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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.

Nation heads to polls to select local gov't chiefs, councilors

Koreans will head to polling stations to select their local government chiefs and council members as voting for the ninth local elections begins Wednesday. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 14,288 locations nationwide. Voters will elect 16 metropolitan city mayors and provincial governors, 227 local government heads, 3,973 local council members and 16 education superintendents. By-elections for 14 National Assembly seats will also be held alongside the local polls. Vote counting will begin immediately after polls close. Record early voting turnout has raised expectations for higher overall participation. According to the National Election Commission, 10.49 million voters already cast ballots during the two-day early voting period held Friday and Saturday, resulting in a turnout of 23.51 percent. The figure surpassed the 2022 local elections' early voting turnout rate of 20.62 percent. The highest voter turnout in local elections was 68.4 percent, in the inaugural elections held in 1995, while the lowest was 48.9 percent in 2002. The most recent local elections in 2022 recorded a turn

Jun 3, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Nation heads to polls to select local gov't chiefs, councilors

Rival parties make final push for support on eve of local elections

The ruling and opposition parties made last-ditch appeals for support Tuesday, the eve of nationwide local elections, a vote widely seen as a test of public sentiment toward President Lee Jae Myung's first year in office. Up for grabs in the June 3 elections are 16 mayoral and gubernatorial posts, along with 227 heads of local governments and some 4,000 members of local councils. This year's elections carry added significance as 14 National Assembly seats are also at stake in parliamentary by-elections, to be held alongside the local elections, with several political heavyweights running in the races. Surveys conducted before a blackout period of election-related polls last week pointed to a tighter-than-expected race between candidates from the ruling Democratic Party of Kroea (DPK) and their rivals from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). Wrapping up the 13-day campaign period, the DP appealed for support in regions ranging from the traditional conservative stronghold of Gangwon Province to the liberal party's turf of the Jeolla provinces. DPK leader Jung Chung-rae was set to

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
Rival parties make final push for support on eve of local elections

Cabinet approves revised labor law allowing hourly use of paid annual leave

The Cabinet approved Tuesday a revised labor law allowing the hourly use of paid annual leave, which is currently permitted only on a daily basis. Under the revised Labor Standards Act, workers will be allowed to take paid annual leave on an hourly basis, as well as in full-day units, with employers who violate the provision subject to penalties, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The revision also requires employers to allow workers to leave immediately after four consecutive hours of work without taking a rest break, if they so request. Under the current law, employers must provide a rest break during working hours, often requiring workers to remain at the workplace for a break even after completing four hours of work. The current law mandates a 30-minute break after four hours of work and a one-hour break after eight hours of work. The revision also prohibits employers from dismissing or disadvantaging workers for taking or applying for paid annual leave. The provision allowing the hourly use of paid leave will take effect one year after the revision's promulgation, while the provision on res

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
Cabinet approves revised labor law allowing hourly use of paid annual leave

Cheong Wa Dae eyes Cabinet, aide reshuffle after local elections

Cheong Wa Dae is poised to carry out a broad reshuffle spanning both the Cabinet and the presidential office after Wednesday’s local elections, according to ruling party and government officials, Tuesday. The projected shakeup comes as President Lee Jae Myung approaches his first anniversary in office, Thursday, and looks to build fresh momentum for the remainder of his term. The prospect of a reshuffle has been fueled by growing speculation that Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will resign after the elections to run for the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). The leadership race has already begun to take shape, with Kim widely seen as a likely challenger to incumbent DPK Chairman Jung Chung-rae. Kim’s departure would require Lee to appoint a new prime minister, prompting speculation over potential successors, including Cabinet ministers and senior presidential aides. A chain of promotions and transfers would follow, leaving a number of posts to be filled across the government. “With the president marking his first anniversary in office, he will likely prefer someone

Jun 2, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Cheong Wa Dae eyes Cabinet, aide reshuffle after local elections

Lee urges stern punishment for intentional spreading of false information

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for stern punishment for those knowingly spreading misinformation, citing an ongoing police investigation into the circulation of online fake news claiming the government will force people to sell U.S. dollars. The president made the call on his X account, attaching a news article reporting that the police have identified 10 people suspected of circulating fake news claiming the government will issue an emergency order requiring the sale of dollars to address an economic crisis stemming from the Middle East conflict. "The act of intentionally spreading false information and causing social confusion and economic damage should be identified and punished sternly," Lee wrote on the account. The president insisted that spreading fake news to the detriment of the public cannot constitute freedom of expression or be tolerated. "Any acts that harm people or destroy public order and values are tantamount to serious crimes that should be punished severely, even if they were committed as a joke," Lee noted. As claims about the dollar sale circulated in onlin

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
Lee urges stern punishment for intentional spreading of false information

Foreign voting rights under strain as information barriers persist

The number of registered foreign voters in Korea hit a record 151,532 ahead of the June 3 local elections, but turnout keeps falling, dragged down by language barriers, lack of outreach and little awareness that the right exists at all. In the 2022 local elections, just 13.3 percent of eligible foreign voters cast a ballot. In Korea, foreign nationals aged 18 or older can vote in local elections — for mayors, governors, district heads, local councilors and education superintendents — three years after obtaining an F-5 permanent residency visa. Chinese nationals make up the overwhelming majority, accounting for roughly 78 percent of eligible foreign voters for the 2022 elections. As the eligible foreign voter pool grows, some election commissions and candidates are stepping up multilingual outreach. Regional branches of the National Election Commission (NEC), including the office in Gangwon Province, are distributing voting guides in multiple languages — including versions in English, Chinese and Vietnamese — to assist eligible foreign voters. Some candidates publish their policy

Jun 2, 2026By Park Ji-won
Foreign voting rights under strain as information barriers persist

LEE'S 1ST YEAR IN OFFICE President turns social media into governing tool to boost transparency

When former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, then-opposition leader Lee Jae Myung launched a Facebook livestream as he scaled a wall to reach the National Assembly and vote to block the decree. The footage made headlines for offering a raw, firsthand look at the crisis — a scene only people on the ground could have captured and exactly the kind of unmediated moment that has defined Lee's political brand. A year into his presidency, that instinct for direct communication remains central to how Lee governs. Long before taking office, Lee built his political brand on X, formerly Twitter, using the platform's speed and reach to bypass mainstream outlets that paid little attention to a politician who rose from a local government post rather than a major political party. As president, he carried that habit into Cheong Wa Dae, generating engagement and using the platform to build public momentum for his policy agenda. At a roundtable co-hosted by The Korea Times and the Korean Institute for Presidential Studies on May 13, experts assessed Lee's first year of soc

Jun 2, 2026By Park Ji-won
[LEE'S 1ST YEAR IN OFFICE] President turns social media into governing tool to boost transparency

Political parties scale back campaigning after deadly factory explosion

The leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties urged candidates in the upcoming local elections to scale back or tone down their campaign activities Monday following a deadly explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace factory in the central city of Daejeon. At least five people were killed and two others injured in the explosion, which was reported at 10:59 a.m. in the city located some 140 kilometers south of Seoul. Rep. Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), immediately instructed party candidates and election camps nationwide to suspend their campaign activities. "DPK leader Jung has urgently instructed all DPK candidates and camps to halt campaigning and refrain from using campaign songs or dance performances following the Hanwha Aerospace factory accident in Daejeon," the party said in a press notice. Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), called on candidates to tone down their campaigning and to avoid playing music or dancing during campaign rallies, according to the party's election committee. "I pray for the souls

Jun 1, 2026By Yonhap
Political parties scale back campaigning after deadly factory explosion

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

PM reportedly preparing to offer resignation after local elections

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is preparing to offer his resignation after this week's local elections as he plans to run for the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), news reports said Monday. Kim plans to express his intention to resign to President Lee Jae Myung right after Wednesday's local elections to run in the race for the party leader that will be determined at the party's national convention in August, the Kyunghyang Shinmun daily and other media outlets reported. But Kim is expected to remain in office until his successor becomes ready to take over, the reports said. The issue could be discussed when Kim holds a weekly lunch meeting with Lee on Monday. On Tuesday, Kim is also scheduled to hold a dinner party with Cabinet members, which some political observers say could be a farewell gathering, though Kim's office said the meeting was set up to mark the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Lee administration. Speculation has persisted for months that Kim, a key political ally of President Lee, could step down and try to take over the party from current

Jun 1, 2026By Yonhap
PM reportedly preparing to offer resignation after local elections
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