Presidential couple's love for pets highlighted in central Asia tour

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee were again spotted with dogs during their trip to Central Asian countries, highlighting the president and his spouse's love for pets. On Wednesday evening, Yoon and Kim encountered three dogs raised by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as the couple made their way into a special exhibition and stage performances at the Kalibek Kuanyshbaev Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Sout

June 13, 2024

Yoon set to meet Uzbek leader

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Friday in the final leg of his Central Asia trip. Yoon last met Mirziyoyev in September last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States. Yoon is expected to work to ensure the stable supply of critical minerals from Uzbekistan, open ways for South Korean construction firms to join more Uzbek projects, and boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of health care

June 13, 2024

More nonstop flights to be added between S. Korea, Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- The presidential office on Wednesday revealed plans to add nonstop flights between South Korea's port city of Incheon and cities of Kazakhstan, namely the capital city of Astana and its most populous city, Almaty. Park Chun-sup, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters in a briefing that South Korean budget carrier T'way Air is poised to start operating direct flights between Incheon and Astana soon, two or three times a week. Also, anoth

June 12, 2024

DP reintroduces special probe bill on Marine's death in committee meeting despite PPP boycott

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proceeded with a parliamentary committee session Wednesday to reintroduce a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year, despite fierce resistance from the ruling party. The DP unilaterally convened a meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, a key panel with the power to approve bills for a plenary vote at the National Assembly, while lawmakers of the ruling People Power

June 12, 2024

South Korean border province governors bicker over anti-Pyongyang leaflets

The governors of two South Korean provinces bordering North Korea on Wednesday clashed on how to deal with activists flying leaflets targeting North Koreans over the border, after once again being harassed by trash balloons launched by Pyongyang over the weekend. Kim Dong-yeon, the governor of Gyeonggi Province from the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a meeting with provincial military and fire authorities the same day that if things got worse he would strengthen surveillance against attempts

June 12, 2024

S. Korea, Kazakhstan agree to bolster mineral supply chain

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Kazakh counterpart President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed Wednesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation in critical minerals exploration and development. The presidential office said this would bolster the bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations, with his state visit to Kazakhstan marking the first by a South Korean leader in five years. During the summit of Yoon and Tokayev in Astana, the capital city of Kazakh

June 12, 2024

First lady returns to diplomatic spotlight amid mounting domestic pressure

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- First lady Kim Keon Hee has embraced the diplomatic spotlight during President Yoon Suk Yeol's Central Asian trip, amid political pressure to investigate allegations she violated Korea's antigraft law. As Yoon and Kim are halfway through a trip involving state visits to three countries -- Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan -- Kim has expanded her public role as the first lady in a series of engagements highlighting cultural exchanges. According to Yoon's

June 12, 2024

Yoon greeted in Turkmenistan with veal, Korean songs

SEOUL/ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol was greeted with "special and respectful courtesy" Monday in Turkmenistan on the first leg of his weeklong trip to Central Asia on a mission to expand cooperation in critical minerals and other key sectors. Principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo said at a press briefing that South Korea "was welcomed with the highest courtesy befitting a state guest," describing Turkmenistan's welcome. Upon arrival i

June 11, 2024

Assembly split as Democratic Party of Korea snatches control of key committees

The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday protested the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally picking the chairs of key standing committees of the National Assembly late Monday. The Democratic Party once again used its majority in the Assembly to convene a plenary session and appoint the chairs of 11 out of the 18 committees without involving the ruling party. Last week, the Democratic Party left out the ruling party in electing the Assembly speaker, marking the first such instance in the histor

June 11, 2024

Anti-corruption watchdog accused by ex-head of bias toward Yoon

South Korea’s anti-corruption watchdog was slammed by the Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday over its decision to strike down a petition against First Lady Kim Keon Hee. The petition, filed with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in December last year, claimed that Kim had accepted bribes. The commission said in a previously unannounced briefing Monday that it was closing the case against the first lady as the existing laws have no provisions for holding spouses of elected p

June 11, 2024

Yoon urges speedier cooperation as S. Korean firms eye $6b deals in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for speedier economic cooperation with Turkmenistan, as South Korean companies were working to secure up to $6 billion in construction bids in the Central Asian country's rich gas sector. Speaking at a business forum to mark the South Korean leader's state visit to Turkmenistan, Yoon said the two countries have many opportunities for collaboration, stressing Turkmenistan's status as the world's fourth-largest

June 11, 2024

Democratic Party takes key Assembly committee chair posts

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday took 11 of the total 18 standing committee chair positions for the first two years of the 22nd National Assembly, which began its four-year term on May 30, in voting boycotted by the ruling People Power Party. The opposition-led Assembly elected representatives from the main opposition to chair 11 standing committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the House Steering Committee, in a plenary session held in the evening

June 10, 2024

Leaders of Korea, Turkmenistan discuss economy, energy

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- The leaders of South Korea and Turkmenistan on Monday agreed to deepen the "mutually beneficial partnership" of the two countries, which could allow more South Korean companies to join the Central Asian country's construction and infrastructure projects. At a summit held in the capital of Turkmenistan, President Yoon Suk Yeol and his counterpart Serdar Berdymukhamedov also agreed to diversify bilateral cooperation through eight documents signed to boost b

June 10, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Textile waste, rights for electronic person

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Promotion of Transition to Circular Economy and Society Proposed by Rep. Jang Hye-yeong (Green Justice Party) ● According to data from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2017, the global clothing production volume has surged by 400 percent over the last two decades, and 20 percent of the global water pollution is attributable to the dyeing process of textiles. Moreover, textile production accounts for 10 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. How

June 10, 2024

DP leader urges two Koreas to stop 'childish chicken game' of trash balloons, loudspeakers

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called on the two Koreas to halt a chain of retaliatory actions, such as South Korea's border loudspeaker broadcasts and North Korea's trash balloon campaign, calling it a "childish chicken game" that can lead to war. On Sunday, South Korea resumed propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts near the inter-Korean border for the first time in six years in retaliation against the North's recent launch of balloons carrying trash into the South. The bro

June 10, 2024

Rival parties clash over selecting standing committee chiefs

The two largest parties here have locked horns over selecting the heads of the standing committee chiefs for the first two years of the 22nd National Assembly, which began its four-year term on May 30. On Friday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which accounts for the majority of the single-chamber, 300-member parliament with 175 seats, submitted a list of its nominees for the heads and members of the 18 standing committees to the Assembly’s proceeding division. The list draw

June 9, 2024

Opposition refutes 'extravagant' India trip claims about ex-first lady

Opposition party lawmakers on Friday played down a controversy that has recently resurfaced over ruling party claims surrounding former first lady Kim Jung-sook's official visit to India in November 2018, of her allegedly "extravagant" airline meals, visit to the Taj Mahal and eligibility to represent the South Korean delegation at the time. The lawmakers added that those stirring up such "unfounded and malicious distortions," including the ruling People Power Party'

June 7, 2024

Yoon on state visit to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan next week

President Yoon Suk Yeol is to embark on a state visit to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this week, as he seeks to cement Seoul's business ties with Central Asia, according to the presidential office. Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee are scheduled to travel for the visit from Monday to Saturday. Seoul will work to integrate South Korea's innovation prowess with Central Asian countries' potential for economic development, based on strong trust and solidarity, Kim Tae-hyo, f

June 7, 2024

Man in Mexico died of a bird flu strain that hadn’t been confirmed before in a human, WHO says

A man’s death in Mexico was caused by a strain of bird flu called H5N2 that has never before been found in a human, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The WHO said it wasn’t clear how the man became infected, although H5N2 has been reported in poultry in Mexico. There are numerous types of bird flu. H5N2 is not the same strain that has infected multiple dairy cow herds in the US That strain is called H5N1 and three farmworkers have gotten mild infections. Other bird flu va

June 6, 2024

Defectors get back at North Korea with K-pop balloons

A group of North Korean defectors in Seoul tried to fly giant balloons carrying K-pop and other South Korean popular culture content across the border, with a few appearing to have entered North Korean skies early Thursday, according to the South’s military authorities. The defector group, which calls itself Fighters for Free North Korea, said in a statement on this day they flew the balloons in a tit-for-tat response following the hundreds of North Korean balloons filled with trash and pr

June 6, 2024