경향신문

Mayors and governors are on leave to run for president

Following the impeachment of the former President Yoon Suk-yeol, sitting metropolitan and provincial leaders have been declaring their candidacy in the early presidential election on June 3. They will use up their annual leave to travel back and forth between local governments and the political hub of Yeouido in Seoul. Of course, they will continue to receive salaries and allowances during this period.There is little risk in losing a presidential primary race within their parties. They can...

2025.04.11 18:29

Lee Jae-myung declares presidential bid, pledges growth and pragmatism

Former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung on April 10 declared his candidacy for the presidential election on June 3, unveiling his vision for the country called the “K-Initiative,” which can be summarized as focusing on “economic growth” and “pragmatism.” He pointed to economic polarization as the root cause of the deepened social conflict following former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration on December 3 last year, and presented economic growth as the solution...

2025.04.11 18:26

South Korea prioritizes tariff adjustment while downplaying defense cost-sharing after call with Trump

A senior official from the Office of the Prime Minister on April 9 effectively ruled out the possibility of presenting a defense cost-sharing issue as part of a “package deal” in future reciprocal tariff negotiations with the U.S., stating, “It’s not a deal that involves only the defense cost-sharing issue.”Speaking to reporters at the Government Complex in Seoul on that day, the senior official responded to a question asking whether the government was preparing a package deal linking ta...

2025.04.10 18:04

Seoul faces legal pressure over refusal to disclose ‘ground subsidence safety map’

The issue of disclosing the Seoul Metropolitan Government's “ground subsidence safety map” in connection with last month's sinkhole accident in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, is expected to turn into a court battle. While civic groups are calling for the release of the map, the city maintains that “it cannot be released because it is classified and irrelevant to the sinkhole.”On April 9, the New Seoul Preparation Special Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) held a press conference, urgi...

2025.04.10 18:01

Volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung leaves court on high note

When Korean volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung of the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders announced her retirement on February 13, many people asked, “Why retire when you’re still playing so well?” Kim finally gave her answer after winning the 2024-25 V League Championship.Kim, who scored a team-high 34 points in the fifth game of the championship series on April 8 to clinch the title for the Pink Spiders, expressed her joy, saying, “I’ve always imagined retiring at the top, holding th...

2025.04.10 17:58

Samsung posts operating profit of 6.6 trillion won in Q1 exceeding market expectations

Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 6 trillion won in the first quarter of this year, exceeding market expectations. However, it is hard to be optimistic about the second quarter's performance as there are many variables, including the imposition of U.S. tariffs.Samsung Electronics said on April 8 that its consolidated operating profit for the first quarter was estimated at 6.6 trillion won. It is down 0.15 percent from 6.61 trillion won in the same period last year.Sal...

2025.04.09 17:57

Hyangrin Church happily closes its shelter after Yoon Suk-yeol's dismissal

Hyangrin Church in Jongno-gu, Seoul, announced the closure of its night shelter following the dismissal of former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office. The church, which had served as a gathering place for protesters for 25 days from March 11 until the morning of April 3, when the Emergency Action for the Immediate Removal of Yoon Suk-yeol and Social Reform began holding rallies, announced the “joyful closure.”In total, about 300 people visited the church during this period. The rooms for...

2025.04.09 17:54

Actress Lee Young-ae to return to stage after 32 years

"It's a work I chose with a mindset of learning. I'm sure Lee Young-ae on stage will be quite different from what you’ve seen in films or TV series."Actress Lee Young-ae (54) is returning to the stage after 32 years. At a press event for the play “Hedda Gabler” at the LG Arts Center Seoul on April 8, Lee said, "It's hard to perform on stage after such a long time, but it's so fun. Every moment is challenging, but I'm gaining several times more joy than the difficulties.”“Hedda Gabler...

2025.04.09 17:48

Heal your mind while listening to various sounds of Hongneung Forest

When you listen to the sounds of Hongneung Forest, recorded by Kim Song-hyun, an officer at the National Institute of Forest Science, on March 27, birdsong echoes through the space and leaves sway in the wind. It feels like walking in a forest together if you follow the sound of shoes stepping on a dirt road. Just listening to the sound with earphones on makes you feel like you have been to a quiet forest for a while.In January this year, the sound of stepping on leaves in a quiet forest...

2025.04.08 17:51

Kospi plunges more than 5 percent due to U.S. tariff concerns

The U.S. announcement of reciprocal tariffs has sent financial markets around the world into a panic as fears of a global recession grow. The Kospi and Kosdaq plunged more than 5 percent, triggering the worst panic selling since “Black Monday” in August last year. Foreigners sold more than 3 trillion won from the Korean stock market. The won-dollar exchange rate also rose by more than 33 won in a single day. Uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff policies is expected to continue, leading to vol...

2025.04.08 17:48