Seoul’s deal with Trump now hinges on two powers in Washington

The Democrats’ US midterm landslide threatens to compound a problem already troubling South Korea’s sweeping deal with President Donald Trump: economic delays are slowing security talks, and a divided Washington could make both harder to resolve. The 2025 agreement brought together $350 billion in South Korean investment, tariff concessions, US backing for nuclear-powered submarines and a path toward civilian uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing. Although the commitments are not legall

2026-11-08 15:18:47:00

Lee floats going live from his office at ‘The President’s Y’ premiere

President Lee Jae Myung said he was considering an unconventional way to bring the public closer to the presidency: going live from his office, without warning. “I'm thinking of occasionally going live without warning, even from my office,” Lee said in the debut episode of a new presidential YouTube program, “The President's Y,” which premiered Thursday at 9 p.m. “I'm thinking I might go live occasionally, even from my office, without announcing it in advance.” Son Jeong-eun, a former television

2026-11-05 21:25:45:00

US midterm outcome won't affect alliance, Cheong Wa Dae says

South Korea's presidential office said Thursday that the US midterm election results would not affect the bilateral alliance, pledging close cooperation with the US administration and Congress. “The Korea-US alliance is a relationship that has developed into a strong and steadfast partnership over more than 70 years, with bipartisan support from the US,” senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a press briefing. “We do not believe the outcome of any particular election will affe

2026-11-05 17:46:37:00

Lee calls for crackdown on smart glasses cheating ahead of college entrance exam

President Lee Jae Myung has called for tougher measures to prevent cheating with smart glasses and other advanced electronic devices ahead of South Korea's annual college entrance exam. Lee stressed the need to ensure a fair testing environment for students preparing for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, scheduled for Nov. 19. “The government must make every effort to manage examination sites so that all test-takers can demonstrate their abilities in a safe and fair environme

2026-11-05 14:48:51:00

Lee to launch YouTube show ‘The President’s Y’

President Lee Jae Myung is launching a new YouTube show to communicate directly with the public, answering citizens’ questions and explaining government policies in a more informal setting, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. The program, titled “The President’s Y,” will debut Thursday at 9 p.m. on two YouTube channels: Lee+Imagine, operated by state-run broadcaster KTV, and Lee Jae Myung TV, the president’s official YouTube channel. Since taking office, Lee has held 23 news conferences or informal me

2026-11-04 17:22:32:00

Korea, Turkey pledge deeper cooperation on nuclear energy, defense

The leaders of South Korea and Turkey agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation in nuclear energy and the defense industry while strengthening coordination on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in conflict-hit regions, including Ukraine and the Middle East. The agreements followed a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, during Erdogan's first state visit to South Korea in eight years. Speaking at a joint news conferen

2026-11-03 18:15:59:00

[Key Points] Presidential data leak triggers security review in South Korea

Presidential data breach: Personal information belonging to President Lee Jae Myung, first lady Kim Hea Kyung and 166 others on presidential flights was exposed online for months, including passport details and dates of birth. Security detail exposed: The leak included presidential bodyguards whose identities are normally confidential, escalating the incident from a privacy breach to a potential presidential security threat. Five-month exposure: A presidential aircraft passenger list was upload

2026-11-03 17:38:34:00

Seoul scrambles to limit damage after Lee's passport info leaked

South Korea is scrambling to contain an unprecedented leak that exposed the personal information of President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, as well as senior aides, bodyguards and journalists accompanying them overseas. The exposure of the first couple's personal information was alarming enough. But the breach also revealed the identities of presidential security officers assigned to protect Lee at close range, raising deeper concerns about presidential security. The government has

2026-11-03 13:49:14:00

Cheong Wa Dae orders probes into data leak of Lee, aides, security guards

Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday ordered a thorough investigation into a personal data leak involving President Lee Jae Myung, presidential aides, security personnel and journalists accompanying his overseas trip. The move came after KBS reported Monday that passport details and other personal information of 168 people aboard the presidential aircraft had been exposed online for about five months. Presidential chief of staff Lim Kwang-hyun convened an emergency meeting Tuesday morning to discuss the inc

2026-11-03 10:17:55:00

Record 2027 budget aims at ‘growth for all’

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday laid out a record budget to spur economic growth and narrow inequality under his “growth for all” agenda, while projecting a 20-year low in the managed fiscal deficit. In his budget speech to the National Assembly, Lee outlined an 820.9 trillion won ($610 billion) spending plan for 2027, up 12.8 percent from this year, the fastest annual increase and largest fiscal outlay in South Korea’s history. “We have expanded the budget to raise both the standard of living

2026-11-02 13:34:50:00