Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the ruling People Power Party declared his bid for party leadership Tuesday, vowing to lead the party to victory in the 2024 general elections and help the government of President Yoon Suk-yeol succeed. The People Power Party will hold a national convention March 8 to pick its new chair. The People Power Party has been led by an emergency leadership committee since its former chairman Lee Jun-seok was ousted in August after he was suspended of his party membership over alleg

Opposition leader says he will appear before prosecutors at a later date; denies alleged bribery case

The ruling People Power Party decided Monday to hold a national convention on March 8 to pick a new leader. The upcoming convention will be the first time the PPP applies a set of revised rules, including choosing a leader only by a vote of party members, not by a ratio of 70 percent from party members and 30 percent from a public opinion survey. The party will also hold a runoff if none of the candidates wins a majority. "Even if there is a runoff, we will make our final decision by March

Kim Keon-hee is expanding her role as first lady, straying from her earlier promise that she would not play a role “beyond that of a spouse.” While Yoon Suk-yeol was still a presidential candidate, the couple had said that Kim would not serve as first lady in the traditional sense if he is elected. Kim told a press conference held last year that she would not have a formal presence as first lady during her husband’s tenure in office, and that she would “not have a role be

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to deliver a New Year's Day speech to be broadcast live nationwide on his major policy plans for the coming year, his aides said Sunday. Yoon is positively considering issuing his message for the new year on Jan. 1, an official at the presidential office said. A related schedule will likely be fixed through the president's weekly meeting with his senior aides on Monday. If the event is held, Yoon is expected to use it to reveal his major policy direction and v

The National Assembly on Saturday passed the 638.7 trillion won (US$497 billion) of government budget for 2023 as well as bills to cut corporate tax rate and delay financial investment income tax amid signs of economic slowdown. 　 　The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) approved the Yoon Suk Yeol administration‘s first budget, 22 days after its legal deadline of Dec. 2. 　 　The bill passed 251-4, with 18 abstentions, in an assembly where the DP h

The Ministry of Justice decided Friday to recommend year-end presidential pardons for former President Lee Myung-bak, former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo and other high-profile politicians, sources said. The ministry's amnesty review committee held a meeting and finalized the list of candidates for presidential clemency, which will be granted next Wednesday. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon plans to report the list soon to President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is widely expected to ac

Floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea have reached a compromise over the budget bill proposal of 638 trillion won ($499 billion) for next year. The two parties are anticipated to pass the bill at the extraordinary plenary session of the National Assembly at 6 p.m. on Friday, with the amount reduced by nearly 5 trillion won, according to the floor leaders, a belated move as the deadline for the passage of the budget bill was Dec. 2. The c

First lady Kim Keon-hee on Wednesday reunited with the 14-year-old boy with heart disease she met in Cambodia during President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to Southeast Asia, despite some criticism from the opposition party. Kim met with Aok Rotha, a Cambodian boy recovering from heart surgery at Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, according to Lee Jae-myoung, vice spokesperson of the presidential office, in a written statement the same day. “I am so happy to see Rotha reco

The parliamentary speaker said Wednesday he will convene a plenary meeting later this week to handle the national budget bill much delayed by a protracted partisan standoff. The plenary session will be held at 2 p.m. Friday to vote on the 2023 budget plan, according to National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. Since the parliament missed the Dec. 2 legal deadline to handle the government's proposed budget of 639 trillion won ($496.12 billion), rival parties have yet to narrow their gaps on

Doctor-turned-lawmaker Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea has been reported to the police for the second time on Wednesday for hitching a ride on an ambulance heading to the scene of the crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, on Oct. 30. Seoul councilor Lee Jong-bae filed a police report against Shin, accusing her of “interfering with emergency services,” just a day after a group of public welfare activists reported her to the police for abuse of power. Shin faces the alle

The South Korean government is looking into alleged operations of China's undeclared "overseas police service center" here, following revelations by an international human rights group that Beijing has been operating more than 100 entities to suppress dissidents around the world. According to Yonhap News Agency, the military, police counterespionage organizations and related government ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have all been mobilized to check whether

President Yoon Suk-yeol is considering reshuffling in January his first Cabinet for the second year of his term, according to multiple senior officials, with the ministers of industry, culture and interior specifically mentioned. The presidential office recently completed a performance evaluation of all ministers and vice ministers. Some ministries, including industry and culture, received relatively low scores in their evaluations, local media reported. A senior presidential official confirme

The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday proposed applying the alternative holiday bill to Christmas and Buddha's Birthday, allowing the designation of a substitute holiday for the two public holidays when they fall on weekends. People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young made the formal proposal to the government during a party meeting, saying it is time to consider expanding the designation of alternative holidays in consideration of the need to boost domestic demand and people's ri

Ruling bloc brings up $40,000 GDP per capita agenda in renewed economic push