Policy watch: Han Dong-hoon pledges to launch control towers for maritime defense, arms exports

People Power Party presidential contender Han Dong-hoon pledged Monday to establish new control towers to bolster maritime defense and arms exports. A senior presidential secretary position would be created to boost South Korea’s arms exports if he is elected as president, Han said. He also vowed to help South Korea achieve a state of nuclear latency matching the level of its neighbor Japan. Nuclear latency refers to a condition in which a country possesses all the necessary technology and exper

Lee Jae-myung leads with 48.5%: Poll

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, secured nearly half of voter support in a recent poll of preferred presidential candidates. Until recently leader of the Democratic Party, Lee officially secured the nomination as the party’s presidential candidate on Sunday. According to a Realmeter survey released Monday, Lee garnered 48.5 percent support of 1,505 respondents aged 18 and older, down 1.7 percentage points from the previous week. The

Lee Jae-myung says overcoming partisanship key to surviving Trump's tariffs

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential nominee, called for a transcending of partisan divide to navigate trade challenges posed by the second Donald Trump administration's tariff policy. Lee said in this "survival of the fittest" environment, induced in part by Trump's tariffs, a "one Korea, one team" approach is required. The Democratic Party's task force responding to Trump's tariff policy held a meeting on Monday where it said acting President Han Duck-soo should lea

Policy Watch: Kim Moon-soo pledges anti-noise tech mandatory in houses

Presidential hopeful Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party vowed Friday to make top-tier noise-reduction technology in newly built apartment complexes mandatory, amid growing public concern over noise disputes in South Korea’s densely populated urban areas. The former labor minister said he would ensure children can “run and play freely” in their homes by requiring new residential buildings to use the best domestically developed soundproofing solutions. “South Korea has already secured 12 verif

Policy Watch: Lee Jae-myung vows to turn Seoul into global finance center, Gyeonggi, mega-chip cluster

Democratic Party of Korea presidential contender Lee Jae-myung unveiled his blueprint for Korea's central regions, elevating Seoul as a world-class financial center on par with New York, and connecting Yeouido and Yongsan into an international finance and business district. Lee also pledged to make Gyeonggi Province the global heart of semiconductor production, establishing a megacluster spanning Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek, to cover the full value chain from R&D to manufacturing. Str

Satire, selfies, and 'SNL': Korean presidential hopefuls dive into entertainment politics

Han Dong-hoon, a leading presidential contender and former chair of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party, became the talk of the nation this week ahead of an appearance alongside his doppelganger on "SNL Korea" — the local adaptation of the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live". The buzz started Tuesday when Han posted a photo on Facebook with comedian Jung Sung-ho, known for his spot-on impersonations of the candidate. In the image, Jung mimics Han’s signature hairstyle, glasses and gestu

Is Yongsan's brief time as seat of presidency coming to an end?

In 2022, former President Yoon Suk Yeol pushed forward with a controversial and costly plan to relocate South Korea’s presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential compound used since 1948, to the former Defense Ministry headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Nearly three years later, the future of the new presidential office has become a key issue in the presidential election campaign, with some leading candidates pledging to reverse the move. Several of them — on both sides of the polit

Policy Watch: Lee Jae-myung proposes phasing out plastics, coal-fired power plants

Liberal Democratic Party of Korea former chair, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who leads the field of presidential hopefuls, on Tuesday announced he would create a road map to phase out plastics to tackle pollution and make South Korea more sustainable. "We will turn South Korea into the leader in the plastic-free movement," Lee wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday, adding that he would work to establish necessary infrastructure for a circular economy and introduce the consumer "right to repair" movement to

Policy Watch: Kim Dong-yeon vows W400tr fund for renewable energy belt

Liberal presidential hopeful Kim Dong-yeon pledged to establish a renewable energy belt along the southwestern coastline of the North and South Jeolla Provinces bound by the Yellow Sea. A total of 400 trillion won ($281 billion) in spending of the public and private sectors combined would be involved, according to the incumbent Gyeonggi Province governor vying for the nomination from the Democratic Party of Korea. He added that the goal is to achieve the goals of RE100, with renewable energy gen

Policy Watch: Kim Moon-soo vows to expand GTX to four more regions nationwide

Kim Moon-soo, a former labor minister running for the presidential nomination of the conservative People Power Party, promised to extend the Great Train eXpress (GTX) railway network to four more metropolitan areas within his term as president, if elected. Currently, the only line in operation is the GTX-A, connecting Seoul Station to Paju, northwest of Seoul, and Suseo in Gangnam to Dongtan in Gyeonggi Province. The GTX B and C are under construction. Kim said he would construct new GTX railway

Policy Watch: Yoo Jeong-bok pledges Constitutional reform, government overhaul

Yoo Jeong-bok, currently mayor of Incheon and a candidate in the ruling People Power Party’s primary, proposed a four-year presidential term with one re-election allowed and the creation of a vice presidency. He also called for the adoption of a bicameral legislature to prevent "one-party dictatorship" in the National Assembly, relocation of South Korea's capital to Sejong, and an overhaul of ministries -- finance, interior and education -- “to the point of dissolution.”

Policy Watch: Lee Jae-myung suggests customized state support system for people with disabilities

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former chair of the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, pledged to create a state-run care system that provides tailored services for individuals with developmental and mental disabilities if elected. In a Facebook post marking Korea’s Disability Day, April 20, he promised personalized, daily services to ease the burden on families, improving and expanding transportation access and creating an inclusive, nondiscriminatory educational environment for the estimat

Policy Watch: Kim Moon-soo proposes free off-peak bus rides for senior citizens

Kim Moon-soo, a former labor minister and People Power Party candidate for the presidential nomination, vowed to make bus travel free for people aged 65 and older during off-peak hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Marking Korea's Disability Day on April 20, he also proposed requiring 25 percent of new public housing to include senior-friendly features, such as basic medical services, caregiving facilities, and meal support. Kim also promised a nationwide “Digital Integrated Transport Pass” for disable

DP candidates slam Yoon Suk Yeol's 'self-coup,' split over presidential relocation

The presidential candidates of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea said Friday that those responsible for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempted self-coup must face justice. In a televised debate, former Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, and former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo voiced unanimous support for holding accountable anyone involved in Yoon’s controversial imposition of martial law last December. Lee, a prominent fi

Lee Jae-myung leads with 38% support; three runners-up tied at 7% each: poll

Front-runner Rep. Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea has increased his lead among the field of potential presidential candidates, shows a poll released Friday. According to a survey by Gallup Korea, Lee garnered 38 percent support — his highest rating this year and a figure that puts him comfortably ahead of all other contenders. Tied for second place were former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, both from the conservative People Power Party, a