Democratic Party calls for president's apology, independent probe to clear allegations

A court on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for a close confidant of Lee Jae-myung, the chairperson of the main opposition Democratic Party, on charges of taking illegal political funds from real estate developers. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant for Kim Yong, deputy head of the DP-affiliated Institute for Democracy think tank, on suspicion of receiving a total of 847 million won ($593,552) from property developers in the city of Seongnam in violation of the political fund

Main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party to accept the special prosecution of controversial property development as political tension escalates after the prosecution arrested Lee’s close aide on election violation charges. As the prosecution's investigation into the property development related to Daejang-dong spread to allegations of illegal presidential campaign funds, Lee counter-attacked by raising suspic

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday police should uphold the legal order in every sector of society in order to help people fully enjoy safety and freedom. "Only when police protect the lives and property of people and set right the legal order in every sector of society will people enjoy full freedom," Yoon said in a congratulatory message on the 77th Police Day. Yoon said the safety of people is a foundation of the government's commitment to freedom. "Without the belief tha

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will hold a previously unannounced press conference at 11 a.m., officials said, as a prosecution investigation closes in on him after an arrest warrant was sought for one of his closest aides on charges of taking illegal campaign funds. Kim Yong, a long-time confidant of Lee, is suspected of receiving 847 million won ($593,552) in illegal political funds last year from real estate developers involved in a corruption-laden project in the city of Seongnam when Lee w

A Seoul court is set to hold hearings Friday to decide whether to issue arrest warrants for former Defense Minister Suh Wook and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee in connection with the previous administration's handling of the 2020 death of a fisheries official at the hands of North Korea, officials said. The Seoul Central District Court will hold hearings for the two, and the decision is expected later in the day or early Saturday. The two are facing various charges, in

Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant Friday for a close confidant of Lee Jae-myung, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, on charges of taking illegal political funds from real estate developers, officials said. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office filed for the warrant for Kim Yong, deputy head of the Democratic Party-affiliated Institute for Democracy think tank, on suspicion of receiving a total of 847 million won ($594,000) from property developers in the city of Seo

Police concluded footage that allegedly proved Lee Jun-seok received sexual favors never existed, thus proving Lee did not destroy it to clear his name. Lee, the former chairman of the ruling People Power Party, has been accused of receiving sexual favors paid for by Kim Sung-jin, CEO of tech company I-kaist. In December, YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, run by conservative-leaning lawyer Kang Yong-suk, claimed Kim arranged sexual services for Lee in 2013 in exchange for help in meeting fo

Opposition party leader cries foul as probe spreads to election funds

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday that the government will "minutely adjust" energy policies to help achieve its target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. "The goal of carbon neutrality is audacious and challenging, but the implementation process that underpins it must be very reasonable and feasible," Han told a conference on carbon neutrality. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, Han said the government will "minutely adjust its energy policy direction

President Yoon Suk-yeol lamented the recent death of a young worker at a bread factory Thursday, saying it was "truly regrettable" and that he has instructed officials to determine the details of the incident. A 23-year-old worker at a factory affiliated with food and beverage giant SPC Group died Saturday after getting caught in a mixer at the plant in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, according to police. Her death prompted an outpouring of grief among the public as questions

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday that an opposition-led bill mandating government purchases of excess rice is unhelpful to farmers, suggesting he would veto the bill if it passes through the National Assembly. The main opposition Democratic Party railroaded a revision to the Grain Management Act through a standing parliamentary committee Wednesday, making it mandatory for the government to purchase rice when supply is at least 3 percent in excess of demand. Yoon told reporters as he arrived

There are not many cases when Northeast Asia was under stable security. As China's path toward a military power and Japan's normalization are recognized as the regional arms race, mutual checks and confrontations are intensifying among countries in the region. Recently, North Korea launched multiple missiles and the regional security is fluctuating again at a time we cannot rule out the possibility of another nuclear test. At least, we could somewhat reduce the threat posed by North

President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Wednesday that the spirit of freedom and solidarity pursued by the Korean government is no different from the spirit of the Olympics, adding that global challenges should be overcome with the Olympic spirit. “We will do our best to bring the spirit of freedom and solidarity into the overall sports field and do our best to contribute to the international community through sports,” Yoon said in a keynote speech at the 26th General Assembly of the Associa

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) stepped up criticism Wednesday of Kakao Corp, the operator of the nation's dominant messaging app, saying the recent unprecedented service outage revealed the company's poor crisis response system. "I was shocked that Kakao, with nine out of 10 citizens as its customer, managed data so poorly and was not prepared for such a disaster," PPP floor leader Joo Ho-young said in a policy consultation meeting with the government. KakaoTalk, South K