Korea steps up support for war veterans as monthly allowance reaches W490,000

South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Monday it is expanding support for Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, as the country marks Patriots and Veterans Month in June. According to the ministry, veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars receive a monthly honorary allowance of 490,000 won ($324) this year. The allowance, first introduced in 2002 at 50,000 won, has steadily increased. Local governments also provide separate monthly allowances for war veterans, averaging 263,00

2026-06-01 17:40:51:00

Lee says ‘republic of unearned real estate income’ will come to an end

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday warned against tax evasion in real estate transactions, reiterating his administration’s drive to keep the market in check. “Illegal real estate speculation and tax evasion can no longer be tolerated. We must break free from this ruinous republic of unearned real estate income,” he wrote on his X account, sharing a link to a news article about real estate tax evasion. The Lee administration has stressed the need to contain the country’s real estate market from t

2026-06-01 17:30:25:00

Bill aims to expand honors for families of UN Korean War veterans

A bill has been proposed to codify scholarship programs for the grandchildren of Korean War veterans from UN participating nations and designate separate commemorative dates for each country’s role in the war. The bill, proposed by Rep. Jung Hee-yong of the main opposition People Power Party, is a revision to the Act on the Elevation of Honor of UN Korean War Veterans. It would designate 20 dates to commemorate the participation of 22 UN nations. The dates would mark the day on which troops from

2026-06-01 14:01:35:00

S. Korea, Singapore defense chiefs discuss stronger defense, arms industry cooperation

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back met with his Singaporean counterpart Chan Chun Sing on Sunday in Singapore to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral defense and arms industry cooperation, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said. The talks took place on the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, a major annual security forum held in Singapore. During the meeting, the two ministers agreed to further deepen cooperation in the defense and defense industry sectors, in line with the two countries’

2026-05-31 15:04:07:00

S. Korea to simplify passport reissuance process from June

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry will simplify the passport reissuance process starting next month, allowing applicants to request a new passport in person without bringing their existing passport, even if it is still valid. The ministry said Thursday that from June 1, South Koreans applying for passport reissuance before their current passport expires will no longer be required to present their existing passport. Until now, applicants seeking to reissue a passport with remaining validity had to b

2026-05-28 14:53:39:00

Seoul’s Defense Minister to attend Shangri-La Dialogue, meet Japanese counterpart

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will attend the 23rd Asia Security Summit in Singapore from Friday to Sunday, and hold talks with defense chiefs from several countries, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. During this year’s meeting, Ahn is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. It will be Ahn’s first meeting with Koizumi since January when the two sides held defense ministerial talks Japan. At the upcoming talks, the two sides are expect

2026-05-28 14:09:08:00

Busan mayoral debate takes unusual turn as candidate proposes lie detector test

Tuesday’s televised debate among Busan mayoral candidates took an unusual turn when a minor opposition candidate proposed that his rival take a lie detector test. Much of the debate followed the usual course, with the two main-party candidates — Democratic Party of Korea’s Chun Jae-soo and People Power Party’s Park Heong-joon — exchanging barbs and accusations over alleged irregularities in each other’s past endeavors as government minister and Busan mayor. Chun formerly served as oceans and fis

2026-05-27 17:45:39:00

North Korea resumes missile launch after one-month pause

North Korea on Tuesday launched projectiles towards the West Sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. According to the JCS, several ballistic missiles were fired at about 1 p.m. from a location near Chongju, North Pyongan Province. The JCS said that the launch included different types of missiles, including close-range ballistic missiles. The missiles covered about 80 km, and South Korean and US militaries are conducting a detailed analysis of the projectiles, the JCS said. South Korea's p

2026-05-26 15:41:57:00

N. Korea denounces Japan’s security policy revision as ‘challenge to international peace’

North Korea on Monday denounced Japan’s move to revise its three key national security documents aimed at strengthening defense capabilities and increasing defense spending, calling it “a blatant challenge to international peace and humanity.” In an article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, the North claimed Japan’s push to revise the documents was an attempt to become “a war state and war merchant, in order to realize their century-old am

2026-05-04 14:46:54:00

North Korea rejects cybercrime allegations, accuses US of smear campaign

North Korea on Sunday dismissed allegations that it is behind international cybercrimes, including hacking and cryptocurrency theft, calling it “absurd slander” aimed at tarnishing the country’s image. In an article carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the North’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of attempting to spread what it called a false perception of Pyongyang’s cyber activities. In the article, the ministry claimed that the US has mobilized government agencies, media outlets and othe

2026-05-03 11:31:42:00