North Korea will likely top the agenda for President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden at the summit meeting in Seoul, but forming economic alliances and ties to contain China will also be high on the list for the US. The Yoon administration will face difficult choices as the US and China seeking to involve Korea, a strong player in strategic industries such as chips and batteries, in the...

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday raised concerns about rising inflation and economic difficulties in his first meeting with senior aides, telling them to keep a close eye on economic indicators and find measures to combat inflation. “The economy is challenging right now. The biggest problem is the price,” Yoon said at the meeting in the morning. His remarks come as Finance Minister Choo Kyu...

President Yoon Suk-yeol prioritized liberal democracy and market economy, believing freedom and rapid growth can resolve the multiple challenges the nation faces in his inaugural address on Tuesday. He also pledged to strengthen North Korea’s economy if it embarks on the denuclearization process. The inauguration ceremony was held at the National Assembly at 11 a.m. and had around 41,000 people ...

As he steps down from his five-year term, President Moon Jae-in said in his retirement speech Monday that he “put down his heavy burden” but hoped to see the momentum his administration had created continue. He also called on the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol government to resume dialogue efforts with the North and “move toward national unity” shattered since the election. The Moon Jae-in administrati...

The 15th World Forestry Congress concluded with the closing ceremony on Friday in Seoul, adopting the Seoul Forest Declaration. The five-day congress is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization and held every six years to share worldwide forest-related and environmental problems, like climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification, and devise solutions through forests. The closing...

President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation of Prosecutor-General Kim Oh-soo. In a written briefing Friday, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mi said, “President Moon accepted the resignation as it is difficult to procrastinate.“ Moon rejected the resignation of the prosecutor general once, but Kim expressed his resignation again to “take responsibility”, the presidential office said. Ki...

The United States and China are reviewing which key figures to send to the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on May 10, to stress the importance of their relations with Korea. Meanwhile, Japan is reported to have dropped plans for its prime minister’s attendance, as thorny issues remain unsolved. The US government will reportedly send second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, a lawye...

Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidential transition committee announced 110 national tasks on Tuesday. The tasks include reversing the phase out of nuclear power, cut real estate taxes, and improve welfare for soldiers. The team estimated that the new government would require an additional 209 trillion won ($165 billion) over the next five years to implement the plans. Yoon Suk-yeol’s government will scra...

President Moon Jae-in says he believes Korea’s experience in forest restoration and international forest cooperation can contribute to sustainable forest management around the world, in a message to mark Seoul’s hosting of the 15th World Forestry Congress, He suggested three ways in which Korea would contribute to the international community. “First, we will actively participate in the internat...

The World Forestry Congress, a five-day gathering that kicked off on Monday in Seoul, is where all stakeholders in the industry are meeting to review and discuss policies on forests and the environment under the theme of “Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests,” according to the secretary-general of the congress. The congress, held every six years, is the largest and most si...

The prime minister and foreign minister nominees on Monday were grilled by ruling party lawmakers over personal and family allegations at a confirmation hearing. Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo, whose confirmation hearing resumed Monday after a boycott by the Democratic Party of Korea, responded head on to the allegations. Lawmakers of the Democratic Party and the Justice Party bombarded hi...

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has appointed his close aide Kim Sung-han, who served as vice foreign minister during the Lee Myung-bak administration, as the head of the National Security Office in a new streamlined presidential office. “Nominee Kim Sung-han is an authority in foreign affairs and security, who served as the second vice minister of foreign affairs and trade, and has theoretical an...

Two weeks before the end of his term, President Moon Jae-in is reported to be contemplating whether to pardon former President Lee Myung-bak and Samsung leader Lee Jae-yong amid growing calls from religious and business groups on the grounds of “national unity.” Moon said in his last meeting with Cheong Wa Dae reporters on Monday, “It is true that people from all walks of life are requesting for...

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation to Japan met with key figures, including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, on Monday and agreed to improve Korea-Japan relations -- the state of which is considered to be at its worst since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1965. After meeting with Foreign Minister Hayashi in the morning, Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party, who le...

Japanese former and current prime ministers showing respect to a shrine housing a number of war criminals is fanning controversy in Korea as President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation to Tokyo is set to depart Sunday. On Thursday, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Yasukuni Shrine, which includes the enshrinement of Class A war criminals. This is his sixth visit since resigning fr...