There is currently one man in South Korea who many in the conservative bloc believe is popular enough to win voters' hearts, despite his lack of political experience. The man of the hour is Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon -- President Yoon Suk Yeol’s right-hand man and a strong candidate to lead the ruling People Power Party at its helm into next year’s April general election. A survey conducted by local polling agency Gallup Korea earlier this month showed Han as Korea’s

A Seoul court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Song Young-gil, ex-leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, could pose some risks for the liberal bloc ahead of next year’s general election, observers said Tuesday. The Seoul Central District Court on late Monday granted the warrant sought by prosecutors against Song on charges of bribing several of his fellow Democratic Party lawmakers in the time frame leading up to the party’s leadership election in May

Sung Kim, who served as US Special Representative for North Korea and US ambassador to South Korea, will join Bae, Kim & Lee to lead a new team at one of the top law firms here, according to the firm. On Tuesday, Bae, Kim & Lee said that Kim will oversee its Global Future Strategy Center, which aims to help the firm and local businesses navigate cross-border issues. The center will also give “strategic advice” to multinational firms operating in Korea. The new partnership is

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday tapped current Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun as the nominee to head the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The 55-year-old expert in international economy and trade started serving as the Yoon administration’s first trade minister from May last year. This promotion would put him at an actual ministerial-level position, compared to his previous role, which was technically a vice-ministerial level position. “Ahn is a global trade expert backed by bo

The rival parties are expected to lock horns this week over the scheduled confirmation hearings for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s latest Cabinet nominations, scheduled to kick-off Monday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers have hinted they plan to scrutinize intensively the six ministerial-level nominees handpicked by Yoon earlier this month. The ruling People Power Party are likely to defend the nominees and push forward with the nominations. “In particular, the nom

South Korea's rival parties were scrambling to deal with increasing uncertainty sparked by a series of unforeseen events tied to next year’s general election, as of Thursday. Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s announcement on Wednesday saying he will establish a new political party of his own has emerged as a major hurdle for both the ruling and the main opposition party lawmakers. Lee, an influential lawmaker, said in Wednesday&rs

The leader of the ruling party announced his resignation on Wednesday, expressing hopes that his decision would help unify the party ahead of next year’s general elections. People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon released a statement saying that he would step down from his current position, a day after a fellow party bigwig announced he also would not run in the elections. “I take full responsibility for the situation our party is currently in,” Kim said in his statement. &ldq

The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to strengthen legislation that could ban former members of terrorist organizations from seeking asylum in South Korea. On Tuesday, the ministry said it will propose a new bill that will allow the government to revoke a person’s refugee status if the individual commits a serious crime in Korea. The bill will also allow authorities to cancel a person's refugee status after they have been granted asylum in Korea if the individual has a record o

  A close confidante of President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed not to run in next year’s general election on Tuesday, a move seen as being in support of intra-party reform. People Power Party Rep. Chang Je-won said he has decided to refrain from running for a seat in the 2024 general election, making him the first among ruling party bigwigs to do so. “I will cheer for the People Power Party’s election win behind the curtains of history,” said Chang, a three-term lawmaker,

Former leaders of rival parties here have been hinting at the possibility of joining forces to launch a new party ahead of next year’s general election as of Monday, invoking concern and skepticism from other lawmakers. Former Prime Minister and previous main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon along with estranged former leader of the ruling People Power Party Lee Jun-seok have been mentioning each other in various interviews as potential partners to set up a new

The rival parties are expected to engage in an intensified tug-of-war starting Monday, as they failed to come to a consensus on the passage of the 2024 government budget and pending bills. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday agreed to kick off an extraordinary session on Monday, which will include two plenary meetings scheduled on Dec. 20 and 28, respectively. The Dec. 20 meeting will address next year’s budget plan, which parliament

The South Korean ruling party’s reform committee announced its early disbandment on Thursday, with its head saying that it saw it as “50 percent successful” in laying out its vision. The People Power Party’s committee, which was formed on Oct. 26 to lay out a vision for realigning the party for the 2024 general election, decided to disband in a largely expected move. The disbandment came some two weeks before the committee's initial plan to disband by Dec. 24. The co

South Korea has reached a point where accepting more immigrants under a solid policy is no longer a choice, but a necessity because the country could face extinction without it, the justice minister said Wednesday. “We have already surpassed the phase of contemplating whether or not to adopt immigration policies,” Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said during a ruling party policy meeting held at the National Assembly. “Korea faces the fate of becoming extinct due to a population

Several passengers commuting on a subway line connecting Seoul with its western satellite city of Gimpo expressed concern after they detected a burning smell on Wednesday. The subway lines’ operator, Seoul Metro, said it had received a total of three complaints of a burning smell between Pungmu Station and Gimpo International Airport Station at around 7:50 a.m. The operator said it immediately launched an investigation into the matter. A passenger told local media that “a burning rub

Six soon-to-be ex-ministers from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Cabinet have been identified as “strong candidates” to represent the ruling party in the 2024 general elections, a party spokesperson said Tuesday. “The six soon-to-be ex-ministers, including Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, are currently being considered as strong candidates to represent our party for the parliamentary elections slated for April next year,” a spokesperson for

Several key bills aimed to provide stronger social safety nets and confirm next year’s budget plan were stuck in limbo as of Monday, as rival parties continued to lock horns ahead of the general elections in April. With less than a week remaining for the plenary session of the 21st National Assembly, observers expressed concern that the bills could be scrapped altogether, with the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea remaining in a standoff. "We

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday vetoed a new pro-labor bill and three broadcasting law revisions passed by parliament last month. Yoon's decision came mere hours after the Cabinet officially filed a request for him to reject the bills that were unilaterally passed by the National Assembly on Nov. 9, despite the ruling People Power Party’s strong opposition. The opposition parties, including the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, currently holds the controlling majority of se

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday granted his approval for the resignation offered by the state broadcasting watchdog chief, effectively derailing the main opposition party's plans to proceed with an impeachment motion originally scheduled for later in the day. Yoon's approval followed a surprising turn of events, when Korea Communications Commission Chairman Lee Dong-kwan reportedly submitted his resignation to Yoon late Thursday. "President Yoon has approved KCC Chairman Lee Don

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit the southeastern city of Gyeongju at 4:55 a.m. on Thursday, the state weather agency said, prompting mobile phones across Korea to blare en masse from the emergency text alert. No damage has been reported as of Thursday afternoon. The second-strongest quake to hit Korea this year struck the historical city of Gyeongju, located 277 kilometers southeast of Seoul in the wee hours of the morning. The quake's depth was measured at a shallow 12 kilometers and it was

Two major umbrella unions in South Korea on Tuesday criticized the government’s latest efforts to bring more foreign workers into the country, saying that it should prioritize the “employment of Korean citizens.” The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, which have an estimated 110,000 members combined, released separate statements protesting the government’s plan to increase the quota or E-9 visas for unskilled foreign workers. &