Han Dong-hoon back at helm of People Power Party

The ruling People Power Party wrapped up its 2024 national convention on Tuesday with Han Dong-hoon back at its helm. At the finale of the convention in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, Han emerged victorious in the contentious four-way race to be the party’s chair. He won more than 62 percent of the ballots from the 408,272 registered voters who participated, according to the party’s final count. In his victory speech, the former justice minister said he wanted to transform his party into

July 23, 2024

New special counsel bill zeroes in on both Yoon, first lady

Lawmakers of the minor liberal opposition Rebuilding Korea Party proposed a bill Tuesday to launch a special counsel probe into both President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee. This is the latest development following disputes and the prosecution's internal strife concerning the legal enforcement institution's decision to interrogate Kim outside of its office, in what Yoon's political enemies have depicted as preferential treatment for the president's wife. Led by Rep. Park Eun-jung, a

July 23, 2024

Ruling party set to hold national convention to pick new leader

The ruling People Power Party was set to hold a national convention Tuesday to elect a new party leader to head the embattled party following the party's crushing defeat in April's parliamentary elections. The party convention comes nearly three months after former interim leader Han Dong-hoon resigned after the general elections to take responsibility for the defeat. Han, running again to become the new PPP chief, is leading the race by a relatively significant margin, according to op

July 23, 2024

Parliamentary committee passes pro-labor 'yellow envelope bill'

A parliamentary committee unilaterally passed a pro-labor bill Monday that aims to limit companies from making claims for damages against legitimate labor union disputes. Lawmakers affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party and other progressive parties passed the revision to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, nicknamed the yellow envelop bill, during a plenary session of the parliamentary environment and labor committee. In protest, the ruling People Power Party left

July 22, 2024

People Power Party leader candidates diverge on Trump

As South Korea’s ruling People Power Party counts down to the national convention set for Tuesday, Han Dong-hoon -- the leading candidate for the party’s top post -- was seen promoting his views on former US President Donald Trump in a last-minute move to set himself apart from his main challengers. Han on Sunday posted to Facebook saying, “The South Korea-US alliance is at the core of our country’s progress in diplomacy, defense, economy and science, as well as peace in

July 22, 2024

Prosecution in disarray over first lady investigation

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok on Monday apologized for the prosecution's secretive questioning of first lady Kim Keon Hee over the weekend, saying that investigation principles were neglected while interrogating her. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office questioned Kim as a suspect at an undisclosed venue believed to be somewhere other than a prosecutors' office. The prosecution general, whose Supreme Prosecutors Office oversees the Seoul office, said he was not briefed

July 22, 2024

What's driving Seoul back to DMZ loudspeaker broadcasts?

South Korea entered its second day of renewed loudspeaker broadcasts along its border with North Korea on Monday, a retaliatory response to Pyongyang's recent barrage of trash-laden balloons sent southward. Hours after North Korea floated hundreds of balloons toward the South, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that "full-scale" broadcasting began Sunday afternoon and would continue on Monday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. As of 8 a.m., Monday, the South Korean military iden

July 22, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Vehicle recording mandates, chip incentives

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Motor Vehicle Management Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Hun-seung (People Power Party) ● Recently, nine people have lost their lives in front of Seoul City Hall due to an acceleration accident with an unclear cause. The driver attributed the incident to a sudden unintended acceleration, but there are no definitive means to support this claim or to prove driver error. In the Fair Trade Commission’s Status Research Report on the Operation of the Product Liab

July 22, 2024

Leadership race heats up for major parties

The leadership race for the two major parties here heated up in recent days, with the main opposition kicking off its primaries and the ruling party wrapping up its weekslong contest with an election scheduled for Tuesday. Ex-main opposition leader and Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Sunday won a primary in Gangwon Province, the third of the 15-leg race across the country, as he tries to secure a second term. Lee won a whopping 90.02 percent of the total ballots cast by registere

July 21, 2024

Cho Kuk reelected as leader of minor Rebuilding Korea Party

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk was reelected the chief of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party on Saturday, officials said. Cho won his second term after winning 99.9 percent approval from party members during a convention held in the city of Suwon, south of Seoul, as he was the only candidate running for party leader. Cho formed the party in March, one month ahead of the general elections on April 10, and had led the party until earlier this month when he resigned to run for reelection. His party

July 20, 2024

Ex-DP chief wins sweeping victory in Jeju primary for party leadership

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), won a primary on Jeju Island for party leader Saturday, as he eyes to secure a second term. In June, Lee resigned to run for reelection as the current party rule stipulates the party chair must resign from his leadership position to be eligible as a candidate. During Saturday's primary, the first of the 15-leg race across the country, Lee won 82.5 percent of all ballots cast by registered party members on the is

July 20, 2024

Rival parties wrangle over Yoon's impeachment petition at parliamentary hearing

The ruling and main opposition parties clashed Friday as a parliamentary committee held its first hearing to address an online petition demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The hearing, which focused on allegations that Yoon interfered in a probe into the death of a young Marine surnamed Chae, was marred by physical scuffles and yelling as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) staged a rally outside of the meeting room. Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui of the main opposition Democratic Party (

July 19, 2024

Trump touts ties with NK leader, signals interest in dialogue in acceptance speech

Former US President Donald Trump said Thursday in his Republican National Convention speech to accept the conservative party's nomination as its presidential candidate that he "got along with" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His remarks came as he touted himself as the right person allegedly to stop the wars and deal with the geopolitical complexities involving Russia and North Korea, given his experience holding in-person meetings with both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Ru

July 19, 2024

Political blame game intensifies in Seoul over Sue Mi Terry row

The recent indictment in the US of Sue Mi Terry, a North Korea expert who formerly worked for the US Central Intelligence Agency, is feeding the political blame game between the ruling bloc and opposition here over which administration is responsible for what is perceived as South Korea's spying blunder. A South Korean liberal lawmaker who formerly served as the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol's office for "creating an inte

July 19, 2024

Over 40 North Korean trash balloons detected overnight: JCS

Over 40 balloons carrying trash flew across the border from the North and fell in northern Gyeonggi Province overnight, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Friday. The JCS detected at least 200 balloons flying from North Korea from 5 p.m. Thursday until 5 a.m. Friday, and one-fifth of them dropped in South Korea. Residents of Seoul received an alert at around 5:50 p.m. Thursday that a North Korean balloon had entered South Korea's territorial airspace. The balloons mostly carried paper

July 19, 2024

Parliamentary committee to hold hearing on Yoon's impeachment petition on Marine's death anniv.

A parliamentary committee is set to hold a hearing Friday to address an online petition demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, focusing on allegations of his interference in a probe into a young soldier's death. The National Legislation and Judiciary Committee will review the petition urging the National Assembly to propose a bill to impeach Yoon citing five reasons, including his alleged influence on the military's investigation into the Marine's death, and first l

July 19, 2024

PM 'not concerned' about impact of Trump reelection on S. Korea-US relations

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday he is not concerned about the impact Donald Trump's potential reelection as US president could have on South Korea-US relations, given the American people's strong support for the alliance. Han made the remark during a meeting with reporters at the government complex in the central city of Sejong amid speculation the Republican presidential nominee could threaten to reduce the US troop presence in Korea or raise trade barriers against the Asian

July 18, 2024

Seoul touts Czech nuclear plant deal as Yoon's diplomatic feat

Behind South Korea's win of a 24 trillion won ($17.4 billion) nuclear power plant deal in the Czech Republic was President Yoon Suk Yeol's diplomatic effort, according to local reports quoting his aides in Seoul. Yoon who calls himself "Korea Inc.'s No. 1 salesman" has helped the South Korean consortium inching closer to signing what would be the central European country's largest energy project to build at least two 1,000 megawatts of nuclear units in Dukovany, a city located 170 kilo

July 18, 2024

Materials expert nominated as new science minister

Yoo Sang-im, a professor of materials engineering at Seoul National University, has been nominated as the new minister of science and ICT, the presidential office announced Thursday. Introducing Yoo, the presidential office described him as “the right person to strongly lead our country’s science and technology policies during this great transformation of the advanced technology revolution, based on his long research experience and expertise in the field of science and technology.&rd

July 18, 2024

Yoon names SNU prof. as new science minister, NK defector as unification council head

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday nominated Yoo Sang-im as the new science minister and North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker Tae Yong-ho as the secretary-general of the presidential Peaceful Unification Advisory Council's Secretariat, a vice-ministerial post. Presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk told reporters Thursday that Yoo, a materials science and engineering professor at Seoul National University, is the right fit for the position tasked with the conservative administration's scien

July 18, 2024