Seoul thanks Japan for assistance in evacuating nationals from Middle East

South Korea has expressed appreciation to Japan for its assistance in evacuating Korean nationals from the Middle East amid ongoing regional instability. President Lee Jae Myung sent a letter on Tuesday to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, thanking Tokyo for its support in safely transporting South Korean citizens. According to the presidential office on Wednesday, Japan helped evacuate 12 individuals from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 and four Korean nationals from Muscat, Oman, on Ma

2026-03-18 13:07:25:00

Satellite images suggest THAAD capabilities remain in South Korea

Satellite imagery showing components of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system have emerged, indicating that the missile defense system likely remains operational, despite reports that some assets were redeployed to the Middle East amid escalating tensions involving the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. Images captured Thursday by commercial satellite company Planet Labs and shared on Monday by Jeffrey Lewis, a nonproliferation expert at the Middlebury Instit

2026-03-17 17:09:47:00

North Korea debuts its own 'humanoid robots'

North Korea has developed humanoid robots for public and educational use, a Japan-based pro-North Korean outlet reported Tuesday. According to the report by Choson Sinbo, robots developed at a university of education in Pyongyang — named Dojeon and Sujae — have been introduced to provide teaching assistance. The newspaper did not provide details on whether the robot is fully operational or explain its technical capabilities. However, similar robots appear to have already been demonstrated public

2026-03-17 14:28:10:00

President Lee Jae Myung orders ‘watertight’ safety, security measures ahead of BTS show

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called on government agencies to ensure that safety and security measures are fully in place for the BTS show to be held in central Seoul on Saturday. Speaking at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Lee said that the government must focus on safety for the performance. “Ministry of Interior and Safety, police, fire department and all other related ministries should prepare for all possibilities,” Lee said. “Although likelihood is not said to be high, (government agencie

2026-03-17 11:13:01:00

President Lee Jae Myung to hold summit with France’s Macron during state visit

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on April 3 during Macron’s state visit to South Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Macron's state visit will take place from April 2 to 3 at Lee’s invitation. Macron will be the first European leader to make a state visit since the launch of Lee’s administration. The trip will also mark the first visit to South Korea by a French president in 11 years and Macron’s first visit

2026-03-13 15:11:06:00

President Lee asks public to tell him of fuel price cap violators

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday asked the public to tell him directly of any gas stations that violate the fuel price cap that took effect Friday. “The public’s monitoring and participation are needed to ensure that some sellers don’t gain unfair profits,” Lee wrote on his X account. “If you find any gas stations and such that break the regulation, report to me without hesitation.” The price cap limits the price of fuel supplied by refiners to gas stations to 1,724 won ($1.16) per liter of gas

2026-03-13 14:32:11:00

North Korea warns Japan over missile deployment

North Korea warned Friday that Japan’s plan to deploy upgraded long-range missiles could sharply worsen regional security and would bring about the "sinking of the Japanese archipelago." In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang criticized Tokyo’s reported plan to deploy an extended-range Type 12 surface-to-ship missile at an army base in Kumamoto prefecture, with additional deployments being considered in Shizuoka and Miyazaki. North Korea said the missile, whose rang

2026-03-13 11:08:52:00

NK may possess up to 50 nuclear weapons: report

North Korea may currently possess as many as 50 nuclear weapons as the country continues expanding its nuclear capabilities, according to news reports citing a former International Atomic Energy Agency official. In an interview with Voice of America, Olli Heinonen, former deputy director-general of the IAEA, said that North Korea’s nuclear program is growing faster and more extensively than previously understood. The warning comes after the IAEA confirmed that North Korea has restarted light-wat

2026-03-13 11:03:00:00

President to meet investors, companies in capital market stablization meeting

President Lee Jae Myung will chair a policy meeting on March 18 aimed at strengthening the resilience and restoring stability of South Korea’s capital markets, the presidential office said Thursday. The meeting will focus on assessing responses to financial market volatility triggered by recent developments in the Middle East, while also discussing longer-term reforms to improve the structural health of the country’s capital markets. Officials said the government intends to use the gathering to

2026-03-12 17:00:28:00

Russian agency launches North Korea tour using Moscow-Pyongyang train

A Russian travel agency has launched a North Korea tour package using the direct train between Moscow and Pyongyang, marking the first group tourism product to include the route since service resumed last year. According to a North Korea-specialized agency based in Russia’s Primorsky region, the eight-day itinerary departs Moscow’s Yaroslavsky Station on May 26 and travels by train to Pyongyang. Tourists will spend four nights and five days in the North Korean capital before returning home on Ju

2026-03-12 16:37:10:00