Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl was set to visit the liberal stronghold of Gwangju on Wednesday to apologize for remarks seen as praising a former authoritarian president accused of bloodily quelling a democracy uprising in the southwestern city. The two-day visit to Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, comes about three weeks after Yoon raised the ire of voters there by claiming many people believe former President Chun Doo-hwan did well in politics, except for his blo

ANSAN -- An employee of the scandal-ridden state housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH) was acquitted Tuesday of land speculation using insider information. The LH employee was indicted on charges of having purchased about 17,000 square meters of land in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, at 2.5 billion won ($2.1 million) in March 2017 after obtaining insider information while working on an urban development project. But the Suwon District Court cleared the employee, whose ident

South Korea plans to place emergency controls on production and provision of urea water solution (UWS), the prime minister's office said Tuesday, in a move to ease the supply crunch of the material used to reduce emissions in diesel vehicles. A government notice that allows public authorities to command urea water solution makers' production, shipment and sales is expected to be approved at the Cabinet's extraordinary meeting on Thursday and come into force no later than this week. South Kore

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday instructed aides to take steps to revise laws on workplace harassment in the civil service, citing a lack of legal stipulations on compensation for victims in the field of public administration. The instruction came after a newly recruited civil servant at the city government of Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, was found dead at the person's home in September, about three months after the official was assigned to the post.  Family members of the dec

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this week during which he will focus on the pandemic recovery and vaccine donations, a presidential spokesperson said Tuesday. Leaders of the 21-nation APEC will hold the virtual summit Friday, with the region's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and carbon neutrality expected to be high on the agenda. During the summit, Moon plans to emphasize South Korea's role

Ruling party hesitant to push, dimming chances for imminent passage

Convention effect maximized after last Friday’s race, industry watchers say

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will try to provide COVID-19 relief handouts to all people in January after earmarking the money in the next year's national budget despite opposition from the government and its rival party.  The DP plans to use this year's excess tax revenue to fund its universal relief grant scheme. If the government does not issue additional state bonds, the party believes 200,000-250,000 won ($170-$210) can be given to each person. "We will try

The justice ministry announced Tuesday it has come up with a law revision to allow capable singles to become eligible for full adoptions. The ministry said it plans to submit the bill to revise the current civil law to allow singles 25 and older capable of supporting the well-being of an adoptee to become eligible for full adoptions. According to the current law, full adoptions, which cuts off all legal ties of an adoptee with the original family, are allowed only for married couples, while s

With half year in office remaining, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his administration will do everything possible for a complete return to normal life from the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recovery. South Korea began easing virus curbs this month in its first step of its "living with COVID-19" policy after more than 70 percent of its population were fully vaccinated. Still, health authorities remain on high alert as virus cases could trend back upward again. Moon's single, f

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), has canceled his campaign activities set for Tuesday after his wife was admitted to a hospital for injuries sustained in a fall, his party said. The former Gyeonggi governor had been scheduled to hold meetings with firefighters and young people on virtual assets and attend a convention for women, but all those events were called off after his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, was admitted to a hospital in Gyeonggi Province aroun

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday pledged to open a hospital for firefighters in 2024 to better safeguard their safety and health. In a message marking the 59th Fire Service Day, Moon also vowed to improve firefighting equipment and provide more personal safety gear. The firefighter hospital, which is under construction as planned, will open in 2024 as the nation "will do its utmost to continue to safeguard firefighters' safety and health," Moon said. "People have always had fai

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed his aides to use diplomacy and public reserves to stave off a urea shortage in the private sector, as the country runs low on diesel exhaust fluid after China tightened exports to avert its own power crisis. Urea solutions are used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions, and about 97 percent of Korea’s imports came from China during the first nine months of the year, according to the Trade Ministry. Seoul has already asked Beijing to ease its exp

Historical, ideological, generational and digital factors play role in division, experts say

Nominees come up short in appeal to young people