my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Politics

Buddhist sect leader seeks understanding for huge rally against alleged bias by gov't

Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, gives a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Seoul International Buddhism Expo held at the Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention (SETEC) in southern Seoul in this Nov. 11, 2021 photo. NewsisBy Park Han-solVen. Wonhaeng, president of the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, the Jogye Order, has called for public understanding for the recent mass rally of monks held to protest against what they called the Moon Jae-in administration's “religious bias” against Buddhism.On Jan. 21, some 5,000 monks and other Buddhists from across the country gathered at the Jogye Temple in central Seoul. The participants said what triggered the rally of such scale, despite concerns over the coronavirus, was a recent string of governmental actions allegedly fueled by an “anti-Buddhist bias.”The Jogye Order's members took offense at the remarks made by Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at a National Assembly audit last year, when he denounced UNESCO-designated Haein Temple that houses the &ld

Feb 11, 2022By Park Han-sol
Buddhist sect leader seeks understanding for huge rally against alleged bias by gov't

Lee pledges to seek constitutional revision for renewable, 4-year presidential term

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung / Yonhap Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung pledged Friday to pursue a constitutional revision if elected to change the current single, five-year presidential term to a renewable, four-year term.Lee of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has talked about the idea before, saying he would gladly become the first president to shorten his term to four years.On Friday, he made the plan official by submitting it as part of his top 10 campaign pledges to the National Election Commission, the election watchdog.With regard to his economic pledges, Lee vowed to introduce an annual universal basic income of 1 million won ($834) within his term. He said he would start the program, which has long been one of his pet projects, with an annual payment of 250,000 won.Other pledges included improving financing and housing opportunities for young people in their 20s and 30s, raising exports to $1 trillion a year

Feb 11, 2022
Lee pledges to seek constitutional revision for renewable, 4-year presidential term

From neckties to hairdos, style makes or breaks Korea's presidential candidates

Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) greets people near Geumchon Station in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 26, 2022. Joint Press Corps.Experts say Lee Jae-myung's salt and pepper hair charms people, while Yoon Suk-yeol's forehead looks dignifiedBy Ko Dong-hwanFrom left, Ahn Mi-ryeo, chairperson of the Korea Professional Makeup Artists Career Exchange Association; Choi Min-lyoung, president of CML Beauty Design Center; and Yena Cho, president of CMK Image KoreaAs Korea's March 9 presidential election nears, candidates are spending most of their time hitting the streets across the country campaigning for votes. Wherever they go and whatever they do, one thing they have in common is that they each have their own style: seen in the hairdos, choice of neckties and even unisex makeup. Their first TV debate on Feb. 3 offered viewers a chance to compare all four candidates not only in terms of the way they express their policy points verbally but also in terms of how they present themselves.But have the candidates always been on top of their styles during the campaign? Accordi

Feb 11, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
From neckties to hairdos, style makes or breaks Korea's presidential candidates

Lee, Yoon tied at 35 percent support in presidential race: survey

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, left, shakes hands with the main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on Nov. 24 in 2021. NewsisLee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, is tied with his rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party at 35 percent support, a survey showed Thursday. Lee's support was unchanged from two weeks ago, while Yoon gained 1 percentage point, according to the poll of 1,007 adults conducted Monday to Wednesday by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research.Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party garnered 9 percent support, down 1 percentage point from two weeks ago. Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party gained 2 percentage points to post 4 percent. When asked to pick the candidate most likely to win, 43 percent of the respondents chose Yoon, while 34 percent opted for Lee.The survey also found that 45 percent said an opposition candidate must win the March 9 election, while 42 percent said a ruling party candidate should

Feb 10, 2022
Lee, Yoon tied at 35 percent support in presidential race: survey

Lee vows to destroy illegal Chinese fishing boats

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, visits the Korea Coast Guard's West Sea Special Security Unit in Incheon's Jung District, in this Dec. 30, 2021, photo. Korea Times filePresidential election is not for electing military commander: Minor progressive Justice Party leaderBy Jung Da-minLee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has drawn concern and derision from opposition parties for his recent remarks that if elected, he would instruct the military to fire upon and destroy illegal Chinese fishing boats, which have become a headache for South Korean fishermen in the West Sea.The opposition parties and their presidential candidates have criticized Lee for causing unnecessary diplomatic tensions with his inappropriate messages. They alleged that Lee is trying to use the Korean public's anti-China sentiment that erupted after two South Korean short track speedskaters were disqualified in an event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which many Koreans claim was an unfair move by

Feb 10, 2022
Lee vows to destroy illegal Chinese fishing boats

Environmental groups chastise candidates for neglecting climate

Members of the Korea Federation of Environmental Movements' Incheon branch, hold up signs after the group and other local environmental groups jointly issued a statement on Feb. 9 criticizing the four leading presidential candidates for neglecting the climate crisis in their pledges. The signs warn the candidates, “Do not push us to the brink of climate catastrophe with your deceptive politics,” “An election with no mention of the climate crisis is a precursor to climate catastrophe,” and “The candidates must squarely face the climate crisis and honestly respond to it.” Courtesy of Climate Media HubActivists urge candidates to hold climate policy debate By Ko Dong-hwanA coalition of local environmental groups issued a joint statement Wednesday, accusing leading candidates of the upcoming presidential election of being engrossed in criticizing each other while neglecting public concern over the climate crisis.More than 18 groups joined in penning the statement out of urgency, including the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, Green Korea an

Feb 10, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Environmental groups chastise candidates for neglecting climate

President slams opposition candidate's remarks on corruption probe

Moon Jae-in speaks during a luncheon with a group of young people preparing for self-reliance at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. YonhapTurning deaf ear to Moon's demand for apology, Yoon responds he and Moon are on the same page about corruption investigations By Nam Hyun-wooPresident Moon Jae-in expressed strong resentment toward main opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol Thursday, who said he would be willing to “investigate if the Moon government was involved in any corruption scandals,” should he be elected.So far, the President has tried to refrain from commenting on the March 9 presidential election, but he broke his silence, demanding an apology from Yoon, once his hand-picked prosecutor-general, saying the candidate has groundlessly accused the administration of unspecified crimes.Senior presidential secretary for public communication Park Soo-hyun speaks during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Yonhap“Yoon should answer what he meant with his remarks about the probe. Does he mean there were any wrongdoings committed

Feb 10, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
President slams opposition candidate's remarks on corruption probe

Moon demands apology from opposition presidential candidate for pledging probe into 'corruption involving anyone'

Park Soo-hyun, senior secretary for public communication, speaks to reporters at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Feb. 10. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in demanded an apology from main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, Thursday, for his remarks indicating the launch of an investigation into alleged corruption of the current administration if he is elected.Moon expressed "strong resentment" over Yoon's remarks and criticized the candidate for attacking the current administration with "groundless" allegations, according to Park Soo-hyun, senior secretary for public communication. In an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo daily earlier this week, Yoon said he will launch an investigation into the "deep-rooted evils" of the Moon Jae-in administration if he wins the March 9 presidential election. The remarks sparked strong criticism from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the presidential office. In July 2019, Moon appointed Yoon prosecutor general, but their relat

Feb 10, 2022
Moon demands apology from opposition presidential candidate for pledging probe into 'corruption involving anyone'

Moon congratulates Hwang for victory

President Moon Jae-in / Yonhap President Moon Jae-in congratulated short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon, Wednesday, for winning the men's 1,500m and bringing South Korea its first gold medal of Beijing 2022.Moon sent a congratulatory message to Hwang shortly after the skater grabbed his first career Olympic gold medal, according to Cheong Wa Dae. In the message, Moon praised Hwang's "overwhelming talent" and lauded his win as a feat that wiped away "the sense of unfairness" that he had undergone following the recent officiating controversy in this week's 1,000m event.The president also said Hwang's gold performance will remain in the memories of people for a very long time and encouraged other South Korean Olympic athletes to do their best at the Games. (Yonhap)

Feb 10, 2022
Moon congratulates Hwang for victory

Anti-China sentiment emerges as new variable in presidential election

Members of civic organizations hold a protest against China, accusing the country of violating basic human rights and calling for a boycott against the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, near the Chinese embassy in central Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapExperts say situation may affect neck-and-neck raceBy Jung Da-min Anti-China sentiment, which erupted suddenly due to controversial decisions by judges at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has become an unexpected variable swaying the upcoming presidential election, with swing voters in their 20s and 30s responding emotionally to the incidents. Rival political parties are scrambling to take a dig at China in order to appeal to those voters. Many Koreans, ranging from presidential candidates to the general public, have expressed anger toward China after the disqualification of two of their 1000m short track speedskaters, calling the refereeing decisions “biased and unacceptable.”Anti-China sentiment among Koreans was stoked by China's economic retaliation against Korea's deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAA

Feb 9, 2022
Anti-China sentiment emerges as new variable in presidential election
previous page
616617618619620
next page

Most Read in South Korea