President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval rating has reached a record high of 70 percent, a poll showed Monday, as strong backlash against a proposed education policy added on to persistent concerns over high inflation and turmoil in the ruling party. In a poll of 1,002 people conducted by Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on Friday and Saturday, 70.1 percent gave negative assessments of Yoon's performance, up 1.6 percentage points from the previous week. Yoon's approval rating c

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that he would discuss with President Yoon Suk-yeol about granting pardons to business executives, including Samsung’s de-facto chief and heir Lee Jae-yong, on the occasion of Liberation Day on Aug. 15. It was the first time for the prime minister to officially mention that he would take the issue to the president. Han said, “I will propose them (pardons),” in response to Rep. Park Sung-joong’s question at a parliamentary inte

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) kicked off regional voting Saturday ahead of the Aug. 28 national convention to elect its new leadership. Three candidates are running for the chairmanship, with former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung far ahead of his rivals, Kang Hoon-sik and Park Yong-jin, in various polls. Eight others are competing in a separate race to join the Supreme Council. The contenders held their first joint speech session in the northeastern city of Wonju, Gangwon

South Korea's top diplomat on Friday expressed concerns over rising tensions surrounding Taiwan and made clear Seoul's objection to any attempts to change "the status quo by force" during regional security forums in Phnom Penh. Foreign Minister Park Jin made the remark during his attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), which took place amid heightened military tensions in the region following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlie

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States had discussions on regional and global issues, including relations with China, in Phnom Penh on Friday. The talks between Foreign Minister Park Jin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were held on the sidelines of ASEAN-hosted annual sessions. "Our alliance is really a linchpin for peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. And, of course, we are working together to confront so many different regional as well as the global challenges,&

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating fell to the 20 percent range for the first time in the first week of August, continuing to slide rapidly. According to a Gallup Korea poll, Yoon’s approval rating came in at 24 percent in the first week of August, compared to 66 percent of respondents who negatively assessed his performance as president. Gallup Korea data also shows that Yoon’s approval rating fell below that of negative assessment in the first week of

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating has sunk to the lowest since he took office in May, amid controversies over his personnel appointments and leadership turmoil in the ruling party, a poll showed Friday. Yoon's approval rating came to 24 percent, down 4 percentage points from the previous week, while 66 percent negatively assessed his handling of state affairs, up 4 percentage points. The poll was conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,001 voters nationwide from Tuesday to Thursday. Yoo

Former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung was discharged from prison on Thursday after he completed a 3 1/2 year-long prison term for raping his female secretary. An, who came out of the Yeoju Correctional Institution in Gyeonggi Province early in the morning, was greeted by some 60 friends and acquaintances who were waiting in front of the prison. The former governor was convicted on charges of sexually assaulting an official under his charge and sexual assault through abuse o

Police commission expresses regret and set to take legal action

The ruling People Power Party, which has been embroiled in an internal power struggle over its leadership, is expected to appoint interim party leaders soon. The ruling party on Tuesday decided to convene a meeting of the party‘s national committee, in which it would discuss switching to an emergency leadership system, where they are also likely to appoint interim party runners. A national committee meeting is expected to take place as early as Friday or next week. Four out of seven

A presidential official said Tuesday it will look into an allegation of influence peddling by a Buddhist figure, who has reportedly claimed close ties with President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee. The official made the remark after a Chosun Ilbo newspaper report that the Buddhist figure allegedly claimed he can use his connections with the first couple to help people get out of tax probes or exert influence on personnel appointments. "If deemed necessary, we will check the facts

Pro-Lee faction pushes back

President Yoon Suk-yeol has decided not to travel to provincial regions for this week's vacation and will instead remain in Seoul to mull how to navigate through the current political turmoil, officials at the ruling party and the presidential office said Monday. The decision came as Yoon's approval ratings have been unusually low -- below 30 percent in some surveys -- for a president less than three months in office, as the economic situation worsens and leadership turmoil deepens at

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating sank below 30 percent in the wake of the embarrassing disclosure of a controversial text conversation with the ruling party floor leader, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,003 voters nationwide conducted by pollster Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), 28.9 percent said Yoon was doing well on state affairs, down 3.3 percentage points from the previous week, while those who gave a negative assessment rose 4 percentage points from a week ago

Yoon’s office ‘listens attentively’ to demands for Cabinet reshuffle