DP lawmaker mistakes KFA for 'KFC' in parliamentary hearing

A Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker repeatedly referred to the Korea Football Association as "KFC," the initials of the global fried chicken franchise, during a parliamentary hearing Thursday. Rep. Cho Gye-won made the slip while questioning former KFA President Chung Mong-gyu at a hearing of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee over alleged corruption within the KFA. "Is KFC required to comply with the AFC's rules?" Cho asked, referring to the Asian Football Confederat

2026-07-30 18:00:22:00

DP leadership candidate says National Assembly speaker was 'baited by journalists'

National Assembly Speaker Rep. Cho Jeong-sik was "baited" by journalists, Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidate Rep. Jung Chung-rae said Wednesday, adding that he would advise the speaker "to do better." "He seems to have been baited by the reporters that were asking questions," Jung said on a CBS radio show when asked about the speaker's comments regarding amending the Constitution. That was in reference to remarks Cho made Tuesday during a press conference, saying that passing a const

2026-07-29 17:31:51:00

Yoon stripped of attorney license following Supreme Court ruling

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been stripped of his attorney's license after the Supreme Court upheld his seven-year prison sentence. According to reports Wednesday, the Korean Bar Association recently canceled Yoon's registration as an attorney, following an order from the Justice Ministry. Under the Attorney-at-Law Act, registered attorneys are disbarred if a prison term is confirmed. Yoon was sentenced to seven years in prison in a lower-court ruling on charges including special obstructi

2026-07-29 17:26:23:00

Gwangju murder case sparks calls for legislative reform

Lawmakers are seeking legislative changes to limit an exemption of liability for relatives of criminal suspects who harbor offenders and tamper with evidence in the wake of a Gwangju murder case in which the suspect's father, a police officer, allegedly tampered with evidence. On Wednesday, Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Dong-ah and nine other lawmakers proposed a bill to amend the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The proposal would add a new article, 14-2, stating that "

2026-07-29 15:26:49:00

Opposition leader says people will punish the administration for creating 'real estate hell'

People Power Party leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok on Tuesday continued the attack on the administration, saying that the people will "send the administration to hell" for creating "real estate hell." "The administration created a 'real estate hell' for the people," Jang wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. "Yet it shows no remorse or shame. The people will now send this administration to hell." Jang's remarks came after a public debate chaired by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Monday. During the deb

2026-07-28 18:42:17:00

Lawmakers move for partial tax exemption on stock trades with no gains

People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo proposed a bill revision Monday that would exempt investors from certain taxes if they sell shares without making a profit. Ahn, a four-term lawmaker and former software entrepreneur, jointly introduced a partial revision to the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation, along with nine other members of the People Power Party. Under the proposal, both the securities transaction tax and the special rural development tax will be waived when a sto

2026-07-28 15:40:20:00

Lawmakers seek to restrict NEC staff leave before elections

Lawmakers are calling for legislative reform that would allow election authorities to restrict or reschedule staff leave ahead of national elections, in response to the fallout from ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections. On Friday, independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon and 17 other lawmakers proposed a revision to the Election Commission Act that would allow election commission officials' vacations to be altered depending on election schedules. According to Han's office, the proposal cove

2026-07-27 17:37:25:00

Conservative lawmaker accuses Lee of piggybacking on corporate accomplishments

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party dismissed President Lee Jae Myung's trip to the San Francisco AI Summit as "piggyback diplomacy," saying that he exploited the trip to take political credit for deals secured by Korean companies. The meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, brought together Lee and the chiefs of prominent global technology companies to San Francisco. This included the heads of Anthropic, OpenAI, Nvidia and Broadcom, as well as those of domestic firms such as

2026-07-26 15:28:33:00

Opposition says justice minister's resignation offer marks beginning of 'lame duck' era

The People Power Party on Saturday raised the pressure on the ruling bloc, claiming Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho's recent offer to resign marked the beginning of the Lee Jae Myung administration's "lame duck phase." "The lame duck era of Lee's administration has begun," People Power Party Floor Leader Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig wrote in a Facebook post, after Jung reportedly offered to resign. Jung offered to step down after the Democratic Party decided to adopt the abolition of prosecutors' supplemen

2026-07-26 13:54:06:00

Lee says property holding tax should be tripled, but would face riot-like backlash

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that Korea would need to triple its property holding tax rate to meet levels in other advanced economies, but warned that such a sharp increase would face strong public resistance. Lee made the remarks during a national forum on real estate policy held at KBS in Yeouido, Seoul. Property holding taxes refer collectively to the local property tax and the national comprehensive real estate holding tax, which is imposed on owners whose combined property value ex

2026-07-23 18:19:21:00