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Bipolarization of S. Korean Politics Reaches U.S. Capitol Riot Levels: Report

Bipolarization of S. Korean Politics Reaches U.S. Capitol Riot Levels: Report

SEOUL, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The perception gap between supporters of conservative and democratic parties about the performance of the South Korean presidency is growing to dangerous levels that may spark situations similar to the insurrections staged by supporters of Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol last year, a report showed Tuesday. The Korea [...]

S. Korea’s Parliament Opens New 4-year Term amid Pandemic Crisis

S. Korea’s Parliament Opens New 4-year Term amid Pandemic Crisis

SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Assembly kicked off its new four-year term Saturday amid the urgent task of containing the COVID-19 pandemic and curbing its economic fallout. The ruling Democratic Party dominates the 300-member parliament with 177 seats, while the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) holds 103 seats. But public [...]

N. Korean Defectors Eye Politics as Weapon to Make Voice Heard

N. Korean Defectors Eye Politics as Weapon to Make Voice Heard

SEOUL, March 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Back in North Korea, Ji Seong-ho saw elections as nothing more than a formality, because even a vote against the ruling Workers’ Party-picked candidates, let alone criticism of the government, could land voters in prison. Running for office was an unthinkable privilege reserved for elites and well-connected people. That’s [...]

Coronavirus Rattles S. Korean Politics 30 Days Before April Elections

Coronavirus Rattles S. Korean Politics 30 Days Before April Elections

SEOUL, March 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The new coronavirus is rattling South Korean politics just a month before the April 15 parliamentary elections, changing the way candidates campaign and shifting the overall focus to how the government has handled the outbreak. With COVID-19 infections totaling more than 8,000, experts say the elections are widely expected [...]

Feminist Ads Banned on Metro, but Birthday Messages for Idol Stars Allowed

Feminist Ads Banned on Metro, but Birthday Messages for Idol Stars Allowed

SEOUL, Jul. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Following backlash over its decision to disallow advertisements regarding feminism and politics in subway facilities, Seoul Metro has decided to ban all advertisements that feature personal views of individuals or interest groups. But experts say that the decision is bound to be controversial as the exact nature of what [...]

Beijing Confiscates Lotte Mart Generators, Auctions Them Off, Keeps the Returns

Beijing Confiscates Lotte Mart Generators, Auctions Them Off, Keeps the Returns

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — According to the “Beijing Youth Daily” on August 23, a Beijing city government task force ordered the removal of Lotte Mart generators in Juixianqiao and Yangqiao on the grounds of excessive energy use last year.  To add insult to injury, the Beijing paper reported that the city had recently [...]

Koreans Deem Political Stability Crucial amid Political Turmoil: Nielsen

Koreans Deem Political Stability Crucial amid Political Turmoil: Nielsen

SEOUL, March 7 (Korea Bizwire) – After months of political scandals that have left the nation much divided, political stability is now of great importance to South Koreans.  According to Nielsen’s latest report on consumer confidence, “economy” was the biggest concern for 33 percent of Korean consumers in the previous quarter (Q4 2016), followed by [...]