N. Korea names new defense minister amid modernization drive

North Korea has replaced its defense minister in a reshuffle of senior military leadership, state media reported Sunday, as the country accelerates its military modernization push and tightens discipline within the ranks. Kim Song-gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the North's Korean People's Army, was appointed as the country's new defense minister, replacing No Kwang-chol, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. No was removed as defense minister and from the party's

2026-08-30 09:03:30:00

S. Korean response team heads to flood site in Nepal in search of 9 missing

South Korean rescue officials dispatched to Nepal boarded two chartered helicopters Saturday to search for nine nationals missing from the catastrophic flash floods, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The helicopters, each carrying four from the government rapid response team, took off from Kathmandu and headed to the flood site where the nine missing may be located, the ministry said. Six employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co. remain missing for a fourth day foll

2026-08-29 16:54:29:00

PM vows to boost housing supply

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Saturday vowed to increase financial and policy support for development projects to boost housing supply. Han made the remarks as she visited the site of a development project for new homes in Seoul, with the government having pledged to supply more than 230,000 additional homes in the Seoul metropolitan area. During the visit to the development site in Seoul's Seongbuk district, Han emphasized that a speedy supply of new homes is important to stabilize the prope

2026-08-29 15:10:14:00

S. Korea, France discuss strategic coordination amid deepening N.K.-Russia ties

Defense officials of South Korea and France have agreed to bolster strategic coordination in the face of deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday. Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Kim Hong-cheol discussed security issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and Europe with Guillaume Ollagnier, director-general for international relations and strategy at the French Ministry for the Armed Forces and Veterans, during their strategic dialogue in Par

2026-08-29 12:43:18:00

S. Korean response team continues search efforts for 9 missing in Nepal floods

A South Korean response team in Nepal was expected to continue search efforts Saturday for nine nationals still missing after devastating flash floods, attempting to reach the search site by helicopter after unsuccessful attempts the previous day. Six employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co. remain unaccounted for for a fourth day following the massive floods in Nepal's north-central Himalayan border area. They were working at a construction site in the Rasuwa d

2026-08-29 11:25:18:00

Trump could discuss 'tacit' N.K. nuke acceptance, peace treaty, allied drills with Kim in possible summit: ex-official

U.S. President Donald Trump could put on the table the "tacit" acceptance of North Korea's nuclear program, a peace treaty and an end to South Korea-U.S. military exercises should a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un take place, a former U.S. official has said. Anthony Ruggiero, who served as the National Security Council's (NSC) director for North Korea during the first Trump administration," made the comment in an opinion piece published by The Hill, a U.S. media outlet, on Thursday a

2026-08-29 10:46:48:00

Trump's financial disclosure reveals 2 Coupang stock trades in June

U.S. President Donald Trump made two trades in Coupang Inc. shares in June through his money managers, a financial disclosure report showed Friday, amid lingering tensions between Seoul and Washington over South Korea's regulatory response to a massive data breach involving the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant. Released on Aug. 22, the report filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics showed that Trump sold Coupang shares worth between US$1,001 and $15,000 on June 3, and purchased shares worth

2026-08-29 10:46:31:00

N. Korean leader sends message of sympathy to Chinese, Nepali presidents over deadly floods

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent messages of sympathy to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepali President Ram Chandra Poudel on Friday over the devastating flooding in the Himalayan region, state media said. More than 500 people were killed and over 1,500 others remained missing in China and Nepal as of Friday after massive flooding and landslides hit the Himalayan region bordering China on Wednesday, according to foreign media reports. In his message to Xi, Kim expressed his "deepest condo

2026-08-28 22:06:18:00

'The Odyssey' becomes fastest film to top 8 mln admissions in S. Korea this year

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" on Friday became the fastest film to surpass 8 million admissions in South Korea this year, its local distributor said. The film has remained No. 1 at the box office for 24 days since its release on Aug. 5 and reached the 8 million mark two days earlier than "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The King's Warden," which both surpassed 8 million admissions on their 26th day of release, according to Universal Pictures. Based on Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," the fil

2026-08-28 20:21:57:00

Cheong Wa Dae says asked chief justice to make new recommendation for Supreme Court justice

The presidential office has decided not to nominate one of two Supreme Court justice candidates recommended by the chief justice and asked the head of the top court to make a fresh recommendation, the office said Friday. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced the decision days after a presidential official accused Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae of infringing on the president's authority by departing from the customary practice of recommending justice candidates following prior

2026-08-28 19:29:15:00