President also names entrepreneur-turned-lawmaker as senior secretary for political affairs

Rep. Chung Jin-suk viewed as being more moderate within ruling party

Pending Bill: Special Act on the Expansion of the National Power Grid Proposed by Kim Sung-won (People Power Party) ● The evolving electricity production and high-tech industries have called for expanding the national power grid to address the increased supply of renewable energy and the need for a long-distance power transmission network. In particular, the success of new investments in high-tech industries, such as the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, hinges significantly on preparing special mea

The main opposition Democratic Party appointed Rep. Kim Yun-duk, a close confident of party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, as its secretary general Sunday, while Rep. Jin Sung-joon was named as new chief policymaker. Both Kim and Jin are two-term lawmakers reelected for another time in this month's general elections. The appointments came after the DP's outgoing secretary general, Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, and party officials related to policymaking functions voluntarily resigned in a reorganiza

Former presidential rivals may talk about Marine's death, medical standoff, PM nomination

Presidential office says this year’s invitation based on Africa, Mediterranean theme

Details, including the time and form, of a proposed meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung have yet to be set, the presidential office said Saturday. In a message to the press, Yoon's office also dismissed media reports that the date for what would be their first-ever meeting has been confirmed. On Friday, the presidential office said Yoon proposed holding the meeting next week after congratulating Lee of the Democratic Party and other party members

President Yoon Suk Yeol has invited main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung to their first one-on-one meeting through a brief phone call, the presidential office said Friday. In a surprise 5-minute phone call between the two, Yoon asked Lee to meet him next week at Yongsan, where the presidential office is located, an official at the presidential office told reporters. In his first phone call to Lee, Yoon added that he hoped to frequently meet from now on to discuss national affairs “over tea

The main opposition said Friday it was looking to railroad more contentious bills before the new parliament members are sworn in, a day after it passed an amended version of the revision to the Grain Management Act that was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol last year. Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung emphasized the urgency of passing key bills, including an amendment to the law that strengthens protection for victims of real estate fraud, before the current assembly term concludes

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating was at 23 percent to mark the lowest figure since he took office, a poll showed Friday, as the ruling party struggled to recover from its crushing defeat in the general elections held last week. The Gallup Korea poll, conducted on April 16-18 on 1,000 adults across the country, showed that positive assessment of Yoon's performance dropped 11 percentage points from the previous survey, which was taken at March 26-28 before the parliamentary election. The

President Yoon Suk Yeol's job approval rating hit an all-time low in the third week of April, as the ruling bloc reels from the repercussions of massive losses in the April 10 general election, a poll showed Thursday. Yoon's approval rating came to just 27 percent, the lowest since Yoon took office in May 2022, according to a poll conducted by the National Barometer Survey. The previous low was 28 percent in the second week of August 2022. The president's popularity plunged by 1

Main opposition-controlled parliamentary standing committee passes 5 contentious bills, hinting at repeat of stagnancy in the legislative process

Opposition head rejects president’s criticisms of being “populist”

The presidential office on Wednesday denied rumors that President Yoon Suk Yeol, in his search for candidates for a new prime minister and key aides, reached out to liberal figures who formerly worked for his predecessor Moon Jae-in. The presidential office "has not considered any plans to hire former SMEs and Startups Minister Park Young-sun or Yang Jung-chul, former head of the Institute for Democracy," it said in a statement Wednesday. The Institute for Democracy is the main opposit

Several members of the conservative bloc have exchanged blows among themselves in recent days, locking horns over whether the ruling party’s former interim leader is to blame for the devastating defeat in last week’s general election. Daegu Mayor and five-term conservative lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo kicked off a round of intense debate Friday by blaming Han for the People Power Party’s latest loss through a Facebook post. “(The People Power Party), which has survived the rive