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With less than 50 days to go, presidential primaries take shape
With less than 50 days left until the June 3 presidential election, South Korea's two major parties, the Democratic Party of Korea and People Power Party, have opened the primary races to choose their respective presidential nominees. The early presidential vote takes place after the Constitutional Court's unanimous ruling to confirm the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on April 4 over his botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. The Democratic Party has so far just two cand
April 15, 2025 -
Han Dong-hoon makes appeal to middle class with tax benefits, job creation pledges
Conservative former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon on Tuesday pledged tax benefits and job creation to support the middle class if he wins the upcoming early presidential election. Han announced his presidential bid for the June 3 election last week, while pledging to defeat Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential front-runner, former leader of the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Unveiling a policy road map centered around his new campaign pledge to open “an era of middl
April 15, 2025 -
Strategic balancing in South Korea’s foreign policy amid global realignment needed: experts
A group of academics, researchers and journalists gathered Monday to provide foreign policy recommendations for South Korea’s next administration ahead of the country’s upcoming presidential election. The forum, co-hosted by Seoul-based private think tank Plaza Project, Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-ho and the Korean Peninsula Peace Network, a research institute affiliated with the National Assembly, featured wide-ranging discussions on global geopolitical shifts under the second Dona
April 15, 2025 -
Acting president won‘t join PPP presidential primaries: floor leader
The conservative People Power Party announced Tuesday that acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would not register with the party to run for president in the June election, amid calls for him to enter the presidential race. "Han will not take part in the (People Power Party's) primary," Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the right-wing party, said in a meeting with the party's lawmakers Tuesday. He added that some party members were speculating over Han's presidential run, which
April 15, 2025 -
Democratic Party to confirm presidential candidate April 27
The Democratic Party will hold four rounds of its party nomination process for two weeks to select its candidate on April 27 for the presidential election, with the party set to receive official bids from aspirants, officials said Tuesday. South Korea will hold a presidential election June 3 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his failed martial law bid in December. Former DP leader Lee Jae-myung, who declared his presidential bid last week, was leading the race for
April 15, 2025 -
Industry minister likely to visit US as early as next week for tariff negotiations
Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun could visit the United States as early as next week for negotiations with Washington over its reciprocal tariffs, a government official said Monday. Ahn's expected trip comes as Seoul seeks an exemption from the US' global tariffs, including a 25 percent duty on South Korea, which the Trump administration put on hold last week for 90 days except for China. "Depending on how the schedule is coordinated, the timing could be somewhat adjusted," a government official t
April 14, 2025 -
Ex-lawmaker Yoo Seong-min to announce presidential bid as independent candidate
Four-term former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min plans to announce his entry into the presidential race as an independent or a third-party candidate, sources close to him said Monday. Yoo has decided to do so after discussing election-related strategies with his close affiliates following his announcement to not run in the ruling party’s primaries for the upcoming election, the previous days, according to sources close to the politician, who declined to be named. Yoo told his close aides that he plans to
April 14, 2025 -
Hong Joon-pyo declares presidential bid
Hong Joon-pyo, the former mayor of Daegu, officially announced his candidacy for president on Monday, joining a rapidly consolidating field of contenders in the upcoming early election triggered by the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Declaring his presidential bid, Hong framed the upcoming election as a “binary choice” between himself and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. In a statement posted on Facebook, Hong positioned himself as the only viable candidate to “hold Lee acco
April 14, 2025 -
Korea-US tariff talks imminent, says acting president
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo appears to be emerging as a central figure in the presidential race in the wake of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's removal. Han, the 75-year-old who served as the prime minister of the country throughout Yoon's three-year term, has yet to map out his presidential bid ahead of the June 3 election. At a Cabinet meeting he presided over Monday, Han said he would stay committed to "fulfilling the last mission" assigned to him and Cabinet ministers, r
April 14, 2025 -
Online hate surged after Dec. 3 martial law in Korea, driven by far-right forums
South Korea saw a sharp spike in illegal and harmful online content in the three months following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration, with government data showing nearly 3,600 posts flagged for removal across major internet platforms. According to data submitted by the Korea Communications Standards Commission to Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jung-heon, 3,576 posts were subject to takedown requests between Dec. 4, 2024 and Feb. 29, 2025. Most were from Naver (3,
April 14, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung calls for state-led AI investment in 1st campaign outing
Rep. Lee Jae-myung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the leading presidential contender, emphasized the need for government-led investment in the artificial intelligence industry during a Monday visit to FuriosaAI. The visit to the local AI chipmaker marked Lee's first public appearance since declaring his candidacy last week. “For me, my biggest concern is how can we make it so that many people can live better lives in better circumstances? And when it comes to jobs, artificial
April 14, 2025 -
Hong Joon-pyo mocks top rivals on 'SNL' ahead of June presidential election
South Korean presidential contender Hong Joon-pyo, a senior figure in the conservative People Power Party, has drawn fresh attention with a sharp-tongued, satirical appearance on "SNL Korea," taking direct aim at top rivals Lee Jae-myung and Han Dong-hoon ahead of the country’s critical June 3 election. In Saturday's episode of the comedy sketch show in its seventh season, via streaming platform Coupang Play, the former Daegu mayor appears dressed as a convenience store job applicant. The segmen
April 14, 2025 -
Acting president says to 'fulfill final calling' amid presidential rumors
Acting President Han Duck-soo said Monday he will fulfill his "final calling" by tackling the US tariff crisis, apparently dismissing rumors of a presidential bid in the upcoming June election. Han has emerged as a possible contender in the June 3 presidential election following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law bid in December. Despite no mention of a presidential run from Han, he has appeared in recent public opinion surveys on the most favored presidential cand
April 14, 2025 -
Ex-President Yoon arrives at court to attend criminal trial
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived at a Seoul court Monday to attend his trial on insurrection charges related to his attempt to impose martial law last December. Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court via the underground parking ahead of the first hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. The former president was removed from office on April 4 after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment over his Dec. 3 imposition of martial law. (Yonhap)
April 14, 2025 -
PPP begins registration of candidates for presidential primary
The People Power Party on Monday began a two-day registration period for candidates entering the conservative party's primary to select its candidate for the June 3 presidential election. Several prominent figures are expected to participate in the party's primary, including former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, former PPP Chairman Han Dong-hoon and PPP lawmakers Ahn Cheol-soo and Na Kyung-won, who have officially announced their bids. Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo plans to officially declare h
April 14, 2025