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PPP criticizes DP's 'unipolar' system, calls for swift court decision on Lee Jae-myung
The conservative People Power Party criticized the liberal Democratic Party on Sunday for remaining "a one-man system" after its former leader, Lee Jae-myung, was chosen as the party's presidential candidate, calling for a court ruling on Lee before the June election. The criticism came just hours after Lee secured the party's presidential nomination. He is currently the front-runner in opinion polls for the upcoming presidential election, which follows the ouster of PPP-affiliated former Presid
April 27, 2025 -
Minor opposition party vows full support for DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung
The minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party on Sunday officially declared its support for the liberal Democratic Party's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung. The declaration by the minor party established by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk came after Lee won the DP's presidential nomination in the day by securing a whopping 89.77 percent of all votes cast in the party's primary. "We declare that Lee is not only the DP's candidate but also the candidate supported by our party. We will dedicate
April 27, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung clinches presidential nomination
ILSAN, Gyeonggi Province — Rep. Lee Jae-myung clinched the Democratic Party of Korea's nomination on Sunday, after picking up wins in all four stages of the primary race. Lee finished atop the field, scooping up over 89.77 percent of a cumulative 1,141,827 votes nationwide against his two opponents, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyung-soo, who received 6.87 percent and 3.36 percent of the votes, respectively. Voting in the Democratic Party pri
April 27, 2025 -
US considering permanent deployment of F-35 fighter jets to S. Korea: source
The US military is considering the permanent deployment of advanced F-35A radar-evading fighter jets to South Korea, a source said Sunday. The deployment, if realized, would mark a major addition to US air assets in South Korea, which consist mostly of older-generation F-16 fighter jets. F-35s have previously only been temporarily deployed for joint training. "The US military has a plan to permanently deploy F-35As at Kunsan Air Base," the source said. "It will first deploy one squadron, and the
April 27, 2025 -
Han faces candidacy deadline as his potential run roils conservative bloc
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's potential candidacy in the upcoming presidential election has emerged as a key variable in the conservative bloc's race, with an announcement speculated to come as early as this week. Time is approaching for Han to make a decision. Under election law, he must resign from his current position by May 4 — 30 days before the early election on June 3 — to run for president. Presidential hopefuls from the People Power Party have expressed their willin
April 27, 2025 -
Seoul steps up sinkhole prevention efforts after fatal accidents
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Sunday that it will introduce a ground subsidence monitoring network to prevent further sinkhole accidents. Safety accidents involving sinkholes have drawn significant attention recently, after a 20-meter-wide and 18-meter-deep sinkhole formed in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, on March 24, swallowing a motorcyclist who was declared dead the day after. As numerous sinkhole sightings have been reported since then, public concern over the phenomenon has g
April 27, 2025 -
Ex-Presidents Moon, Yoon likely stand criminal trial simultaneously
Former President Moon Jae-in was indicted Thursday on bribery charges involving questions over his former son-in-law’s salary, raising the prospect of Moon standing trial at the same time as disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. The Jeonju District Prosecutor’s Office, which had investigated Moon since 2021, filed the indictment with the court, explaining that because the bribery case centers around the former presidential offi
April 27, 2025 -
Mange suspected for hairless animals spotted in Songdo park
Hairless animals spotted in a waterfront park in Songdo, Incheon, are believed to be raccoons infected with mange, a parasitic disease that causes fur loss, local reports said Sunday. According to Yonhap News, residents reported sightings of the creatures, which had only their heads and tails covered with fur, on Wednesday and Thursday near a high school walking path. Despite the presence of people, the animals did not immediately flee. Instead, they slowly retreated into the bushes. Seo Moon-ho
April 27, 2025 -
City of Seoul cuts prices on delivery fried chicken
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a project aimed at lowering consumer prices for delivery food in partnership with Shinhan Bank and the food service industry, with fried chicken as the first target. The Seoul Delivery+ Pricing System Initiative shares the cost burden of lowering prices between Seoul City, Shinhan Bank and related franchises' headquarters, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday. The city government’s initiative, focused on revitalizing the local ec
April 27, 2025 -
Top Russian general confirms N. Korean troop dispatch to Ukraine war
Russia's top general has confirmed for the first time that North Korean troops have been fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine as he held talks with President Vladimir Putin. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, made the confirmation of the North Korean troop deployment in a videoconference with Putin on Saturday, noting the North Korean troops had played a crucial role in the liberation of the Kursk border region. "I want to point out the participation of
April 27, 2025 -
S. Korean soldier accidentally fires machine gun at inter-Korean border
A South Korean soldier at the inter-Korean border accidentally fired a machine gun toward North Korea last week, prompting the military to air broadcasts to notify the North of the mistake, military officials said Sunday. The accident happened at around 6:00 a.m. Wednesday when the soldier mistakenly fired a single round from the K6 heavy machine gun from a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in Cheorwon County, about 70 kilometers north of Seoul, according to the
April 27, 2025 -
N. Korea denounces Japan PM's offering to war shrine
North Korea has criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for making a ritual offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, saying that it again demonstrated Japan's pursuit of militarization. The North's Korean Central News Agency issued the criticism in a commentary dated Saturday, after Ishiba sent an offering last week to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by the Allied forces after World War II. A bipartisan group of Japa
April 27, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung likely on glide path to Democratic Party of Korea nomination
GWANGJU -- Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's former chair, on Saturday finished first in the second-to-last round of the party primary race for presidential nomination on the liberal home turf of Gwangju in South Jeolla Province. The fourth and the final round of the primary vote takes place Sunday, when the Democratic Party is set to finalize its nominee. Speaking to the crowd at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, named after the late liberal President Kim Dae-jung, Lee said
April 26, 2025 -
Wildfire forces evacuations and major highway closure in northeastern South Korea
A rapidly spreading wildfire in northeastern South Korea has forced expanded evacuations and a broader highway shutdown, as authorities escalated their emergency response Saturday. The fire broke out around 1:11 p.m. local time in a mountainous area near Inje County, about 150 kilometers northeast of Seoul. Fueled by dry conditions, the blaze quickly spread smoke toward nearby communities, prompting officials to send evacuation alerts and direct residents to designated shelters. By mid-afternoon
April 26, 2025 -
Adolescent use of weight-loss drug Wegovy sought in S. Korea
The South Korean office of the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk recently requested the local authorities to permit the use of its anti-obesity medication Wegovy for children aged 12 and above. Novo Nordisk Korea purportedly requested the permit from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which currently allows the medication to be used only for those aged 18 and above. The drug was released here in October of 2024, prescribed to obese patients with a body mass index of 30 kilograms per
April 26, 2025