Chairman Hong Joon-pyo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and Yoo Seong-min, co-chairman of the center-right minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, resigned from their positions Thursday, taking responsibility for their crushing defeat in the local elections and parliamentary by-elections. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea garnered sweeping victories in most regions, winning 14 out of the 17 mayoral and gubernatorial posts. The Liberty Korea Party only managed to grab two posts, in the c

Politics June 14, 2018

The tentative voter turnout at this year’s local and gubernatorial elections is 60.2 percent, recording the second highest figure ever for local elections, the election watchdog said on Wednesday. As of 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, about 22.7 percent of the ballots were counted. If the figure surpasses 60 percent, it will be the first time the turnout rate has passed the 60 percent mark in 23 years. The highest turnout rate was recorded in the very first local and gubernatorial election in 1995, at

Politics June 13, 2018

In the quadrennial local and gubernatorial elections and by-elections this year, South Korea is electing 4,028 local administrative, legislative and educational officials, and 9,363 candidates made their bids for the positions, according to the National Election Commission. According to the NEC, this year’s budget for the elections was 1.7 trillion won ($1.58 billion), of which 511 billion won was used for voting facilities, staff and necessary materials. As by-elections for parliamentary repres

Politics June 13, 2018

With the world watching US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, the eyes and ears of South Koreans were fixed to the live TV footage.Watching a summit thought unimaginable just months ago, South Koreans raised both hope and concerns for future relations with the “brethren” North, which has been separated from the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.At Seoul Station in the morning, busy passers-by stopped to watch the two leader

North Korea June 12, 2018

South Korea became the first country in Asia to allow voting rights to foreign residents in local elections in 2005. At this year’s local elections on June 13, over 100,000 non-Korean nationals are eligible to vote. Although it has been more than a decade since the voting rights were granted, the non-Korean electorate still misses out on details of the elections and candidates’ platforms.Shah Rafiq, a Pakistani who has lived in Korea for over 14 years, said he would not vote in the upcoming elec

Politics June 11, 2018

Since official local elections campaign kicked off on May 31, Seoul mayoral candidate Shin Ji-ye of the minor Green Party Korea saw dozens of her campaign posters damaged and deliberately taken down. Shin denounced the vandalism as misogynistic. Her campaign posters carry the word “feminist.”As of Friday, 27 posters and two banners for Shin had been found damaged according to her camp. Some of Shin’s posters, which have a photograph of her face and the phrase “Feminist Seoul Mayor” in Korean on

Politics June 8, 2018

As two-day early voting period for the June 13 local elections kicked off on Friday, citizens in 12 regions are also casting additional votes for their parliamentary representatives.The results of the by-elections could affect the status of political parties at the National Assembly. Local polls forecast the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to keep its position as the biggest negotiating bloc, as they estimate it has a sweeping lead in all 11 regions where they have fielded a candidate -- even i

Politics June 8, 2018

Life in South Korea has never been easy for Hwang Eun-hwa, who came to the country in 1996 from China with the “Korean dream,” married a Korean man and became a naturalized citizen.When she arrived here at the age of 26, Korean society was colder than Hwang had expected. She struggled to earn a living while experiencing discrimination against Joseon-jok, or Chinese people of Korean descent. She was born and raised in Heilongjiang province in China.  (Courtesy of Hwang Eun-hwa)Now an owner of a c

Politics June 7, 2018

During her childhood, Yang Li-ly had always felt she was deprived of something. Yang is a third-generation Hwagyo -- ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese living in Korea -- holding Korean citizenship. She was born to a Taiwanese mother and a Korean father.“I was born and brought up in Korea, and I am Korean. But I was always confused in my teen years, and I could not be proud of my root as a Hwagyo, because the foreign background is alien to the Korean society,” Yang, 41, said in an interview with The K

Politics June 7, 2018

Progressive civic groups on Thursday filed a petition to the United Nations human rights body over the alleged abuse of authority by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae. Lawyers for a Democratic Society, also known as Minbyeon, and the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed a petition with the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, reporting that the former top court chief had allegedly meddled in legal affairs, consorting with the governme

Social Affairs June 7, 2018

The judiciary is divided over whether the prosecution should investigate it after Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su expressed the firm determination to investigate his predecessor‘s alleged abuse of power and consorting with the government on sensitive cases.While those supporting Kim’s drive believe it is important to conduct a thorough prosecutorial investigation of the alleged irregularities committed by those working under former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, opponents s

Social Affairs June 6, 2018

The prosecution said Tuesday it is reinvestigating the controversial sexual abuse case involving the late actress Jang Ja-yeon. The initial investigation into the case concluded nine years ago amid criticism that it failed to punish any of the alleged suspects.The move comes after a special independent panel at the Ministry of Justice looking into past rulings recommended late last month to reinvestigate the case before the statute of limitations against one of the suspects -- a journalist-turne

Social Affairs June 5, 2018

Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, will stay away from campaign rallies for the June 12 local elections.Citing the need for candidate-centered electioneering, Hong on Sunday said that he would no longer take part in campaign rallies for his party’s candidates. Hong stressed that he was taking into account the opinions of his party members, who have urged for changes to its electioneering strategy. However, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said that Hong was l

Politics June 4, 2018

Seoul Mayoral candidate Kim Moon-soo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party appeared to be unaware of the comfort woman statue that stands in front of Japanese Embassy in Seoul. At a meeting with Seoul-based foreign journalists on Monday, Kim said it is good to install the statues “here and there” to “study history” but he disagrees if the purpose of installation is to ruin the relationship with Japan. Kim Moon-soo (Yonhap)“There is not one in front of the Japanese Embassy, right? I think th

Politics June 4, 2018

Complaints of loud noise and illegal parking by political canvassing trucks of candidates are mounting across the country as official campaigning for the upcoming local elections and parliamentary by-elections kicked off Thursday.“The theme songs blaring from the trucks reach my apartment. I understand it is the election period, but it seems like there is no regulation,” Kim Jang-eun, 37, told The Korea Herald. Remodeled trucks with loudspeakers crisscrossing neighborhoods while blaring music an

Politics June 4, 2018