Byun Seong-wan, representing the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea in the Busan mayoral election, faces a steep uphill battle against his rival Park Heong-joon of the People Power Party. After former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don of the Democratic Party was found to have sexually harassed female employees of the city government, public sentiment toward the liberal party has turned ice cold in the southern city. Byun admits he is facing a difficult challenge. Nevertheless, Byun says he is a ca

Politics May 24, 2022

Heo Hyang-jin, the candidate for the ruling People Power Party in the upcoming Jeju Province gubernatorial election, bids to transform the island into a global tourism hub by adding new attractions for travelers with diverse tastes. Revitalizing the island’s tourism sector, he believes, is one of the most important tasks for the next governor, as the province and its residents have sustained losses from the prolonged pandemic and social distancing rules. “Surveys have shown that ma

Politics May 23, 2022

While Jeju Island is loved by many for its appeal as a tourist destination, the province has also incurred sizable damage for years from much of its areas overhauled for new hotels, resorts and attractions. Even though the island invites more than 15 million visitors a year, such a strategy is no longer viable, raising the need to find new ways to promote sustainable growth, argues Oh Young-hun of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea in his bid to become the next governor of Jeju Provi

Politics May 23, 2022

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s chances in the local elections appear to be dimming, with many opinion surveys favoring candidates from the ruling People Power Party while major political events work in favor of the ruling bloc. A survey of 880 voters of a constituency in Gyeyang-gu of Incheon from Thursday to Friday found Lee Jae-myung, chief of the Democratic Party’s local elections campaign committee and one of the central figures in the liberal party, trailing be

Politics May 22, 2022

The official campaigning period has kicked off for the upcoming local elections in South Korea, with the ruling People Power Party appearing to be at an advantage over the larger opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Many opinion surveys expect the People Power Party to prevail in the elections, with many experts saying that the political party that wins the presidential election is likely to extend the winning streak into the local elections. For the time being, the People Power Party is sho

Politics May 19, 2022

Whether Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo will join the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is to be decided Friday, as the parliament is slated to vote on his appointment as the last part of the confirmation process. The National Assembly has scheduled a plenary session at 2 p.m. Friday to vote on whether to approve Han’s appointment to the office of prime minister. The Democratic Party holds sway over the final vote, as it controls 168 seats and holding super majority at the legislative bran

Politics May 18, 2022

The National Assembly has started reviewing the 59.4 trillion won ($46.5 billion) supplementary budget proposal from the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, with ruling and main opposition parties clashing over how much of the budget should be used to assist pandemic-hit small-business owners as promised. The debate between the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea comes down to whether the 9 trillion won proposed to pay back treasury bonds should be approved as

Politics May 17, 2022

As global warming intensifies due to climate change, coastal regions will be among the areas worst hit. The rise in sea level is expected to cause severe disturbance to coastal ecosystems and ignite catastrophic socioeconomic problems with natural disasters. Countries are working together to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in a belief that problems hinted to stem from climate change will be prevented with eco-friendly initiatives, but experts say sea level rise is still inevitable even if t

Social Affairs May 16, 2022

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is yet again dealing with a sexual harassment controversy as it readies for an important election in less than three weeks. Legislators with the Democratic Party on Monday approved Rep. Park Wan-joo’s expulsion from the party over allegations that he sexually harassed a female staff member late last year. The party requested the National Assembly to penalize Park, which could cost him the lawmaker seat. Park was reportedly und

Politics May 16, 2022

South Korea is preparing to propose holding talks with North Korea on providing COVID-19 assistance, as Pyongyang recently acknowledged that it is undergoing a virus outbreak and is believed to be struggling with a lack of test kits and medical supplies. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday morning 15 new COVID-19 deaths and 296,180 additional people with fever symptoms after the country for the first time acknowledged undergoing a virus outbreak three days

North Korea May 15, 2022

The upcoming local elections on June 1 have already become a historic event for South Korea, with the country seeing younger candidates than ecer running for public office while the competition rate hit rock-bottom. The National Election Commission at 6 p.m. Friday stopped accepting candidate registrations for the local elections, where voters will choose 17 new metropolitan mayors and provincial governors as well as 226 other heads of local administrative units. Voters will also be deciding w

Politics May 15, 2022

South Korea officially entered another election season Thursday, with candidate registrations being accepted for the local elections on June 1. The National Election Commission is receiving applications from candidates seeking to run for local government posts until Friday. Those aged 18 or above – those born before June 2, 2004 – as of election date are eligible to register as candidates. It is the first election in South Korea in which high school seniors will be able to particip

Politics May 12, 2022

A secretary for recently inaugurated President Yoon Suk-yeol is under fire for his past comments on sexual slavery victims and sexual minorities, where he called homosexuality a “treatable” mental illness and labeled victims of sexual slavery under Japanese colonial rule as prostitutes. Kim Seong-hoe, the presidential secretary for religion and multiculturalism for Yoon, said in a Facebook post Wednesday that he “sincerely” apologizes for some of the problematic comments

Politics May 12, 2022

South Korea’s conservative People Power Party has become the ruling political party as of Tuesday with President Yoon Suk-yeol starting his five-year term, but the party faces a steep uphill battle at the parliament with weak legislative power and comparatively small foothold. The People Power Party is outnumbered and essentially has no power to push any legislative agenda on its own. It was only since last year that the conservative party recovered enough to start staging comebacks in cr

Politics May 11, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol, a political novice who rose to the nation’s top post less than a year after entering politics, faces the tough task of bridging the divide in public sentiment. But his relatively weak and fragile support base makes an already difficult task more daunting. Seemingly reflecting the close-fought race between Yoon and his rival Lee Jae-myung, surveys reveal a lack of public optimism about the next five years under the Yoon administration. Yoon beat his election op

Politics May 10, 2022