From the Corridors of Power In series
A record of moments when words become politics
From the Corridors of Power In series
A record of moments when words become politics
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
July 26, 2026 - 15:28:33
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
July 26, 2026 - 13:54:06
Reform Party floor leader slams DCC for 'hiding' defense minister's military records
Reform Party Floor Leader Rep. Chun Ha-ram on Tuesday upped the attack against Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, raising questions over Ahn's military service and against military reform measures. According to Chun, the Defense Counterintelligence Command denied his request of information regarding allegations of irregularities in Ahn's military service. Writing on his Facebook account, Chun said that the DCC cited lack of personnel to handle the request as all available employees were engaged in p
July 23, 2026 - 09:59:14
Ahn Cheol-soo likens president to invasive species of real estate
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the main opposition People Power Party on Tuesday accused President Lee Jae Myung of using an irregular real estate trading method, comparing him to the invasive bluegill fish. Ahn's statement, written on his Facebook page, came after Lee officially sold his house located in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, for 2.9 billion won ($1.97 million). According to the property's certificate of registry information, around 1.78 billion won is financed with debt held by Lee a
July 21, 2026 - 17:39:58
Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy says the state must lay foundations for self-sustaining AI ecosystem
The government must lay the grounds for the spread of AI across sectors, approaching the technology as a "basic right," Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom said Tuesday. Writing on his Facebook page, Kim said the artificial intelligence market is still not fully unlocked, and applications in hospitals, schools and public administration remain elusive. Kim cited conflicting stakes as the cause: hospitals wait for regulations to be eased, regulators wait for successful precedents
July 21, 2026 - 13:18:04
Opposition accuses government of running trading chat rooms with leveraged ETFs
The main opposition People Power Party on Monday continued its attack on leveraged single-stock exchange-traded funds, with its floor leader accusing the government of fanning speculative investing. Speaking at the party's Supreme Council meeting on Monday, People Power Party floor leader Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig referred to the ETFs as "government-led 'leading rooms' targeting the public." The term "leading rooms" refers to stock tip chat rooms that provide advice on stock investments, often in exc
July 20, 2026 - 15:30:53
Jaemyung Bank? Opposition lawmaker slams bank for cutting mortgage limit
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the main opposition People Power Party on Monday slammed KB Kookmin Bank for lowering the cap on mortgage lending, accusing it of following government policies at the cost of harming the public. “KB has cut off the people’s financial lifeline and betrayed them. It doesn’t deserve to carry the name ‘Kookmin,’” Ahn wrote on his Facebook page. “It would not be unreasonable for the bank to change its sign to ‘JM Jae-myung Bank’ instead.” The Korean word “kookmin” literally tran
July 13, 2026 - 16:23:41
'Zombies' and 'alien language': main opposition infighting continues
Internal friction in the main opposition People Power Party continues to escalate as more calls for a leadership overhaul are met with pointed fingers. Former lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja — who now sits on the People Power Party’s supreme council — called for the party’s leadership to take responsibility for the local election results and to resign. “The majority of the public and (party’s) supporters likely expected all leadership to step down after the election results,” Yang said at a People Power
June 15, 2026 - 16:40:24
Lee cautions against ‘burning down the house’ in prosecution overhaul
President Lee Jae Myung on Monday warned that prosecution reform should be carried out with precision, cautioning against attempts that “burn down the house to get rid of bedbugs,” in remarks widely seen as directed at hard-line lawmakers within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. “To solve a problem, one must accurately identify its cause and clearly distinguish what should and should not be addressed,” Lee wrote in a post on X. “In carrying out necessary reforms, caution is needed to avoid b
March 10, 2026 - 16:01:21
Nazis on the brain: Korean politics takes Godwin's Law offline
In online forums, Godwin's Law holds that the longer a discussion continues, the more inevitable Nazi comparisons become. In Korean politics, it appears that neither an online forum or a long time is necessary. The National Assembly's most recent example was made over proposed revision to the Referendum Act. The revision, passed at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, includes clauses strengthening the National Election Commission’s authority and penalties for interfering with its
Feb. 25, 2026 - 14:40:58
이 대통령, 내란 선고 관련 美 당국자 발언 보도에 '왜 국내 문제를 외국정부에 질의하나'
이재명 대통령이 윤석열 전 대통령에 대한 무기징역 선고와 관련해 미국 정부 인사들의 발언을 부각한 일부 보도에 대해 반박하며, 책임을 언론에 돌렸다. 이 대통령은 21일 자신의 엑스(X·옛 트위터) 계정에 “근본적 문제는 한국의 일부 언론이 국내 문제에 대한 의견을 외국정부에 물어본다는 것입니다”이라고 적었다. 이어 “왜 국내 문제, 그것도 정치와 독립된 사법 판결에 대한 입장을 외국정부에 질의할까요?”라며 “외국정부가 국내 문제에 관여하면 내정간섭이라고 문제제기하는 것이 언론의 정상적 모습 아닐까요?”라고 반문했다. 이 대통령의 발언은 윤 전 대통령에 대한 국내 지방법원의 판결과 관련해 일부 언론이 미국 행정부에 논평을 요청한 데 대한 언급이다. 이 대통령의 발언은 한국 언론의 질의에 대해 익명을 전제로 백악관 관계자가 입장을 밝힌 이후 나왔다. 한국어 매체 뉴스1은 미 대통령실의 익명 소식통이 해당 사법 판단에 대해 공식 입장은 없다고 밝혔다고 보도했다. 다만 이 소식통은 한국에
Feb. 22, 2026 - 13:52:21
Lee questions why Korean media sought US view on Yoon verdict
President Lee Jae Myung pushed back against news reports highlighting comments from US officials on the life sentence imposed on former President Yoon Suk Yeol, directing his criticism at the media. “The core issue is that some Korean media are turning to a foreign government for comments on Korea’s internal affairs,” Lee wrote on his X account. “Why would (these media outlets) ask for a foreign government’s stance on domestic affairs, especially on a court decision that is independent of politi
Feb. 22, 2026 - 12:07:49
'Last chance to escape housing bubble': Lee's X posts draw opposition fire
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday reaffirmed his resolve to rein in soaring housing prices, using his X account to issue a blunt warning to speculative property owners. In a post written in Korean, Lee said the country had overcome a grave national crisis and questioned why it could not also curb real estate speculation. "This is not a threat, but a recommendation made because it is necessary and beneficial for everyone," Lee wrote. "For speculative owners of multiple homes, this is the last ch
Feb. 3, 2026 - 14:46:00
'Hate posting with your child on display' lawmaker's online comment draws fire
Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the main opposition People Power Party is under fire after referencing a citizen’s child during a heated Facebook exchange, raising questions about privacy and the online conduct of elected officials. The backlash stems from a post Bae shared earlier this week criticizing Lee Hye-hoon, whose nomination for budget minister was later withdrawn. Bae alleged the former nominee had a controversial past and improperly obtained information through insiders. A Facebook user responde
Jan. 29, 2026 - 16:57:53