President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Monday to maintain a firm emergency response system, as Typhoon Omais is expected to make landfall on the Korean Peninsula later in the day, his office said. Moon instructed relevant authorities to prepare for carrying out a "special response" and asked the people to pay keen attention as well, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president called for thorough measures against flooding damage and landslides, as we

Two leading contenders in South Korea's presidential race -- Yoon Seok-youl and Lee Jae-myung -- are still neck and neck, with the election less than seven months away, a survey showed Monday. In the two-day poll on 1,007 voters nationwide through last Saturday by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), former Prosecutor General Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) had 29.8 percent of support, down 0.8 percentage point from a week earlier. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee of the

During 9-day visit, Park met with leaders of both nations to strengthen economic, diplomatic ties

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner in the ruling Democratic Party's presidential primary race, pledged Sunday to meet with US. President Joe Biden and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to broker a step-by-step deal to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue. In a press conference on his Korean Peninsula peace policy, Lee said it was "realistic" and "practical" for both Pyongyang and Washington to "seek an agreement and implementation of denuclearization

Six presidential hopefuls from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) have embarked on a collective online campaign following the opening ceremony of their metaverse camp last week. Metaverse, a combination of meta (meaning beyond) and verse (from universe), refers to a three-dimensional virtual shared world in which all activities can take place with the help of augmented- and virtual-reality services. The DP has leased parts of "Metropolis," a metaverse program developed by South Korea's

Former President Chun Doo-hwan has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that affects plasma cells, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday. The 90-year-old former military strongman has been hospitalized in Yonsei Severance Hospital in western Seoul since he returned from a 660-kilometer round trip to the southwestern city of Gwangju to attend an appellate court hearing on a defamation case. The gaunt-looking Chun appeared at the Gwangju District Court's appellat

Former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon announced Friday he will run in the presidential election slated for March as an independent. "I will run in next year's presidential election," Kim said during a press conference in his hometown of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province. He added he would win the race outside of the political establishment, explaining the ruling and main opposition parties are only interested in maintaining their vested rights rather than improving the livelihoods

People aiming to be the main opposition party‘s candidate for president are busy attacking each other ahead of the primary. Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the People Power Party has been blasting Yoon Seok-youl for his lack of experience; former legislator Yoo Seung-min and ex-chief state auditor Choe Jae-hyeong have been arguing over adding a clause in the primary rules; and former Jeju governor Won Hee-ryong has been harassing PPP leader Lee Jun-seok. “Someone who has been doing only pros

Different regions need different plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Choi Moon-soon says

Ruling party’s bill to penalize journalists for “fake news” criticized for limiting freedom of press

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has attended a conference call with his counterparts from the United States and 18 other countries to discuss cooperation over the situation in Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said Thursday. During Wednesday's conference led by US. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, most participants shared the need for close cooperation to ensure the restoration of peace in Afghanistan and the safe return home of their citizens, the ministry said. Among the

The leadership of Lee Jun-seok, the young and unconventional chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has taken a major blow from a protracted power game with the party's leading presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl that has created unexpected ruptures and bad blood within the party. The relationship between the two has been on shaky ground from the get-go since Yoon, previously an independent, joined the party in late July when Lee was away from the party headquarters on a bu

Ruling party sees food critic at center of its own feuds

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday called for speeding up South Korea's envisioned takeover of wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the United States in reflection of the recent crisis in Afghanistan. "We need OPCON transfer to further strengthen our will and capability of self-defense against the backdrop of the Afghanistan crisis," Rep. Song Young-gil said in his Facebook post. Song wrote the post as a direct rebuttal to a claim recently ma

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, a five-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), officially announced Tuesday he will run in the presidential election slated for March. Hong, who lost the 2017 election against President Moon Jae-in, held an online press conference announcing his second bid for the presidency, in which he pledged to "correct the nation heading in the wrong direction." The former prosecutor-turned-politician presented a vision in which South Korea wins respect