The Democratic Party (DP) won a landslide victory again on Wednesday, signaling South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s lame-duck status for his remaining three years in office. Out of 300 seats in the National Assembly, the DP won 175 seats, while the ruling People Power Party (PPP) won 108. Adding other seats won by opposition parties … Read more
South Korea’s zero-sum game politics has turned into a political quagmire over the so-called “Kim Keon-hee risk,” involving the first lady’s receipt of a Christian Dior bag. Ironically, the scandal has become a leadership test not only for President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party (PPP), but also for the main opposition Democratic … Read more
An assailant who repeatedly struck a South Korean lawmaker with a rock as she tried to resist was a 14-year-old boy who was sent to a mental health facility Friday, Seoul police said as they continue to investigate the attack. The attack Thursday on Bae Hyunjin, a member of the conservative ruling party, came just … Read more
South Korea’s opposition leader and former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was stabbed on the morning of January 2 during a visit to Busan. The attacker reportedly approached Lee to ask for an autograph before pulling out a knife and stabbing Lee in the neck. The attacker was immediately subdued and arrested; police declined to give … Read more
Advertisement It’s not an exaggeration to say that President Yoon Suk-yeol’s archnemesis is Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP). Their feud goes back to early last year, when they were vying for presidency. There couldn’t have been two candidates more diametrically opposed in their upbringing and world views. To this … Read more
The Koreas | Politics | East Asia The judge said the evidence collected so far raises “substantial suspicion” about Lee’s involvement in the Seongnam development case, but not to a level that warrants his detainment. Advertisement A South Korean judge on Wednesday denied an arrest warrant for the country’s opposition leader on broad corruption allegations, saying there wasn’t a … Read more
The ruling People Power Party’s lawmakers react as the parliament passed a motion to approve main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung’s arrest warrant at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Sep. 21, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon Advertisement In a surprise outcome, South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament on Thursday voted to pass a motion … Read more
Advertisement Historically, South Korea has engaged in a delicate balancing act between the United States and China, with its domestic priorities oscillating between economic considerations and values. As the China-U.S. rivalry intensifies in their quest for global dominance, both countries have been exerting pressure on South Korea to pledge its allegiance to their respective sides. … Read more