South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea chose Rep. Woo Sang-ho to head the emergency steering committee with hopes of putting an end to the internal feud that erupted after the local elections. The party announced following a meeting of its legislators Tuesday that the four-term lawmaker will head the committee until the party elects the new chair at the national convention scheduled in August. The meeting came six days after the liberal party suffered a crushing defeat in

Politics June 7, 2022

In 2017, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea had high hopes. Taking power after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, some in the party had expressed hopes it would remain the ruling party for at least 20 years. The party got off to a stellar start, dominating the elections that followed. It seemingly had nothing to fear, since the conservative bloc shattered to pieces in the wake of the historical political event. The Democratic Party’s dominance, however, has eva

Politics June 6, 2022

South Korean and US forces fired eight missiles Monday in response to North Korea firing the same number of missiles a day earlier, the allies said Monday. For about 10 minutes from 4:45 a.m. Monday, the South Korean military and the US Forces Korea fired eight surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile System missiles into the East Sea as a response to North Korea’s military provocation made Sunday. The exercise used one missile from the US Army and seven from the South Korean military.

North Korea June 6, 2022

A raft of major changes is in store for South Korea’s political circle in the wake of local elections, with new faces likely to emerge as leaders of major parties moving forward. For the main opposition Democratic Party, a sweeping reform has been in the works since the March presidential election defeat, but experts say something similar could also be demanded of the ruling People Power Party. Following a crushing defeat for the Democratic Party in the local elections, where it won only

Politics June 2, 2022

Leaders of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea resigned en masse Thursday following a crushing defeat in the local elections. Rep. Yun Ho-jung, chair of the party’s emergency steering committee, announced following a party meeting that the committee will resign immediately “to assume responsibility” for the disappointing outcome. “All members of the Democratic Party’s emergency committee have decided to resign from our posts to assume responsibility of t

Politics June 2, 2022

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party achieved a landslide victory in the local elections held Wednesday, as its candidates prevailed in most of the major cities and provinces to add support to the recently inaugurated Yoon Suk-yeol administration. According to the National Election Commission’s data, the ruling party won 12 out of 17 metropolitan mayoral and provincial gubernatorial elections, winning a majority for the first time since 2006 when its predecessor, the Grand Nation

Politics June 2, 2022

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party appeared set for a landslide win in the local elections, with counted ballots favoring its candidates in most of the major cities and provinces by late Wednesday night. By 11 p.m., the party was seen to be strongly leading in the mayoral elections of Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, Ulsan and Busan, and its candidates were also in clear leads for the gubernatorial elections of Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsan

Politics June 1, 2022

The ruling People Power Party appeared set for a landslide win in the local elections Wednesday, with exit poll results favoring its candidates in many key regions. According to exit poll results from terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS released at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the ruling People Power Party was favored to win 10 out of 17 metropolitan mayoral and provincial gubernatorial elections, as opposed to four for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The exit polls predicted Oh S

Politics June 1, 2022

Voters across the country on Wednesday headed to polling stations for local elections and parliamentary by-elections, with prior opinion polls indicating a likely win for the ruling People Power Party. Main voting started at 14,465 polling stations across the country at 6 a.m. Wednesday for 44.3 million eligible voters to pick new local government officials to serve for the next four years. COVID-19 patients and those under quarantine were given from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to cast their votes.

Politics June 1, 2022

Campaigns for the local elections and parliamentary by-elections wrapped up Tuesday, with political parties’ heavyweights focusing on major battlegrounds to draw voters to polling stations on Wednesday. Leadership figures with the ruling People Power Party spent much of their energy rallying support in Gyeonggi Province, where its gubernatorial candidate Kim Eun-hye is seen to be in a tight race against Kim Dong-yeon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Rep. Kweon Seong-dong

Politics May 31, 2022

Whether to close down Gimpo International Airport has suddenly risen as a major topic in political circles, with just days left until local elections and parliamentary by-elections on Wednesday. Major figures within the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea have vowed to work toward closing the airport and lifting regulatory restrictions from its surrounding area. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate in a parliamentary by-election for the Gyeyang-gu constituency in Incheon, pledge

Politics May 30, 2022

South Korea’s political circle is yet to reach a compromise over the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s supplementary budget proposal made earlier this month, with prospects remaining unclear whether the proposal will pass the final vote at the National Assembly this month. Floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced Friday that the two failed to reach a deal on the budget proposal despite holding a two-hour discussion over

Politics May 27, 2022

Early voting started for the 8th local elections and parliamentary by-elections Friday, as South Korea carries out its fourth public official election during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Election Commission on Friday opened early voting at 3,551 polling stations across the country, and voters have been rushing to nearby voting booths to cast their ballots in a fierce two-way battle between the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Polling stations

Politics May 27, 2022

At this year’s H.eco Forum, experts took a moment to highlight the ongoing and expected changes to marine ecosystems due to climate change and discuss what efforts are needed to protect the environment and prevent socioeconomic disasters and challenges from occurring. Chun Seung-soo, professor emeritus of Chonnam National University, started the session speaking about how the marine and coastal environments have been changing abruptly and discussed ways to mitigate and adapt to coastal di

Social Affairs May 26, 2022

With just seven days left until the local elections and parliamentary by-elections on June 1, latest public opinion surveys are hinting a clear lead for the ruling People Power Party and its candidates in many regions. Out of 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections, the People Power Party has shown a strong lead in 10 of the posts, compared to four for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The prospects are still uncertain for three out of the 17 major posts. The country o

Politics May 25, 2022