Faltering ratings, Seoul election defeat flash warning signs for ruling party

Israel will be guided by NATO standards that uphold protection of civilians in armed conflicts as it fights Hamas -- the Islamist militant movement that controls Gaza --, Jerusalem’s top envoy in Seoul said Thursday. “Israel will respect the human rights, the history and the presence of Palestinians in the region. It is Hamas we are in a war against,” Akiva Tor, the Israeli ambassador, said in an interview with The Korea Herald. And in the war against Hamas Israel was “go

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that he conveyed Seoul's concerns regarding China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors to their repressive home country during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month. The discussion took place during Han's meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Asian Games' opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 23. "We consider this to be important and concerning, so I brought up the issue (of repatriation o

In response to a surge in violent incidents, President Yoon Suk Yeol urged the police to prioritize public security in its reform efforts and to strengthen on-site response capabilities, stressing zero tolerance for crimes against vulnerable groups. In an opening speech at the 78th National Police Day ceremony on Wednesday, Yoon stressed the need to "break the cycle of heinous crimes" and create a country where people can live in peace. “Crimes against the weak, including sexua

The ruling People Power Party plans to appoint the leader of its innovation committee set to be launched next week, the party's chief spokesperson said Wednesday. Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the party's leader, delivered the plan during a meeting with members, as its leadership scrambles to come up with measures to regain people's trust after its crushing defeat in last week's by-election in Seoul. The election was widely seen as a test of voter sentiment before the April general elec

Lee Jae-myung kept from Assembly duties by his legal perils

Two defector-turned-lawmakers in South Korea on Tuesday launched a series of efforts to condemn China over the recent deportation of escapees from North Korea, and to prevent a repetition. Ruling People Power Party Rep. Ji Seong-ho said he raised the issue of human rights violations by China over his meeting with Julie Turner, the US special envoy for North Korean human rights who is visiting Seoul for the first time since her appointment in July. Ji told The Korea Herald that over the hourlong

President commits to backing aerospace, AI digital tech for advanced military operations

South Korea, the United States and Japan established a trilateral communication hotline, a senior Seoul official said Monday, in another sign of progress in their three-way security cooperation amid North Korea's evolving military threats and China's increasing assertiveness. The establishment of the hotline came after President Yoon Suk Yeol and his US and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, respectively, agreed on the "commitment to consult" each other in the event of

The ruling People Power Party, confronted with a deepening crisis following a landslide defeat in a key district by-election, on Monday introduced new leaders to helm key seats. With Monday’s shuffle, the post of the secretary-general is now held by the National Assembly interior committee’s executive secretary Rep. Lee Man-hee and the director of the party-run think tank Yeouido Institute and two-time lawmaker Rep. Kim Sung-won among other changes. Excluded from the latest shake-up

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Hee-gon (People Power Party) ● To clarify the standard for defining a “business group,” this amendment specifies the scope of business and extent of liability of the term “the same person.” Additionally, in response to the criticism of the excessive criminal penalties imposed on businesses who refuse to submit materials required to designate businesses, this amendment repla

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has dropped to 34 percent, marking the lowest level since May, a poll showed Monday. The opinion poll, conducted by polling agency Realmeter, showed the positive assessment of Yoon's performance decreased by 3.7 percentage points from the previous week, while 62.2 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance, up 2.4 percentage points from the same period. This marks the first time since the first week of May that his approval rating ha

The ruling People Power Party's Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon is facing setbacks, following a significant by-election defeat in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, amid internal party turmoil with less than six months to go until the general election. Kim did not express his intention to step down from his position as the party chairman as of Sunday. Instead, Kim presided over an emergency party meeting Sunday, a day after he accepted the resignation of eight officials. The party's announcement ov

Key officials of the ruling People Power Party have offered to resign over the party's recent by-election defeat, which could spark a change in the party's leadership ahead of the parliamentary elections in April. On Wednesday, Jin Kyo-hoon of the main opposition Democratic Party won 56.52 percent of the vote against his PPP rival Kim Tae-woo's 39.37 percent in the by-election for the chief of Seoul's Gangseo Ward, seen as a test of voter sentiment ahead of next year's p

Calls are mounting for the South Korean election watchdog to apologize after it failed to fend off mock cyberattacks in a security evaluation by the country’s top spy agency. During a National Assembly audit of the National Election Commission held Friday, ruling People Power Party lawmakers demanded that the election service apologize for its allegedly lax cyber security and for not heeding the National Intelligence Service's warnings. Rep. Lee Man-hee of the ruling party accused the