The Korea Times

Election commission faces probe, major overhaul

The National Election Commission (NEC) is under criminal investigation and intense pressure to make sweeping reforms after unprecedented ballot paper shortages in the local elections last week triggered public fury and allegations of a systematic electoral failure. President Lee Jae Myung met on Monday with the heads of the nation's four key state institutions — National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok — and agreed to push ahead with necessary reforms for the NEC. Following the meeting, Cho accepted the resignation of NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday questioned Kim Soon-hwan, head of the People’s Welfare Countermeasure Committee, a Seoul-based nongovernmental organization. Kim lodged a complaint against NEC officials over cases in which many voters were unable to cast ballots because of the shortages. Speaking to reporters, Kim likened the incident to the April 19 Revolution, the first democratic movement in Korea in 1960, cal

Jun 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Election commission faces probe, major overhaul

Politics

Election fallout leaves rival party leaders on shaky ground

Korea’s June 3 local elections have left both the ruling and opposition parties with wounded leaders who are politically weakened yet unwilling to step aside. Traditionally, a heavy electoral setback prompts party leaders to offer an apology and resign, paving the way for an emergency interim leadership. This time, neither side followed that script. Instead, the chairmen of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the People Power Party (PPP) insist they preserved “hope” or “victory,” even as their leadership and authority are being increasingly questioned by party members. On the surface, the ruling liberal party can claim victory, as Chairman Jung Chung-rae did on Thursday, given that it captured 12 of the 16 top posts of the nation’s metropolitan and provincial offices. But key, symbolic losses have forced insiders to acknowledge that the outcome looks far less reassuring. The most painful blow came in Seoul, where incumbent PPP Mayor Oh Se-hoon defeated DPK candidate Chong Won-o, despite early polls showing Chong’s substantial lead and President Lee Jae Myung’s approv

Jun 5, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Election fallout leaves rival party leaders on shaky ground

Politics

Seoul Mayor Oh defies exit poll to win reelection

In a stunning political turnaround, incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon secured his reelection in Wednesday's vote, overcoming an early exit poll projection that had forecast a loss to his liberal rival Chong Won-o. According to the National Election Commission (NEC) Thursday, as of 9 p.m., with 99.93 percent of the votes counted, Oh of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) obtained 49.19 percent of the vote, defeating Chong of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who garnered 48.09 percent. The formal announcement of the winner has not been made. This came after an exit poll for Wednesday’s local elections released jointly by major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS put Chong at 51.4 percent and Oh at 46 percent. During the initial stages of the count, Chong had maintained a comfortable lead. But by around 7:20 a.m. Thursday, some 13 hours after counting started, Oh had steadily erased the deficit to clinch a dramatic come-from-behind win. “This election is a victory for common sense,” Oh said at his campaign office. “It is a victory for young people who, even as they des

Jun 4, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul Mayor Oh defies exit poll to win reelection

Politics

Ruling party projected to secure sweeping win in local elections

The liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is projected to dominate Wednesday’s local elections, with an exit poll showing its candidates leading in a majority of key races across the nation while the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) trailed behind. In Seoul, however, ballot shortages emerged as a major flashpoint, disrupting voting in Songpa District and several other locations. The PPP called for an immediate halt to ballot counting throughout all of Seoul and, if necessary, a revote, insisting that the shortages had “seriously undermined the fairness of the election.” According to a joint exit poll, released at 6 p.m. by major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS, DPK candidates were leading in 11 of the nation’s 16 mayoral and gubernatorial contests, while the PPP was ahead in just one. Contests in four cities and provinces — Busan, Daegu, Gangwon Province and North Jeolla Province — were too close to call as of 11:30 p.m. In the closely watched Seoul mayoral race, DPK candidate Chong Won-o led the race at 51.4 percent, outpacing incumbent Mayor Oh

Jun 3, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Ruling party projected to secure sweeping win in local elections

Politics

Conservative ex-presidents hit campaign trail

Former President and former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak stepped back into his old legacy he built in the capital, Monday, standing at the edge of Seoul Forest as he urged voters to choose “mayors and district chiefs who get things done, not those who only talk and play politics.” Surrounded by conservative hopefuls, Lee framed the park, along with Cheonggye Stream, as proof that leadership willing to push through opposition can transform a city. “I hope we Seoul residents will elect mayors and district chiefs who get things done,” he said. “There was a lot of political opposition when we developed Cheonggye Stream and when we planned the dedicated bus lanes, but once they were actually built, they became good spaces that all Seoul citizens use very conveniently.” The previous day, the final weekend of the official election campaign period ahead of the June 3 vote, impeached former President Park Geun-hye visited Seomun Market in Daegu, alongside the People Power Party’s (PPP) mayoral candidate, Choo Kyung-ho. As she moved through the crowds, shaking hands with visitors, she

Jun 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Conservative ex-presidents hit campaign trail

Global Community

Gov’t denies foreign worker scheme aims to expand cheap labor

The government has rejected concerns that its new foreign worker scheme for depopulated regions is designed to expand access to cheap migrant labor, insisting it is meant to sustain local economies facing structural labor shortages. In written responses sent to The Korea Times recently, the Ministry of Justice said the goal is not “simple cost-cutting through low-paid foreign workers,” but to help solve the “structural labor shortage problem in depopulation areas where hiring Koreans” is very difficult. Announced earlier this month, the “regional vitality special employment scheme for small businesses” allows small businesses and agricultural corporations in designated areas to hire foreigners who hold the F-2-R visa, which lets certain noncitizens live and work long term in designated depopulated areas. Previously, the F-2-R visa could only be used by employers that already had Korean staff on their payroll, a condition officials said was difficult to meet amid worsening labor shortages across the country, excluding major cities. Under the initiative, employers in 89 design

May 31, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Gov’t denies foreign worker scheme aims to expand cheap labor

Politics

Negative campaigning overshadows local elections

Korea’s June 3 local elections have entered their final stretch amid a surge of allegations and political attacks, with negative campaign tactics overshadowing races across major battlegrounds. Just days before voters head to the polls, candidates in key cities and provinces have traded accusations ranging from misinformation to illegal election interference. This reflects a familiar end-of-campaign pattern, but this year in particular highlights rising concerns over digital manipulation and the political neutrality of public officials. In Seoul, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) mayoral candidate Chong Won-o filed a complaint Friday against incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party (PPP), alleging organized online defamation and opinion manipulation. This follows a media report claiming Oh’s campaign was involved in systematically producing and distributing negative content about his rival. Oh's camp has denied the allegations as groundless. Similar clashes have emerged in Busan, where the PPP accused DPK candidate Chun Jae-soo of spreading false information

May 31, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Negative campaigning overshadows local elections

Society

Seoul overpass collapsed during inspection of deflected section, city gov't says

Workers on the Seosomun overpass had already detected a dangerous deflection in the structure hours before it collapsed, but continued to work on the span rather than leave the site, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday in its first detailed account of the accident. According to Lim Choon-keun, head of the city government's infrastructure bureau, workers began cutting the S9 slab — the ninth deck segment spanning the railway — of the 60-year-old overpass at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Roughly an hour later, they detected a deflection of about 29 millimeters between two girders and halted the operation. By midafternoon, as engineers and officials were back on the span to inspect the damage and discuss whether to shut down road and rail traffic below. At 2:33 p.m., without warning, a 15-meter section collapsed onto the tracks, killing three people and seriously injuring three others. Asked why the workers were sent onto a section that had already shown dangerous signs, the official said it was probably difficult to assess the damage from outside. “To check the condition of

May 27, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Seoul overpass collapsed during inspection of deflected section, city gov't says

Politics

No vision, just vouchers? School chief candidates woo voters with cash promises

The education superintendent elections were once a battleground for dueling visions of philosophy and big ideas. A decade ago, conservative and liberal candidates clashed over whether to prioritize increasing student rights or preserving teachers’ authority and how far to expand parental choice alongside public schooling. That debate has all but disappeared. Ahead of the June 3 elections, the most visible campaign promises have little to do with teaching and learning. Leading candidates across the nation, regardless of their political views, are competing on how much cash or financial support they can channel directly to students and parents. In Seoul, incumbent Superintendent Jung Geun-sik pledged to move beyond the existing tuition-free system by making education for children aged three to five effectively free, while also eliminating many out-of-pocket costs for older students. Currently, parents pay no public school tuition but still cover expenses such as transport and field trips. Under his plan, the education office would fully fund education, meal, after-school and care costs

May 27, 2026By Jung Min-ho

No vision, just vouchers? School chief candidates woo voters with cash promises

Society

3 dead, 3 injured as Seoul overpass collapses under demolition

A collapse at an overpass demolition site left three people dead and three others injured in Seoul on Tuesday. According to fire and city authorities, the collapse occurred at around 2:33 p.m. at the site of the Seosomun Overpass demolition in Seodaemun District, central Seoul. Officials say part of the bridge deck suddenly caved in during safety inspection work, falling onto workers and vehicles below. Among the 12 workers present at the site, three men — one in his 50s and two in their 60s — were killed. Three others sustained injuries to the head, waist, ribs and other parts; all were transported to nearby hospitals. The incident occurred while engineers were carrying out a safety assessment following the discovery of a subsidence gap during slab-cutting work earlier in the day, according to officials. Lee Jong-un, head of the Seodaemun Fire Station’s disaster safety bureau, told reporters it appears that the girder collapsed while they were inside. Girders are structural beams that support the weight of a bridge deck. Emergency responders arrived at the scene within minutes. At

May 26, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Election commission faces probe, major overhaul

Election fallout leaves rival party leaders on shaky ground

Seoul Mayor Oh defies exit poll to win reelection

Ruling party projected to secure sweeping win in local elections

Conservative ex-presidents hit campaign trail

Gov’t denies foreign worker scheme aims to expand cheap labor

Negative campaigning overshadows local elections

Seoul overpass collapsed during inspection of deflected section, city gov't says

No vision, just vouchers? School chief candidates woo voters with cash promises

3 dead, 3 injured as Seoul overpass collapses under demolition

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