Opposition party passes contentious labor, broadcasting bills

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday afternoon passed a contentious pro-labor bill and three broadcasting bills during a plenary session at the National Assembly, a move that comes after the ruling People Power Party announced that it would withdraw threats of a filibuster. The partial amendments to all three broadcasting bills and the pro-labor “yellow envelope bill” were unilaterally passed, with all participating members voting in favor. Members of the ruling

Nov. 9, 2023

Yet another Yoon appointee faces impeachment threat

President Yoon Suk Yeol is again being pressured by the main opposition to remove one of the minister-level heads in his Cabinet. The Democratic Party of Korea, which has the majority in the National Assembly, on Thursday adopted a motion to impeach Lee Dong-kwan as the head of the country’s broadcasting regulator, the Korea Communications Commission. The opposition party said that Lee, who was appointed on Aug. 25 to lead the KCC, the mission of which is to monitor broadcasting content an

Nov. 9, 2023

Unionized subway workers in Seoul to go on strike starting Thursday

Unionized workers of Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul subway lines No. 1-8, will stage a strike starting Thursday in protest of the company's manpower reduction plan, officials said Wednesday. The labor union has threatened to take the collective action after the company announced a plan to reduce its workforce by 2,212, or 13.5 percent, by 2026 to overcome its chronic deficit and normalize management. The labor and management of the company, run by the Seoul city government, have held ro

Nov. 8, 2023

S. Korea, IAEA discuss N.K. nuclear program in high-level policy talks

South Korea and the International Atomic Energy Agency held regular high-level policy talks Wednesday and discussed North Korea's nuclear program and other areas of cooperation, the foreign ministry said. Park Yong-min, the deputy foreign minister for multilateral and global affairs, met with Massimo Aparo, deputy director general of the IAEA, in Seoul for their 12th round of the meeting earlier in the day, the ministry said in a release. The two sides discussed joint efforts to strengthen

Nov. 8, 2023

Vatican's top diplomat to visit S. Korea this month

The top diplomat of the Vatican will visit South Korea later this month for talks on bilateral ties and issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's catholic bishops' institution said Wednesday. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, is scheduled to make a four-day visit to South Korea starting Nov. 20, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. During the envisioned trip, he plans to meet with South Korea'

Nov. 8, 2023

Yoon's approval rating rises to 37%: Yonhap News survey

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating increased to 37 percent from a month ago, according to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV on Wednesday. The survey also showed that the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party would secure 33 percent and 32 percent of the vote, respectively, if the parliamentary elections scheduled for next April were held tomorrow. Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV jointly commissioned the survey to gauge p

Nov. 8, 2023

Gov't vows to cut red tape to expedite 46 tln-won corporate investment projects

The South Korean government vowed Wednesday to ease regulations and reduce administrative procedures to promote the swift and smooth implementation of major corporate investment projects, including S-Oil Co.'s petrochemical plant project and the US Sphere Entertainment Co.'s K-pop arena construction plan. The government presented a set of tailored deregulatory measures for a total of 18 projects led by private companies worth 46 trillion won ($35.06 billion) combined as part of efforts

Nov. 8, 2023

First lady visits lepers at hospital in Goheung

First lady Kim Keon Hee traveled to the southern county of Goheung on Tuesday to meet with a group of lepers at a hospital known for treating the patients. Kim visited Sorokdo National Hospital in Goheung, 328 kilometers south of Seoul, and comforted the patients while also encouraging the medical staff, according to the presidential office. Sorokdo is the name of the island where the hospital is located. Two Austrian nurses -- Marianne Stoger and Margaritha Pissarek -- spent 43 years on the i

Nov. 7, 2023

Race issue enters Korean politics

Naturalized South Korean doctor Yohan Ihn's appointment as reform head of the ruling People Power Party in October came as a surprise move in a country with a relatively short history of racial or ethnic diversity in politics. Following his appointment, the 64-year-old Ihn, also known as John Linton, who is white and the descendant of US missionaries, has faced personal attacks over his ethnicity from political opponents who sought to undermine his power, overshadowing his reform agenda.

Nov. 7, 2023

Yoon aides set to leave office to run in general election

With five months remaining ahead of the general election next year, around 30 of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s senior and assistant secretaries are poised to resign to jump into the parliamentary race, widely seen as a midterm test for the president, who has suffered from low approval ratings since taking office last year. The upcoming election is pivotal for Yoon as he faces disapproval ratings of approximately 60 percent and his party has been hit hard after a defeat in a by-election held to

Nov. 6, 2023

Former justice minister hints at parliamentary bid as 'nonlegal' route for redemption

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk has hinted at the possibility of running for the National Assembly in next year's general elections, in a bid to restore his honor. Appearing on a YouTube show hosted by left-leaning broadcaster Kim Ou-joon, Cho expressed his desire to clear his name through legal means while currently standing trial. However, if his legal efforts do not yield the desired results, he said he is considering "nonlegal measures" to rebuild his reputation. “It c

Nov. 6, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Broader offshore financial support, mobility regulatory sandbox

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Fair Transactions in Franchise Business Act Proposed by Rep. Yu Eui-dong (People Power Party) ● Under the current act, franchisers can designate goods or services vital for trademark protection as “essential items” and require their franchisees to trade these items with particular trading partners. However, a growing number of disputes have arisen between franchisers and franchisees due to excessive designation of essential items and price hike

Nov. 6, 2023

Yoon expected to replace several senior secretaries ahead of parliamentary elections

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to replace several senior secretaries, including those in charge of press affairs and political affairs, in line with the resignations of those preparing to run in next year's parliamentary elections, sources said Monday. Yoon is considering promoting presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon to the position of senior secretary for press affairs to replace Kim Eun-hye, who is expected to resign next month to run for a seat in the Bundang district of Gyeonggi

Nov. 6, 2023

Yoon's approval rating up for 2 consecutive weeks

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose for the second consecutive week to 36.8 percent, a poll showed Monday. The survey, conducted by the polling agency Realmeter, showed the positive assessment of Yoon's performance increased by 1.1 percentage points from the previous week, while 60.2 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance, down 1.7 percentage points. Yoon's approval rating had rebounded to 35.7 percent last week, following a two-week decline. The pollster

Nov. 6, 2023

Election calculus dominates debate on Seoul expansion plan

A debate is roiling in South Korea over the plan to make Seoul larger, a recycled election promise that is failing to win voters in and out of the capital, polls reveal. Enlarging Seoul is a recurring proposal in South Korean politics -- interpreted as being intended to sway voters in the capital’s many satellite cities -- renewed by the People Power Party with the general election less than six months away. The plan was previously endorsed in past elections by some candidates with the Dem

Nov. 5, 2023

Ruling party to request spending boost for research and development

The ruling People Power Party has officially requested the government increase budgets in research and development to improve the working conditions of young scientists, a lawmaker said Friday. The request comes amid criticism of the government's double-digit percentage cut in the R&D budget, originally planned to improve inefficiencies in how the money is being spent. The budget for the sector dropped to around 25 trillion won ($18.7 billion), marking the first reduction in eight years

Nov. 3, 2023

The branch of South Korean left blaming Israel for Hamas attacks -- who are they?

A few days after the Islamist militant group Hamas entered Israel on Oct. 7 and killed more than a thousand civilians, posters sympathizing with the deadly attacks popped up on several South Korean college campuses. The posters, which defended the Hamas attacks as an act of self-defense by Palestinians, were taken down shortly after -- but the debate on the war continues to rage on. Speaking to The Korea Herald, one Seoul university sophomore said she was “stunned by such open support for

Nov. 2, 2023

Suspension of ex-chief, Daegu mayor lifted in ruling party's unity drive

South Korea's ruling People Power Party on Thursday approved a plan to lift the suspensions of four party members, including outspoken dissenters former party Chairman Lee Jun-seok and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo. The decision, effective immediately, enables the individuals to become eligible to run for a parliamentary seat as a member of the ruling party in the upcoming general election scheduled for April 2024. Lee had been imposed with a suspension from party membership for 1 1/2 years by

Nov. 2, 2023

PPP launches special committee on plan to include Gimpo into Seoul

The ruling People Power Party launched a special committee on Thursday to discuss its heatedly debated proposal of integrating the neighboring city of Gimpo into the capital city of Seoul. This committee will be headed by Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, a five-term lawmaker and a civil engineering doctorate holder with expertise in urban design, Rep. Park Jung Ha, the party's spokesperson, told reporters. The envisioned plan, which aims to include the northwestern city of Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province su

Nov. 2, 2023

PPP decides to lift membership suspensions of ex-party leader Lee, Daegu Mayor Hong

The ruling People Power Party decided Thursday to lift the membership suspensions imposed on former party leader Lee Jun-seok and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo over alleged misconduct, endorsing one of the first reform measures recommended by its innovation committee. The PPP accepted the committee's "grand amnesty" request and nullified the disciplinary measures taken against Lee, Hong and two other members in a gesture of unity before next year's general elections, according to

Nov. 2, 2023