President Moon Jae-in called on the government Tuesday to prepare for the scenario of the omicron variant becoming the dominant version of COVID-19 in the country while making sure to reinforce the country's medical capacity. Moon made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting held after the country reported 49 new omicron cases, bringing the accumulated total to 227. South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases ...

Opposition parties urge Moon to apologize for continued scandals of his aides

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday said it is seeking to establish a secondary presidential office in the central administrative city of Sejong following a pledge from its presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. The DP said its plan to set up a secondary presidential office in Sejong, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, will be introduced as a party policy at its general meeting Wednesday...

A major South Korean umbrella labor organization has notified the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation that it does not support former South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's candidacy for the position of ILO chief, sources said Tuesday. The statement from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which was sent Monday, is expected ...

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, on Monday called for the provision of full compensation to pandemic-hit small businesses as he unveiled a set of measures to support their recovery. "I want to pay back people's sacrifice in a way that is completely different from now," Lee said in his meeting with small business owners and self-employed people. "I will ch...

Rep. Kim Ye-ji asks next president to listen more and cater to needs

President Moon Jae-in instructed national university hospitals on Monday to focus their medical resources on caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Moon's order came as the country has seen a surge in serious cases, with the number hitting an all-time high of 1,025 on Sunday amid a shortage of hospital beds across the country. "I ask national university hospitals to focus their medical ca...

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is concentrating fire on Kim Keon-hee -- People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife -- raising one allegation after another related to her career history. Adding on to the allegedly inaccurate information on Kim’s resume that she sent to universities while applying for teaching positions, the Democratic Party is raising suspicions on Kim’s...

Park Geun-hye remains hospitalized as her health gets worse

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, on Monday vowed to double war veterans' allowances and improve welfare for service members as he targeted military voters ahead of the March 9 election. "I will improve disability criteria so that veterans who sacrificed themselves for the country do not feel disappointed," Yoon said in a Facebook post, referrin...

A 31-year-old feminist politician joined the campaign of main opposition presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday in a surprise move expected to widen the conservative candidate's appeal among young female voters. Shin Ji-ye, a vocal feminist who currently heads the non-profit Korean Women's Political Network, was named senior deputy chair of the Saesidae Preparatory Committee, an organizati...

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol are in an increasingly tight race, with one opinion poll putting Lee ahead of Yoon and another survey showing contrary results. In a Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) survey of 1,008 adults, Lee led with 40.3 percent against Yoon's 37.4 percent, though the gap was within the margin of error of plus...

Police have earmarked over 700 million won ($590,000) for the security details of major presidential candidates, officials said Monday. According to police, 762 million won has been set aside for security-related funds for the March presidential election, including those for candidates' close-up security, equipment and transportation support. The budget marks an increase from 728 million won in...

President Moon Jae-in will receive the government's annual policy briefings for the final time this week, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. The 2022 briefings will begin Monday under the slogan, "Changes made with the people, a government fulfilling its responsibilities until the end," the presidential office said in a press release. "Through the policy briefings, we plan to go through the achievement...

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday accused the wife of main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of falsifying her attendance at New York University in 2006. Kim Keon-hee, the wife of the People Power Party (PPP) candidate, has been hit with a series of allegations that she falsified her credentials when applying for teaching jobs at two local universities in 2007 and 2013. A...