Overseas Koreans Agency eyes record budget increase to address diaspora needs

South Korea's Overseas Koreans Agency is set for its largest budget increase since its launch in 2023. The government seeks to expand support for Korean-language schools, improve services for the diaspora and help more Sakhalin Koreans permanently resettle in their ancestral homeland. The agency's proposed budget for 2027 stands at 136.9 billion won ($101 million), up 21.4 percent from this year, Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup said at a briefing at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Thursday. Kim sai

2026-09-03 17:19:51:00

North Korea erases goal of unification from party charter

North Korea has formally removed its goal of reunification with South Korea from the charter of its ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, while expanding leader Kim Jong-un’s authority and further stripping away references to the legacy of his predecessors, the document showed Thursday. The revisions provide the clearest documentary evidence yet of how Pyongyang has institutionalized its “two hostile states” policy toward Seoul while simultaneously reshaping the ruling party around Kim’s leadership. T

2026-09-03 15:12:40:00

North Korea remains ineligible for US development aid in 2027: report

North Korea will remain ineligible for US development assistance in fiscal 2027 due to legal restrictions, the Voice of America said Thursday citing a US government report. Voice of America said, citing a candidate country report by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC, set to be published in the Federal Register, that North Korea was among countries legally prohibited from receiving US economic assistance for fiscal 2027. A total of 13 countries, including North Korea, Iran and Afghanis

2026-09-03 14:56:57:00

Could Trump meet Kim Jong-un in unprecedented Pyongyang summit?

Growing speculation that US President Donald Trump could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang has fueled concerns that such a meeting would focus more on publicity and political gains than nuclear and other outstanding issues. As signs of renewed diplomacy emerge in Washington and Seoul, experts increasingly see the North Korean capital as a possible meeting venue. Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton this week became the latest prominent figure to raise the possibility,

2026-09-02 15:16:22:00

S. Korea to send 44-member disaster relief team to flood-hit Nepal

South Korea will dispatch a 44-member disaster relief team to flood-hit Nepal to support search and rescue operations, including efforts to locate nine South Koreans who remain missing, after the Nepali government formally requested Seoul's assistance, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The government approved the deployment of the Korea Disaster Relief Team following a decision by the public-private Overseas Emergency Relief Council, an interagency body comprising government agencies and releva

2026-09-01 10:45:18:00

S. Korean team launches ground search for 9 missing in Nepal

The South Korean government rapid response team on Monday launched a ground operation to search for nine Koreans missing following Nepal's devastating floods, while aerial search efforts also resumed with helicopters chartered by the government and Doosan Enerbility taking to the air. "The ground search team will attempt to reach the Ramche area, about 1 to 2 kilometers from the disaster site, and plans to camp there overnight," a Foreign Ministry official, requesting anonymity, told reporters M

2026-08-31 13:59:57:00

Korea weighs drone search for 9 missing in Nepal

South Korea has stepped up its search for nine nationals missing in flood-hit Nepal with plans to deploy two helicopters on Sunday and review the use of drones, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said. A separate chartered helicopter secured by the government's rapid response team for two flights over the disaster area Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 12:38 p.m. found no survivors, a ministry official told reporters Sunday. Each helicopter flight lasted about 40 to 50 minutes, with the response team spending ro

2026-08-30 14:51:37:00

Ex-CFC deputy commander Kang Shin-chul named defense minister

Kang Shin-chul, South Korea's ambassador to Saudi Arabia who was nominated Sunday as defense minister, is a retired four-star Army general with extensive experience in military operations and South Korea-US alliance affairs. Born in Seoul in 1968, Kang graduated from the Korea Military Academy as a member of its 46th class and was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant in 1990. During his 35-year military career, Kang held a series of key posts, including chief of the policy division at t

2026-08-30 14:51:27:00

[Legal updates in Korea] Educational protections strengthened for abused children

● Updated Law: Child Welfare Act What it does: Protects abused children's access to education and strengthens government reviews of suspected child abuse deaths Took effect: Aug. 4 South Korea has strengthened protections for abused children to ensure they can continue their education even when their parents or guardians are implicated in the abuse. Under the revised law, when all of a child's parents, guardians or other legally responsible caregivers are perpetrators of abuse, the head of a loc

2026-08-27 15:24:38:00

[Key Points] Kim Jong-un reshapes North Korea in his own image

Kim’s era ascends: North Korea is increasingly recasting state identity around Kim Jong-un, while reducing the prominence of symbols and narratives tied to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. Songun pushed aside: State media gave unusually muted treatment to the Aug. 25 anniversary linked to Kim Jong-il’s military-first doctrine, mentioning “Songun” only once and placing coverage on page two. Legacy redirected: Kim Jong-il was still praised, including for helping build North Korea into a nuclear power,

2026-08-26 17:09:40:00