Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said Wednesday that the government will use every possible policy measure to stabilize prices and people's livelihoods amid rising concerns of economic slowdown and higher inflation. Choo made the remark at a ruling party-government consultative meeting on economic policy, asking for parliamentary support for efforts to overcome the economic crisis. "We are in a d...

President Yoon Suk-yeol defended his wife Wednesday after she drew criticism for taking a friend along on a visit to pay respects at a former president's grave earlier this week. First lady Kim Keon-hee traveled to Bongha village, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Monday to visit the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun and meet with his widow, Kwon Yang-sook, at her home. Photos lat...

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday that nothing has been finalized regarding a potential summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Spain later this month. "With diplomatic issues, it's a bit difficult for me to confirm anything before it's decided, but nothing has been finalized," Yoon told reporters as he arrived for work. The president is se...

Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party on Tuesday proposed a bill aimed at strengthening parliamentary oversight of the government despite objections from the ruling People Power Party. Rep. Cho Eung-chon and 13 other DP lawmakers proposed revising the National Assembly Act in a way that empowers parliamentary standing committees to request revisions to presidential decrees or enforce...

The government will push for a speedy influx of immigrant workers to help alleviate labor shortages in farming, fishing and other industries in the wake of COVID-19, officials said Tuesday. Farms, fisheries and small-size firms, often reliant on immigrant workers, have been experiencing labor shortages in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as heightened border controls curbed the inflow of immig...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for truck drivers to end their strike causing widespread disruptions in the country's logistics networks, saying their "illegal" actions cannot be supported by people. Han made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting, as the nationwide walkout of truckers entered its eighth day, paralyzing operations at auto, steel, petrochemical and other sectors. "Please...

President Yoon Suk-yeol tapped a cybersecurity expert to be the third deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Tuesday, his office said. Baek Jong-wook, a professor of computer engineering at Gachon University, was nominated after previously serving as chief of the NIS national cybersecurity center, it said. The position of third deputy director is responsible for science a...

The presidential office is likely to get a new name Tuesday, an official said. Five names are currently in the running, after they were chosen from among 30,000 entries in a public contest. The five are The People's House, Itaewon-ro 22, The People's Government Office, Mineum Government Office and Bareunnuri. "I believe (the naming committee) will make a final decision today on which name to u...

The government will set up a new regular meeting to be presided over by President Yoon Suk-yeol to speed up regulatory reforms, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday. The Regulatory Innovation Strategy Meeting is aimed at swiftly cutting red tape and preventing promising projects from becoming bogged down in bureaucracy, Han told reporters. The meeting will serve as the "top decision maker o...

President Yoon Suk-yeol declined to comment Tuesday on whether a North Korean nuclear test was imminent, as his top diplomat was in Washington to discuss the allies' response should the test occur. Officials in Seoul and Washington have prepared for weeks against the possibility that Pyongyang will stage its first nuclear test since 2017 despite repeated warnings it would be met by a firm respon...

Seoul and Gyeonggi chiefs agree to cooperate on traffic, hold three-way meeting with Incheon to pick alternative landfill location

Kim insists on ‘end to dog eating’ in first interview on animal rights

Main opposition pushes for bill allowing lawmakers to revise presidential, prime ministerial decrees

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that there was nothing wrong with him and first lady Kim Keon-hee watching a movie the previous day shortly after North Korea fired artillery shots because the government took necessary steps in response. Yoon and the first lady watched the Cannes award-winning film "Broker" at a movie theater in Seoul on Sunday. But some critics said it was inappropriate for ...

President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters Monday to not read too much into first lady Kim Keon-hee's planned visit with the widow of former President Roh Moo-hyun, saying it was something she had wanted to do since last year. Kim is scheduled to pay a visit to Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of the former president who took his own life in 2009 amid a sprawling corruption probe, at her home in the southe...