Opposition leader slams South Korean president on election day SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - South Korea's main opposition leader Jang Dong-hyeok launched a sharp election-day attack against President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday, accusing him of illegal campaigning and severe economic mismanagement. Speaking during a final election committee meeting at the National Assembly, the conservative leader urged voters to cast their ballots as an act of constitutional self-defense against the government. The address underscored the bitter polarization su June 3, 2026

Ruling party leader urges voter turnout citing historical one-vote margins SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - The ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae urged citizens on Wednesday to participate in the nationwide local elections, emphasizing that a single ballot carries the weight of South Korea's democratic history and can directly determine narrow races. Speaking at a central election committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Jung highlighted the statistical reality of close contests to combat voter apathy. He noted that the past si June 3, 2026

South Korea counts local election votes to decide political control SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - South Koreans turned out in large numbers for nationwide local elections on Wednesday, setting up a high-stakes verdict on the one-year-old administration of President Lee Jae-myung. Voting proceeded smoothly across 14,288 polling stations before ballot boxes were transferred to designated counting centers. The election serves as a critical midterm referendum that could either grant the ruling Democratic Party of Korea total control over local and national g June 3, 2026

South Korean local election turnout reaches 48.9 percent SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - Over 21.8 million people cast their ballots in South Korea's ninth nationwide local elections by 2:00 p.m. on election day. This pushed overall voter turnout to 48.9 percent, signaling potentially historic final participation levels. The mid-afternoon figure is 8.2 percentage points higher than the turnout recorded at the same time during the previous local elections four years ago. It also sits 2.1 percentage points above the 2018 elections, suggesting June 3, 2026

Update: Five killed in South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace factory explosion SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - An explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace factory in South Korea killed at least five people and injured two on Monday morning, according to police and rescuers. The blast prompted an emergency response as rescue workers continue to search for three unaccounted individuals. The incident occurred at 10:59 a.m. (0159 GMT) at the company's plant in Oesam, located in Daejeon's Yuseong District. Emergency dispatchers received about 30 simultaneous calls from peo June 1, 2026

Early vote surge clouds DP landslide hopes as Korea heads into June 3 local elections SEOUL, May 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s June 3 local elections are no longer looking like the ruling Democratic Party’s walkover, as record early voting and tightening battleground races raise the odds of a more contested outcome than President Lee Jae Myung’s party had expected. Early voting reached 12.11 percent as of 7 a.m. Saturday, with 5.41 million of 44.65 million eligible voters casting ballots, according to the National Election Commission. The figure was 1.45 May 30, 2026

AI wealth gap reaches city halls as Korea's chip hubs reap tax windfall SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - South Korea's artificial intelligence boom is creating winners far beyond the stock market, with cities hosting semiconductor plants emerging as some of the biggest beneficiaries of a tax windfall fueled by record earnings at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The central government is expected to collect tens of trillions of won in additional tax revenue this year as the AI-driven semiconductor boom boosts corporate profits and equity valuations. At the l May 29, 2026

Early voting for local elections gets off to strong start SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - Early voting for the June 3 local elections began across the country on Friday, with turnout already surpassing levels seen in previous elections, as President Lee Jae Myung and other prominent figures cast their ballots. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), voter turnout stood at 7.02 percent as of 2 p.m. on the first day of early voting, up 0.96 percentage points from 6.06 percent recorded during the 2022 local elections. Of the country' May 29, 2026

Foreign-owned homes in South Korea surpass 100,000, with Chinese accounting for most SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - Foreign-owned housing in South Korea has surpassed 100,000 households, with Chinese nationals making up the largest share. According to data released Friday by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, foreigners owned about 108,231 housing units, accounting for 0.55 percent of the country's 19.65 million homes as of 2025. The number of foreign-owned homes rose 8 percent last year, down from 9.6 percent a year earlier, though it still remaine May 29, 2026

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says Seoul to press Iran over vessel strike SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Thursday that Seoul will urge Iran to prevent any recurrence of the recent strike on the South Korean vessel Namu, though he added that Tehran is unlikely to acknowledge responsibility or issue an apology. In an interview with a South Korean media outlet, Cho suggested that he could soon hold another phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi following South Korea’s investigation into the attack. May 29, 2026