The Korean government joined an intergovernmental announcement to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Countries that are members of the Community of Democracies issued a statement Thursday, condemning Russia’s massive military assault against Ukraine. Following the international community’s shock as Russia launched an all-out invasion on Ukraine, the governing council members of the Community of Democracies, including Korea, the US, Japan, Canada, Estonia, Finland and many m

South Korea on Wednesday reported more than 170,000 new COVID-19 cases, outpacing the government’s earlier estimates. Despite the record figure, authorities tried to reduce some of the pandemic panic, stressing the virus crisis is under control. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures said a total of 171,452 cases had been confirmed as of Tuesday midnight, raising the total caseload to 2,329,182. On Monday, the government announced it expects the peak of the omicron variant spr

Teachers’ unions are voicing out their concerns after the government announced schools will have the choice to provide full remote classes during the first two weeks of March. The Ministry of Education announced Monday that it has designated March 2 -11 to be a new semester adjustment period, allowing schools to hold online-only classes if needed. Previously, the ministry had warned schools to refrain from switching to an online-only class scheme. However, it changed its stance with a s

Yoon Suk-yeol, candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, put forward the idea of “digital data economy” in Monday’s televised debate, inciting criticism from Ahn Cheol-soo, the opposition People’s Party’s nominee. “It is an era of slow growth. It is difficult to resolve the economic polarization and encourage social mobility at a time like this. We have to strengthen the digital data economy, creating a new paradigm,” Yoon said during a TV pr

The Education Ministry on Monday recommended schools be more flexible with attendance policies in early March during a two-week transition period, dialing up an advisory for holding online classes if needed.　 The announcement gives schools more flexibility from the ministry’s earlier guidelines for schools to go hybrid with online and offline classes, allowing schools to tweak attendance policies regardless of the rules during the first two weeks of the new semester. “We are exp

Over the weekend, Sim Sang-jung, the minor progressive Justice Party’s presidential candidate, attacked the two front-runners for their corruption-related scandals, stressing she is “the only clean candidate qualified to be president.” On Sunday, she led her canvassing in Seoul, meeting with the people at Gwanaksan and Gangnam Station. “What is the most important quality of a president? It is the morality to refrain from using power -- given to use for the people -- fo

The divide among age groups’ political inclinations in South Korea is breaking down, with many younger voters supporting conservatives, joining older voters. However, though the two age groups may root for the same candidate and party, the reasons behind their support differ. While older conservatives’ support for Yoon Suk-yeol and the People Power Party has firmer footing, young conservative voters’ support is characterized by disappointment in the existing political situati

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday watered down its guidelines for school students’ COVID-19 testing, saying that students are recommended to take two rapid antigen tests a week. While saying that schools will be provided with testing kits, the ministry said that the tests were not mandatory and that schools will be given autonomy in implementing measures against spread of the virus. The measure comes days after the ministry came under fire over reports that COVID tests could be mad

Two people were found dead and one unconscious on a bus belonging to the campaign of minor opposition People‘s Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday. The bodies of the head of the election committee for Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, and an election campaign vehicle driver were found in the vehicle parked on a road in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province at about 5:24 p.m. The two are suspected to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning while inside the stand-by vehi

Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party is the wealthiest among the 11 presidential candidates, according to data submitted to the National Election Commission. The candidates’ financial reports submitted to commission show that Ahn is the has net assets of 197 billion won ($164 million). Among the four major candidates, Yoon Suk-yeol from the People Power Party came second with 7.7 billion won, followed by Lee Jae-myung from Democratic Party with 3.2 billion won. Sim Sang-jung of the

The Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said South and North Korea had effectively ended the war but the situation was only an armistice in legal terms. “(The two Koreas) have practically ended the war, but legally, we are in an armistice,” Lee, said at the second presidential candidate TV debate held Friday by the Journalist Association of Korea, when asked by Yoon Suk-yeol of People Power Party on his views about declaring the end of Korean War. Moon

Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of ruling Democratic Party, said he agreed with the idea of passing an anti-discrimination law, but remained cautious about it being billed. Sim Sang-jung, candidate from the minor progressive Justice Party, brought up the anti-discrimnation law at the second presidential candidate TV debate held Friday by the Journalist Association of Korea. “Though there may be some controversies, it is right to enact the anti-discrimination law. I have shared my

Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, the respective presidential candidates from Democratic Party and People Power Party, attacked each other over past scandals at the second TV debate held Friday, despite them being unrelated to the topic of debate. While the debate arranged by the Journalist Association of Korea kicked off discussing policies for the young people in their 20s and 30s, Lee and Yoon dedicated much of their time to scandals surrounding each other, Lee attacked Yoon

The Education Ministry has shared additional details to the guidelines of its new “normalcy attendance” scheme for the new semester, apparently taken aback by criticism of the plans. On Monday, the ministry had announced that schools would move to “normalcy” in attendance measures for the new semester. Under the new measure, schools can flexibly change their attendance policy based on a new four-stage plan suggested by the ministry. The new plan, however, has been met

Attacks against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea‘s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s wife have continued despite Wednesday’s apology, with opposition parties contending she failed to address the key points of the controversy. Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of Lee, apologized at a press conference, saying she failed to draw distinctions between public and private life in reference to her alleged abuses of power while her husband previously served as the governor of Gyeongg

Main opposition People Power Party is fanning talks of alliances and forfeiture involving People’s Party’s Ahn Cheol-soo, in an apparent bid to raise pressure on the minor opposition candidate. While Ahn himself has ruled out merging his campaign with that of People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol, and reiterated time and again that he will see the campaign through, the main opposition has publicly mentioned possibility of an alliance, stressing the need for a change of power. L

Teacher unions are raising criticism of the Ministry of Education, accusing it of putting the burden of COVID-19 management on schools and teachers. On Monday, the Education Ministry announced that schools will move to “normalcy” in attendance measures for the new semester, flexibly responding to virus situations. Under the new measure, schools can change their attendance policy based on the new four-stage plan suggested by the ministry. Teachers’ associations, however, a

Schools in Korea are to move into “normalcy” attendance measures for the new semester set to begin in March, the Education Ministry said Monday, announcing new COVID-19 protocols for schools.　 The ministry announced a new four-stage plan regarding school attendance which sets standards, yet allows schools to flexibly respond to virus situations. “We are preparing for the new semester as if we are the parents of students,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a pr

Even after the first TV debate held Thursday, two front-runners of the presidential election are running neck and neck against each other, polls showed Sunday. Candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party earned 43.3 percent support, while Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea earned 41.8 percent, according to a poll held by Realmeter under the request of local media outlet Newsis. The poll was conducted on 1,076 adults on Thursday and Friday, partially ref

Bear bile farming will be fully banned in Korea from 2026. The Ministry of Environment announced Wednesday, it would put a stop to breeding bears for bile farming by 2025. Korea is one of few countries that allow bear bile farming. As of 2021, there are 24 bear bile farms across the country with a total of some 360 bears. In bear bile farming, bears are kept in captivity to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, which is used by some tradit