Strategic partnership inked with Slovakia

The leaders of South Korea and Slovakia agreed to elevate their ties by establishing the strategic partnership on Monday, at a summit held during the Slovak leader's visit to Seoul. Describing Slovakia as "an important European partner that shares common values in the face of the complex global crises," President Yoon Suk Yeol said during the summit in his office with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in Seoul that the strengthened diplomatic engagement would allow the tw

Sept. 30, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Real estate finance reform, industrial tech protection

Proposed bill: Real Estate Development Project Management Act Proposed by Rep. Kwon Young-jin (People Power Party) and Rep. Son Myoung-soo (Democratic Party of Korea) ● In the domestic market, real estate project financing is characterized by a low capital adequacy ratio and heavy reliance on third-party guarantees. As the volume of real estate PF increases, the need for systematic government management has become increasingly urgent. Therefore, this bill promotes the effective management of rea

Sept. 30, 2024

Yoon's approval rating sinks to lowest point since taking office: Realmeter poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has fallen to 25.8 percent, the lowest level since he took office in 2022, with the negative assessment of his performance topping 70 percent for the first time, a poll showed Monday. The survey, conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, showed Yoon's positive rating fell 4.5 percentage points from the previous week. The previous record low in Realmeter surveys was 27 percent in the second week of September. The survey att

Sept. 30, 2024

Prosecutors set to request sentencing for opposition leader over alleged perjury subornation

Prosecutors were set to request a sentence Monday for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of suborning a former mayoral secretary to make false court testimony in his favor in 2018. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, was indicted last year on charges of demanding a secretary of former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony in a 2018 election law violation case involving him. The Seoul Central District Court was scheduled to hold the closing hearing on the

Sept. 30, 2024

[Legal updates in Korea] How 'car camping' could now get you fined

● Updated law: Parking Lot Act What it does: Prohibits camping, cooking and lighting fires in public parking lots Took effect: Sept. 20 Punishment: Fine up to 500,000 won ($379.33) In recent years, “chabak,” or the trend of camping in one's car, has become a major trend in South Korea. While it has provided travelers with the benefits of convenient and flexible camping compared to pitching and sleeping in a tent, it has also contributed to a surge in fire hazards. Recent actio

Sept. 29, 2024

Opposition mulls delay of financial investment income tax

South Korea's main opposition party, whose lawmakers occupy a strong majority of the seats at the National Assembly, is leaning toward delaying the adoption of the financial investment income tax, observers said Sunday. The Democratic Party of Korea will likely agree with ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon's request last month to agree on postponing the implementation of the new investment tax policy set to take effect next year. During a press briefing Sunday, Democratic Pa

Sept. 29, 2024

Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon's resignation

Thousands of people gathered in the capital city of Seoul to call for Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation on Saturday, as a coalition of left-wing groups blamed the president for tensions on the Korean Peninsula and economic strains. According to police, about 5,000 people are estimated to have flocked to Sejongdaero at 3 p.m. near Namdaemun in central Seoul to protest Yoon's leadership, as the conservative president's five-year term is now about halfway through. The coalition estimated t

Sept. 28, 2024

Seoul should engage Kim Jong-un’s elites for change, ex-North Korean diplomat says

South Korea should make it easier for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s elites to switch sides and stir change, Lee Il-gyu, who was Pyongyang’s counselor of political affairs in Cuba, said Friday. “South Korea should engage not only North Korea’s general public but also its elites to elicit change from within North Korea,” he said at a forum hosted by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a National Intelligence Service think tank, at the National Assembly i

Sept. 27, 2024

Panmunjom tours for select Korean nationals may resume in October

Tours to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom might resume for Korean nationals in October, more than a year after former US soldier Travis King's crossing into North Korea suspended tours there. According to a source from the state-run National Institute for Unification Education, which operates the tour programs for Korean nationals, it is working with the United Nations Command on preparations for the tour program, which facilitates visits to the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone a

Sept. 27, 2024

Yoon's approval rating rebounds from record low after trip to Czech Republic

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rebounded following his trip to the Czech Republic to clear hurdles before finalizing a 24 trillion won ($18 billion) nuclear export contract, a poll showed Friday. According to Gallup Korea's poll, Yoon's job approval rating during the period between Tuesday and Thursday came to 23 percent, up 3 percentage points from the previous poll unveiled on Sept. 13. The figure in the previous poll hit the lowest point since Yoon's inauguratio

Sept. 27, 2024

3.3 tr won to be invested annually in reforming tertiary care hospitals to focus on critical patients

The government plans to invest 3.3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) of its health insurance funding annually over the next five years to reform tertiary care hospitals to better prioritize the treatment of critically ill patients, the interior minister said Friday. Minister Lee Sang-min made the remarks during a government meeting in response to ongoing walkouts by medical doctors protesting the government's medical reform, which includes a significant increase in the nationwide medical school a

Sept. 27, 2024

Assembly rejects 6 bills vetoed by Yoon in revote

All six contentious bills vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol were automatically scrapped Thursday, failing to pass a parliamentary revote. The National Assembly voted down four broadcasting bills, aimed at reducing the government's clout over public broadcasters, as well as a bill on providing cash handouts to the entire population and the so-called "yellow envelope" pro-labor bill, during a plenary session. The bills were ultimately scrapped as they failed to gain the two-thirds s

Sept. 26, 2024

Assembly passes bills to toughen punishment for deepfake sex crimes

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a total of 70 bipartisan bills, including legislation that imposes stricter punishments on people who possess and view deepfake pornography knowingly. The revision to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, Etc. of Sexual Crimes, seeks to penalize those who possess, purchase, store or view deepfake porn content with up to three years in jail or a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,500). After debate, lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party

Sept. 26, 2024

North Korea unveiling uranium enrichment site a US election-conscious move: NIS

South Korea’s spy agency considers North Korea publicizing leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to a previously undeclared uranium enrichment facility earlier this month to be a “US election-conscious move,” Rep. Lee Seong-kweon of the National Assembly intelligence committee said Thursday. “Kim’s visits to facilities related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program are rarely ever disclosed this way. The spy agency said the US presidential election was likely the

Sept. 26, 2024

Korea Inc. to invest W65tr in AI in 4 years

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to ramp up his administration's push to enhance the country's artificial intelligence capabilities through the creation of Presidential Committee on AI, as South Korea's private-sector tech companies also vowed to invest 65 trillion won ($49 billion) in AI-related projects through 2027. Companies investing in the upcoming AI projects will likely get tax benefits in return, according to Yoon's office. South Korea will also work to se

Sept. 26, 2024

Korea to offer W5m stipend to 1,000 science masters

To support the growth and development of science and technology talent, the South Korean government and the ruling party announced Thursday that it will launch a new program to provide 5 million won ($3,800) a year to 1,000 masters in science and engineering. The government and the People Power Party held a consultation meeting at the National Assembly to discuss the “Strategy for the Growth and Development of Science and Technology Talents.” According to the plan, the party will pro

Sept. 26, 2024

[Contribution] Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence

This year Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence and marks the 32nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. Thirty-three years ago, the Constitutional Act on the independence and state structure of Turkmenistan was adopted, according to which Turkmenistan was proclaimed as an independent democratic state. From the date of its independence, under the wise leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan has confiden

Sept. 26, 2024

Ex-lawmaker Cho, honorary SNU professor Jung picked as final candidates for Seoul's education chief

Cho Jun-hyuk, a former lawmaker of the predecessor of the ruling People Power Party, was chosen Wednesday as the conservative bloc's single candidate for the Oct. 16 by-election for Seoul's education chief. The conservative bloc's candidacy merger committee said Cho defeated two other right-leaning candidates in a public opinion poll conducted last Saturday. Educator Ahn Yang-ok and Korea University professor Hong Hoo-jo previously raised objections to the method of electing a sin

Sept. 25, 2024

Yoon declines to respond to query on alleged remarks over Marine's death

The presidential office has declined to respond to a court-approved query on whether President Yoon Suk Yeol had made remarks last year accused of interfering with a probe over a young Marine's death. Earlier this month, the court martial in central Seoul accepted Col. Park Jung-hun's request to inquire whether Yoon had made remarks opposing the booking of Maj. Gen. Im Sung-keun over the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who served in Im's unit, during a search mission for victims of he

Sept. 25, 2024

Panel decision put prosecution in dilemma over Dior bag case

South Korea's prosecution is facing a dilemma over the high-profile luxury Dior bag case involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, as the investigation review committee for the nation's top prosecution body gave the upper hand to the pastor who wishes to be indicted in the graft case in hopes of bringing the first lady to the court. A 15-member independent review committee for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Tuesday night recommended that Korean-American pastor Choi Jae-young be indicted for his allege

Sept. 25, 2024