Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum hinted Monday at the possibility of increasing a proposed extra budget designed to help support pandemic-hit small merchants following calls from ruling and opposition parties. "The government does empathize with views that direct support for these people needs to be increased," Kim told lawmakers during a parliamentary budget committee meeting. "Now is the time for the National Assembly and the government to open up candidly to each other and put the

The South Korean government launched an interagency team Monday tasked with helping North Korean defectors suffering from economic and psychological difficulties after resettlement here. The nine-member team, comprising officials from different government agencies, will provide support in fields ranging from education and employment to living and psychological counseling for the defectors, the Ministry of Unification said. According to a biannual government survey conducted last year, 1,582 de

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 43.4 percent public support to 38.1 percent, a survey showed Monday. Yoon of the People Power Party gained 3.2 percentage points from a week ago, while Lee of the Democratic Party lost 0.4 point, according to the Realmeter survey conducted on 1,509 adults from last Wednesday to Friday. Yoon led Lee by 5.3 percentage points, which was outside the margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent

What millennials and Gen Z want is a set of rules that ensure fair competitions in everyday life, not grand policies to make the world a better place, Oxopolitics CEO says

With the presidential election just 30 days away, South Korea's election watchdog is hastening its preparations for the March 9 vote amid a surge in daily COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), political parties' presidential candidates have to formally register on Feb. 13 and 14. The candidates' official 22-day campaign period is set to kick off on Feb. 15. Three rounds of TV debate among candidates have been

President Moon Jae-in will preside over a COVID-19 response meeting on Monday as the nation is grappling with a surge in daily infections driven by highly transmissible omicron variant, according to the presidential office on Sunday. It will be the first time in about six months that Moon presides over a virus response meeting. Due to the rapid spread of the highly contagious omicron, South Korea has set daily records, but deaths have remained relatively low. The daily cases exceeded 38,000 o

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Sunday he aims to launch a new airport in the southern port city of Busan by 2029. In February last year, the National Assembly approved a bill on a multi-billion-dollar state project to build the new airport on Gadeok Island, the biggest island of Busan, to handle growing air traffic demand and facilitate prosperity in the country's southeast region. Unveiling campaign pledges for Busan, Lee said he will speed up procedures for constructi

South Korea's election watchdog said Friday it is looking for solutions that allow people who have contracted COVID-19 after the early voting period to cast their ballots in the upcoming presidential election as the country grapples with a surge in daily COVID-19 cases. Under current election rules, it is virtually impossible for those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 after the early voting period that falls on March 4-5 and people who go into self-isolation just before the March 9 presidential

The government decided Friday to extend current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the omicron variant. "Slowing the pace of the omicron's spread, which is heading to its peak day after day, is a priority in this difficult circumstance where we cannot accurately estimate the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday period," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting. The government has been enforcing e

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party has tested positive for COVID-19, the party said Friday. Rep. Song Young-gil went into isolation Thursday after testing positive on a rapid antigen test. He then took a polymerase chain reaction test and got back the result Friday morning. "(Song) plans to strictly follow the guidelines of the health authorities," the DP said in a notice to reporters. The chairman has canceled his public schedule for Friday. (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday asked the National Assembly to swiftly approve an extra budget bill designed to help support small merchants hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, a presidential spokesperson said. The budget proposal of 14 trillion won ($11.8 billion) was submitted to the National Assembly last month. Moon told a meeting with senior aides that "speed is vital" for the extra budget because it aims to provide emergency support to small merchants, according to president

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol are in a dead heat at 35 percent support each, a poll showed Friday. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) gained 1 percentage point from a Jan. 18-20 survey, while Yoon of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) gained 2 points, according to the Gallup Korea poll of 1,000 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday. Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party,

President Moon Jae-in on Friday thanked Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for last year's return of the remains of a revered Korean independence fighter as they exchanged letters to mark the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. In August last year, the remains of Hong Beom-do, one of the most revered Korean independence fighters, were laid to rest at Daejeon National Cemetery, after being returned from Kazakhstan. Hong is a historic and highly symbolic figure in Korea's fight

People Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo promised Friday to push for the signing of a Korea-US nuclear arms sharing agreement in response to the threat of North Korea’s nuclear weaponss if he is elected. “We will defend Korea’s security and peace, the people’s lives and safety against such provocations in collaboration with the international community, and not shy away from resorting to military countermeasures,” Ahn said at the press conference held in the Seoul Foreign

A small number of members of President Moon Jae-in's entourage for a visit to the Middle East tested positive for COVID-19 after they returned home, an official at the presidential office said Friday. Moon, who returned home last Saturday from an eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, worked from home for three days until Tuesday in line with the government's containment guidelines. "After returning home and taking PCR tests, a small number of accompanying per