President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating slipped to a six-month low of 34.2 percent, hit hard by the snowballing development scandal involving Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, a recent poll found Monday. According to Realmeter, his approval rating in the first week of November was 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percent from the previous week, while his disapproval rating increased 5.3 percent to 62.9 percent during the same period. The approval

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has been booked on additional charges connected to the prosecution's documenting of judges' traits in the past, an activist group said Monday. The group of self-claimed "judicial justice" activists said it received notification from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on Oct. 22 that Yoon has been booked by the office in connection with its complaint. The group f

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party, is leading his opponent Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party by nearly 12 percentage points in a hypothetical multicandidate race, a survey showed Monday. Yoon garnered 43 percent support against Lee's 31.2 percent in the survey conducted on 1,009 adults nationwide on Friday and Saturday, according to the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI). Yoon's rating jumped 10.6 percentage points from the previo

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has said he is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit but is not interested in doing it "for show." Yoon made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, saying a summit should be held when it is expected to lead to concrete results. "I will always leave it open, but I won't do it for show," Yoon said when asked about the possibility of

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell to a near record low, while that of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) rose to a new high after the PPP nominated a former top prosecutor as its presidential candidate, a poll showed Monday. Moon's rating dropped to 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percentage points from a week ago, according to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,525 people over the age of 18 from Nov. 1-5. In the Realmeter surveys, Moon's lowest rating of 33 percentage points w

South Korea will expand high-level communication with the United States to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in ensuring stable semiconductor supply chains, the Seoul government said Sunday. 　 　Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs Hong Nam-ki led a meeting on economic security, a day before the deadline by which the U.S. government asked global semiconductor manufacturers to submit information to help address global chip shortages. 　 　“After the deadline for the submission of

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, said Sunday South Korea should consider sending a special delegation to China to tackle the supply shortage of urea water solution (UWS), a key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions. Calling the current crisis a "China risk," Lee also urged party officials to review other materials that similarly have limited import channels and look into imposing price control, when necessary, to prevent acts cor

The ruling Democratic Party's presidential nominee, Lee Jae-myung, on Sunday insisted again on giving additional universal COVID-19 relief grants, saying excess tax revenue is expected to amount to 40 trillion won ($34 billion). "Is it right for the people of a well-off nation to be poor?" Lee said in a Facebook posting, after his opposition rival, Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, voiced opposition to offering universal relief grants. "The real gross domestic product (G

Lee and Yoon need to win over young people and women, resolve allegations

President Moon Jae-in instructed aides to make greater efforts to strengthen exchanges with Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, known collectively as the Visegrad Group, noting their economies are growing dynamically compared with Western European nations, a senior presidential official said Sunday. Moon issued the instruction after returning from a three-nation European trip that included a summit in Hungary with the four Visegrad Group countries, senior presidential secretary fo

The inspection department of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office (SPPO) has seized a mobile phone that former and incumbent SPPO spokespersons had used, as part of an investigation into cases allegedly involving opposition presidential nominee Yoon Seok-youl. The official phone, which had been used by current SPPO spokesperson Suh In-sun and her two predecessors, was seized on Oct. 29, as the inspection office pressured Suh to turn the device in voluntarily or face an inspection for noncooper

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has been declared the official nominee for the main opposition People Power Party for next year’s presidential election. The party announced Friday that Yoon will be its presidential nominee after gaining a total of 347,963 votes, or 47.85 percent, to defeat his rival Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, who came in second with 41.5 percent. Former Rep. Yoo Seong-min received 54,304 votes, or 7.47 percent, while former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong achieved 23,085 votes,

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl won the presidential nomination of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Friday. Yoon won 47.85 percent of votes cast in a four-day poll of party members and the general public this week, followed by Rep. Hong Joon-pyo with 41.50 percent. Former Rep. Yoo Seong-min won 7.47 percent, while former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong won 3.17 percent. The results were announced at a national convention at the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Seoul. (Yonhap)

The Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) was raided Friday as part of a probe into allegations that a sitting prosecutor conspired with the main opposition party to investigate pro-government figures when opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl was in office as prosecutor general, sources said. Authorities are currently looking into suspicions that Son Jun-sung, a prosecutor who previously served at the SPO, asked the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to file a complaint against pro

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was set to pick its presidential nominee Friday as the two leading contenders appeared locked in a tight race. The nominee will be announced at a national convention at the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Seoul following a four-day poll of party members and the general public on who is best prepared to take on Lee Jae-myung, the nominee of the ruling Democratic Party. The four candidates in the PPP primary are former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl,