One of the two trailing candidates in the race for chairmanship of the main opposition Democratic Party said Thursday he is willing to merge candidacies with the other in any way in order to defeat front-runner and former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. Reps. Park Yong-jin and Kang Hoon-sik have been trailing Lee by wide margins in the DP leadership race. After four out of 15 primaries, Lee has won 74.5 percent of the vote so far, reinforcing the widespread belief that he will be elected l

President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a dinner for new US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera earlier this week, a presidential official said Thursday. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han also attended the meeting, which took place Tuesday at the presidential office, according to the official. "It was a meeting to welcome the new (US) ambassado

The chief of South Korea's housing developer has offered to resign, becoming the first previous-government appointed head of a major state-run company who has expressed intent to step down since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in May. Last week, Chief Executive Officer Kim Hyun-jun of Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) expressed his intention to step down to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, an official of the company said. Kim reportedly said it is time for th

The Seoul city government has disclosed medium- and long-term flood prevention measures centered on the construction of deep underground rainwater storage facilities in six flood-prone areas. According to the measures announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Wednesday, the city government will spend 1.5 trillion won ($1.15 billion) over the next decade to build six large-scale rainwater storage and drainage facilities, also called deep underground tunnels. The underground tunnel project calls for buildi

Lee Jun-seok, the ruling People Power Party’s exiled leader, on Wednesday asked the court to block the launch of a new party leadership while he is under suspension over sexual bribery allegations. Lee filed for an injunction with a Seoul court on this day to stop the party from moving forward with an interim leadership. The party on Tuesday formed an interim committee of leaders with Rep. Joo Ho-young as the chair, as it readies for an official transition. The shake-up in leadership

The main opposition Democratic Party rapped President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday for remaining at home when massive rainfall caused serious flooding in Seoul and elsewhere earlier this week, moking him as an invisible "stealth" jet. Presidential aides have said that Yoon oversaw anti-disaster efforts from home via telephone when record downpours, believed to be the heaviest in 115 years, triggered widespread flooding in southern Seoul on Monday night. But critics, including the DP, hav

South Korean parliament’s speaker Kim Jin-pyo will meet with Bill Gates next week to discuss COVID-19, future threats of pandemics and the importance of international cooperation in responding to them. The parliament office on Tuesday said the meeting between the speaker and the Microsoft founder is scheduled to take place on Aug. 16 for about 40 minutes. Following the meeting Gates will deliver an address to the parliament about the role South Korea can play in the preparations for th

President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing backlash for responding to the heavy rain that pounded Seoul from his apartment on Monday after leaving his office earlier that afternoon. Yoon, who became the country’s first commuting president by refusing to move into Cheong Wa Dae, was working from home as the rainfall ravaged Seoul before he showed up at the national emergency headquarters at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday denounced Yoon for fai

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a flood control center along the Han River on Tuesday and instructed officials to redouble efforts to minimize damage after heavy rains left seven people dead and six others missing, his office said. The inspection came as the heaviest rainfall in 80 years battered Seoul and its surrounding areas and officials warned of more downpours in the region in the coming days. "The capability of a nation is to be exercised in times of crisis," Han said during

President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting Tuesday to respond to the heaviest rainfall in 80 years that left seven people dead and six others missing, his office said. The meeting was held in the disaster and safety situation room of the government complex in Seoul, a day after heavy rains pounded the capital and its surrounding areas and flooded homes, vehicles, buildings and subway stations. Yoon had been scheduled to travel to the central city of Sejong to preside over a Cabin

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) was set to hold a national committee meeting Tuesday to finalize a switch to an emergency leadership system despite fierce opposition from suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok. Following a meeting of national committee standing members on Friday where they declared an "emergency" situation for the embattled party, the committee's plenary meeting is set to take place at 9 a.m. to complete the leadership transition. Participants will vote by phone o

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, left South Korea on Thursday, but controversy over Seoul’s response to her visit continues.  When Pelosi arrived here late Wednesday following her stop in Taiwan, no South Korean delegation was present to greet her at the airport as is custom for a high-level visit. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was on vacation, did not take time out to meet with Pelosi in person and instead opted for a phone call. While deigning not to

Returning from vacation, Yoon faces multiple challenges over scandals, low rating, party feud

National police chief nominee Yoon Hee-keun said Monday that police power should be under supervision and oversight, as other powers are, but the police's political neutrality should not be damaged. The nominee made the remarks during his parliamentary confirmation hearing following the interior ministry's launch last week of a police bureau tasked with overseeing the law enforcement agency amid criticism the bureau hurts the political neutrality of police. The 16-person bureau in char

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to uphold the will of the people as he returned from a weeklong vacation on Monday, as public opinion polls showed his approval ratings remaining below 30 percent. Yoon took questions from the press for the first time in nearly two weeks and was asked how he felt returning from his first vacation since taking office in May. "I guess I should say my vacation was a time to reinforce my belief that at the end of the day, my duty to the people is to carefully exami