Lee Jae-myung, one of the main figures in today’s South Korean politics, has officially announced his bid to return to the political stage, indicating a step toward the next presidential race slated for 2027. Lee, the former Gyeonggi Province governor and presidential candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea, on Sunday declared he would run in the parliamentary by-election for a constituency in Gyeyang-gu of Incheon, which has been left vacant from Song Young-gil resigning from the pos

Politics May 9, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol takes office on Tuesday morning, starting a new chapter of South Korea for the next five years. Officials said Monday that Yoon will start his term as the 20th president of South Korea at the underground bunker of his new presidential office in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. He will receive a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the new commander-in-chief for the South Korean armed forces. The underground bunker will serve as the situation room for the national

Politics May 9, 2022

President Moon Jae-in will serve his last day as president Monday, leaving behind a mixed batch of results contrary to the high hopes South Koreans had when he took office five years after the country impeached its president for the first time in history. Moon and members of his Cabinet will spend their final day in office paying respects at the Seoul National Cemetery and the burial site of independence activists at Hyochang Park. He will also give his final address in the morning and leave

Politics May 8, 2022

Two former presidential candidates on Sunday declared their bids for parliamentary seats in the by-elections, raising the stakes for the rival blocs in the June 1 polls. On the sidelines of the local elections, the country will be electing seven new legislators as some incumbents have resigned in order to run for the metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections. Lee Jae-myung, former presidential nominee of the Democratic Party of Korea, on Sunday declared his bid to run for a constituenc

Politics May 8, 2022

On the sidelines of the local elections on June 1, South Korea will be electing seven new lawmakers as some incumbents have resigned from their legislative posts to run for metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections. Eyes are centered whether heavyweights that have been in the shadows will return to try joining the main circle once again and change the dynamics in South Korea’s political landscape. According to the Public Official Election Act, those running for local elections hav

Politics May 4, 2022

For many years, South Korea has lived with the infamy of being one of the unhappiest places to grow up in among advanced nations. Dozens of articles have highlighted how saddening it may be to live as school-age children in Korea. Citing statistics that put South Korea at the bottom of advanced nations in terms of children’s happiness, they point to the competitive educational environment and lack of time and resources for leisure and extracurricular activities. A 2019 study by Save the

Social Affairs May 4, 2022

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday promulgated the two controversial bills on prosecution reform despite fierce opposition from the public and related sectors, seeing further progress on his vow to overhaul the law enforcement agency. At the last Cabinet meeting of his five-year term held 2 p.m. Tuesday, Moon officially signed the two prosecution reform bills that passed the final vote at the National Assembly, completing the Democratic Party of Korea’s push to strip most of the remaining i

Politics May 3, 2022

With less than a month left until the local elections, South Korea’s two major political parties finished drawing their lineups for 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections. South Korea’s conservative People Power Party is hoping to win at least 10 of the 17 posts, putting forward some well-known candidates. The party is looking to score another win following its success in the presidential election in March and in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections in April 2021.

Politics May 2, 2022

South Korea’s state-run forest authority is keen on sharing its tale of successful reforestation as South Korea hosts its first World Forestry Congress and becomes the third country in Asia to host the largest gathering of the global forestry sector. The WFC, held every six years under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is seeing its 15th iteration held in Seoul from Monday to Friday. It is the first time in 44 years that the congress is being hel

Social Affairs May 2, 2022

The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing to try again in introducing regulatory measures on the press and the media industry, proposing a series of fresh bills this month for formal consideration. The liberal party on Wednesday submitted three separate bills for review after its legislators decided in a special committee that legislative fixes are needed to fulfill the party’s vision to bring reforms to the press and the media environment after its failed attempt to do so last year. Rep.

Politics April 29, 2022

The controversial prosecution reform bill is expected to pass the final vote in the coming days, after the Democratic Party of Korea forcefully shut down its conservative rival People Power Party’s filibuster at the end of Wednesday. Proposed revisions to the Prosecutors’ Office Act is on track to be presented for a final vote this Saturday, as the People Power Party’s filibuster ended with the Democratic Party voting for an early end to April’s provisional assembly, whi

Politics April 28, 2022

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family deliberately hid an internal sexual harassment case and went against the guidelines the ministry made for state-run agencies in preventing sexual crimes from being hidden or left unpunished, a lawmaker claimed Thursday. The revelation adds fuel to the voice demanding abolition of the Gender Equality Ministry amid growing gender divide as promised by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol during the presidential race. According to reports obtained by Rep. Ha Ta

Politics April 28, 2022

South Korea was excluded from the list of countries that Ukraine thanked for support in its ongoing defense against Russia’s invasion, drawing mixed response from the public after the East Asian country publicly provided humanitarian aid, but declined to supply arms. A video posted by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official Twitter account on Monday showed a list of 31 countries it declared as Ukraine’s “partners,” with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-c

Foreign Affairs April 27, 2022

South Korea’s liberal Democratic Party of Korea is pushing to put the controversial prosecution bill up for a final vote, having arbitrarily passed the bill through a parliamentary committee by early Wednesday morning. The National Assembly started a plenary session at 5 p.m. where the Democratic Party was targeting to present proposed revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors’ Office Act for a final vote. It is likely the bill is passed within this week no matter

Politics April 27, 2022

The Democratic Party of Korea is on track to pass the controversial prosecution reform bill as it originally proposed, after the bipartisan compromise it reached with the conservative bloc fell apart. Floor leaders of the Democratic Party and its main rival People Power Party met for a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug on Tuesday but parted ways without progress. The 70-minute meeting started at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday but was concluded without any update on how the bill will b

Politics April 26, 2022