Yoon's new foreign policy adviser visits US to discuss alliance, US election

Chang Ho-jin, new foreign policy adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrived in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to meet with officials and discuss the countries' alliance, the upcoming US election and other bilateral issues. Chang's trip came days after he was replaced as South Korea's top national security adviser and assigned to the newly created position of Yoon's special adviser for foreign and security affairs in a surprise reshuffle. "It has been nearly a year since

Aug. 16, 2024

Defense minister nominee says open to all means to respond to NK threats

Defense Minister nominee Kim Yong-hyun said Friday he was open to all means to respond to North Korea's nuclear threats, while reaffirming that the alliance with the United States remains the basis in dealing with such threats. Kim made the remarks after being questioned on the possibility of South Korea developing nuclear weapons of its own amid persistent domestic calls for such arms to deter North Korea. "Responding to North Korean nuclear threats based on extended deterrence and th

Aug. 16, 2024

Yoon unveils unification vision in split celebration of Liberation Day

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday unveiled a new vision for unification, stressing that "complete liberation remains an unfinished task" as long as the Korean Peninsula remains divided, during his speech commemorating Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. However, his vision for a unified Korea, presented at the 79th Liberation Day ceremony, was overshadowed by internal discord within South Korea. Independence activist groups and opposition parties

Aug. 15, 2024

Yoon visits former first lady Yook Young-su's grave

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday paid his respects at the grave of former first lady Yook Young-su, the assassinated wife of ex-President Park Chung-hee, on the 50th anniversary of her death, the presidential office said. Yoon, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee, visited the grave at Seoul National Cemetery in southern Seoul a day after making a phone call to former President Park Geun-hye, Yook's daughter, to express his condolences, according to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-

Aug. 15, 2024

North Korean defector becomes governor of home province

North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho, who completed his term as a lawmaker with the ruling People Power Party in May, took office as the governor of his hometown North Hamgyong Province on Wednesday. South Korea appoints heads of offices to govern areas north of the inter-Korean border. Their affairs are overseen by the Ministry of Interior and Safety’s Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces. These largely symbolic roles are intended to keep in line with Article 3 of the Constitutio

Aug. 14, 2024

Century after ancestors' sacrifice, descendants become Korean citizens

On Monday, ahead of the 79th anniversary of National Liberation Day celebrated on Aug. 15, a special ceremony took place at the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government, which opened in 2022 to commemorate the China-based Korean government in exile during Japanese colonization from 1910-45. A total of 27 descendants of 14 independence activists -- 14 from Russia, 11 from China, one from Kazakhstan and one from Cuba -- became Korean nationals upon receiving citizenship certifica

Aug. 14, 2024

Yoon picks for national security, defense chiefs draw opposition ire

Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to retract his nominations for national security advisor and the defense minister announced the day prior. The lawmakers of the main and minor opposition parties on the National Assembly defense committee held a joint press conference Tuesday, slamming the president as “damaging national interest at the key diplomatic moment” with his picks. In a surprise shake-up, Yoon on Monday tapped Shin Won-sik, who is serving as

Aug. 13, 2024

Yoon restores ex-governor's political rights, pardons Park's aides

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday officially restored the rights to hold public office for former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, who had served in jail until late 2022 for illegally conspiring to manipulate online opinions in favor of former President Moon Jae-in ahead of the 2017 presidential election. The reinstatement of Kim's political rights came as part of Yoon's decision to grant special pardons for a total of 1,219 convicts on the occasion of Liberation Day which fall

Aug. 13, 2024

Cabinet asks Yoon to veto controversial cash handout bill

The Cabinet on Tuesday voted to ask President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto the Democratic Party of Korea bill for handing out 250,000 to 350,000 won ($182 to $255) to every South Korean as economic relief. Earlier this month, the bill was passed in the Assembly by the majority-holding Democratic Party despite the ruling People Power Party pushback. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the Cabinet was “once again forced to consider bills that passed the Assembly i

Aug. 13, 2024

Govt. demands parliamentary reconsideration of pro-labor, cash handout bills

The Cabinet on Tuesday demanded the National Assembly reconsider two contentious bills aimed at enhancing the rights of workers and providing cash handouts to the entire population. A motion demanding parliamentary reconsideration was approved during a Cabinet meeting and will be sent to President Yoon Suk Yeol for endorsement. Yoon is widely expected to endorse the motion. One bill, known as the "yellow envelope bill," seeks to limit companies from making damage claims against workers

Aug. 13, 2024

Yoon hosts dinner for former President Lee Myung-bak

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a dinner meeting with former President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Monday, in what marked their first official dinner since Yoon took office. First lady Kim Keon Hee and Chung Jin-suk, Yoon's chief of staff who had served as a senior secretary to Lee for political affairs, also attended the dinner. The meeting came around a year after Yoon and Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, briefly met at the funeral of Yoon's father in August 2023. In Decem

Aug. 12, 2024

Yoon vetoes bills for broadcast governance

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday vetoed a set of broadcasting bills sponsored by the main opposition that seeks to reduce his administration’s clout over public broadcasters, a week after the opposition-controlled parliament passed the contentious revisions. Upon returning from a weeklong summer vacation that wrapped up Friday, Yoon approved a Cabinet motion that requested the president to strike down four bills designed to tweak the governance structure of the Korean Broadcasting System,

Aug. 12, 2024

New chief of Independence Hall refuses to step down

Kim Hyoung-suk, the new chief of the Independence Hall of Korea, has refused to step down on Monday, despite accusations from critics that he is unfit for the position due to his alleged controversial view of Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea. Kim, a former conservative professor, who took office as the chief of the national museum dedicated to the country’s independence movement, denied the claims that he is a supporter of the New Right political movement that justifies Japan

Aug. 12, 2024

Yoon names new defense chief, national security adviser

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday named a new defense minister and national security adviser, while creating the new position of special adviser on foreign affairs and national security to the President, in a surprising shake-up of his foreign and defense policy team. Shin Won-sik, who had been serving as defense minister at the time of his appointment, has now been appointed as the new national security adviser, according to presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk. Shin, a retired three-star

Aug. 12, 2024

DP urges Yoon to withdraw appointment of new chief of Independence Hall of Korea

The main opposition Democratic Party urged President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday to withdraw the appointment of the new chief of the Independence Hall of Korea amid criticism of his controversial views accused of justifying Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The appointment of Kim Hyoung-suk as head of the museum focusing on the country's independence movement during the colonial rule has sparked criticism over some of his past remarks seen by critics as "New Right" and pro-Japanese

Aug. 12, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Bank branch closure notice, 'dark patterns' regulation

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Banking Act Proposed by Rep. Park Hong-bae (Democratic Party of Korea) ● As financial services move to online platforms, many banks have been closing their offline branches. This bill aims to prevent user inconvenience of digitally vulnerable people by mandating prior notice of bank branch closures. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Minimum Wage Act Proposed by Rep. Song Eon-seog (People Power Party) ● The inflexible application of the minimum wage

Aug. 12, 2024

Conservatives split over Yoon potentially clearing key liberal to run

Conservatives are divided over reports President Yoon Suk Yeol may fully restore the political rights of once-prominent liberal politician Kim Kyung-soo, allowing him to run for public office. Kim, a key ally of former Democratic Party of Korea President Moon Jae-in, was already pardoned last December from serving the remaining five months of his two-year jail term. In 2021, he was sentenced to two years in jail in the Supreme Court for trying to sway voters online by manipulating comments on ne

Aug. 11, 2024

DP claims gov't pressure behind death of senior official of anti-corruption agency

The main opposition Democratic Party vowed Friday to reveal the truth behind the recent death of a senior official of the state anti-corruption agency, saying government pressure led to his death. Until recently, the official of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission had served as acting chief of the agency's anti-corruption bureau and oversaw inquiries into politically sensitive cases, including first lady Kim Keon Hee's acceptance of a luxury handbag and opposition leader Le

Aug. 9, 2024

Yoon visits military headquarters on last day of summer vacation

President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the headquarters of the armed forces in the central city of Gyeryong on Friday to inspect security posture and examine preparations for upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, his office said. Yoon's visit to the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, came on the last day of his five-day summer vacation. During the visit, Yoon met with the top commanders of the Army, Air Force and Navy at a wa

Aug. 9, 2024

President may grant liberal ex-governor clemency

  The Ministry of Justice on Thursday reportedly prepared a list of high-profile politicians convicted of crimes who would be eligible to be granted either special amnesty or rehabilitation by President Yoon Suk Yeol next week. Among them on the list is liberal bigwig Kim Kyoung-soo, formerly a lawmaker and South Gyeongsang Province governor. The 56-year-old Kim, convicted for his involvement in the high-profile "Druking" opinion-rigging scandal in July 2021, is likely to be rehab

Aug. 8, 2024