The compounding challenges of South Korea’s low birth rate and the onset of a super-aged society have drawn little focus on the presidential campaign trail for the June 3 presidential election. The numbers alone underscore the urgency of strategically and systemically confronting the demographic crisis. South Korea’s fertility rate was recorded at 0.75 in 2024, meaning the average South Korean woman is expected to have fewer than one child in her lifetime. Still, the country found a sliver of re

The liberal Democratic Party of Korea is ramping up its attack against the conservative People Power Party, including its presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, accusing him of false statements during the campaign period ahead of the June 3 presidential election. In the latest development, the Democratic Party made a criminal complaint against Kim for making a false beneficial statement about his career and property. The move was in stark contrast to the liberal party’s move a few weeks back, when

Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the conservative People Power Party's interim chair, proposed on Tuesday a televised debate between the candidates' spouses before early in-person voting for the presidential election in South Korea begins next week. At a press conference Tuesday, Kim said his party had proposed a TV debate between Seol Nan-young, the wife of the party's candidate Kim Moon-soo, and Kim Hye-kyung, the spouse of the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung. "A first lady is not j

The National Election Commission announced Monday that overseas voting for South Korea's June 3 presidential election kicks off Tuesday, granting some 260,000 registered South Korean voters in 118 countries access to polling stations. Of the 223 overseas polling stations worldwide, 137 will operate daily for the full six-day voting period, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. While operating hours may vary at other locations, all polling stations will close by 5 p.m. local time on Sund

The conservative People Power Party intensified its attacks on liberal presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung for a second consecutive day on Monday, accusing him of misrepresenting the struggles of small business owners. The party seized on Lee’s recent remarks suggesting that coffee shops are highly profitable due to the low cost of coffee beans, turning coffee into the party's latest political weapon. Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim chair of the People Power Party, said Monday that Lee's remark

The Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Friday promised to tackle dating violence, specifically against women. Lee on his Facebook account Friday said he would work to strengthen the penalty against male abusers and toughen the enforcement of a court restraining order directed at abusers in part by imprisoning those who violate such orders, if he is elected president. His tough stance over violence between intimate partners will be aimed at preventing revenge

The first televised debate for the June 3 election will take place Sunday, with four out of the seven presidential candidates eligible to join the discussion, which will focus on South Korea's economic challenges and trade uncertainties. The liberal Democratic Party of Korea's candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the conservative People Power Party's candidate Kim Moon-soo, the minor conservative New Reform Party's Rep. Lee Jun-seok and minor progressive Democratic Labor Party's Kwon Young-gook will ta

A Gallup Korea poll showed Friday that over 50 percent of South Korean adults preferred liberal Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung. Lee, who formerly chaired the Democratic Party after narrowly losing to former President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022, was the frontrunner in the poll of 1,004 adults from Tuesday to Thursday with 51 percent of favorable rating. It was the first Gallup Korea's weekly poll outcome since the official campaign period began Monday. In the pre

Liberal presidential frontrunner Rep. Lee Jae-myung's candidacy registration with the election authorities on Saturday showed that he was born on Dec. 12, 1964, and therefore he is officially now aged 60. But his official date of birth is almost certainly wrong. Lee's recollection of his childhood memories suggests that he cannot have been born then. And Lee himself believes he is likely 61 years old, while his mother guessed he was born on either Dec. 7 or 8 of 1963. Lee, the fifth son of a lar

Rep. Kim Sang-wook, a maverick conservative lawmaker who recently broke away from the People Power Party, publicly declared his support on Thursday for Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate. At a press conference at the National Assembly, Kim, now an independent lawmaker, said he “openly endorses” Lee as the most suitable candidate to be the next president, citing his willingness and ability to “propose an agenda for national unity and manage state af

DAEGU — The Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the People Power Party’s Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party rallied in South Korea’s conservative southeastern region on the second day of official campaigning. Lee, the liberal front-runner, sought to win over undecided voters, while conservative candidate Kim aimed to consolidate his base in the region. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party focused his efforts on connecting wit

The 22-day sprint for South Korea’s presidency launched Monday, with the seven candidates vying to redefine the nation’s political future amid concerns over the stability of its democracy. With rallies, stump speeches and televised debates on the schedule, the next three weeks are expected to be charged with ideological differences and personal rivalries before ending with voters heading to the polls on June 3. The early contours of the contest are emerging, with Lee Jae-myung of the main libera

The campaigning period for the early June 3 presidential election is poised to officially begin Monday, as all eyes are on whether liberal presidential front-runner Rep. Lee Jae-myung is able to maintain his strong lead over conservative rival Kim Moon-soo, who cemented the People Power Party's presidential nomination after a political debacle within the party that appeared to have resolved Saturday night. Presidential candidates and their supporters with permission from election authorities may

Democratic Party of Korea presidential nominee Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Thursday stressed South Korean business circles' role in achieving an economic rebound here amid growing trade uncertainties, in an apparent break from the liberal bloc's long-standing anti-business sentiment. The 61-year-old liberal presidential front-runner also called for a paradigm shift in South Korean industries by nurturing artificial intelligence technology and encouraging the use of renewable energy. "Business circles

The Seoul High Court said Wednesday that it has postponed the first in a series of criminal hearings involving Rep. Lee Jae-myung, to June 18, 15 days after the presidential election, to avoid "controversy over the fairness of the trial." According to the court, the decision is meant to give Lee -- a presidential candidate and the defendant in the case -- "equal campaign opportunities" during the campaign period for the June 3 presidential election. The Seoul High Court has been tasked with hand