President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government Wednesday to take steps to designate 10 areas hit by wildfires as special disaster zones, his spokesperson said. The 10 are Hongseong, Geumsan, Dangjin, Boryeong and Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province; Seo Ward in Daejeon; Okcheon in North Chungcheong Province; Suncheon and Hampyeong in South Jeolla Province; and Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Prov...

The delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions arrived at Busan and was met with warm greetings from approximately 5,000 people on Tuesday morning as it began its on-site inspection of the southeastern port city amid its candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo. The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, kicked off i...

Presidential veto exercised for 1st time in 7 years

At Kia's booth, the BIE members checked out the automaker's latest EV9 model, and heard about the company's ESG initiatives. They then took a practice ride on the Office Omnipod by LG Electonics and listened to explanations about the company's state-of-art display technologies. In Samsung Electronics' booth, Specht wrote a short message regarding Busan's bid to host the Expo on a Galaxy S23 Ult...

President Yoon Suk Yeol offered condolences to the victims of the 1947-1954 mass killings of civilians on Jeju Island on Monday. “I remain committed to my promise that I stand with the victims of the April 3 massacre,” Yoon said in a written address read by Prime Minister Han Duk-soo at the ceremony held at the peace park in Jeju City. The president said it is the “duty of our country as a libe...

Five-day on-site inspection begins for Busan's World Expo bid

Rights activist-turned-lawmaker Rep. Ji Seong-ho of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party met with US Department of State officials on Thursday to discuss possible joint efforts in protecting the rights of North Korean defectors. “I think US officials showed deep interest in South Korea’s actions to improve the rights of North Korean residents and defectors, and the possible steps that the US ...

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung was met by competing crowds of protesters as he appeared for trial at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday. One protester was seen throwing eggs at the opposition leader. Loud chants of “Arrest him!” from opponents followed Lee, while another crowd of well-wishers blasted songs from a carry-on speaker to muffle the boos...

Seoul prosecutors believe onetime presidential hopeful and Democratic Party of Korea head Rep. Lee Jae-myung planned a solo trip to North Korea while he was still the governor of Gyeonggi Province, which neighbors Seoul. According to the indictment the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office submitted to the National Assembly on Thursday, after then-Gyeonggi Gov. Lee was excluded from the 201...

The presidential office announced on Friday that there would not be a joint concert of K-pop girl group Blackpink and American pop star Lady Gaga during President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming state visit to the United States. In a written statement, the office clarified that the performance being reported in the media is not included in the president's official schedule for his visit to the United S...

Grandson says Chun Doo-hwan was ‘criminal, murderer’

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has dropped to its lowest level in about four months, as negative public opinion has continued to emerge after his summit in Japan with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Gallup Korea asked 1,000 people between March 28-30 whether they thought President Yoon was doing his job well, and the result was 30 percent positive and 60 percent negative. Compared to a...

Four richest Assembly members worth at least W50b each

Prosecutors filed for a warrant Friday to arrest Cho Hyun-chun, a former head of the now-defunct Defense Security Command, over the suspected masterminding of a martial law plan while the then President Park Geun-hye faced an impeachment trial in 2017. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office raised abuse of authority and political meddling charges against Cho as it applied for the warrant....

Corruption erodes freedom, putting democracy at greater risk, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, at a meeting South Korea co-hosted to bolster ties among global democracies against authoritarian rule. The speech -- given in person on the second day of the Summit for Democracy, a two-day US-led gathering that started Wednesday with a videoconference of world leaders -- marks South Korea’s lat...