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PHOTOS Election Day 2025
A patient lying in a hospital bed receives help from a family member to vote in the 2025 presidential election at a polling station in Seoul's Yongsan District, Tuesday. Yonhap
Jun 3, 2025
![[PHOTOS] Election Day 2025](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Kwak Yeon-soo
Korea Times Digital Content Reporter
Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
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Society
First World Ramen Festival in hot water over poor planning
Poor planning and logistical issues were some of the complaints that left a sour taste in the mouths of attendees at the 2025 World Ramen Festival, which took place in Busan from May 2 to Sunday. Organizers said the festival would have more than 2,200 ramen brands from 15 countries, including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States, participating in the inaugural event. Shortly after the festival began, ramen enthusiasts realized that there were less than 10 ramen brands available — even fewer than the number found in convenience stores. Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their concerns about logistical issues, saying the organizers did not provide hot water or offer enough varieties of ramen to satisfy their expectations. “A total of seven types of ramen at the World Ramen Festival? Vietnamese and Thai ramen brands have official importers here, so you can buy them whenever you want,” one visitor wrote on X. Another wrote, “I threw away most of the ramen because the water was lukewarm. This is the worst festival I have ever been to.” Some food trucks left the ven
May 13, 2025
North Korea
Trump signals interest in restarting talks with NK, calling it ‘big nuclear nation’
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled his interest Monday (local time) in restarting talks with North Korea, calling it a “nuclear nation” and revealing there is communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His remarks came in response to a reporter’s question about whether the U.S. may reach out to North Korea. Calling North Korea a “big nuclear nation” and Kim a “smart guy,” Trump said, “We have a great relationship, and yeah, we have ... there is communication.” However, he did not elaborate on how his administration is communicating with the reclusive regime. Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump has repeatedly referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power,” raising concern that the U.S. could be moving toward recognizing the North as a nuclear-armed state. However, experts said Trump's latest comments suggest his willingness to engage with Pyongyang rather than indicating any changes in U.S. policy. “Although we cannot rule out the possibility of the U.S. holding ‘unofficial’ talks with North Korea behind the scenes, Trump is expressing his wish to
Apr 1, 2025
Politics
Opposition leader tops poll as Korea braces for Yoon's impeachment ruling
A poll released Monday showed that Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), remains the most favored candidate in the event of a snap presidential election. The same poll showed that the DPK's approval rating surpassed that of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as the nation braces for the Constitutional Court’s ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. While the top court has yet to announce the date for its verdict, legal experts predict it could be delivered later this month. According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,510 adults, 49.5 percent of respondents supported Lee as a president in the future, followed by Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo at 16.3 percent and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo at 7.1 percent. Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s approval ratings stood at 6.7 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively. “Lee is maintaining a commanding lead in the latest poll with nearly 50 percent support. His approval rating rose after his acquittal in the appellate trial on charges of violating the Public O
Mar 31, 2025
Politics
Prolonged court deliberation on Yoon's impeachment fatigues nation
Calls are growing for the Constitutional Court’s swift decision on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, as its protracted deliberation is causing public fatigue with continuous political confrontations and months of rallies either supporting or opposing the removal of the president. As public expectations for a verdict have risen and been dashed every week since the final hearing on Feb. 25, this situation is even leading to criticism toward the court for causing further political turmoil and national confusion. Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), requested the court to swiftly rule on Yoon's impeachment over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. "There must be a reason why the court has not made a ruling since the final hearing, but the public, who are not aware of internal circumstances, cannot help but feel anxious and suspicious," Lee wrote on Facebook, Sunday. "I ask the Constitutional Court to deliver a wise decision as soon as possible for the benefit of all the people." Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) also
Mar 30, 2025
Politics
Rival parties bicker over disaster funds as wildfire victims await aid
As Korea faces its worst-ever wildfire disaster, the nation's two main rival political parties are embroiled in a blame game over the nation's reserve funds for unexpected calamities. The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is pushing to restore the reserve fund, which was significantly reduced by the opposition-controlled National Assembly late last year, while the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is advocating for a supplementary budget. In December, the National Assembly passed the 2025 budget bill, cutting the total reserve fund in half — from 4.8 trillion won ($3.6 billion) to 2.4 trillion won. The fund specifically allocated for disaster and emergency response was reduced from 2.6 trillion won to 1.6 trillion won. The PPP blamed the DPK for cutting the reserve fund and pushing for a large-scale supplementary budget. It also formed a special committee for wildfire disaster response and urged the government to expand the designation of special disaster areas. “The DPK not only drastically cut the reserve fund during last year’s budget review, but also left key govern
Mar 28, 2025
North Korea
Kim Jong-un could visit Russia in May: sources
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may visit Moscow in May on the occasion of Russia’s Victory Day, as the two countries have been solidifying bilateral military cooperation. The visit, if it occurs, would be another public display of a growing friendship between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This assessment was based on a recent meeting between Kim and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang. “We are closely monitoring for signs of the North Korean leader’s potential visit to Russia,” a senior unification ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Although the timing and exact location of Kim’s trip is unknown, some analysts speculate the timing of Kim’s possible visit could be either May or September when the Eastern Economic Forum takes place. The possibility of Kim not visiting Russia cannot be ruled out either, according to the analysts. A recent increase in high-level exchanges could be another sign that the two nations are preparing for a leaders’ summit. Friendly ties between Russia and North Korea have been expanding across all
Mar 27, 2025
Politics
Opposition leader acquitted of election law violation
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was found not guilty of violating the election law, in a ruling that could remove long-running legal risks that he has faced from criminal allegations. The Seoul High Court on Wednesday overturned the lower court’s ruling that Lee violated the Public Official Election Act by making false statements before the 2022 presidential election. This appellate court ruling comes 131 days after the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years. Lee was initially found guilty of making false statements during a parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in October 2021 when he was the governor. He had claimed that he rezoned the former site of the Korea Food Research Institute in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam, when he was the city mayor, due to pressure from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. However, prosecutors accused Lee of rezoning the site to give preferential treatment to private developers, causing losses to the city government. The lower
Mar 26, 2025
Politics
South Korea condemns China for installing unauthorized structures in West Sea
South Korea should strengthen efforts to prevent China from possibly conducting strategic operations to expand its control in the West Sea after installing unauthorized steel structures there, analysts warned Tuesday. Since 2018, China has been installing several large steel structures in a disputed area known as the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the West Sea, where the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Korea and China overlap. South Korean intelligence agencies estimate that one structure exceeds 70 meters in width and height. China insists that the installations are for aquaculture purposes, but South Korea fears that China is using “gray zone” tactics to expand its maritime sovereignty like it did when building artificial islands in the South China Sea. Gray zone tactics are state or nonstate actions that fall in the ambiguous space between peace and war, employing a range of coercive measures short of direct military conflict to achieve strategic goals. Kim Doo-young, former deputy registrar at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), said the Chinese-ins
Mar 25, 2025
Law & Crime
How did Prime Minister Han Duck-soo get reinstated?
The Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss a motion to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and reinstate him as acting president reflects that charges brought against him were not necessarily grave enough to warrant dismissal from office. In Monday's ruling, five of the eight justices voted against the impeachment motion, while only one justice approved it. Two justices voted to reject the motion entirely, citing the lack of support from the two-thirds of the National Assembly required for presidential impeachments. The ruling came 87 days after the National Assembly impeached Han over his alleged role in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration, among other reasons. At the heart of Han’s impeachment trial was his alleged involvement in the president’s martial law imposition, his refusal to appoint additional justices to the Constitutional Court, his refusal to designate a permanent special counsel to investigate insurrection charges against Yoon, his failure to promulgate two special counsel bills targeting Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee and his efforts to
Mar 24, 2025