Launching hunger strike, opposition chief says Yoon is ‘ruining Korea’

South Korea’s legally troubled main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung announced he was going on an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, his first anniversary in office as chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying President Yoon Suk Yeol was “ruining the country.” At a press conference, Lee said stopping Yoon from “undermining democracy, destroying the Korean middle class and failing to stand up against the Japanese government” was a “life or death

Aug. 31, 2023

Language war emerges in Korea over Fukushima water disposal

A row has broken out in South Korea over how to describe the water being discharged from the crippled nuclear power plant in Japan’s Fukushima. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea says the water from the plant is “nuclear waste,” while the ruling People Power Party would rather call it “treated wastewater,” as does the International Atomic Energy Agency. The People Power Party on Wednesday said that the wastewater from Fukushima, while still slightly radio

Aug. 30, 2023

Bill seeks more legal protection for police use of force

After a series of seemingly random stabbings swept across South Korea in the past month, a bill was proposed on Wednesday to reduce liability for police officers when they use force at certain crime scenes. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling People Power Party said he would introduce a bill to reduce liability for police officers should they cause harm to another individual while engaging in physical interactions with offenders if there is no intent or gross negligence on the part of the officer.

Aug. 30, 2023

South Korea's first lady backs dog meat ban

First lady Kim Keon Hee said she would work with animal activists until the dog meat industry was eradicated in Korea, continuing her campaign to promote awareness of animal rights. "We all know how we came forward today with a heart filled with sadness and urgency. Here, all of you are giving everything to save these small lives, but there are animals out there dying so cruelly and unbearably that it's truly hard to watch," she said as she appeared at a press conference held by l

Aug. 30, 2023

Gov't asks prosecution to probe 375 people in renewable energy corruption during Moon administration

The government has requested the prosecution to investigate an additional 375 people for their alleged involvement in illegal activities related to renewable energy projects during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, including the installation of solar panels, officials said Wednesday. The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under the Prime Minister's Office, earlier revealed the findings of a nationwide investigation into corruption allegations surrounding the allocation of sub

Aug. 30, 2023

Yoon says 'communist totalitarian forces' will not stop attempt to disturb free society

President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for achieving inter-Korean reunification based on a firm belief in liberal democracy, saying "communist totalitarian forces" will not stop their attempt to disturb free society. Yoon made the remark during a meeting with new leaders of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential body that helps establish and implement bipartisan policies on democratic and peaceful unification. "Communist totalitarian forces, the forces that blin

Aug. 29, 2023

As elections loom, ruling party to get tough on 'fake news'

With the 2024 elections approaching, South Korea’s ruling party on Monday vowed to spread of misinformation in an apparent aim at the opposition’s attacks on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the ocean release of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by the Japanese government. The People Power Party said it would expand efforts to curb "fake news" and conspiracy theories in a resolution adopted at the end of a two-day session to make

Aug. 29, 2023

Prosecution summons DP leader for questioning next week

rosecutors summoned opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday to appear for questioning next week over allegations of third-party bribery in connection with a company's allegedly illegal money transfers to North Korea. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office said it notified the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) to appear for questioning next Monday, after he did not comply with the prosecution's previous summons last week. The two sides have been scheduling the date of his que

Aug. 28, 2023

Parties gather to prep for 2024 general elections

INCHEON -- South Korea’s two major parties each embarked on two-day preparation sessions from Monday, to plan for the last regular session of the National Assembly before legislative elections in April. The ruling People Power Party’s retreat in Incheon was attended by the entire party, as well as President Yoon Suk Yeol and some members of the Cabinet. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho gave the lawmakers a special lecture on challenges facing the country’s economy and policy mile

Aug. 28, 2023

Ruling party proposes Oct. 2 as temporary holiday

    The ruling People Power Party has formally proposed that the government designate Oct. 2 as a one-off public holiday. The day, which falls between Korea's major mid-autumn festival holiday, Chuseok, and National Foundation Day, aims to provide a six-day extended break, allowing families to reunite after lengthy COVID-19 restrictions and also to stimulate domestic consumption, according to the party. On Monday, ruling party leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said at a Supreme Council meeting

Aug. 28, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Targeting deceptive gains from convertible bonds, retrieving short-swing profits

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Wong-woo (Democratic Party of Korea) To prevent the exploitation of callable convertible bonds (CB) for deceptive gain and power, this amendment prohibits stock-listed corporations from selling the call options of the CB or bonds with warrant (BW) to their largest shareholder or affiliated persons. It also requires corporations to retire a CB obtained before its expiration date. M

Aug. 28, 2023

Yoon's approval inches up to 37.6%

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating inched up to 37.6 percent, primarily due to positive public assessments of his trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, according to a poll Monday. In the survey of 2,507 eligible voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance increased by 2 percentage points from the previous week, while disapproval of Yoon's performance dropped by 1.8 percentage points to 59.4 perce

Aug. 28, 2023

Yoon faces mounting protests as Japan releases Fukushima water

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is under increasing pressure over his neutrality regarding Japan's release of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant. Opposition parties participated in rallies in Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday, calling for an end to potential irreversible harm to health and the environment. Rep. Woo Won-shik, who heads the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's campaign against the discharge, labeled the release plans as "criminal," highlighting

Aug. 27, 2023

S. Korea says Fukushima water release carried out as planned

Japan's release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has been carried out stably and as planned, with no abnormalities detected so far, a South Korean official said Friday. Tokyo initiated the discharge of contaminated water a day earlier, a process expected to span more than three decades, despite lingering health and environmental concerns from neighboring countries. "So far, the discharge is proceeding stably as originally planned, and it is understo

Aug. 25, 2023

Opposition leader labels Yoon as 'accomplice' in Japan's environmental terrorism

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party on Friday denounced Japan's release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant as an act of crime against humanity, even labeling President Yoon Suk Yeol as an accomplice. Rep. Lee Jae-myung made the remarks as Tokyo initiated the discharge of contaminated water a day earlier, a process expected to span more than three decades, despite lingering health and environmental concerns from neighboring countries. "J

Aug. 25, 2023

Parliament passes revision to election law, ending election banner chaos

The National Assembly on Thursday approved an election law revision banning political posters or banners on the streets until 120 days prior to polling day. Political banners have mushroomed on the streets since the Constitutional Court struck down an election law clause banning political banners until 180 days before an election day, citing freedom of political expression. The chaos continued as the ruling and the main opposition parties failed to come up with a revision, resulting in anyone be

Aug. 24, 2023

Protests erupt in Seoul over Fukushima water release

South Korea’s main opposition party warned it would take a series of actions condemning the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s policies on Japan as Tokyo began a phased release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Thursday afternoon. Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the head of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in an emergency meeting gathering all of the party’s lawmakers that Yoon, with his “leniency with Japan,” was “no less responsible for the

Aug. 24, 2023

Korea to double foreign worker quota

The South Korean government announced plans to more than double the number of foreign workers in key industries such as manufacturing, agriculture and services to address the country's growing labor shortages. During the public-private joint regulatory innovation strategy meeting at Guro Digital Complex in Seoul on Thursday, Yoon called for deregulations on hiring foreign workers. “There are people who can work, and there are companies that want and need them. If regulations that do

Aug. 24, 2023

Yoon orders NSC to share analysis of NK launch with US, Japan

President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the National Security Council on Thursday to share its analysis of North Korea's botched space rocket launch with the United States and Japan and to prepare against possible additional provocations by the North, his office said. Yoon gave the instructions as he was briefed on North Korea's second launch of what it claimed was a military reconnaissance satellite that ended in failure earlier in the day. "The president was briefed on the NSC standing

Aug. 24, 2023

Opposition leader to appear for questioning for 5th time

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will appear before prosecutors this week for questioning over allegations of third-party bribery in connection with a company's allegedly illegal money transfers to North Korea, a party spokesperson said Wednesday. The announcement by Park Sung-joon, a spokesperson of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), follows the Suwon District Prosecutors Office's summons of Lee issued earlier in the day. Park said the DP leader will present himself before pr

Aug. 23, 2023