Prosecutors were expected to seek arrest warrants in the coming days for two key suspects in an urban development scandal on charges of promising to give massive bribes to a top official of the project's administrator in exchange for business favors. Prosecutors have been looking into suspicions over how a previously unheard-of asset management firm, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped astronomical profits from a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong district in Seongnam, south o

Disapproval of three front-runners hovers around 60% amid various scandals, allegations

  Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), is likely to announce his resignation from the governorship next week, officials here said Friday. "Lee has decided to step down from the governor position on Oct. 25 and will soon tender his resignation to the provincial council chairman," an official with the Gyeonggi provincial government told Yonhap News Agency. Lee will work as the governor of the populous province surrounding Seo

Yoon Seok-youl, a leading opposition presidential contender, drew fire Friday after a photo of his dog being fed an apple sparked speculation that he likened the people to a dog following a reluctant apology for making insensitive remarks about a former dictator. In Korean, "apology" and "apple" are homonyms and the fact that Yoon's dog Tory was given the fruit only hours after the candidate issued a public apology led to criticism that Yoon was insincere in his apology and

The Seoul city government said Thursday it will file complaints with police against all participants in a labor rally called by a militant umbrella union a day earlier on charges of violating the infectious disease prevention act. On Wednesday afternoon, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) staged a massive rally in central Seoul for about two hours as part of a one-day general strike to bring labor issues to the fore in the runup to the 2022 presidential election. About 27,000 union

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Thursday that the government will come up with measures to prevent and redeem what are deemed to be "unusually excessive" gains from land development projects in the wake of the escalating scandal over a corruption-laden urban development project near Seoul. A prosecution probe is under way into how a little-known asset management firm, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped profits worth 1,000 times its investment in an apartment development

Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), expressed regret Thursday after coming under intense criticism for his remarks seeming to praise former authoritarian President Chun Doo-hwan. Yoon said Tuesday that many people think Chun did well in politics, except for his bloody suppression of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju and his seizing power through a coup. The comments sparked a backlash especially becau

  The government is committed to expanding support for police to beef up public safety, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Thursday, as it vowed to increase the law enforcement agency's workforce and budget. Kim expressed his respect and gratitude to some 150,000 police officers in the country for their services at the 76th Police Day ceremony at the Korean Police Investigation Academy in Asan, 90 kilometers south of Seoul. He called on police to win people's trust with responsible and scie

Prosecutors on Wednesday continued their questionings into a corruption-laden urban development scandal engulfing South Korean politics, summoning the four key suspects of the high profile case again all on the same day for possible cross-examinations. Prosecutors are looking into suspicions over how a previously unheard-of asset management firm, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped astronomical profits from a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong district in Seongnam, south of Se

Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential contender for the main opposition People Power Party, on Wednesday hastened to provide an explanation for his remarks that seemed to defend former President Chun Doo-hwan, after rebukes from both within and outside his party. A day earlier, Yoon visited a party member council in Busan and said there were many people who say Chun “did well in politics” except for the “military coups” and what he did on May 18, referring to the Gwang

Ensuring peace is the reason for South Korea to build strong defense capabilities, President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday, as the country seeks to build a military based on cutting-edge science and technology amid North Korea's missile and nuclear development. Moon made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a biennial defense exhibition that offers an in-depth look at state-of-the-art military hardware like stealth jets, advanced missile interceptors and hydrogen-powered drones, hours after the

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), appeared at a parliamentary audit Wednesday, the second time this week he will be asked about his possible involvement in a massive development corruption scandal. Lee said in his opening remarks that he will not address questions unrelated to provincial administration and that an audit is not the same as a confirmation hearing. "Today I plan to limit my answers, if possible, to questions related to

Prosecutors released a key partner involved in a corruption-laden urban development scandal early Wednesday after questioning him for two days, belying widespread expectations they would seek an arrest warrant for him. Nam Wook, a lawyer, was freed shortly after midnight from emergency arrest he had been under since his arrival at Incheon International Airport from the United States early Monday for questioning over bribery and other allegations. Prosecutors had widely been expected to seek a

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it plans to refer an opposition lawmaker to the parliamentary ethics committee for making groundless claims against Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung using a dubious photo of bundles of cash. Rep. Kim Yong-pan of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) revealed the photo during a parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government on Monday, claiming it showed Lee, the DP's presidential nominee, took bribes from gangsters. Lee, who attended th

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a revision to the immigration law to grant long-term residency to Afghan evacuees airlifted in August from the Taliban-seized country and allow them to get jobs here. "In order for them to live independently in our society, getting jobs must be a priority," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during the Cabinet meeting in Sejong. "Ministries should review ways that can utilize their careers in Afghanistan in South Korea." In August, the governme