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Chinese govt. bought land in Itaewon not far from future US Embassy site: report
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Leading candidate doesn't know his own birthday — and voters relate
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Seoul bus ridership drops 19% in 10 years even as city spends billions in subsidies
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Korea does not respect teachers, 60% of them say in a survey
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3-way presidential race heats up with economic pitches to moderates
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Presidential candidates launch campaigns with 3 weeks to go
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Lee Jae-myung defends 'xie xie' comment after 'pro-China' accusation
The Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung defended Sunday comments made Tuesday, arguing that labeling him "pro-China" was "very inappropriate." Lee was speaking in response to a question during a televised debate about his controversial remarks earlier on the campaign trail that he would say "xie xie" (thank you) to both China and Taiwan in the event of a contingency between the two countries. "What I said is that we have to make every decision based on our natio
May 18, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung says shorter workweek possible without lower pay
Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, said Sunday he would introduce a shorter workweek and still have workers paid the same wage. Speaking at a televised debate, Lee said shorter workweeks needed to be implemented without cutting pay or benefits. "Of course in getting to the 4.5 day workweek, there would not be a reduction in pay," Lee said. Asked how he proposes to achieve that, Lee said he would "get there gradually, through compromise." Shortening the workwe
May 18, 2025 -
Kim Moon-soo: 'I would have tried to stop Yoon Suk Yeol from imposing martial law if I knew'
Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, said Sunday that he would have stopped former President Yoon Suk Yeol from declaring martial law if he knew about it in advance. During a televised debate Sunday, Kim said in response to a question from his progressive opponent, the third Democratic Labor Party's Kwon Young-guk, that Yoon was "wrong to declare martial law." "If I knew about it, I would have no doubt tried to stop President Yoon from declaring martial law," Kim said.
May 18, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung floats ending single-term limit for presidency
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, pledged Sunday to amend the Constitution to permit presidents to serve two terms, with the length of a single term cut from the current five years to four. Lee also proposed memorializing the 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju in the Constitution, to "remember the people who gave their lives to fight dictatorship and defend democracy." Lee said the Constitution needed to be rewritten to be a "sturdier bastion of demo
May 18, 2025 -
Beefed up security to protect presidential candidates
Special police equipment, officers and tactical units are protecting the candidates in the upcoming presidential race, particularly Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, who has recently been subject to multiple threats online. According to local media reports, police have dispatched special binoculars and a laser-using sniper detection system to identify potential threats against the candidates. South Korean police are reported to have binoculars with functions such as thermal
May 18, 2025 -
Access to breakthrough medicines in South Korea among slowest globally, industry report reveals
New medicines may be hitting global markets at record speed, but for South Korean patients, they remain largely out of reach, often for years after their initial approval overseas. According to a 2025 report by the Korea Research-based Pharmaceutical Industry Association, only 5 percent of new drugs launched globally are available in South Korea within the first year. That’s far below the OECD average of 18 percent, and significantly behind Japan’s 32 percent. Delays are compounded after approva
May 18, 2025 -
Policy Watch: Kim Moon-soo vows to launch control tower for regulatory reform
People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo unveiled plans to launch a government agency dedicated to promoting and achieving regulatory reform. In his latest economic policy pledge, Kim said the agency would be responsible for unifying regulatory reform functions scattered across different government agencies. One percent of the annual government budget for research and development would be allocated for projects tied to regulatory reform. He also pledged to push for passage of a bil
May 18, 2025 -
Lee Jun-seok, once PPP's youngest chair, seeks conservative reset with third party candidacy
In February, with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial only just underway and no confirmation of an early election, a young politician made a startling move — declaring his candidacy for a presidential race that hadn’t even been called. Rep. Lee Jun-seok, who led Yoon’s 2022 campaign as the youngest-ever chair of the People Power Party, is now running his own race, casting himself as the “first penguin” daring to dive in and disrupt South Korea’s aging political order. The 40-year-old fir
May 18, 2025 -
Insurance agent buys life insurance for her sick son a day before his death
Police officials said Saturday they have handed over a murder and attempted fraud case to prosecutors concerning an insurance agent, who did not take any measures to help her dying son but subscribed to a life insurance policy in his name. The son of the suspect, who was in his 30s, had been coughing up blood throughout the night from 10 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2023, in their apartment in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. The suspect in her 60s, however, did not take him to a hospital or take any other me
May 18, 2025 -
Top destination for Jeju tangerines? Russia, again
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia was the largest buyer of tangerines grown on South Korea's Jeju Island last year, accounting for over half of total exports, the Korea Citrus Export Corporation said Sunday. Of the 3,347 metric tons of homegrown citrus exported last year by 46 farms and export companies registered with the KCEC, 1,775 tons, or 53 percent, were shipped to Russia, according to data from the KCEC. After Russia, the largest buyers were Canada with 558 tons and the United St
May 18, 2025 -
Driver who changed 3 lanes at once, causing crash, gets jail term
A suspended prison term for the 72-year-old driver, accused of hit-and-run and fleeing the scene of an accident, has been upheld by the appellate division of the Chuncheon District Court. The court said Sunday it ruled against the defendant's appeal and retained the initial sentence of 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. The defendant was found guilty of aggravated hit-and-run, stipulated in Article 5-3 of the Act on Aggravated Punishment for Specific Crimes, and failing to take appr
May 18, 2025 -
Presidential candidates attend ceremony marking 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising
Candidates of the June 3 presidential election gathered at the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sunday to attend a ceremony marking the 45th anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising in the city. Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, the minor New Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok and the minor Justice Party's Kwon Young-kook were among some 2,500 attendees who took part in the ceremony at the May 18th National Cemetery. On May 18, 1980, demonstrators in Gwangju, including students, prot
May 18, 2025 -
Police bolster security for presidential candidates amid terror threats
Police have strengthened security for candidates of the June 3 presidential election, deploying specialized observation equipment and special forces as part of measures to prepare for possible terror threats, officials said Sunday. Currently, the level of police security for candidates of major political parties is being maintained at the level provided for the prime minister, the speaker of the National Assembly and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, according to the National Police Agency
May 18, 2025 -
Firefighters make all-out efforts to put out fire at Kumho Tire plant
Firefighters made all-out efforts on Sunday to extinguish a fire at Kumho Tire's plant, with the fire believed to be some 80 percent contained, according to authorities. The fire began Saturday morning at the factory in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul. About 460 personnel and 170 pieces of equipment were mobilized to put out the fire. Authorities have suspected that the fire may have started from equipment used for heating raw rubber. Kumho Tire has halted production at the plant
May 18, 2025 -
Democratic Party's Lee proposes amending Constitution for two four-year presidential terms
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Sunday proposed an amendment to the nation's Constitution that would allow a president to serve two four-year terms. The proposal is expected to help reduce presidential powers because a president could be judged by voters when the first four-year term is over, Lee said in a Facebook posting. "By introducing the double-term presidency, a president's responsibility will be strengthened" because of mid-term elections, Lee said. Lee, who has
May 18, 2025