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Lee suggests wider regional integration for Daejeon, Chungcheong provinces
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday floated the idea of integrating the central city of Daejeon with South and North Chungcheong provinces as part of broader regional integration efforts. Lee made the remarks during a town hall meeting with residents in North Chungcheong Province, as the ruling Democratic Party's move to enact a special law to merge Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province has faced hurdles ahead of the June local elections. "I thought merging Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province
March 13, 2026 -
President Lee asks public to tell him of fuel price cap violators
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday asked the public to tell him directly of any gas stations that violate the fuel price cap that took effect Friday. “The public’s monitoring and participation are needed to ensure that some sellers don’t gain unfair profits,” Lee wrote on his X account. “If you find any gas stations and such that break the regulation, report to me without hesitation.” The price cap limits the price of fuel supplied by refiners to gas stations to 1,724 won ($1.16) per liter of gas
March 13, 2026 -
PM Kim Min-seok meets Vance in Washington to discuss trade, investment plan
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met US Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Thursday, where the two discussed bilateral trade issues, including the implementation of a Korea-US investment framework agreed upon by President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump last year. Vance welcomed the South Korean National Assembly passing the US investment bill, and called for continued close cooperation between the two countries, South Korean the Prime Minister's Office said Friday. "(I
March 13, 2026 -
Seoul mayor again delays PPP candidate registration for local elections
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Thursday he did not register for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP)'s candidacy for the June local elections within the extended deadline, expressing dissatisfaction with the party leadership's lack of effort to clearly sever ties with ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol. The fourth-term mayor did not submit his registration for the Seoul mayoral race by the deadline set by the PPP -- which had been extended from the original cutoff on Sunday -- citing concerns o
March 12, 2026 -
Right-wing Busan mayor hopeful requests probe into rival's alleged Political Funds Act violation
Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party, a Busan mayoral hopeful, on Thursday requested an investigation into a potential Democratic Party of Korea candidate, accusing him of violating the Political Funds Act in a recent gathering of supporters. His request was filed with the election authority in Busan, according to Joo's office. Joo claimed that cash was exchanged during a "book launch" event of Democratic Party lawmaker Rep. Chun Jae-soo held in early March. In South Korea, politicians typ
March 12, 2026 -
Rep. Yang Moon-seok loses Assembly seat in top court ruling, mulls appeal
Rep. Yang Moon-seok of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was stripped of his assembly seat with the Supreme Court on Thursday, upholding his fraud conviction. Yang, who represented the Ansan A electoral district in southern Gyeonggi Province, said he would consider appealing the top court's decision to hand down a suspended 1 1/2 years of sentence. He was convicted of defrauding the Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives to take out 1.1 billion won ($743,100) of corporate loan and
March 12, 2026 -
Guilt trap: Opposition faces call for 'more sincerity' after martial law apology
South Korea's political arena is once again facing an "apology trap," where rival parties and factions take issue with the sincerity of an apology for political events. On Monday, the conservative opposition People Power Party adopted a resolution apologizing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, after months of internal discord and indecision. The party's on-the-fence position on Yoon and his supporters was most notable in the actions of party chair Rep. Jang Dong-hye
March 12, 2026 -
President to meet investors, companies in capital market stablization meeting
President Lee Jae Myung will chair a policy meeting on March 18 aimed at strengthening the resilience and restoring stability of South Korea’s capital markets, the presidential office said Thursday. The meeting will focus on assessing responses to financial market volatility triggered by recent developments in the Middle East, while also discussing longer-term reforms to improve the structural health of the country’s capital markets. Officials said the government intends to use the gathering to
March 12, 2026 -
Lee orders probe, accountability over delayed recovery of Jeju Air crash victims’ remains
President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday ordered a renewed investigation into the Dec. 29, 2024 Jeju Air disaster after additional human remains were discovered during inspection of the crash debris more than a year after the accident. Lee Kyu-yeon, presidential secretary for communication and public relations, told reporters that the president received a report earlier in the day on the latest inspection of debris from the crash site. “Investigate thoroughly how the remains were left unattended and
March 12, 2026 -
National Assembly set to vote on bill on US investment pledges
The National Assembly is set to hold a plenary session Thursday to vote on a special bill on South Korea's $350 billion investment pledge to the United States under a trade deal between the two nations after rival parties reached a bipartisan agreement earlier this week. On Wednesday, the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party approved the bill during a meeting of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee. Under the bill, a new state-run corporation specia
March 12, 2026 -
Lawmaker in talks with Coupang CEO to get taste of night delivery
Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Yeom Tae-young is in talks with Coupang CEO Harold Rogers to visit overnight delivery workers' workplace to experience a night shift together. According to Yeom's office, arrangements are being made to visit a Coupang Logistics Service facility to get a sense of what it is like to do delivery jobs overnight with Rogers, with March 19 being one of the options, though the schedule has yet to be fixed. Other liberal party lawmakers may accompany Yeom and Rogers. The v
March 11, 2026 -
Ruling party seeks parliamentary probe into 'politically motivated' indictments
The Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday submitted a formal request for a parliamentary probe into what it claims to be politically motivated indictments through the manipulation of evidence in seven criminal cases against liberal figures. The request was submitted by Reps. Park Sung-joon, Yang Bu-nam, Lee Geon-tae and Lee Ju-hee with the National Assembly. The request will be reported to the plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday. Among the figures affected by an allegedly wrong
March 11, 2026 -
Who's running to become next Seoul mayor?
The race for Seoul mayor, the most high-profile of local government posts, remains clouded less than three months before the election. From the ruling bloc, several big names as well as relative unknowns have declared their bids, while the incumbent Seoul mayor and other conservative heavyweights are still weighing their options. From the ruling Democratic Party, five have made their bids official and will now have to go through primaries to enter the local election on June 3. One of the hopeful
March 11, 2026 -
Former lawmaker's sentence confirmed over Moon-Trump call in 2019
South Korea’s Supreme Court has finalized a suspended prison sentence for former lawmaker Kang Hyo-sang for leaking the contents of a confidential phone call between then-President Moon Jae-in and former US President Donald Trump. The Supreme Court in January upheld a lower court ruling sentencing Kang, a former member of the Liberty Korea Party — the predecessor of the People Power Party — to six months in prison, suspended for one year, on charges including leaking diplomatic secrets. A former
March 11, 2026 -
PM to visit US, Switzerland in bid to host 'UN AI hub'
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will travel to the United States and Switzerland later this week as South Korea launches its bid to host a platform for the United Nations bodies dedicated to artificial intelligence, which could collaborate with the South Korean government or private-sector companies. South Korea aims to secure a joint project with the UN and share necessary AI infrastructure through the launch of an "UN AI hub," Kim said in a meeting at the Government Complex Seoul on Tuesday. He ca
March 10, 2026