial support for the Korea Skating Union. Samsung provided financial support for the local skating authority

Politics Feb. 9, 2022

Allegations of power abuse surrounding the presidential nominee for the ruling party and his wife continue to grow, with numerous accusations freshly presented since they were first raised on Jan. 28. A new allegation was made Monday that Lee Jae-myung‘s wife Kim Hye-kyung used a Gyeonggi Provincial Government vehicle for personal purposes, attending to private matters and parking it at a resident welfare center near the apartment where Lee and Kim lived. The two are also suspected of ad

Politics Feb. 8, 2022

The presidential campaign for Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is embroiled in fresh controversy, this time over accusations of posthumous defamation of two iconic progressive presidents. The Democratic Party on Saturday uploaded two videos on its official YouTube channel featuring former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung. The videos portrayed the two presidents backing Lee, separately, in the presidential election next month, even though they both died years ago. I

Politics Feb. 7, 2022