Yoon calls for designating 10 wildfire-hit areas as special disaster zones

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government Wednesday to take steps to designate 10 areas hit by wildfires as special disaster zones, his spokesperson said. The 10 are Hongseong, Geumsan, Dangjin, Boryeong and Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province; Seo Ward in Daejeon; Okcheon in North Chungcheong Province; Suncheon and Hampyeong in South Jeolla Province; and Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, according to Lee Do-woon. Special disaster zones are eligible for the government's financia

April 5, 2023

Busan welcomes BIE delegation

The delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions arrived at Busan and was met with warm greetings from approximately 5,000 people on Tuesday morning as it began its on-site inspection of the southeastern port city amid its candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo. The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, kicked off its four-day stay in Busan by attending a welcome event at Busan Station. Upon arrival, multicultural f

April 4, 2023

Yoon vetoes grain act revision, calls it 'populist bill'

President Yoon Suk Yeol has exercised his presidential veto for the first time to reject a bill designed to revise the Grain Management Act, a bill that requires the government to purchase excess rice yields. Calling it a typical populist tactic, Yoon vetoed the bill passed by the National Assembly because it would place financial burden on the government, according to the presidential office. This marks the first veto by a Korean president in seven years. The bill was passed last month by parli

April 4, 2023

BIE members feel Seoul's fever for Busan Expo

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) committee visited Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul on Monday evening, where promotional events were held to support Busan to win the bid for World Expo 2030. Representatives of the BIE came to South Korea on Sunday, and are scheduled to meet government officials and visit Busan to assess the city's suitability to host the World Expo. The eight members of the BIE took a stroll around the LED rose garden, and listened to explanations of the gia

April 4, 2023

Yoon address remembers victims of April 3 massacre in Jeju

President Yoon Suk Yeol offered condolences to the victims of the 1947-1954 mass killings of civilians on Jeju Island on Monday. “I remain committed to my promise that I stand with the victims of the April 3 massacre,” Yoon said in a written address read by Prime Minister Han Duk-soo at the ceremony held at the peace park in Jeju City. The president said it is the “duty of our country as a liberal democracy to remember and honor the victims, survivors and their families, and al

April 3, 2023

Yoon tells BIE delegation, 'Busan is ready'

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday told a delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions that the country's southeastern port city of Busan "is ready" to host the World Expo in 2030. During a private dinner he hosted in the evening, the president said South Korea and its port city Busan have the capacity to host the international event and that the delegation team are going to see that. "The Busan World Expo will provide an opportunity to share

April 3, 2023

‘Momentum for change’: Ji Seong-ho highlights North Korea human rights during US trip

Rights activist-turned-lawmaker Rep. Ji Seong-ho of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party met with US Department of State officials on Thursday to discuss possible joint efforts in protecting the rights of North Korean defectors. “I think US officials showed deep interest in South Korea’s actions to improve the rights of North Korean residents and defectors, and the possible steps that the US can take,” Ji, who defected to South Korea in 2006, told The Korea Herald. &ld

March 31, 2023

Opposition leader’s court appearance sparks fierce protests

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung was met by competing crowds of protesters as he appeared for trial at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday. One protester was seen throwing eggs at the opposition leader. Loud chants of “Arrest him!” from opponents followed Lee, while another crowd of well-wishers blasted songs from a carry-on speaker to muffle the boos. Lee did not respond to questions from reporters at the scene, while waving and smiling b

March 31, 2023

Opposition leader planned solo trip to North Korea: prosecutors

Seoul prosecutors believe onetime presidential hopeful and Democratic Party of Korea head Rep. Lee Jae-myung planned a solo trip to North Korea while he was still the governor of Gyeonggi Province, which neighbors Seoul. According to the indictment the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office submitted to the National Assembly on Thursday, after then-Gyeonggi Gov. Lee was excluded from the 2018 inter-Korea summit, the provincial office planned for him to travel to North Korea separately.

March 31, 2023

Presidential office says no Blackpink-Lady Gaga joint concert at summit

The presidential office announced on Friday that there would not be a joint concert of K-pop girl group Blackpink and American pop star Lady Gaga during President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming state visit to the United States. In a written statement, the office clarified that the performance being reported in the media is not included in the president's official schedule for his visit to the United States. The statement did not provide any further explanation for the decision. The announcem

March 31, 2023

Ex-military dictator’s grandson apologizes to victims in Gwangju

Chun Woo-won, a grandson of the late former military dictator President Chun Doo-hwan, officially apologized to the bereaved families of the victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and to the citizens of Gwangju. At around 10 a.m. on Friday, Chun Woo-won, the second son of the ex-dictator’s son, Chun Jae-yong, along with organizations related to the victims, held a meeting with the bereaved families and victims at the reception hall on the first floor of the May 18th Memorial Cul

March 31, 2023

Yoon’s approval continues to fall after Japan summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has dropped to its lowest level in about four months, as negative public opinion has continued to emerge after his summit in Japan with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Gallup Korea asked 1,000 people between March 28-30 whether they thought President Yoon was doing his job well, and the result was 30 percent positive and 60 percent negative. Compared to a week ago, positive evaluation decreased by 4 percentage points and negative evaluation increased

March 31, 2023

Ahn Cheol-soo remains richest man in South Korean politics

South Korea’s National Assembly members have a net worth of 2.3 billion won ($1.77 million) on average, minus the richest four who own over 50 billion won each. The parliamentary public service ethics committee on Thursday published the list of the changes in the net worth of the 296 Assembly members over last year compared to the year before, which showed that 33 or 11.1 percent held at least 5 billion won respectively. According to the list, 83 (28 percent) of the Assembly members were w

March 31, 2023

Arrest warrant sought for ex-military commander over martial law scandal

Prosecutors filed for a warrant Friday to arrest Cho Hyun-chun, a former head of the now-defunct Defense Security Command, over the suspected masterminding of a martial law plan while the then President Park Geun-hye faced an impeachment trial in 2017. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office raised abuse of authority and political meddling charges against Cho as it applied for the warrant. The 64-year-old former military commander was apprehended Wednesday upon his arrival at Incheon Inter

March 31, 2023

Yoon doubles down on corruption fight

Corruption erodes freedom, putting democracy at greater risk, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, at a meeting South Korea co-hosted to bolster ties among global democracies against authoritarian rule. The speech -- given in person on the second day of the Summit for Democracy, a two-day US-led gathering that started Wednesday with a videoconference of world leaders -- marks South Korea’s latest push to rally behind US efforts to regroup democracies in the Indo-Pacific region against a

March 30, 2023

Opposition lawmakers propose resolution denouncing Japan's Dokdo claim, textbooks

Rep. Kim Sang-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday proposed a parliamentary resolution denouncing Japan's controversial textbooks and its sovereignty claim of South Korea's easternmost Dokdo islets. The resolution warns that the Japanese government's distorted perception of history could significantly hurt trust between South Korea and Japan and urges Tokyo to apologize over its past wrongdoings. The proposal came after Tokyo's approval of new textbooks tha

March 30, 2023

[Alliance in Action] At S. Korea-US summit, extended deterrence upgrade should be top priority

This is the first installment of a series of interviews, features and analysis on the South Korea-US alliance -- a 70-year-old partnership that has been instrumental in shaping the Korean Peninsula's contemporary history from the ruins of the 1950-53 Korean War, and which continues to serve as a stalwart pillar of regional security, as well as its challenges ahead. -- Ed. Former South Korean Ambassador to the US, Ahn Ho-young, has urged leaders of the US and South Korea to hold an in-de

March 29, 2023

Opposition urges Yoon to sack foreign policy heads over Japan textbook changes

South Korea’s main opposition on Wednesday rallied for President Yoon Suk Yeol to fire his foreign policy chiefs over the controversial updates to Japanese textbooks unveiled the day before. The Democratic Party of Korea blamed the “humiliating concessions” the president made in his recent summit in Tokyo for the revisions in Japan’s history education. Japan’s Education Ministry announced Tuesday the new curriculum guidelines that touched on some of the historical d

March 29, 2023

National security adviser rumored to be replaced

Ahead of the upcoming South Korea-US summit, rumors are circulating that President Yoon Suk Yeol's chief security adviser may be replaced. The speculation comes in the wake of resignations of the secretaries of protocol and diplomacy, Kim Il-bum and Lee Moon-hee, respectively, whose sudden replacement has raised eyebrows. Lee had been preparing for President Yoon's state visit to the United States scheduled for the end of April, as well as his attendance at the G-7 summit in Hiroshima,

March 29, 2023

Ex-military commander arrested upon return from US over martial law scandal

Prosecutors arrested Cho Hyun-chun, a former head of the now-defunct Defense Security Command, upon his arrival in South Korea on Wednesday, more than five years after he fled to the United States over suspected masterminding of a martial law plan. Officials from the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office apprehended the 64-year-old former commander at Incheon International Airport and transferred him to the office for investigation. Cho allegedly instructed a task force he formed in February

March 29, 2023