Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, on Wednesday pledged to transform South Korea into a global leader in shipbuilding, with a focus on eco-friendly and smart vessel technologies. He vowed to boost the competitiveness of liquefied natural gas- and electric-powered ships, accelerate the commercialization of green fuels and ship batteries and secure leadership in autonomous navigation systems. Lee also pledged to digitalize the entire shipbuilding pr

Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, pledged to designate South Gyeongsang Province as a special zone for satellite development and exploration, outlining an ambitious goal of launching a Mars mission by 2045. During a visit to Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim called for expanded support for the country’s aerospace sector, pledging subsidies for aerospace-related R&D programs and local universities. As part of his broader space development pledge, Kim

The National Election Commission distributed a total of 52.38 billion won ($37 million) in election subsidies to three political parties fielding candidates for the June 3 presidential election. According to the election watchdog on Wednesday, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, which is running Lee Jae-myung as its presidential candidate, received over 26.5 billion won. The conservative People Power Party, fielding Kim Moon-soo, received 24.29 billion won, while the minor conservative New Re

"Anti-Lee Jae-myung forces" are conspiring a terrorist attack against the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, according to a lawmaker who is co-leading Lee's campaign as a member of the party's supreme council, on Tuesday. Rep. Kim Byung-joo convened a security meeting that same day, where he claimed that the "far right" and "sympathizers" of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's "insurrection against South Korea" were "plotting a terrorist attack against Lee." He went on to suggest p

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo’s goal of forming a broad conservative coalition for the June 3 presidential election to challenge Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner, faced a gloomy outlook on Tuesday. Despite Kim’s repeated calls to lure politicians to what he calls an “anti-Lee Jae-myung big tent,” several politicians have either directly or indirectly refused to join forces with the former labor minister in his battle against the main li

Climate action has emerged as a key issue in the lead-up to South Korea’s June 3 presidential election, with leading candidates from both the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and the conservative People Power Party unveiling policy pledges centered on achieving a low-carbon future. The two front-runners — Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party — acknowledge the urgency of addressing climate change. However, their proposals diverge sharply in terms of en

Democratic Party of Korea's Lee Jae-myung is ahead of People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo with 49.5 percent to Kim's 38.2 percent, according to a poll released Tuesday. This is the first poll on the presidential race since Kim's nomination was finalized Sunday. Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party came third at 5.7 percent while 3.1 percent of respondents said they did not have a preferred candidate and 1.9 percent said they were unsure. The poll by Hangil Research surveyed 1,513 eligible vo

The Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung has promised to take a national interest-driven approach to foreign and trade policies and pursue a fairer economy through an even distribution of prosperity. In a breakdown of his top policies, Lee's campaign said Monday that the Democratic Party candidate, if elected, would make his policy decisions to "serve national interests" on diplomatic and trade fronts. The keyword defining Lee's approach to foreign relations is "

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo on Monday pledged to create a more business-friendly environment and create more jobs amid the export-reliant economy’s growing exposure to risks posed by the US-China trade war. Unveiling his top 10 policy promises if elected as president, Kim said that his primary goal is to turn South Korea into “a country that is good for businesses and creates jobs.” “The number one pledge is a key pledge that reflects candidate Kim Moon-soo’s vision to

Rep. Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party, unveiled a comprehensive set of policy pledges Monday, focusing on improving efficiency and sustainability across government, society and industry. Central to Lee’s platform is a plan to restructure the government by reducing the number of ministries from 19 to 13. Specifically, Lee proposed merging the Foreign and Unification ministries, combining the Education and Science ministries, abolishing the Gender