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

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

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.

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

What Yoon's 'decision to leave' means for People Power Party

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's departure from the People Power Party on Saturday is expected to boost the party's chances with moderate voters and win back longtime supporters who opposed the failed martial law bid. While some painted a rosy outlook for the party, critics expressed skepticism towards the move carried out less than three weeks before the June 3 presidential election, saying that the timing of the departure was "too late." People Power Party's chief spokesperson Shin Dong-wook l

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

Once PPP's youngest chair, Lee seeks conservative reset

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

Policy watch: Kim Moon-soo pledges to relocate National Assembly to Sejong

Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, on Friday vowed to relocate the National Assembly to Sejong as part of efforts to promote balanced development across the country’s rural provinces. Sejong, located some 100 kilometers south of Seoul, was founded in 2007 as part of a national decentralization initiative under President Roh Moo-hyun. Kim pledged to fully transfer the Assembly to the city and to establish a branch of the presidential office there before h

Policy watch: Lee Jun-seok pledges to designate Busan as special data zone

Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party, on Friday pledged to designate Busan as a special data zone with enhanced security measures to boost South Korea’s digital competitiveness. Lee stressed the need for secure zones where domestic tech companies — many of which currently rely on foreign cloud services — can safely store their data. He cited Busan’s robust electricity supply and communications infrastructure as key advantages. Under his proposals, e

Policy Watch: Lee Jae-myung vows to boost shipbuilding industry

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, on Wednesday pledged to transform South Korea into a global leader in shipbuilding, with a focus on eco-friendly and smart vessel technologies. He vowed to boost the competitiveness of liquefied natural gas- and electric-powered ships, accelerate the commercialization of green fuels and ship batteries and secure leadership in autonomous navigation systems. Lee also pledged to digitalize the entire shipbuilding pr

Policy Watch: Kim Moon-soo vows Mars Mission by 2045

Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, pledged to designate South Gyeongsang Province as a special zone for satellite development and exploration, outlining an ambitious goal of launching a Mars mission by 2045. During a visit to Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim called for expanded support for the country’s aerospace sector, pledging subsidies for aerospace-related R&D programs and local universities. As part of his broader space development pledge, Kim

Election body grants W52.3b to 3 parties in presidential race

The National Election Commission distributed a total of 52.38 billion won ($37 million) in election subsidies to three political parties fielding candidates for the June 3 presidential election. According to the election watchdog on Wednesday, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, which is running Lee Jae-myung as its presidential candidate, received over 26.5 billion won. The conservative People Power Party, fielding Kim Moon-soo, received 24.29 billion won, while the minor conservative New Re

Democratic Party of Korea requests presidential security for Lee Jae-myung citing 'terrorist threats'

"Anti-Lee Jae-myung forces" are conspiring a terrorist attack against the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, according to a lawmaker who is co-leading Lee's campaign as a member of the party's supreme council, on Tuesday. Rep. Kim Byung-joo convened a security meeting that same day, where he claimed that the "far right" and "sympathizers" of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's "insurrection against South Korea" were "plotting a terrorist attack against Lee." He went on to suggest p

'Anti-Lee Jae-myung' coalition plan looks bleak

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo’s goal of forming a broad conservative coalition for the June 3 presidential election to challenge Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner, faced a gloomy outlook on Tuesday. Despite Kim’s repeated calls to lure politicians to what he calls an “anti-Lee Jae-myung big tent,” several politicians have either directly or indirectly refused to join forces with the former labor minister in his battle against the main li

Climate issues return to presidential campaign spotlight

Climate action has emerged as a key issue in the lead-up to South Korea’s June 3 presidential election, with leading candidates from both the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and the conservative People Power Party unveiling policy pledges centered on achieving a low-carbon future. The two front-runners — Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party — acknowledge the urgency of addressing climate change. However, their proposals diverge sharply in terms of en