January 5, 2026 – South Korea Headlines

Story gist: People Power Party recruited Lee Hye-hoon, praised for sincerity. She called a party cooperative operating committee member ‘bus guide origin,’ prompting internal backlash and demands for party president Lee to apologize for vetting failure and withdraw the nomination.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Hankyoreh emphasizes People Power Party’s aggressive demands for their president’s apology and nomination withdrawal, underscoring internal conservative disarray. Center Yonhap provides neutral exclusive on the rude remark without broader implications. Right-leaning Chosun highlights rapid cracks in the party’s support base from the touted recruitment, focusing on reputational damage.

Story gist: Lawmaker Kim Byung-ki met a People Power Party heavyweight for breakfast during President Yoon Suk-yeol’s term. His wife’s internal investigation concluded one month later. Reports also cover related allegations of employment requests for relatives and nomination donation irregularities.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Hankyoreh leads with exclusive on Kim’s PPP meeting implying favoritism in probe closure, emphasizing scandal. Center Daum highlights incriminating quote on son’s minimum-wage job request, focusing on direct impropriety. Right-leaning Donga Ilbo stresses ruling party’s view of nomination suspicions as ‘individual deviations’ warranting no full probe, downplaying systemic issues.

Story gist: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung arrived in Beijing, China, for a state visit and began with a meeting with overseas Koreans. He described China as an important partner for Korean Peninsula peace with endless cooperation fields.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Hankyoreh leads with Lee’s direct quote praising China as a peace partner and cooperation potential, emphasizing positivity. Center Policy Briefing neutrally reports arrival and initial expatriate meeting, focusing on itinerary facts. Right-leaning Donga Ilbo stresses China’s upgraded reception from vice minister to minister level and Lee’s ‘new 30 years’ vision for relations, highlighting mutual elevation.

Story gist: US President-elect Donald Trump warned Venezuela’s vice president that failing to do the right thing would result in greater costs.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets frame Trump’s statement as opening a ‘rogue superpower era,’ highlighting international concerns over a dangerous precedent for ousting Maduro and potential pretext for China’s Taiwan invasion, with alarmist tone and emphasis on risks. Center outlets neutrally report the quote verbatim. Right-leaning coverage is absent, omitting supportive views of Trump’s tough stance.

Story gist: A man in his 60s was arrested for posting over 700 online comments mocking victims of the 2022 Itaewon Halloween crowd crush, including claims it was staged. This is the first arrest for secondary victimization related to the disaster.

Bias summary: Left-leaning MBC emphasizes the arrest as the first for ‘serious crime’ of secondary harm. Center Daum details the man’s 700 mocking posts claiming the ‘disaster was staged.’ Right-leaning Chosun Ilbo quotes President Yoon condemning mockery as ‘inhuman’ and pledging to hold disinformation spreaders accountable, focusing on official resolve.