The ruling party leader on Wednesday criticized the usage of a hidden camera against the first lady for 2022 footage that shows a Korean American pastor giving her a luxury bag, which has sparked suspicions of anti-graft law violations. “The incident is quintessentially a vulgar operation involving a spycam,” People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said during a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists in Seoul. In footage uploaded by liberal news outlet

The ruling party on Tuesday announced a set of pledges aimed to improve the lives of senior citizens here, which includes tax benefits and an expanded free lunch system, as the country grapples with the issue of entering a super-aged society. In its sixth pledge announced ahead of the general election on April 10, the People Power Party said it plans to expand the role of the government and taxpayers' money in taking care of Korea's older population. "The government plans to launc

The main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday hinted he would launch satellite parties ahead of this year's general election scheduled for April 10, by upholding the current mixed-member proportional representation system. Lee said the Democratic Party of Korea plans to stick with the electoral system introduced to South Korea ahead of the previous general election in 2020, which critics lambasted for failing to serve its purpose of supporting minor parties. The system was initially ad

The rival parties in recent weeks have fired off a flurry of competing pledges and proposals as they head into a general election in April, but critics denounced several of those promises for being populist. The ruling People Power Party interim Chair Han Dong-hoon on Thursday indirectly proposed to slash lawmakers' salaries to almost half of what they are now. During a meeting with other decision-makers in the party, Han suggested to "level the amount of tax the lawmakers pay to the amount

The main opposition party on Thursday rejected the proposals from both the Cabinet and the ruling party to temporarily halt the enforcement of the wider implementation of the workplace safety law, which seeks to add accountability for small and medium-sized business owners for serious industrial accidents. The Democratic Party of Korea has decided not to accede to the request for a two-year extension of the grace period for companies with fewer than 50 employees. Following an initial two-year gr

The main opposition leader on Thursday rolled out a set of pledges aimed at reducing subway and railway noise pollution, a day after the ruling party announced its own plans to resolve similar issues. Visiting Sindorim Station in Seoul, Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung pledged to launch a renovation project that would relocate several elevated railways across the country underground. The parties' pledges aim to win over voters suffering from noise from train and subway lines in

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol and his policies, labeling them as the main contributing factors to the country's struggling economy and low birth rate. While expressing confidence of prevailing in the upcoming general election in April, Lee also called for the restoration of the inter-Korean hotline, which was cut off by North Korea since Yoon took office in May 2022. Reconnecting the hotline would help avoid further risks of war, Lee sa

Amid escalating tensions over graft accusations against first lady Kim Keon Hee involving a Christian Dior handbag, the ruling party on Monday called for an investigation into similar allegations surrounding the former first lady. The People Power Party brought up long-standing allegations that former President Moon Jae-in's wife Kim Jung-sook used taxpayers' money to purchase a custom-made Chanel jacket in around 2018. "What really needs to be addressed and questioned is the curr

A teenager's attack against a ruling party lawmaker on Thursday, which came less than a month after a stabbing incident involving the main opposition leader, has fueled worries over the safety of politicians ahead of April's general election. People Power Party Rep. Bae Hyun-jin remained hospitalized as of Friday afternoon after the 41-year-old lawmaker was repeatedly struck in the head with a blunt object by a teenage assailant in Gangnam-gu the previous day. Bae was rushed to hospita

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo on Thursday criticized the president's bodyguards' use of force against a minor party lawmaker at a recent event. Calling the restraint "excessive," he warned that such actions should not be repeated and called for the Cabinet and the parliament to have mutual respect. "Appropriate solutions must be adopted, to prevent such excessive measures from the president's bodyguards," Kim said during a speech at Thursday's pl

  People Power Party Rep. Bae Hyun-jin was struck multiple times in the head with a blunt object by a teenage assailant on Thursday, police said. Bae was entering a building in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, when she was attacked at around 5:18 p.m., according to a report filed with the police. The report identified the blunt object as a stone. The 41-year-old TV broadcaster-turned-lawmaker was immediately rushed to the hospital. Bae suffered a "1-centimeter laceration" on her scalp,

The main opposition party on Wednesday rolled out a set of pledges aimed at improving the livelihoods of soldiers here, including raising their night and weekend shift payments. The pledges were announced by Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung during his visit to the Second Marine Division in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, in the morning. The party plans to help the Ministry of Defense raise the weekday late shift pay for soldiers from the current 10,000 won ($7.50) to 30,000 won per shif

When a YouTube video of South Korea's first lady receiving a Dior handbag went viral last year, it initially made few waves in mainstream news media. In the weeks before April's general election, the footage has become a wedge that is straining relationships among People Power Party lawmakers, as well as a piece of political ammunition for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Opposition lawmakers have been raising their suspicions that first lady Kim Keon Hee violated anti-gr

People Power Party interim Chair Han Dong-hoon said Monday he had rejected the presidential office’s request that he step down from his current leadership position, in a surprising turn of events ahead of April's general election. “I’m not going to make an assessment on the matter,” Han told a group of reporters, who asked about the resignation request and the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s involvement in the ruling party’s affairs as he entered th

The endeavor of new political parties to forge an alliance may face challenges in garnering momentum in the run-up to the legislative elections in April, as the former leader of the ruling party Lee Jun-seok declared that the opportune moment for the so-called "big tent" strategy has elapsed. Lee on Saturday openly distanced himself from the increasing calls for a union, while supporters of an alliance argued that the strategy is the best way to gain ground against the current two-part

The two main parties on Thursday each announced a set of pledges designed to reverse the country’s falling birth rate as the April 10 legislative election approaches. The ruling People Power Party vowed to establish a government agency dedicated to population planning and birth rate boosting. “We plan to establish a separate agency to deal with the country’s declining birth rate,” its election policy committee said during a press conference held in southern Seoul. “

A Seoul court on Wednesday fined three KBS employees a total of 30 million won ($22,338), holding them accountable for the death of a horse on the set of a drama production in 2021. The Seoul Southern District Court convicted the three employees -- a 59-year-old drama producer surnamed Kim, a martial arts director and an equestrian -- of animal abuse among other charges for the torture and killing of a horse while shooting a scene for the local broadcaster’s "The King of Tears, Lee

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday resumed his duties as the Democratic Party of Korea chairman, two weeks after being injured in a knife attack on Jan. 2. Lee kicked off his return by presiding over the party’s Supreme Council meeting in the morning. The chairman referred to the upcoming April parliamentary election as an opportunity to pass judgment on the current administration’s performance. “The upcoming election will work as a midterm evaluation ... on

Former Prime Minister and ex-main opposition leader Lee Nak-yon on Tuesday questioned "the moral conscience" of Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers as he moved one step closer toward the official launch of his own political party, planned for February. "The existing main opposition party fails to be a match for the current Yoon Suk Yeol administration," Lee said in a keynote speech at a national convention for promoters and supporters hosted by his followers in Seoul. "

The ruling party on Friday announced its recruitment of two scientists and a legal expert as three new candidates to run in the April parliamentary election. Lee Re-na, a professor of biomedical engineering at Ewha Womans University; Kang Chul-ho, Chairman of the Korea Association of Robot Industry and Jun Sang-bum, former judge who served at the Uijeongbu branch of the Seoul District Court were the latest batch of candidates tapped by the People Power Party. “The three new candidates have