Coupang's FTC inspection refusals draw bipartisan criticism

E-commerce giant Coupang again came under fire from both sides of the aisle at the parliament over its refusal since August to permit an on-site inspection by the Fair Trade Commission. At a parliamentary audit of the FTC by the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly on Monday, lawmakers stressed their commitment to taking legislative measures to prevent business entities such as Coupang from refusing government inspections. Rep. Min Byoung-dug of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea

2026-10-12 15:30:58:00

International students file more than 100 complaints about delayed tuition refunds over 5 years

Seoul has received more than 100 complaints from foreign students regarding delays in tuition refunds over the past five years, data showed Wednesday. A total of 115 civil complaints were filed with either the e-People portal or the Education Ministry related to tuition refunds for international students who planned to study in South Korea, according to government estimates compiled by People Power Party Rep. Jung Sung-kook's office. Among them, 25 came through the e-People portal, a state-run w

2026-10-07 15:51:50:00

6-term lawmaker floats Gwangju Air Base relocation to Muan

Rep. Song Young-gil, a six-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said Monday that the phased relocation of military forces stationed at the Gwangju Air Base to one in nearby Muan-gun, in Jeonnam-Gwangju, could be an alternative to the current reloation plan that has hit a snag. In a parliamentary forum held at the National Assembly on Monday, Song stressed that the key to expediting the relocation process would be to put a wider range of options into consideration. "Instead of s

2026-10-05 19:47:23:00

Opposition chair steps up attack against 'The Assassin(s)'

Lawmakers of the right-wing People Power Party claimed Monday that the controversial South Korean political thriller "The Assassin(s)" had perpetrated a distortion of established historical facts about the death of a former first lady. The lawmakers made the claims during a visit to the birthplace of Yuk Young-soo in Okcheon-gun, North Chungcheong Province. Yuk, assassinated in 1974, was the wife of former right-wing President Park Chung-hee. The lawmakers say the film has distorted established

2026-10-05 15:26:06:00

Assembly audit targets foreign firms

The National Assembly is set for its annual parliamentary audit, which starts this week and is expected to last for nearly a month, with leaders of foreign firms' South Korean operations already approved as witnesses. Those representing the Korean units of foreign-backed companies such as Google, Meta, Apple, Bytedance, Coupang, X and Telegram have gained parliamentary approval as witnesses in audits of standing parliamentary committees' state inspections throughout the month. Google Korea manag

2026-10-05 15:19:04:00

Lawmakers stress Alaska LNG project needs review

The commercial viability of two of three US investment projects need further verification, South Korea lawmakers stressed Thursday, following US President Donald Trump's announcement. One of the two that needs further verification is the liquefied natural gas export project in Alaska involving the construction of a 1,300-kilometer natural gas pipeline traversing the Alaska state southward, for which the White House indicated a price tag of $54 billion. The other is a $120 billion project to buil

2026-10-01 15:38:28:00

[Key Points] NIS sees opening for Trump-Kim talks as Pyongyang keeps tensions in check

Summit odds rise: South Korea’s National Intelligence Service assesses roughly a 50 percent chance of US-North Korea talks around the APEC meetings in China this November, according to lawmakers briefed by the agency. Yonhap News Agency Pyongyang stays engaged: The NIS says North Korea appears intent on keeping the diplomatic opening alive, with officials handling US affairs reportedly becoming increasingly active. Yonhap News Agency Rhetoric stays restrained: Pyongyang has avoided direct attack

2026-09-30 15:43:39:00

NIS sees Trump-Kim talks around APEC as fifty-fifty: lawmaker

A US-North Korea summit being held this year appears to have about a 50 percent chance of occurring, with Pyongyang exercising restraint to keep the possibility alive, the National Intelligence Service reported Wednesday. In a briefing to lawmakers, the NIS said that a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has about a "50 percent chance of taking place around the time of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conferences," according to Rep. Yoo Yeong-ha of the m

2026-09-30 14:01:06:00

[Exclusive] S. Korean Embassy to US woos Trump allies to expedite skilled visa talks

Seoul is targeting US lawmakers of constituencies that have attracted South Korean corporate investment in its efforts to support the creation of skilled worker visa quotas exclusively for South Koreans, data from the embassy to the United States showed Tuesday. The embassy's data also showed that a number of US lawmakers whom Seoul has reached out to are considered pro-Trump, which according to People Power Party Rep. Kim Gunn, who obtained the data, could present hurdles in the short term to a

2026-09-29 14:30:00:00

DMZ blast probe investigates North Korea land mine lead

South Korean military investigators are focusing on the theory that the blast that injured three military officers near the inter-Korean border may have been caused by North Korean land mines. According to a high-ranking military official involved in the investigation, as disclosed in a briefing to lawmakers, witness statements point to one or more North Korean devices in the incident on Sept. 21. The official, however, said that further investigation is needed to determine when the potential la

2026-09-28 15:13:27:00