S. Korean military, UNC conduct preparation for DMZ explosion probe

South Korean military and the United Nations Command on Saturday conducted a preparatory inspection as the onsite investigation into the cause of the blast in the Demilitarized Zone earlier this week. Some 20 troops led by Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, a vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who leads a task force for a joint investigation, as well as a UNC colonel, was dispatched Saturday to the site near the explosion. They cleared the way for the upcoming investigation and ensured investigators' s

2026-09-26 19:42:13:00

Seoul slammed for 'tampering with evidence' over delayed DMZ probe

The liberal Lee Jae Myung administration is facing pressure over its failure to immediately launch an onsite probe in the demilitarized zone to identify the cause of unidentified explosions that caused injury of three South Korean military officers. Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, chair of the main opposition People Power Party, said on his Facebook Saturday that a rain in the area Friday would have led to a loss of key evidence that a North Korean-made landmine had caused back-to-back explosions in the f

2026-09-26 16:47:54:00

Lee visits Stray Kids concert in Mexico City

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday stopped by a concert of K-pop boy band Stray Kids at GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City. On his X post with a nine-second clip where Stray Kids perform "God's Menu," Lee wrote that he was at the concert venue and said he could "truly feel the great power of K-pop, spreading the word about Korea as a cultural powerhouse to the world." He also thanked J. Y. Park, chair of the Popular Culture Committee and founder of the K-pop agency to which Stray Kids belongs. Be

2026-09-26 15:01:03:00

Opposition lawmaker urges JYP founder to testify at parliamentary audit

Main opposition lawmaker Rep. Bae Hyun-jin on Saturday urged J. Y. Park, founder of JYP Entertainment, to testify at the upcoming parliamentary audit of South Korean government bodies. Park, who is the ministerial-level co-chair of the presidential Commission on Pop-Culture Exchange, should "appear and testify confidently at the parliamentary audit," said Bae on Saturday on her Facebook post. This came amid speculations raised by Bae's office that the Culture Ministry had exclusively offered JYP

2026-09-26 12:22:12:00

Kyiv denies Seoul's claim of consensus to keep North Korean POW transfer confidential

Kyiv has denied Seoul's claim that the two parties agreed to keep the recent transfer of two North Korean prisoners-of-war to South Korea confidential, sparking criticism from President Lee Jae Myung's political opponents. Regarding Seoul's claim that Kyiv had broken their consensus, Dmytro Lytvyn, communications adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Friday, "There was no such agreement, this is not true." "And it would be wrong to conceal the whereabouts of specific prisoners

2026-09-26 11:06:03:00

Opposition chair slams DP for pressuring Supreme Court chief

The conservative main opposition People Power Party is raising the pressure on the ruling party over its confrontation with Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de. At a press conference on Wednesday, People Power Party Chairman Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, accused the ruling bloc of using its power with the intention to subjugate the judicial branch by labeling Jo an insurrectionist. "(The liberal bloc) has once again invoked 'insurrection,' which is already a stale tactic, to divert public attention aw

2026-09-23 16:52:18:00

Children speak up for themselves at parliament

It was a rare moment in South Korea's legislature on Monday when two school children spoke up for themselves before an audience of over 100, including lawmakers. Their demand was simple. They asked adults to recognize children as independent people with their own thoughts, tastes and feelings. "I hope adults ask us what we like, before they make decisions for us," Kim Jae-jun, a third grader from Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, said at the parliamentary forum on policies and legislation on

2026-09-23 14:00:00:00

Lee, Trump discuss OPCON transfer, key bilateral issues

President Lee Jae Myung held a 30-minute summit with US President Donald Trump Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to address key bilateral issues, including the wartime operational control transfer. The two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to deepening cooperation in the field of nuclear-powered submarines, enrichment and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, shipbuilding, and the transfer of wartime OPCON of the South Korean military from the US to

2026-09-23 12:14:33:00

Lee urges US-NK dialogue for peace regime at UN speech

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for the swift resumption of dialogue between the United States and North Korea to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Hailing US President Donald Trump’s push to resume talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a sign of his “resolve” that has created a “hard-won opportunity for change,” Lee said dialogue between Trump and Kim is crucial to achieving peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas. “I hope the long-suspended dialogue betwee

2026-09-23 09:32:03:00

Seoul picks Texas power plant as 1st project under US investment package

South Korea on Tuesday named a combined-cycle gas power plant in Texas as its first US investment under a $350 billion package signed last year. Backed by South Korea's investment commitment, the new plant in Encinal, Texas, will supply power to nearby artificial intelligence data centers and semiconductor plants. The plans were reported to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Ministry of Finance and Economy. If the decision is confirmed, it will be the

2026-09-22 14:18:56:00