President Yoon Suk-yeol saw his approval rating dip slightly at the end of last week, a survey showed, in the aftermath of the Halloween crowd crush. In a poll of 2,521 Korean adults conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, 34.2 percent positively assessed Yoon's job performance, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous week. Yoon’s disapproval rating was 62.4 percent, up ...

Former President Moon Jae-in returned to the state a pair of dogs that he had been in custody of since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave them as a gift in 2018, Moon's side and Presidential Archives said on Tuesday. One male named Songkang and a female named Gomi, both indigenous North Korean Pungsan-breed, were delivered to officials of the Presidential Archives at a university veterinary ho...

Democratic Party of Korea blasts Yoon over Itaewon response

As the world watches the outcome of the US midterm elections, South Korean experts say the results will bring subtle changes for Korea. If the Republican Party prevails, President Joe Biden's economic policies with US allies may see subtle changes, but the US stance on North Korean issues is unlikely to change, experts say. South Korea is paying special attention to the US midterm elections ove...

Amid criticism over wasted budget and inappropriate use of manpower, President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Kun-hee moved into the new official residence located in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, Monday, six months after Yoon's inauguration. The presidential office said that Yoon and his wife moved from their private residence in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, to the Hannam-dong residence on Mond...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the interior ministry Tuesday to double-check the country's anti-missile evacuation and other emergency response systems amid heightened tension in the wake of a series of North Korean missile launches. Han issued the order during a Cabinet meeting, saying there has been criticism of the government's air raid alert system when a North Korean missile flew acros...

Former President Moon Jae-in has notified the South Korean government of his intent to return the dogs that were gifted to him by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un back to the state. Moon on Saturday relayed his decision to the Ministry of Interior and Safety that he wishes to return a pair of dogs and their puppy that he was taking care of since May, according to local reports on Monday. Of the ...

Yoon strongly criticizes police and hints at major revamping of police

President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized to the nation Monday for the deadly Itaewon crowd crush, saying he will ensure a thorough investigation into the tragedy and hold those responsible to account. Yoon issued the apology during a meeting held to review crowd control and other safety regulations in the wake of the tragedy that killed 156 people on Oct. 29. "I dare not compare myself to the parents...

Candlelight vigils honoring the 156 people killed in the Itaewon crowd surge were held across South Korea over the weekend, with some gathering thousands of people. While the events were to commemorate the dead, some participants held signs calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol to step down and appeared focused on delivering a rebuke to the current administration. On Saturday, thousands of people...

President Yoon Suk-yeol sent a thank you letter and gifts to two miners who were rescued from a collapsed mine in southeastern South Korea after more than nine days, a presidential spokesman said Sunday. The two miners walked out alive after being trapped for 221 hours in the zinc mine in the county of Bonghwa, 244 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Friday. "A new hope was given to the Republic ...

South Korea’s two main political parties on Friday joined in criticism of North Korea for keeping up with its missile barrage while the country is grieving the 156 lives lost to the Halloween stampede in Seoul over the previous weekend. In a resolution adopted by its committee for national defense, the National Assembly said that North Korea firing missiles was a clear violation of both the Sept...

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday, where they promised cooperation in the economic and security sectors of the two countries and close cooperation in the event of further provocations by North Korea. After holding a summit at the presidential office building in Yongsan, the two leaders made a joint press announcement. "We both agreed t...

The United Nations Security Council said it would hold a meeting to discuss the North Korean issue at the UN Headquarters in New York at 3 p.m. on Friday, local time, amid the escalating North Korean provocations. This meeting, held at the request of the US, is the first in a month since the public meeting held on Oct. 5 in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic miss...

Halloween tragedy becomes a major challenge for Yoon government, reminiscent of political fallout from 2014 ferry sinking