SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study has revealed a significant decline in South Korea’s social cohesion over the past two years, marking a reversal from the heightened unity observed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) released these findings on August 4 in its [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — President Moon Jae In’s approval rating rose for a second consecutive week last week, apparently on a series of welfare programs that seek to provide additional support to low-income earners, a poll showed Monday. In a survey conducted on 2,529 voters throughout the nation, 73.9 percent said they approved [...]
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 [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – The former head of Lone Star Korea Steven Lee has been arrested in Italy after twelve years on the run. The 48-year old American citizen was apprehended by police earlier this month, according to the Ministry of Justice. His wanted status stems from questions over his role at the [...]
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 [...]