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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.

Rival presidential candidates in spending binge competition over pandemic relief funds

Lee Jae-myung, left, and Yoon Seok-youl / YonhapThe presidential candidates of South Korea's two main political parties have promised extravagant national budget spending on COVID-19 relief funds despite opposition from financial authorities over fiscal soundness, with both denouncing each other's pledge as vote-buying. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), has floated an idea of giving additional handouts of 300,000-500,000 won ($250-$425) to all people, while Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), came up with a proposal of spending 50 trillion won to compensate the self-employed and small business owners hit by the pandemic. Lee, a former Gyeonggi Gov. has been claiming the relief amount so far doled out by the government is too small considering the nation's GDP and in comparison with other countries. He said his universal relief grant scheme can be financed, as the government is expected to log excess tax revenue of some 40 trillion won for this year. "We have financial resources, because

Nov 10, 2021
Rival presidential candidates in spending binge competition over pandemic relief funds

Moon vows to complete return to normal life

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Nov. 9. YonhapWith half year in office remaining, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his administration will do everything possible for a complete return to normal life from the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recovery.South Korea began easing virus curbs this month in its first step of its "living with COVID-19" policy after more than 70 percent of its population were fully vaccinated. Still, health authorities remain on high alert as virus cases could trend back upward again. Moon's single, five-year term ends May 9 next year. "The government will make utmost efforts to achieve a complete return to normal life until the end," Moon said at a Cabinet meeting. Moon said he will focus on containing the spread of COVID-19 and propping up an economic recovery during his final six months as president. Life with COVID-19 will be different from life before the pandemic, Moon said, urging more people to get vaccinated and comply with containment rules, including wearing masks. The phased recovery of daily routin

Nov 9, 2021
Moon vows to complete return to normal life
  • New COVID-19 infections below 2,000 for 2nd day amid eased curbs
  • Parents in quandary over vaccinating children

Both ruling, opposition presidential candidates face 'wife risks'

By Jun Ji-hyeWith former Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl having won the presidential nominations of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and main opposition People Power Party (PPP), respectively, the campaigns by their potential first ladies ― their wives ― are attracting public attention as well. Kim Hye-gyeong, 55, the wife of Lee, and Kim Kun-hee, 49, the wife of Yoon, are both preparing to start their public appearances soon in a bid to support their husbands, but the two could also pose risks to their husbands' election chances due to past and ongoing controversies surrounding them. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, sits on a bench with his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, during their visit to Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, Aug. 7. Captured from Lee Jae-myung's Facebook accountKim Hye-gyeong was embroiled in a huge controversy in 2018 over suspicions that she owned the Twitter account @08_hkkim, which spread damaging statements for several years about her husband's rivals w

Nov 9, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Both ruling, opposition presidential candidates face 'wife risks'
  • Presidential candidates of both ruling, opposition parties struggle to win public support
  • Attention grows on main opposition candidate's wife

Election camp of PPP runner-up disbanded

Hong Joon-pyo, a lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), waves at supporters at his presidential primary election campaign office on Yeouido, Seoul, Monday, as it is disbanded following his defeat by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl in the final primary last Friday. Yonhap

Nov 8, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Election camp of PPP runner-up disbanded

Presidential candidates of both ruling, opposition parties struggle to win public support

Presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party / Yonhap Yoon leads Lee by almost 12 percentage points in pollBy Kang Seung-wooLee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have won their parties' nominations as the candidates for next year's presidential election, but their respective primaries showed that they both have the task of raising their low popularity among the general public. In light of both candidates' low approval ratings, the election, scheduled for March 9, 2022, is feared to end up a choice between the lesser of two evils. In that respect, Lee, who is being plagued by a land development speculation scandal, and Yoon, who failed to win support from young voters in the primary, are seeking to improve their images as grassroots-friendly candidates, while appealing to young vo

Nov 8, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Presidential candidates of both ruling, opposition parties struggle to win public support
  • Can Moon finish his term without lame duck period?
  • Both ruling, opposition presidential candidates face 'wife risks'

Bad blood remaining between Moon and main opposition candidate

People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl, center, walks into the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, to pay respect to deceased veterans, Monday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooThe hostility between President Moon Jae-in and People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl is apparently still evident, with the presidential office showing an awkward response to the candidacy of Yoon, who was Moon's first prosecutor general. Cheong Wa Dae had, as of Monday, yet to release a direct message from Moon on the selection of Yoon as the PPP's presidential candidate, Friday.“So far, there is no plan to release a message on Yoon's PPP primary victory,” a presidential official said. Instead of congratulating him, the office is considering sending flowers to all opposition candidates ― Yoon, minor opposition conservative People's Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and minor opposition progressive Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jeung ― through a presidential secretary. This is in contrast to when the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) s

Nov 8, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Bad blood remaining between Moon and main opposition candidate

Moon orders utmost efforts to stabilize supply of urea water solution

President Moon Jae-in / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed aides to mobilize all possible measures to stabilize a supply of urea water solution amid growing public concerns about a worsening shortage of the key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions due to tightened imports.Moon also ordered aides to "make utmost diplomatic efforts to secure" urea water solution from foreign countries, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee told reporters.The government will take stern actions against illegal market activities surrounding urea water solution, Moon told aides, according to Park.South Korea has been grappling with a shortage of urea water solution, known as diesel exhaust fluid, and its surging prices in recent weeks, since China tightened exports of fertilizers and related materials, including urea, in October amid a power crisis caused by a coal supply shortage. South Korea heavily relies on China for its supply of urea water solution, as 97.6 percent of its import came from China in the first nine months of this year. (Yonhap)

Nov 8, 2021
Moon orders utmost efforts to stabilize supply of urea water solution
  • Gov't to inspect illegal market activities surrounding urea water solution amid shortage
  • Gov't mulls using military urea water reserve to help ease supply shortages
  • Korea to import 200 tons of urea from Vietnam amid supply shortage

Yoon leads ruling party candidate by nearly 12 percentage points in presidential race: survey

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party / YonhapYoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party, is leading his opponent Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party by nearly 12 percentage points in a hypothetical multicandidate race, a survey showed Monday.Yoon garnered 43 percent support against Lee's 31.2 percent in the survey conducted on 1,009 adults nationwide on Friday and Saturday, according to the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI).Yoon's rating jumped 10.6 percentage points from the previous week, while Lee's dropped 2 percentage points.Ahn Cheol-soo, the candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, earned 4.7 percent, followed by Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive Justice Party with 3.7 percent and former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon with 1.4 percent.Lee Kang-yun, head of the KSOI, said Yoon's support rose on the back of the PPP national convention Friday where he was named the presidential nominee."As competition heated up toward the end of the primary, interest among the support base

Nov 8, 2021
Yoon leads ruling party candidate by nearly 12 percentage points in presidential race: survey
  • Yoon says he is open to inter-Korean summit, but not 'for show'

Moon's approval rating near record low

Moon Jae-in / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell to a near record low, while that of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) rose to a new high after the PPP nominated a former top prosecutor as its presidential candidate, a poll showed Monday. Moon's rating dropped to 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percentage points from a week ago, according to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,525 people over the age of 18 from Nov. 1-5. In the Realmeter surveys, Moon's lowest rating of 33 percentage points was recorded in the fourth week of April this year.In contrast, the PPP saw its approval rating rise to a record high of 46 percent, up 3.4 percent from a week earlier. Last Friday, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl was named the presidential nominee of the PPP in the main opposition party's hotly contested nomination. Yoon emerged as a powerful opposition hopeful during his public feuds with the Moon administration over prosecution reform and politically sensitive probes.Bae Cheol-ho, a senior analyst at Realmeter, said the PPP's public support was buoyed by last Frida

Nov 8, 2021
Moon's approval rating near record low
  • Can Moon finish his term without lame duck period?

Can Moon finish his term without lame duck period?

President Moon Jae-in speaks to the media after attending a meeting of central Europe's informal cooperation body, the Visegrad Group, or V4, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday (local time). AP-Yonhap President maintains solid approval rating despite harsh criticism of policiesBy Jung Da-min With about six months left before President Moon Jae-in leaves office, his support is still hovering at around 40 percent, far higher than the approval rates of other former presidents in their final year, which often fell below 20 percent or 30 percent. The solid high approval rate is notable especially when so many people are critical of his policies, specifically those on real estate.According to a poll conducted on 1,000 adults from Nov. 2 to 4 by Gallup Korea, Moon's approval rating stood at 37 percent. In the previous nine weeks, the rate fluctuated between 36 percent and 41 percent.In the latest poll, 25 percent of those who approved of Moon's job performance said they acknow

Nov 8, 2021
Can Moon finish his term without lame duck period?
  • Presidential race begins in earnest
  • Moon's approval rating near record low
  • Presidential candidates of both ruling, opposition parties struggle to win public support
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