Lee orders earlier Gwangju Air Base relocation, calls 2028 ‘too late’

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered officials to accelerate plans to vacate Gwangju Air Base, bringing forward the existing mid-2028 target as much as possible to speed development of a semiconductor cluster. Lee issued the directive while convening the third public-private review of his administration’s flagship megaprojects, which focus on semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence and AI data centers. The order followed a Defense Ministry briefing on plans to temporarily relocate

2026-09-29 19:28:20:00

Lee warns against abuses of power day before police take over prosecution probe powers

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that police who manipulate cases should face penalties that could cost them their jobs as they take charge of investigations and gain the power to close cases. The warning came days before prosecutors are stripped of their investigative powers and limited to indictments, a fundamental restructuring of South Korea’s criminal justice system 72 years after the Criminal Procedure Act was enacted in 1954. Under the revised system taking effect Friday, police will

2026-09-29 14:38:47:00

Lee pledges easier voting for Koreans abroad

President Lee Jae Myung pledged Monday to improve voting access for Koreans overseas, seeking to ease barriers created by the limited number of polling stations abroad. During an event marking the 20th World Korean Day, Lee underscored his administration’s efforts to “reshape policies for overseas Koreans,” highlighting the role and contributions of some 7 million Koreans living in 181 countries. Lee said he has sought to reflect the concerns of Korean communities worldwide, meeting overseas Kor

2026-09-28 18:02:27:00

Lee’s approval rating rebounds for second week, but ruling party slips

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating rebounded for a second straight week following a record low, buoyed by his recent news conference and diplomatic events, according to a poll released Monday. Support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, however, moved in the opposite direction, slipping as intraparty disputes over prosecution reform appeared to erode support among centrists and voters in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Positive assessments of Lee’s job performance stood at 37.9 percent, up

2026-09-28 14:49:56:00

Lee returns home to full plate, from Supreme Court row to DMZ blasts

President Lee Jae Myung’s return to Seoul on Sunday comes with a crowded domestic agenda, including a Supreme Court appointment dispute, widening Cabinet vacancies and fallout from suspected land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone. The issues had already spilled into domestic politics, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and main opposition People Power Party sharpened their positions on disputes that unfolded or intensified while the president was abroad. Lee wrapped up a five-night,

2026-09-27 14:30:08:00

‘The people are always right,’ Lee says — but his reform drive rumbles on

President Lee Jae Myung vowed Friday to see his reform agenda through despite falling public support, pairing a strikingly contrite assessment of his presidency with an insistence that the direction of his government would not change. Across a wide-ranging news conference, Lee returned repeatedly to the same distinction. Lee acknowledged shortcomings in the way he had pursued reform polices while defending the substance of an agenda spanning prosecution reform, constitutional change, housing and

2026-09-18 17:36:34:00

Lee sets out principle for Seoul’s Hormuz military role: ‘No war involvement’

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday ruled out any deployment of South Korean troops or military assets that would involve Seoul in the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, drawing a firm line around South Korea’s military role in the region. At the same time, Lee stressed that Seoul still had a responsibility to protect Korean ships, oil routes and nationals, as the Korean government weighs expanding the role of a naval unit it has already deployed in the Middle East. Lee said any decision would

2026-09-18 15:33:06:00

Lee, IEA chief discuss future of Asia's energy security amid Hormuz crisis

President Lee Jae Myung and International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol discussed how to advance energy security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific on Thursday, as the Hormuz crisis exposes the region’s vulnerability to supply shocks. The meeting came as the IEA coordinates an international response to the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war, with South Korea taking part as a full member of the agency. Lee and Birol held “in-depth discussions on global energy and policy trends, ways to streng

2026-09-17 17:48:13:00

Lee meets IEA chief as Hormuz crisis tests Asia’s energy security

President Lee Jae Myung met International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol on Thursday to discuss strengthening Asia-Pacific energy security as the Hormuz crisis exposes the region’s vulnerability to supply shocks. The meeting was arranged in part to follow up on Lee’s proposal, made at the Group of Seven summit in June, to strengthen the resilience of energy supply chains across the Asia-Pacific region, according to the presidential office in Seoul. Lee and Birol were expected to have an in-dept

2026-09-17 15:07:51:00

Lee calls on Central Asian nations to forge ‘new Silk Road’ with Korea

President Lee Jae Myung called Wednesday for South Korea and five Central Asian nations to forge a “new Silk Road,” seeking to harness their complementary strengths to build a broader economic partnership spanning trade, industry and infrastructure. Speaking at the Korea-Central Asia Business Summit in Seoul, Lee drew on more than a millennium of exchanges between Korea and Central Asia to argue for taking their relationship into a new phase. The business gathering followed the inaugural Korea-C

2026-09-16 18:10:50:00