Parties come together to berate North Korea over missile barrage

South Korea’s two main political parties on Friday joined in criticism of North Korea for keeping up with its missile barrage while the country is grieving the 156 lives lost to the Halloween stampede in Seoul over the previous weekend. In a resolution adopted by its committee for national defense, the National Assembly said that North Korea firing missiles was a clear violation of both the September 2018 agreement and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1,718. The committee's re

Nov. 4, 2022

Korea, Germany agree to cooperate on economy, security at summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday, where they promised cooperation in the economic and security sectors of the two countries and close cooperation in the event of further provocations by North Korea. After holding a summit at the presidential office building in Yongsan, the two leaders made a joint press announcement. "We both agreed that solidarity between countries is important to protect freedom in response to the threats faci

Nov. 4, 2022

UN Security Council to convene over NK provocations

The United Nations Security Council said it would hold a meeting to discuss the North Korean issue at the UN Headquarters in New York at 3 p.m. on Friday, local time, amid the escalating North Korean provocations. This meeting, held at the request of the US, is the first in a month since the public meeting held on Oct. 5 in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile. North Korea has recently increased the intensity of its provocations, firing a total of six

Nov. 4, 2022

Political trauma of Sewol disaster haunts government response to Itaewon

As South Korea searches for answers to why 156 people died in an Itaewon alley on Oct. 29, a sensitive question is lingering in the minds of some politicians – particularly those on the right. "Could this turn into a political debacle like Sewol?" The sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 resulted in the death of 304 people, most of them high school students. When it happened, the Park Geun-hye administration faced a massive public outcry over its slow and botched response to the di

Nov. 3, 2022

Yoon pays fourth visit to mourning altar for Itaewon crush victims

President Yoon Suk-yeol paid another visit to a mourning altar for victims of the Halloween crowd crush on Thursday, his fourth this week. Yoon arrived at the altar in front of City Hall with his aides and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, and paid tribute to the victims by laying a chrysanthemum, burning incense and bowing his head in silent prayer. The visit was his third to the same altar and fourth overall, including a visit to a mourning altar near the site of the tragedy Tuesday. A weeklong

Nov. 3, 2022

S. Korea, US extend air drill exercise following suspected ICBM launch

North Korea on Thursday continued launching missiles for a second day, upping the pressure on the South with what Seoul suspects to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. The South Korea and US air forces have decided to extend the training period of their large-scale joint air exercise “Vigilant Storm.” The South Korean military detected one long-range ballistic missile, which was launched into the East Sea from around 7:40 a.m. in Pyongyang, and two short-range ballistic missile

Nov. 3, 2022

Yoon calls for swift action to make NK pay price for missile launch

President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned North Korea's latest barrage of missile launches, one of them close to South Korean waters, as a de facto violation of the South's territory and ordered swift action to make the North pay for the provocations. Yoon also called on the military to be ready against additional and high-level provocations by North Korea as he presided over an emergency National Security Council meeting following the launch. North Korea fired three short-range ballistic miss

Nov. 2, 2022

Yoon pays 3rd visit to mourning altar for Halloween crush victims

President Yoon Suk-yeol paid his third visit to a mourning altar for victims of the Halloween crowd crush Wednesday. Yoon has kept his public schedule to a minimum since the tragedy that killed at least 156 people in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon on Saturday. On Wednesday, he returned to Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall with members of his Cabinet and the presidential office, and laid a chrysanthemum on the altar before bowing his head in silent prayer. Yoon also looked at photos of

Nov. 2, 2022

PM pledges accountability over police inaction on calls hours before Itaewon tragedy

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government will sternly hold accountable those responsible as transcripts of emergency calls revealed that police took no action hours before the Itaewon tragedy. Han made the remarks a day after the National Police Agency admitted that 11 emergency calls reporting overcrowding in Itaewon started coming in around four hours before the disaster that killed at least 156 people, but no action was taken. Many of the callers said they felt like they were

Nov. 2, 2022

Yoon enraged by police inaction on calls on night of Itaewon tragedy: official

President Yoon Suk-yeol was enraged after learning that police took no action even after receiving 11 calls about the dangerous level of crowds on the night of the Itaewon tragedy, according to a presidential official. Yoon received a list of the calls made to the 112 police hotline Saturday evening, shortly before presiding over a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, and ordered the circumstances be determined "thoroughly without a trace of doubt" and that those responsible be "handled stric

Nov. 2, 2022

Yoon calls NSC meeting after NK ballistic missile launch

President Yoon Suk-yeol called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Wednesday following North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile toward the East Sea, his office said. The missile flew toward the eastern South Korean island of Ulleung before crashing into international waters in the East Sea, according to the South's military. (Yonhap)

Nov. 2, 2022

‘It wasn’t an accident’: Halloween tragedy sparks partisan blame game

South Korea’s political parties quickly turned to finger-pointing over the Halloween crowd surge that killed at least 156 people, according to the latest official count, with the opposition claiming that the disaster was not an accident. “What happened in Itaewon is no doubt a man-made disaster, and it was caued by the incompetence of the administration in office,” the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday. The Democratic Party spoke

Nov. 1, 2022

Yoon says Korea lacks crowd management

President Yoon Suk-yeol said the Itaewon disaster showed the nation lacks capability in crowd management, vowing all-out efforts following the tragic surge disaster and to come up with measures on crowd management to prevent a recurrence. As South Korea is in a state of mourning after the deadly Itaewon accident that killed at least 156 people and injured 151, Yoon canceled his usual morning interview and instead presided over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan on Tuesday mo

Nov. 1, 2022

Yoon to hold govt.-civilian meeting on safety measures after crowd crush

President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a government-civilian meeting next week to discuss improved safety measures in the wake of the deadly Halloween crowd crush, an official said Tuesday. The meeting is expected be held early next week with Yoon presiding, and relevant ministers and civilian experts attending to analyze the cause of last weekend's tragedy and brainstorm ways to improve safety measures based on examples from other countries, the presidential official told Yonhap News Agency. At leas

Nov. 1, 2022

PM pledges to help take care of trauma in wake of crowd crush

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday the government will actively provide mental health support to help heal the trauma in the wake of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon area. Bereaved families, injured people and ordinary citizens affected by the disaster, which left at least 155 people killed, will be subject to government-organized mental treatment programs, Han told a response meeting. "Not only bereaved families who were saddened by the accident, but also many people wh

Nov. 1, 2022

[Video] Memorials for the deadly Itaewon crowd crush

#prayforitaewon #korea #itaewon

Oct. 31, 2022

Nation reels from Itaewon disaster

South Korea is wrapped in collective shock and grief from the unprecedented tragedy that took the lives of 155 people in a popular nightlife district in central Seoul. The number of deaths continued to rise, reaching 155 people with more than 149 injured on Monday. Twenty-six foreigners were among the dead. They are from Iran, China, the US, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Austria and Russia. The dead also included six teenagers. Police sai

Oct. 31, 2022

26 foreigners found dead from Itaewon disaster

At least 26 foreign nationals are among the 155 confirmed deaths from Saturday night's crowd crush that occurred amid Halloween celebrations in Seoul's Itaewon. According to authorities, foreign casualties stood at 26 as of Monday. They are from Iran, China, the US, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Austria and Russia. Foreign Minister Park Jin ordered officials to urgently notify relevant embassies in Seoul of the current status

Oct. 30, 2022

Justice Minister demands opposition party’s apology over lawmaker's allegations

The conflict between the minister of justice and the main opposition party took another turn on Thursday, with the minister openly demanding an apology over allegations raised against him. "As a victim of false news, I demand a sincere apology and responsible actions from the Democratic Party of Korea," Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said through a statement earlier in the day. Han was referring to claims made by the Democratic Party's Rep. Kim Eui-kyum that he and President Yoon

Oct. 27, 2022

Deputy NIS director resigns for health, personal reasons: spy agency

Jo Sang-jun, a deputy director of the National Intelligence Service known as a confidant of President Yoon Suk-yeol, has resigned from the post for health and personal reasons, the agency said Thursday, dismissing news reports linking his move with a possible internal rift over personnel affairs. Jo's resignation, tendered on Tuesday and accepted by Yoon the same day, had sparked rampant speculation on why he quit only a few months after assuming the job and just a day before he was due to atten

Oct. 27, 2022