PM calls for rooting out fake news ahead of elections

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Thursday called for rooting out fake news with the help of the prosecution and the police, saying such misinformation threatens democracy ahead of elections. Kim issued the call during a meeting with relevant ministers and agency chiefs with the nationwide local elections less than four months away on June 3. "Fake news and smear campaigns that distort government policies, spread false accusations against members of the government and undermine specific candidates

Feb. 26, 2026

Chief judges express 'grave concern' over DP-led judicial reform bills

The heads of district courts nationwide on Wednesday expressed "grave concern" over controversial judicial reform bills pushed by the ruling Democratic Party, including a proposal to introduce a new crime of "legal distortion" and to allow constitutional appeals in court cases. "We express grave regret over the current situation in which the bills have been referred to the plenary session without sufficient public discussion and deliberation, despite concerns raised by the judiciary," according

Feb. 25, 2026

Prosecution drops final appeal in DP cash-for-votes scandal case

The prosecution said Wednesday they have dropped a final appeal against an appellate court's recent acquittal of one incumbent and two former ruling Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers charged in connection with a cash-for-votes scandal surrounding the party's 2021 leadership election. Last week, the Seoul High Court overturned guilty verdicts for Rep. Heo Jong-sik and former Reps. Youn Kwan-suk and Lim Jong-seong, who had been accused of distributing cash envelopes to support former DP leader Song

Feb. 25, 2026

Special counsel appeals life sentence for ex-president Yoon over insurrection conviction

A special counsel team said Wednesday it has appealed a court's recent life sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his insurrection conviction. The special counsel, led by Cho Eun-suk, said the appeal was filed due to "factual errors, legal misunderstandings and inappropriate sentencing." Last week, a Seoul court sentenced Yoon to life in prison for leading an insurrection when he briefly imposed martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The court said Yoon sought to paralyze the National Assembly

Feb. 25, 2026

Buck passing as megacity talks founder

Plans to launch three megacities and elect their leaders in June have hit a snag, pushing the main rival parties into another round of the blame game. Only the bill for merging Gwangju and the surrounding South Jeolla Province was tabled at the National Assembly's plenary session that started Tuesday, while other similar megacity bills fell short. The bill for a megacity in South Korea's southwest, which is a liberal stronghold, is likely to be put to a vote later this week, with a series of opp

Feb. 25, 2026

Lee calls for tourism overhaul, targets 30m foreign visitors

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called for a sweeping overhaul of South Korea's tourism industry, setting a goal of 30 million inbound visitors by boosting travel demand and spreading tourism beyond Seoul. To meet that target, concerned government ministries rolled out a two-pillar strategy — expanding inbound demand and revitalizing regional tourism — backed by reforms to immigration procedures, regional airports, lodging systems and higher value-added tourism content. While presiding over

Feb. 25, 2026

Cheong Wa Dae sets up public safety secretary post

Cheong Wa Dae has established a new secretary for public safety to bolster the state’s capacity to respond to a range of crimes and threats that undermine public safety and everyday life. The post was established under the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs to “protect the lives and safety of the people, which is the Lee Jae Myung administration’s core governing value,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Wednesday in a written statement. The presidential secre

Feb. 25, 2026

Nazis on the brain: Korean politics takes Godwin's Law offline

In online forums, Godwin's Law holds that the longer a discussion continues, the more inevitable Nazi comparisons become. In Korean politics, it appears that neither an online forum or a long time is necessary. The National Assembly's most recent example was made over proposed revision to the Referendum Act. The revision, passed at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, includes clauses strengthening the National Election Commission’s authority and penalties for interfering with its

Feb. 25, 2026

Lee defends steps against property speculation in farmland ownership

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday defended his push to tighten farmland ownership regulations aimed at curbing rural land speculation. Lee instructed the Cabinet a day earlier to conduct a comprehensive inspection of agricultural land to verify whether owners are directly farming their property and to issue disposal orders if they are not. "The land subject to a farmland disposal order does not refer to inherited farmland or land that has been left fallow due to unavoidable circumstances, suc

Feb. 25, 2026

Motion passed to arrest Rep. Kang Sun-woo

A motion to allow the court to issue a warrant to arrest independent lawmaker Rep. Kang Sun-woo, who has been embroiled in a pay-to-play corruption scandal, passed the National Assembly on Tuesday. The liberal party-controlled National Assembly's 164-87 vote lifted the 47-year-old liberal lawmaker's immunity from arrest. Three lawmakers abstained, with nine votes deemed invalid. Kang, a two-term lawmaker, was affiliated with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea until her expulsion from the party

Feb. 24, 2026

Judicial reform takes center stage in Korean politics

South Korea’s judicial systen is on course for a major overhaul with a set of reform bills on course to pass this week. The bills are among four contentious bills that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea pushed through for Tuesday's plenary session in the face of strong objections from the conservative People Power Party. The bill package comprises three bills. These are revisions to the Criminal Act to establish a deliberate misapplication of law as a criminal offense; the Court Organization A

Feb. 24, 2026

The 'ex' factor: Why Korean politics finds it so hard to move on

The main opposition People Power Party remains locked in an internal struggle over how to position itself regarding former President Yoon Suk Yeol, exposing a widening rift between party leaders seeking to maintain ties with the ousted leader and those calling for a clean break. Calls to distance the party from Yoon have intensified in recent weeks, with some lawmakers warning that continued association with the former president — who was impeached and sentenced to life in prison over his Dec. 3

Feb. 24, 2026

Lee steps up verbal warning against owners of multiple homes

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that owners of multiple homes should not avoid risks and responsibilities associated with their investments if housing prices are normalized, stepping up his verbal warning against them. Hardening his resolve to stabilize the overheated housing market in the Seoul metropolitan area, Lee shared a link to a news report that pointed to weakening market expectations for housing price increases. "People know that the real estate market, particularly the apartment

Feb. 24, 2026

Natl. Assembly set to vote on arrest motion of ex-DP lawmaker over alleged bribery

The National Assembly was set to vote Tuesday on an arrest motion for Rep. Kang Sun-woo over bribery allegations related to a nomination by the ruling Democratic Party. Kang, now an independent lawmaker who formerly belonged to the DP, is accused of receiving 100 million won ($68,300) in exchange for supporting the nomination of former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung as a DP candidate ahead of the 2022 local elections. Kang was ousted from the party after the allegations surfaced last month. The

Feb. 24, 2026

Korea-US Parliamentarians’ Union to meet AmCham over trade issues

The Korea-US Parliamentarians’ Union said Monday it will hold a meeting with James Kim, chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, to discuss bilateral trade and investment issues. The Korea-US Parliamentarians’ Union is a cross-party caucus established in March 2025 to promote parliamentary cooperation between South Korea and the US. It comprises around 170 National Assembly lawmakers. According to the group, a breakfast meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at the National Assem

Feb. 23, 2026