Yoon addresses economic concerns over Israel-Hamas conflict

In light of the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian military group Hamas, President Yoon Suk Yeol underscored the urgency to address potential economic consequences during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. The Israeli government officially declared war on Hamas after the Palestinian militant group launched more than 5,000 rockets into Israel on Saturday. As the conflict enters its third day, nearly 1,500 people are dead and more than 6,000 are injured on both sides. The South Korean

Oct. 10, 2023

Blame game builds up on 1st day of parliamentary audit

A series of flare-ups gave rise to a political blame game at the South Korean National Assembly's audit sessions that kicked off Tuesday. The ruling People Power Party and main opposition Democratic Party of Korea bickered over the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial approval of a new defense minister and a leadership void in the judiciary system for the first time in 35 years. Also topping the agenda was Seoul's stance over the release of treated wastewater in ea

Oct. 10, 2023

South Korean elections vulnerable to North Korean hacking threats: spy agency

South Korea’s election systems may be vulnerable to foreign hacking threats and are in need of fortification ahead of next year's general election, the National Intelligence Service said Tuesday. In a rare press briefing, the NIS shared the results of a cybersecurity screening that showed the election watchdog had been targeted by both attempted and successful attacks from North Korea and that it had remained unaware of the exposure. The NIS cybersecurity experts said that the electio

Oct. 10, 2023

[Busan is Ready] Korean leaders circle the globe 409 times for Expo bid

With only 48 days left before the vote to determine the venue for the 2030 World Expo, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo embarked on another last-minute trip to Europe last week to bolster South Korea's bid. According to his office, government and business leaders have traveled a total of 16,408,822 kilometers as of September -- equivalent to circling the globe 409 times -- in their efforts to promote the Busan Expo. The total number is the sum of the distance traveled by President

Oct. 10, 2023

National Assembly kicks off last parliamentary audit before general elections

The National Assembly on Tuesday kicked off the last parliamentary audit before its term ends next year, with rival parties expected to try to take advantage of the 24-day audit for political gains ahead of April's general elections. The 17 parliamentary standing committees will audit a total of 791 government institutions. The ruling People Power Party plans to focus on getting to the bottom of various corruption allegations related to the previous government, including the Moon Jae-in adm

Oct. 10, 2023

Yoon instructs govt. to thoroughly prepare safety measures for S. Koreans in Israel

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government Tuesday to thoroughly prepare safety measures for South Korean residents and travelers in Israel amid its escalating conflict with the Hamas militant group. Yoon gave the instruction during a Cabinet meeting, while noting that the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East could increase economic uncertainties. "As the Israel-Palestine situation is turning into a full-scale war, I ask relevant ministries, with the foreign ministry at the cente

Oct. 10, 2023

PM revs up final pitch to promote Expo bid in Paris

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a symposium in Paris as part of his four-nation European trip, ramping up efforts to promote South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern city of Busan, his office said Tuesday. After his arrival in Paris, Han participated in the Busan Expo Symposium 2023 on Monday, coinciding with the 50-day mark before the Bureau International des Expositions selects the host city for the quinquennial global event, the office said. The symposium brought to

Oct. 10, 2023

Bitter clashes expected at final Assembly audit before election

The National Assembly will begin the final audit before next year's legislative general election from Tuesday, with the ruling and opposition parties gearing up for a push to win over voters. The general election in April next year will decide if the Yoon Suk Yeol administration will have the support of a ruling People Power Party-controlled Assembly. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea currently holds a substantial majority in the Assembly and has used it to put the brakes on several

Oct. 9, 2023

Voter interest reaches all-time high for critical Seoul district election

Anticipation is building in Seoul ahead of the Oct. 11 by-election to choose the head of the capital city’s western district of Gangseo, which the two major parties’ strategists believe will offer a preview of the general election in April next year. The trends in early voting, which wrapped up Sunday, indicate a surprisingly high level of enthusiasm among voters. According to the National Election Commission, 113,313 voters -- or 22.6 percent of the 500,603 registered voters in th

Oct. 8, 2023

Unification ministry urges NK to immediately send detained S. Koreans back home

The unification ministry on Sunday urged North Korea to immediately send a South Korean pastor and five other nationals back home, condemning their yearslong detention as "illegal and inhumane." The ministry made the appeal in a statement marking 10 years after South Korean pastor Kim Jung-wook was arrested in Pyongyang in 2013 and then sentenced to hard labor for life on charges of spying for South Korea's spy agency. In 2014, two other South Korean missionaries, Kim Kuk-gi and C

Oct. 8, 2023

Yoon appoints new defense, culture ministers without parliamentary confirmation

President Yoon Suk Yeol approved the appointments of new Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and new Culture Minister Yoo In-chon on Saturday, the presidential office said. Shin, a lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party and a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was nominated by Yoon last month. He replaced Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup who offered to resign amid the main opposition Democratic Party's push to impeach him over his handling of a military investigation into a young

Oct. 7, 2023

First lady meets haenyeo, expresses respect, gratitude

First lady Kim Keon Hee met with a small group of haenyeo -- female divers from Jeju Island who have traditionally harvested by hand mollusks and seaweed from the sea for a living – in Jongdal-li, Gujwa-eup, Jeju Island, Friday, and expressed respect and gratitude to them for maintaining the tradition despite difficult conditions. About 10 people attended the meeting, including some who have been diving in Jeju for decades and others who recently came to Jeju from Seoul to learn how to bec

Oct. 6, 2023

Lee attends first trial on his development corruption, bribery cases

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, recuperating from his 24-day hunger strike at a hospital, appeared at a court in Seoul on Friday to attend his first trial on charges of development corruption and bribery arising from his term as mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, years ago. The chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party attended the trial held at the Seoul Central District Court to deliberate on charges against him of breach of duty, conflict of interest, bribery and concealment of crimin

Oct. 6, 2023

Parliament to vote on Supreme Court chief justice nominee

The National Assembly was set to vote Friday on a confirmation motion for Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-ryong, with the possibility of rejection looming. The motion can be rejected if main opposition Democratic Party lawmakers vote against it during a plenary session set for the afternoon, as the party holds a majority with 168 seats. If the nomination is rejected, it would mark the first such rejection in 35 years since the 1988 nomination of Chung Ki-seung was voted down. It wou

Oct. 6, 2023

Partisan rage erupts over Yoon’s new Cabinet picks

The confirmation hearings for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s nominations for three Cabinet posts have become the latest partisan battleground, as the nominees faced intense scrutiny appearing before the National Assembly on Thursday. The first day of the hearing for Kim Haeng, who has been tapped for the position of minister of gender equality and family, was interrupted by Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers’ vociferous objections to the nomination choice. The gender equality minister no

Oct. 5, 2023

Prosecution raid ministries over housing price data manipulation allegations

The prosecution on Thursday raided the Ministries of Land and Finance, Statistics Korea and the Korea Real Estate Board over allegations that the previous Moon Jae-in administration manipulated statistics on housing prices. The move came after the Board of Audit and Inspection requested an investigation into allegations that Moon's presidential office and the Land Ministry at that time of his presidency abused their power and forced the Korea Real Estate Board to manipulate figures in a wee

Oct. 5, 2023

[Busan is ready] Korea in final push to promote Busan expo

With less than two months remaining before the final vote to decide the host city of the 2030 World Expo, the South Korean government, along with private and civic organizations, is making an last push to secure the global event for the city of Busan. During the United Nation's General Assembly last month, President Yoon Suk Yeol met over 30 leaders around the world to ask for their support in the upcoming final vote, at a summit room filled with brochures and hangers written "Busan Is

Oct. 5, 2023

S. Korea to crack down on illegal immigrants

The government is set to begin a two-month crackdown next week on foreigners staying or working illegally in the country, the Ministry of Justice said Thursday. The crackdown, the third of its kind that will last through Dec. 9, will mainly focus on foreigners who work in entertainment services or those with criminal records, as well as companies that habitually employ undocumented foreigners and their brokers. "The basic policy of our government is to flexibly expand legal stays and strict

Oct. 5, 2023

PM orders measures to prevent public opinion manipulation on web portals

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday ordered South Korea's Cabinet to set up a pan-governmental task force to prevent "fake news" from "manipulating public opinion." The government, based on an estimate by the state-run media watchdog, the Korea Communications Commission, suspects that two foreign internet users left 20 million reactions cheering for the Chinese soccer team within a few hours on an online forum dedicated to the men's soccer match between South K

Oct. 4, 2023

Culture minister nominee warns celebrities to be cautious over political speech

Culture Minister nominee Yu In-chon said Tuesday that public figures should be careful when speaking out publicly, when asked about his thoughts on a social media post by a singer concerning Japan's discharge of contaminated water. “Although anyone is free to express their opinions, when it comes to celebrities or public figures who have social influence, they should be careful when they publicly speak about something because it comes along with responsibility," he said in a writ

Oct. 4, 2023