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Lee cautions against ‘burning down the house’ in prosecution overhaul
President Lee Jae Myung on Monday warned that prosecution reform should be carried out with precision, cautioning against attempts that “burn down the house to get rid of bedbugs,” in remarks widely seen as directed at hard-line lawmakers within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. “To solve a problem, one must accurately identify its cause and clearly distinguish what should and should not be addressed,” Lee wrote in a post on X. “In carrying out necessary reforms, caution is needed to avoid b
March 10, 2026 -
Lee calls large, small firms’ cooperation ‘survival strategy’
President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that cooperation between large corporations and small businesses should be treated as an investment and even a national “survival strategy." Speaking at a roundtable at Cheong Wa Dae with representatives from 10 large companies and their SME partners, Lee said some approaches that powered South Korea’s industrial rise had become outdated. Held under the slogan “seeds of shared cooperation, blossoming into growth for all,” the meeting aimed to encourage compan
March 10, 2026 -
Speaker sets early April as deadline to draft constitutional amendment
National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik said Tuesday that the rival parties should work to launch a special parliamentary committee for constitutional amendment by next week and propose the draft by April 7. Woo's proposal would be a prerequisite for South Korea to hold a referendum simultaneously with the June 3 local election. The last amendment came into being in South Korea in 1987, alongside South Korea's democratization. Woo stressed in the press conference that legal hurdles to hold a
March 10, 2026 -
People Power Party moves to distance itself from Yoon, but doubts linger
South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party has formally moved to distance itself from former President Yoon Suk Yeol, but doubts and criticism remain. The conservative party adopted a resolution Monday apologizing for Yoon's Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration and formally rejecting the “Yoon Again” slogan used by some supporters advocating for the former president's political comeback. The resolution was read by Floor Leader Rep. Song Eon-seok, who said the party must acknowledge public
March 10, 2026 -
S. Korea seeks to tap crude oil stored by foreign refiners: lawmaker
South Korea is moving to exercise its rights to tap crude oil reserves stored in the country's oil terminals by foreign oil firms to cope with the volatility caused by the situation in the Middle East. According to Rep. Ahn Do-geol of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday, the government has initiated coordination with undisclosed foreign refiners over the rights to purchase oil stored in South Korea. According to Ahn, up to 6.86 million barrels of oil could be secured based on South K
March 10, 2026 -
Lee says possible shift of USFK's military assets won't affect deterrence against N. Korea
President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that a potential relocation of military assets owned by the US military stationed in South Korea will not affect the deterrence posture against North Korea. Citing media reports that the US Forces Korea might have recently shipped out some weapons, including an anti-missile defense system, Lee told a Cabinet meeting, "If you ask if our deterrence strategy against North Korea is severely affected (because of a possible shift of such assets), I can say absolute
March 10, 2026 -
Lee thanks UAE and Qatar, calls for sustained evacuation efforts
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called on government agencies to continue efforts to evacuate Korean nationals from the Middle East and thanked foreign governments for their support. Speaking at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Lee said hundreds of South Koreans had safely returned home in recent evacuation operations facilitated by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar amid escalating conflict in the region. “Early yesterday morning, 203 of our nationals who had been staying in the UAE returned home
March 10, 2026 -
Pro-labor 'yellow envelope act' takes effect amid continued resistance
A revised labor law aimed at broadening workers' bargaining rights took effect Tuesday following a six-month preparation period amid continued resistance from both labor unions and businesses. The so-called yellow envelope act was passed by the National Assembly in August, making prime contractors more accountable for subcontracted workers while restricting businesses from claiming damages from striking workers. Labor groups have welcomed the new law but taken issue with a requirement that subco
March 10, 2026 -
Conservative party formally severs ties with ex-President Yoon
South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party formally broke with disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday, adopting a resolution explicitly opposing his return to politics as the party moves to unify ahead of crucial local elections. The declaration, issued collectively in the name of all sitting People Power Party lawmakers, came 296 days after Yoon left the party in May 2025, following his removal from office by the Constitutional Court in April 2025 over his short-lived declarat
March 9, 2026 -
Conservative party open to accepting Seoul mayor's reelection bid after deadline
The main opposition People Power Party remained open to accepting incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's candidate registration to run again for the mayoral post, even after the deadline passed Sunday. Lee Jung-hyun, who oversees the conservative party's candidate nomination process for the upcoming local elections in June, told reporters Monday that Oh's unexpected decision not to apply for the candidacy would not necessarily mean his chances of reelection have completely disappeared. "Our door to
March 9, 2026 -
3-term lawmaker vows free access to public transit in Seoul mayor bid
Rep. Park Ju-min, a three-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, pledged Monday to grant all citizens free access to the Seoul public transit services within 10 years, reiterating his road map from February. It was part of his local election campaign pledges in the field of transportation services unveiled Monday as he launched his Seoul mayor bid, alongside pledges to increase passenger capacity for Line No. 9 trains and backtrack Seoul's introduction of the controversial Han Ri
March 9, 2026 -
Seoul plans first fuel price caps in 29 years as oil shock hits
South Korea plans to impose fuel price caps this week for effectively the first time since 1997, after a sharp run-up in prices that authorities say has occurred even before any Middle East supply disruption has hit the country. President Lee Jae Myung ordered the measure’s swift implementation in opening remarks at a 90-minute emergency economic response meeting held Monday at Cheong Wa Dae, as the government moved to contain the fallout from the war triggered by joint US and Israeli strikes on
March 9, 2026 -
$350b US investment bill set for passage Thursday
The National Assembly's special committee on US investment bills reached a bipartisan consensus Monday, the deadline to conclude its monthlong deliberations on a bill outlining South Korea's plans to implement its $350 billion investment pledge in US projects. The bill, drafted in accordance with the joint fact sheet on trade and security issued by Seoul and Washington in November, was granted unanimous approval by the 16-member special committee and is likely set for passage in the National Ass
March 9, 2026 -
Lee calls for 'extraordinary measures,' fuel price cap amid energy shock
President Lee Jae Myung ordered "extraordinary measures" to shore up energy supplies and rein in surging oil prices, including the swift imposition of a petroleum price cap for the first time in nearly 30 years. Lee convened an emergency economic response meeting at Cheong Wa Dae at 11 a.m. to assess the economic and inflationary fallout from the widening war in the Middle East, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28. "As the crisis in the Middle East deepens, uncertainty at ho
March 9, 2026 -
Chong Won-o vows AI-driven governance in Seoul mayor bid
Chong Won-o, who is competing for the Democratic Party of Korea candidacy in the June mayoral election in Seoul, vowed to adopt artificial intelligence in his governance as he launched his Seoul mayor bid. In a prerecorded speech unveiled on his YouTube channel Monday, Chong pledged to introduce AI technology to streamline the process of granting municipal approvals, and to improve citizens' welfare. He described his pledge as a way to improve citizens' sovereignty and turn Seoul into a "key eng
March 9, 2026