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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.

DPK leadership hopefuls put presidential alignment, youth at center

What was expected to be a three-way race for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leadership gained an unexpected entrant Wednesday, as Rep. Koh Min-jung declared her candidacy, joining Rep. Song Young-gil and former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who announced his bid Monday. Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who stepped down as party chair last month, is also expected to formally enter the race in the coming days. Candidates have highlighted two themes: winning back younger voters and bringing the party into closer alignment with the presidential office ahead of the Aug. 17 convention, which will elect a new leader and Supreme Council to serve a two-year term under the Lee Jae Myung administration. Song, a former DPK leader and six-term lawmaker, made youth representation the centerpiece of his pledge, saying "Without the support from those in their 20s and 30s, we cannot win the presidential election in 2030." "If elected party leader, I will appoint two designated Supreme Council members in their 20s and 30s and establish a 2030 Special Committee and platform to give younger voices direct par

Jul 8, 2026By Park Ji-won
DPK leadership hopefuls put presidential alignment, youth at center

PM says one of her main focuses is to reduce suicides, lonely deaths

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Wednesday one of her main focuses is to come up with better measures to reduce suicides and lonely deaths in line with President Lee Jae Myung's signature policy goal of "politics saving people's lives." Han made the remark during a visit to Ven. Jinwoo, chief of the Jogye Order, Korea's largest Buddhist sect, after the monk noted that Korea lags behind many other nations in terms of people's happiness despite the country's economic success and increased income. "One of the first things that the president told me at the Cabinet meeting after I took office as prime minister is that with regard to politics that save people's lives, we need to look into not only suicides, but also various other factors and types of deaths, and study various policies," Han said. Han said she was briefed on these issues by the welfare ministry, police and other agencies earlier in the day. "There are many who die lonely deaths. I believe the government should think not only about how we can grow, but also about how we can share and how we can address these issues. That's why

Jul 8, 2026By Yonhap
PM says one of her main focuses is to reduce suicides, lonely deaths

PM says revised act will minimize negative effects of false information

The revised law on information and communication is aimed at minimizing negative effects of false information while guaranteeing the freedom of speech, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Tuesday, amid opposition claims that it amounts to putting gags on the people. The revision to the Information and Communications Network Act, which went into force on Tuesday, defines information that instigates violence and discrimination based on race, nationality, region, gender and other factors as illegal and requires platform operators to remove or block content that contains false or manipulated information. "The government will deal sternly with obviously false and fabricated information and illegal acts while guaranteeing the freedom of speech regarding legitimate criticism and various opinions," Han said during a Cabinet meeting. "Online platforms are a space for communication and act as an important arena for the development of democracy." Han said negative effects from false and manipulated information have grown and the revision is aimed at minimizing them. The main opposition People Power

Jul 7, 2026By Yonhap
PM says revised act will minimize negative effects of false information

Lee says despite failure, Canada submarine bid showed Korea's potential

President Lee Jae Myung expressed disappointment Tuesday that Canada chose a German company over a Korean consortium as the preferred bidder for a multibillion-dollar submarine procurement project but noted it proved Korea's potential. Lee posted his reaction on Facebook shortly after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems was chosen for the procurement program valued at up to 60 trillion won ($39.1 billion), beating the Korean consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. "Our submarines have proven their excellent performance and technology through square competition with the world's submarine powers," he wrote. "Although we did not get the result we wanted from the Canadian submarine project, I believe we once again showed our potential clearly to the international community." Lee pledged the government's full support until the day the country's submarines "defend peace and safety in the world's seas," including through research and development, export assistance and stronger cooperation with the international commun

Jul 7, 2026By Yonhap
Lee says despite failure, Canada submarine bid showed Korea's potential

PPP holds ethics committee meeting to review disciplinary measures against lawmakers

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) held an ethics committee meeting Monday to review possible disciplinary measures against its lawmakers, including those aligned with former party leader Han Dong-hoon. The closed-door meeting, the committee's first since the June 3 local elections, was held at the party's headquarters to review disciplinary requests submitted by party members. Among those expected to face disciplinary review are PPP lawmakers closely aligned with Han who accompanied the former party leader on a visit to the southeastern city of Daegu ahead of the local elections. According to party officials, the leadership views those lawmakers as having effectively supported Han, who ran as an independent and won the parliamentary by-election in the Buk-A constituency in Busan against other candidates, including the PPP's Park Min-shik. Those who have publicly called for the resignation of PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok are also expected to face disciplinary review. "Those found to have committed serious acts against the party should be permanently barred from rejoining the party

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
PPP holds ethics committee meeting to review disciplinary measures against lawmakers

Ruling party leadership race heats up as ex-PM officially enters contest

The race to lead the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is underway, with former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok formally entering the contest Monday ahead of the party's Aug. 17 convention, when members will elect a new leader and Supreme Council members to serve a two-year term. Kim, a four-term lawmaker who served as the Lee Jae Myung administration's first prime minister, announced his bid in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, pledging to bring the DPK into closer alignment with the presidential office. He framed his candidacy as a corrective to what he described as a breakdown in party-government relations under the outgoing leadership. "As the prime minister who was the president's governing partner, I understand the direction of state affairs more deeply than anyone else," Kim said during a speech officially announcing his bid for the party leadership. He added that he would draw on his experience of steering the party through local, parliamentary and presidential elections to support the success of both the party and the government. "To achieve the success of the Lee

Jul 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
Ruling party leadership race heats up as ex-PM officially enters contest

Lee calls for prompt execution of chip cluster, AI investment projects

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday called for the prompt execution of the government-led large-scale chip cluster and AI investment projects by expediting administrative procedures, including streamlining environmental impact reviews. The president made the call at a meeting with senior government officials and top executives of leading chipmakers — Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. — to discuss follow-up measures for the investment projects. Last week, the government unveiled the "three mega projects" initiative, centered on large-scale investments in semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers, as the country bets big on those advanced industries for its future. In particular, the government plans to establish a semiconductor production cluster in the southwestern Honam area, with Samsung and SK pledging to invest a combined 800 trillion won ($522 billion). "The world is witnessing very intense competition, while an entirely new future is being shaped around AI," Lee said in his opening remarks. "At a time when all-out competition that will deter

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Lee calls for prompt execution of chip cluster, AI investment projects

Ex-PM announces bid for ruling party leadership

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced his candidacy for leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Monday, vowing to reform the party for the success of the Lee Jae Myung administration. The four-term lawmaker made the announcement as the ruling party plans to hold a convention on Aug. 17 to elect its new chairperson and members of the party's Supreme Council. "With an unwavering sense of responsibility for the success of the Lee Jae Myung administration, I announce my candidacy for the leadership of the DPK," Kim said in the southwestern city of Gwangju, a traditional stronghold for the liberal party. Kim called for sweeping changes in the party, saying the DPK had failed over the past year to convert public approval for the Lee administration into support for the party and electoral success. Despite winning 12 of the 16 mayoral and gubernatorial seats in the June 3 local elections, the ruling party lost key battlegrounds, including the Seoul mayoral race. "We must restore the DPK as a capable, strong and winning party as it was under the leadership of Lee Jae Myung,"

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Ex-PM announces bid for ruling party leadership

Lee's approval rating inches up after 6-week decline: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating edged up for the first time in seven weeks, a poll showed Monday. In the poll commissioned by the EKN newspaper and conducted by Realmeter, Lee's approval rating rose 0.5 percentage point from the previous week to 47 percent, while disapproval of his performance fell 0.3 percentage point to 49.2 percent. Realmeter attributed the rebound to the government's announcement of the "three megaprojects" initiative, a 4,755 trillion-won ($3.11 trillion) investment plan centered on semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers. The pollster said, however, that the sharp decline in stock prices and the weak Korean won held back the rebound. The weekly survey, conducted on 2,525 people aged 18 and older from Monday to Friday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. In a separate survey conducted by the same pollster, support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea gained 2 percentage points from a week earlier to 43 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Lee's approval rating inches up after 6-week decline: poll

Government eyes new fund to invest tax windfall from AI-driven chip boom

The government plans to establish a new fund to effectively invest windfall tax revenue generated by the semiconductor industry’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven boom, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Sunday. He explained that the fund is intended to finance future priorities and challenges, including the government's three industrial megaprojects unveiled last week, as well as support for people in their 20s and 30s. "We must not spend the additional tax revenue resulting from the semiconductor upturn carelessly at this critical moment that will determine Korea's future," Kang said during a high-level meeting between the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) at the prime minister’s official residence in Seoul. He went on to say the Lee Jae Myung administration plans to establish what he called a "future response fund" to use additional tax revenue as a "source of investment for future generations." “The creation of the future response fund will lay the foundation for realizing an ‘irreplaceable Korea,’” he added, calling for close cooper

Jul 5, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Government eyes new fund to invest tax windfall from AI-driven chip boom
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