President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vetoed a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into multiple allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee, including her alleged meddling in past elections, with the legislation marking the third of its kind. Tuesday’s approval comes 12 days after the National Assembly passed the bill on Nov. 14, in a vote boycotted by the ruling People Power Party. Yoon has already vetoed two similar special counsel bills passed in December 2023 and September, wh

Politics Nov. 26, 2024

● Updated law: The Special Act on Supporting Jeonse Fraud Victims and Housing Stability What it does: Allows "jeonse" fraud victims to live in public housing without paying rent for 10 years Took effect: Nov. 11 Punishment: None "Jeonse" is a unique Korean system in which renters give landlords a large returnable deposit instead of paying monthly rent. The system has existed for decades, but in recent years, scammers have taken advantage of the system, refusing to return th

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2024

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted Monday of subornation of perjury, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling him not guilty of allegedly asking a former mayoral secretary to provide false testimony in his favor in late 2018. Last year, prosecutors charged Lee with attempting to persuade a witness to make false testimony in his favor in December 2018, for a court trial over an alleged election law violation. Lee was accused of lying during a televised debate during his campai

Politics Nov. 25, 2024

Tensions between the rival political parties are expected to escalate in the following days, with the main opposition seeking to put a bill calling for a special counsel investigation into allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee up for a revote on Nov. 28. On Nov. 14, the opposition-led Assembly passed the revised special counsel probe bill in a 191-0 vote, as the ruling People Power Party lawmakers boycotted the vote. The Assembly has previously passed two similar bills, in December 2023

Politics Nov. 24, 2024

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is planning to pass a bill that raises the threshold for a planned tax on virtual asset-related gains, up to 50 million won ($35,800) from the previously planned 2.5 million won, sources said Thursday. The original scheme for crypto tax gains would have taxed crypto-related income of over 2.5 million won per year starting January 2022, but it has been pushed back twice to January 2025. Main opposition Rep. Jin Sung-joon said the party would carry out

Politics Nov. 21, 2024

A second Donald Trump administration is expected to bring a slew of uncertainties to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, which calls for Seoul to bolster its alliance with Washington and find a key role in the US’ potential policy shifts, experts pointed out Wednesday. During a panel discussion at the Korea Herald Security Forum titled "Alliance After US Election 2024: A Seoul Perspective" held at the National Assembly in Seoul, four experts addressed looming concerns

Foreign Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

The political future of Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is likely to be decided this month, as South Korean courts are expected to deliver several court rulings that could potentially bar the main opposition leader from running for president. The Seoul Central District Court is set to deliver rulings in two separate cases against Lee on Friday and Nov. 25, marking the first decisions in his four ongoing criminal cases. On Friday, the Seoul court is expected to deliver a verdic

Politics Nov. 12, 2024

With a Seoul court scheduled to deliver a verdict later this week on charges that the main opposition leader violated the Public Official Election Act, ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon on Monday called for the judicial authorities to carry out a fair trial, saying that “the nature of the crime is very severe.” “I request South Korea’s judicial authorities to make judgments in accordance with the law, no more nor no less, than how it does with the ordinary cit

Politics Nov. 11, 2024

As President Yoon Suk Yeol hit the halfway mark of his five-year term Sunday, he faced pressure from a record-low approval rate coupled with growing threats from the opposition to approve a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the first lady. Yoon's approval rating fell to 17 percent, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, marking an all-time low since the president took office in May 2022. An unnamed official from the local pollster explained the recently surfaced

Politics Nov. 10, 2024

South Korea’s political sphere expressed divided opinions on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s public address delivered Thursday, with the main opposition party criticizing it as a speech “full of excuses” and the ruling party praising it as “honest.” In the televised address and press conference marking the second half of his term, Yoon did not directly mention his wife, but offered an apology amid the public discontent due to the multiple controversies surrounding f

Politics Nov. 7, 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that he and US President-elect Donald Trump agreed to “meet at an early date” to discuss possible resolutions on North Korean provocation and the prosperity of the alliance, in a 12-minute phone call held early in the day. "We talked for some 10 minutes on the phone at 8 a.m. I, of course, offered him my congratulations first and discussed several (issues) including (the need) to build strong solidarity and partnerships in the A

Politics Nov. 7, 2024

South Korea's ruling People Power Party on Wednesday expressed hope that US President-elect Donald Trump's second term would serve as an opportunity to forge a "deeper" alliance between Seoul and Washington. "We anticipate the South Korea-US alliance, forged by blood (since the 1950-53 Korean War) will become deeper," the ruling party here said in a commentary released via senior spokesperson Rep. Kwak Kyu-taek. "We sincerely congratulate Republican candidate D

Politics Nov. 6, 2024

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said Wednesday that the alliance between Seoul and Washington will strengthen regardless of who wins the latest US presidential election. “The South Korea-US alliance will strengthen regardless of the candidate who is elected president of the United States,” Han said in an emergency intra-party meeting on foreign affairs and security matters. The meeting was held a day after ruling party lawmakers compiled and reviewed

Politics Nov. 6, 2024

South Korea looks to bolster cooperation with Asian nations to adjust and deal with the spread of legal services utilizing artificial intelligence, an official said Friday. Lee Wan-kyu, minister of government legislation, highlighted the growing incorporation of AI technology in legal services across the world and the need for Asian nations to join heads to brace for future growth, at the 12th Asian Legislative Experts Symposium held in Yeouido, western Seoul. “As you are witnessing the si

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2024

Ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon on Wednesday said that the controversies surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee must be resolved by the end of next month, as he stressed the need to regain public trust in the conservative bloc. Han’s remarks made at a press conference marking his first 100 days in office came as a widening rift is observed within the ruling party over how to deal with multiple allegations regarding the president's wife, including her alleged involvement in

Politics Oct. 30, 2024