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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Opposition leader claims has established 'hotline' with US Republican Party

Opposition leader Jang Dong-hyeok said Monday he has established a "hotline" with key members of the Republican Party during his recent visit to the United States, rejecting criticism from within and outside his party that the trip may have been fruitless and badly timed. Jang of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) made the remarks at a press conference held shortly after he returned from a 10-day visit to the U.S. The trip was widely panned as it took place less than two months before the June 3 local elections and produced a viral photo of what critics said looked like Jang and PPP Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo posing for a photo shoot in front of the Capitol building in Washington. "I met and listened to the opinions of many people in the U.S. government, Congress and the American establishment, and fully conveyed our position as well," Jang said during the press conference at the National Assembly, declining to name the people. "I established an actual hotline with key members of the U.S. Republican Party and created a foundation of trust to hold up the shaky Korea-U.S.

Apr 20, 2026By Yonhap
Opposition leader claims has established 'hotline' with US Republican Party

Lee's approval rating hits record high 65.5%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has hit a record high of 65.5 percent since his inauguration in June last year on achievements in the economy and energy security, a poll showed Monday. According to a survey conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by EKN newspaper, 65.5 percent of the 2,519 respondents aged 18 or older positively assessed Lee's performance, up 3.6 percentage points from the previous poll. The previous high was 64.6 percent in the second week of July last year. Also in the latest survey, conducted nationwide from last Monday until Friday, 30 percent of the respondents viewed Lee's performance negatively, down 2.8 percentage points from the previous poll, while 4.5 percent said they were unsure. "The increase in the approval rate was driven by achievements in the economy and energy security, such as the securing of large amounts of crude oil amid the Middle East crisis and the KOSPI's recovery to the 6,200-point level," the pollster said. Lee's hard-line remarks on Israel's alleged mistreatment of Palestinians and his attendance at a ceremony commemorating the 2014

Apr 20, 2026By Yonhap
Lee's approval rating hits record high 65.5%: poll

DPK’s Chong Won-o, PPP’s Oh Se-hoon to compete in Seoul mayoral race

Seoul’s mayoral race scheduled for June 3 has taken shape, with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) selecting incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon as its candidate to compete with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) nominee, Chong Won-o. Oh won the PPP’s primary on Saturday, beating Rep. Park Soo-min and former PPP Rep. Yun Hee-suk. It was widely expected that Oh would be chosen as the conservative candidate in the crucial Seoul race, as he is one of the few heavyweights remaining in the conservative camp as its approval ratings plummet, driven by the party’s internal feud over whether to distance itself from impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol. It is Oh’s fifth bid for the Seoul mayor position. Up to three consecutive terms are allowed for a local government head, and while Oh was elected mayor in 2006 and won a second term in 2010, he resigned following a row over a school lunch policy. He then won a by-election in 2021 for a third term and was reelected in 2022 for a fourth term. If reelected again, he will serve a record fifth term as a local government

Apr 19, 2026By Park Ji-won
DPK’s Chong Won-o, PPP’s Oh Se-hoon to compete in Seoul mayoral race

Lee urges Nat'l Assembly to appoint special presidential inspector

President Lee Jae Myung renewed his calls for the National Assembly to swiftly begin procedures to appoint a special inspector general tasked with investigating corruption involving the president's family, a senior aide said Sunday. In a press briefing, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Lee stressed the need to appoint the independent inspector general to oversee misconduct by the president's spouse and close relatives as part of efforts to tighten discipline among public officials and enhance public trust. "Lee believes the appointment of an inspector general is necessary in accordance with the principles of democracy and people's sovereignty that 'all powers must be monitored through institutions,'" Kang said. "We ask that the National Assembly swiftly resume the procedures as the president has expressed his firm commitment." The independent inspector general position was established in 2014 under then President Park Geun-hye, but it has been left vacant since 2016. By law, the National Assembly must recommend three candidates with at least 15 years of legal experience, fr

Apr 19, 2026By Yonhap
Lee urges Nat'l Assembly to appoint special presidential inspector

Lee vows to defend democracy on anniv. of 1960 pro-democracy uprising

President Lee Jae Myung stressed the importance of defending democracy Sunday as he marked the anniversary of a 1960 pro-democracy civil uprising that led to the ouster of Korea's first President Rhee Syng-man. In an address on the 66th anniversary of the "April 19 Revolution," Lee likened people's resistance during the 1960 uprising to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid in 2024, saying the "loud cry" of the people helped topple an "arrogant and unjust regime." "It was the spirit of the April 19 revolt, which ended the ruthless dictatorship and was rooted in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, that enabled Korea to overcome the cold night of insurrection in December 2024," Lee said at the April 19th National Cemetery in northern Seoul, which holds the remains of those killed in the uprising. Lee highlighted the need to safeguard democracy, saying, "Only then can we prevent anti-democratic forces from taking away our freedom again and trampling on the precious daily lives of our people." "The military boots of dictatorship dig into the cracks of inequality and poverty

Apr 19, 2026By Yonhap
Lee vows to defend democracy on anniv. of 1960 pro-democracy uprising

Lee appeals to conservatives via luncheon with ex-Daegu mayor

President Lee Jae Myung appears to be broadening his appeal to conservative voters ahead of the June 3 local elections, recently hosting a luncheon with Hong Joon-pyo, a key conservative politician. Hong has been a high-profile, right-leaning politician, most recently serving as the mayor of Daegu, a longstanding conservative stronghold, from July 2022 to April 2025. Cheong Wa Dae described the luncheon on Friday as being held “in the interest of national unity,” referring to a deepening political divide between conservatives and liberals. Nevertheless, political sources reckon that the meeting carries broader implications, considering Hong left the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) last year. With just over 40 days remaining until the local elections, Hong also publicly endorsed former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate for Daegu mayor. “Under the circumstances, Friday’s luncheon clearly signals Lee's intent to expand toward centrist and conservative voters,” Park Sang-byung, a political commentator, said Sunday. Shin Yul, a po

Apr 19, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Lee appeals to conservatives via luncheon with ex-Daegu mayor

Cheong Wa Dae denounces NK missile launch as violation of UNSC resolution, calls for immediate halt

The presidential Office of National Security on Sunday condemned North Korea's ballistic missiles launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, calling for an immediate halt. The office convened an emergency meeting led by Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun-jong to analyze and assess the North's latest missile launch, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written press briefing. The office expressed concerns over the North's increasingly frequent ballistic missile launches and urged Pyongyang to immediately halt provocations that clearly violate the U.N. Security Council resolutions. It also instructed relevant agencies to step up their readiness posture as President Lee Jae Myung is set to depart for India later in the day for a two-nation trip that also includes a visit to Vietnam. Kang said the office also reported the North's latest launch and response measures to the president. The North fired the missiles from the Sinpho area in the North at around 6:10 a.m. Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The JCS earlier said it is closely monito

Apr 19, 2026By Yonhap
Cheong Wa Dae denounces NK missile launch as violation of UNSC resolution, calls for immediate halt

DPK picks 3-term lawmaker as candidate for Jeju governor

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Saturday nominated Rep. Wi Seong-gon, a three-term lawmaker, as its candidate for Jeju governor, party officials said. Wi will face the main opposition People Power Party's candidate, Moon Sung-yu, in the high-stakes June 3 local elections. A native of Jeju, Wi has won three consecutive terms representing a constituency on the southern island. With Wi's nomination, the DPK has finalized its candidates for all 16 mayoral and gubernatorial posts up for grabs in the upcoming elections.

Apr 18, 2026By Yonhap
DPK picks 3-term lawmaker as candidate for Jeju governor

PPP nominates incumbent Oh Se-hoon as candidate for Seoul mayor

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said Saturday it has chosen incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon as its candidate for the mayoral race in the June 3 local elections. Oh beat PPP Rep. Park Soo-min and former PPP Rep. Yun Hee-suk in a three-way primary, Rep. Park Duk-hyum, the party's nomination committee chief, said, setting him up against candidate Chong Won-o of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the mayoral election. Oh will be aiming to win his third consecutive and fifth non-consecutive term as mayor of Seoul. In a press conference after the announcement, Oh cast the Seoul mayoralty as the "last safeguard" against the "recklessness" of the Lee Jae Myung administration. "These local elections are not routine elections held every four years but the final battleground for the restoration of the rule of law and balanced democracy," he said at the party's headquarters. Oh pledged that in the event he is reelected, he will take it as the citizens' command to rebuild the opposition party. The mayor appeared to refer to the disarray within the PPP following former Presiden

Apr 18, 2026By Yonhap
PPP nominates incumbent Oh Se-hoon as candidate for Seoul mayor

Why Korea’s new religion bill is rattling Protestant churches

A proposed South Korean bill that would sanction religious groups accused of systematic political intervention has sparked a fierce backlash from conservative Protestant leaders and opened a wider debate over the constitutional separation of religion and state. The controversy centers on a bill to prevent political interference by religious groups, an amendment to the Civil Act proposed by independent Rep. Choi Hyuk-jin and governing party lawmakers. Triggered by a Japanese court’s dissolution order for the Unification Church, the legislation would allow the government to revoke permits and seize the assets of religious organizations that are judged to have interfered in politics and harmed the public interest in violation of election laws. This move has spotlighted the second clause of Article 20 of the Constitution: “No state religion shall be recognized, and religion and state shall be separated.” Bill prompts wider church pushback While the bill is widely seen as targeting the Unification Church and the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a controversial religious sect, conservative Pr

Apr 17, 2026By Hankookilbo
Why Korea’s new religion bill is rattling Protestant churches
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