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Special Counsel Questions Yoon about Diplomatic Messages Defending Martial Law

[Politics] : Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol has appeared before a special counsel team to answer to charges of power abuse and obstruction of rights in connection with messages he intended to send to the U.S, justifying his failed attempt to impose martial law. Yoon, currently in custody at the Seoul Detention Center, ... [more...]

Gwangju Biennale to select artistic director through open call for first time

The Gwangju Biennale Foundation will select the artistic director of the 17th Gwangju Biennale through an open international call, replacing its longstanding recommendation-based appointment system. Under the previous system, artistic directors were selected from a pool of candidates recommended by a small committee. The foundation said the new approach is intended to create a "more open selection process," while placing greater emphasis on curatorial vision, exhibition content and planning capa

Progressives increase hold on education policy

With progressive candidates increasing their number of education superintendents across the country, the balance of power in education policy is set to shift further toward the progressive bloc. The number of progressive superintendents, which stood at nine after the previous elections four years ago, rose to 11 in Wednesday’s election. Incumbent Seoul Metropolitan Education Superintendent Jung Geun-sik was declared the winner at around 8:40 a.m. Thursday, securing a second term after earning 30

Exit polls put Jung Geun-sik on course for second term as Seoul education chief

Incumbent Seoul Superintendent Jung Geun-sik was projected to secure a second term Wednesday, leading the city’s education chief race as vote counting continued. “I don’t think this is my victory. Rather, it was possible because Seoul citizens understood and trusted the major policies of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education over the past year and a half,” Jung said after learning of the exit poll results Wednesday. “I believe I will have to build an integrated Seoul education curriculum th

2026 local elections in numbers

South Korea’s local elections on Wednesday stood out not only for their scale, but also for record figures that point to changing demographics, uneven competition and the sheer cost of running nationwide local polls. Voters cast ballots to choose leaders across multiple levels of local government, including governors, mayors, education superintendents and local council members. The number of foreign nationals eligible to vote in this year’s local elections reached a record 151,532, up 18.7 perce

Jung Geun-sik projected to win second term as Seoul education chief: exit polls

Liberal candidate Jung Geun-sik was projected to win Seoul’s education superintendent race Wednesday, exit polls showed, securing a second term as head of the city’s education office. Polls closed at 6 p.m., with exit polls giving Jung 39 percent of the vote, ahead of conservative candidate Cho Chun-hyuk, who received 21.2 percent. The exit polls were conducted by Korea’s three major broadcasters, KBS, MBC and SBS, at 595 polling stations nationwide. They surveyed every fifth voter who cast a ba

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At local polls, national politics weighs heavily on voters

Before the early summer heat had fully set in, residents in light clothing began lining up inside an elementary school in Seocho, southern Seoul, early Wednesday morning. Some arrived holding their family members’ hands, while others waited quietly with their arms folded. It marked the start of a long Election Day, with South Koreans casting up to seven ballots to fill local posts ranging from mayors and governors to education superintendents and local council members. Final results were expecte

Superintendent races leave voters with few clear choices as policy takes a back seat

Seoul’s crowded education superintendent race laid bare growing doubts over whether the current direct-election system helps voters choose education leaders based on policy. In the capital, both conservative and liberal blocs failed to field unified candidates, leaving eight contenders on the ballot for Wednesday's local elections in the most crowded superintendent race in the city’s history. Although education superintendent candidates do not run under party banners, they are widely grouped by

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Voting Begins for Ninth Nationwide Local Elections

[Politics] : Voting for the ninth nationwide local elections and by-elections kicked off at 6 a.m. Wednesday at over 14-hundred polling stations across the nation. Voters are selecting 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, 16 superintendents of education, 227 local government heads, and approximately ... [more...]

Hyosung supports descendants of independence fighters in Uzbekistan

Hyosung Group said Tuesday it has donated to the international children's rights organization Good Neighbors to support descendants of Korean independence activists living in Uzbekistan. The donation, made ahead of Korea's National Patriots and Veterans Month in June, is intended to honor independence fighters who devoted their lives to the nation's liberation and support their descendants. The program will assist 33 descendants and ethnic Koreans from 13 households in Uzbekistan. Hyosung and Go

What to know about South Korea's June 3 local elections

South Korea is set to hold nationwide local elections on Wednesday, with voters choosing governors, mayors, local council members and education superintendents across the country. The elections mark the ninth nationwide local elections since the restoration of local autonomy in 1995. Local elections are held every four years, midway between National Assembly elections, a schedule designed to prevent the two major electoral events from overlapping and to allow voters to assess local and national

What Seoul superintendent hopefuls promise multicultural students

Eight candidates are vying to lead the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in the June 3 elections. Among the challenges the winner will have to grapple with is how schools should respond to globalization and serve a growing diverse student body. More than 38,000 foreign residents are eligible to vote in Seoul, and candidates have outlined policies to strengthen language skills, expand international programs and support migrant and multicultural students. The Korea Herald asked all eight cand

Presidential chief of staff departs for Canada ahead of submarine deal

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, flew to Canada on Sunday as a special envoy of the president. Kang said via Facebook just before his departure from Seoul that his trip to Canada is intended to expand strategic cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, resources, supply chain and advanced technologies. He added that he was leading a delegation of the Lee administration, comprising officials from the Industry Ministry and Foreign Ministry, as well as

Seoul campaign roiled by banners opposing 'queer education'

Walking through Seoul, it is not hard to spot large election banners calling for "homosexuality education" to be expelled from schools, part of conservative Seoul education superintendent candidate Cho Jun-hyuk's campaign. The banners have become a political flashpoint in the June 3 Seoul superintendent race, with rival candidates and civic groups calling them discriminatory. Some groups have also argued that the banners may violate government guidelines on outdoor advertisements. “Expressions t

Russia threatens strikes on Kyiv defense sites, urges foreigners to leave

Russia said Monday that it intended ‌to launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, and urged foreigners to leave, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war. But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Kyiv's allies not to give in to "Russian blackmail." And the head of the ‌EU mission in the city said the 27-nation bloc was "not going anywhere." Russian Foreign Minister Serge