Member of People Power Party’s old guard rises as major contender

The leaders of South Korea and Britain had discussions Monday on setting up a bilateral COVID-19 vaccine swap during their summit talks here, Cheong Wa Dae said. 　Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed progress in consultations on the issue. President Moon Jae-in also said it demonstrates friendly ties between the two sides, as they met each other on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. 　The president expressed hope that the

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook sent out regional specialties as Chuseok gifts for about 15,000 people, including front-line health care workers fighting COVID-19, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. The presidential couple favors locally produced foods when giving official gifts for major holidays. This year’s gift boxes consisted of rice from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province; Yanggu, Gangwon Province; Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; Yesan, South Chungcheong Provi

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York on Sunday to attend an annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. He plans to deliver a keynote speech on Korean peace and Seoul's role in resolving global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, according to his office. His five-day visit to the US, which will also take him to Hawaii for an alliance event, comes as Korean people celebrate Chuseok, one of their biggest and most important traditional hol

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate on Friday to discuss global warming ahead of the UN climate summit, known as COP26, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in October. The MEF is a US-led initiative that aims to ramp up supplies of clean energy while reducing carbon emissions. US President Joe Biden will convene the Friday meeting to strengthen the climate ambitions of the 17 members, including Australia, Canada, China, the EU and

In a press briefing that marks 100 days in office, People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok called on the opposition party and its supporters to be wary of false and misleading videos on YouTube. To win the presidential election, Lee said the party should focus on people thinking logically and rationally instead of people who see only what they want to see. “A new media called YouTube recommends videos that you might want to watch through algorithms,” Lee said. “The algori

North Korea's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, and other media outlets targeted toward the domestic audience did not carry a statement by leader Kim Jong-un's sister that warned South Korea of the deadlock of inter-Korean relations. On Wednesday, Kim Yo-jong released a statement slamming South Korean President Moon Jae-in for branding the North's weapons tests as a "provocation" and warned of a "total deadlock" of inter-Korean relations. As of early Thursday morning, the Ro

Human Rights Watch and three other human rights organizations have sent a joint letter to President Moon Jae-in and the National Assembly calling for the revision of a media bill accused of undermining press freedom. The legislation calls for punitive damages up to five times more than usual if a media outlet is found guilty of running false or manipulated news reports. Critics argue that it could be used to silence critical media. The letter points out that the bill defines "false or manip

President Moon Jae-in received an immediate briefing on North Korea's firing of ballistic missiles Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon received the briefing from Suh Hoon, director of national security, immediately after North Korea launched "unidentified projectiles today," presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a press statement. Cheong Wa Dae also plans to hold a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee as soon as the president returns to

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Wednesday that China will continue support for the Korea peace process while meeting with the neighboring country's visiting top diplomat. Commencing 40-minute talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon took note of Beijing's role and contribution so far to the peace process. The session came shortly before news reports of North Korea firing what are believed to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "Our government will

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday eliminated three contenders from its primary for next year's presidential election, paving the way for the opening of long-awaited primary debates to be aired or livestreamed. The remaining eight contenders include former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Rep. Hong Joon-pyo. The others are former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong, Rep. Ha Tae-ke

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed South Korea's commitment Wednesday to stronger international cooperation in the campaign to protect the ocean. He delivered the message via his social media accounts on the occasion of the International Coastal Cleanup Day. "It takes 450 years for plastic to break down after being used for a moment," he pointed out. "Micro plastics threaten not only marine life but also our health." The president stressed South Korea will cut the amount of

Nothing decided on possible summit with Biden

Chung Sye-kyun, former prime minister and presidential hopeful, on Monday decided to drop out of the ruling party's presidential primary race, according to his campaign team representatives. The former business executive-turned-politician decided to end his primary race after holding a meeting with his campaign team and plans to hold a press conference to announce his decision at the National Assembly later in the day. Chung, a former six-term lawmaker, stepped down as prime minister in April

The National Assembly on Monday approved the resignation of Rep. Yun Hee-suk of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who offered to resign following speculation allegations over her father's past real estate transaction. Yun, a former economist and a rising PPP freshman member, had offered to give up her seat and presidential bid last month after being included in a group of main opposition lawmakers who either themselves or their families were suspected of being linked to speculative