6 European high-tech firms to invest $940m in Korea

  President Yoon Suk Yeol attended an investment forum to meet European business leaders, where six firms promised to invest $940 million in Korea on the last day of his visit to Paris. Among the firms represented at the forum, French mining company Imerys, Belgium materials technology company Umicore, German automotive parts company Continental and British tech firm Nylacast said they plan to establish plants in South Korea, according to Yoon's office. The investments by European high-tech

June 21, 2023

Yoon asks Macron to help ensure EU trade laws do not harm S. Korean businesses

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has asked French President Emmanuel Macron to help ensure new European Union trade laws do not discriminate against South Korean businesses, according to a presidential official. Yoon made the request during a summit with Macron at Elysee Palace on Tuesday as they agreed to provide active government support to increase investment in each other's advanced industries, including rechargeable batteries, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo

June 21, 2023

First ladies Kim, Macron exchange culture, arts

  South Korean and French first ladies Kim Keon Hee and Brigitte Macron met on the occasion of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Paris to rally support for the 2030 Busan Expo, and exchanged ideas on culture and arts during a friendship luncheon on Tuesday in Paris. The event took place at the Elysee Palace at the French first lady's invitation. Kim expressed the importance of strengthening mutual understanding and expanding exchanges in arts and culture between Korea an

June 21, 2023

Yoon talks with Korean, French youth, emphasizes innovation, solidarity

President Yoon Suk Yeol engaged in talks with French and Korean youth in Paris on Tuesday, under the slogan "Coffee with the President: Freedom and Solidarity as a Force for Innovation." After participating in a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and delivering a presentation at the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, President Yoon visited Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, to engage in discussions with the future generation. Dur

June 21, 2023

Yoon presents Korea's vision for Busan as expo race heats up in Paris

PARIS -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday presented South Korea's vision for hosting the World Expo 2030 in Busan, highlighting the nation's strength in culture, digitalization, green technology and its commitment to a shared future at the final presentation session held in Paris. In his speech, which was livestreamed worldwide, the president stressed the country's will to make the exhibition a platform to address the most pressing challenges the world is facing, both at present

June 20, 2023

Yoon, Macron discuss tech cooperation, regional security

PARIS -- President Yoon Suk Yeol met his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to discuss ways to bolster bilateral cooperation on tech and future industries, regional security and North Korea, ahead of the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions held on Tuesday. At the summit held at the Elysee Palace during lunch hour, Yoon underscored the significance of expanding cooperation between the two countries in cutting-edge technologies and future strategic industries, particularly

June 20, 2023

‘Arrest me’: Legally troubled opposition leader vows to fight head on

The leader of South Korea’s main opposition party Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who is currently involved in several criminal trials, said Monday he will not shun the prosecution’s supposed bid to “come after” him and “willingly face” arrest. Lee’s remarks, delivered during the National Assembly plenary session, come after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea-controlled Assembly already struck down his arrest warrant bill in February. Over the course of t

June 19, 2023

Yoon estrangement with China hurting economy: opposition head

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol aligning with the US and Japan while shifting away from China was exacting a toll on the country’s economy, the leader of the political opposition said Monday. Addressing the National Assembly plenary session, the main opposition party leader said ties with China “have gone downhill” since Yoon took office, accusing the president of “having given up on diplomacy.” “We used to have the largest trade surplus with China. The p

June 19, 2023

Suneung to exclude ‘killer questions’ as part of education reform

South Korea’s state-administered college entrance exam, Suneung, will only cover materials taught in class from this year onward, excluding the so-called high-difficulty level “killer questions,” the government said Monday, sending a clear signal that it has started education sector reforms. At the consultation meeting held between the government and the ruling People Power Party, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said the killer questions, which often test high schoolers above thei

June 19, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Tax breaks, talent sourcing for domestic tech industry

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Restriction of Special Taxation Proposed by Rep. Kim Sang-hoon (People Power Party) ● The South Korean government has recently enhanced tax support for facility investments in semiconductors and other national strategy industries to bolster domestic production capabilities. However, the offered tax credits can only be claimed via corporate tax deductions, which means that businesses that invest in national strategy industries but fail to generate

June 19, 2023

Govt., PPP agree to expand radioactivity testing in ocean amid concern over safety of seafood

The government and the People Power Party agreed Sunday to expand the inspection of radioactivity levels in the ocean, in response to heightened public concern over the planned release of contaminated water from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. The agreement was reached during a policy consultation meeting between the People Power Party and top government officials. The nuclear power plant, which was severely damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, is scheduled to rele

June 18, 2023

Gov't, PPP agree on proposing public disclosure of violent criminals' personal info

The government and the ruling People Power Party agreed Sunday to enact a special bill to expand the disclosure of personal data of violent crime assailants to the public, in response to heightened public concern over a series of heinous crimes. The agreement was discussed during a policy consultation meeting between the PPP and top government officials, including Prime Minster Han Deok-soo and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. According to the agreement, the plan will include suspects involved in

June 18, 2023

[Exclusive] North Korea tightens watch on elite exodus

North Korea has recently tightened controls on elites stationed abroad to stop them from defecting, South Korean intelligence authorities found. According to a National Intelligence Service document obtained by the National Assembly, North Korea is keeping even closer track of its officials working at diplomatic and other offices overseas. Wary that they may take advantage of loosened border controls post-COVID, North Korea has “scaled up surveillance” on overseas officials, the docu

June 18, 2023

Yoon to give English speech in Paris for Busan Expo

President Yoon Suk Yeol intends to deliver a speech in English during the presentation at the upcoming General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris, France, with the aim of attracting the 2030 World Expo to Busan. The BIE General Assembly is scheduled to take place June 20-21, with the fourth presentation taking place on the first day. This presentation will be livestreamed worldwide via the BIE's official YouTube channel. The order of the presentations will be as f

June 18, 2023

Education Ministry to audit institution overseeing Suneung to make it ‘fair’

South Korea’s Vice Education Minister Jang Sang-yoon said Friday that the Education Ministry would audit the institution overseeing Suneung, the nation’s scholastic aptitude test, to assess the exam's fairness. Jang said the ministry would team up with the Office for Government Policy Coordination regarding when and whom it would audit, as the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation is a government body operating under the OPC, not the Education Ministry. The ministry declined t

June 16, 2023

Nationwide probe launched into secret Chinese ‘police stations’ in South Korea

South Korean authorities said Thursday they are looking into unofficially set up Chinese “police stations” across the country after the alleged presence of such an entity came under scrutiny in Seoul earlier this year. The National Intelligence Service, together with the police, are probing suspected activities of covertly operating “police stations” for the Chinese government, not just in Seoul but in other regions, including Jeju Island south of the peninsula. Last mont

June 16, 2023

Yoon’s comment wasn’t about ‘making Suneung easier’: presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s instruction to the chief of the Education Ministry on Thursday was not intended to mean that Suneung, or the nation’s scholastic aptitude test, should be “made easier,” his senior press secretary said Friday. “President Yoon Suk Yeol was not talking about an ‘easy Suneung’ or a ‘hard Suneung’ to Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, yesterday,” senior presidential secretary for press affairs, Kim Eun-hye, told reporter

June 16, 2023

S. Korea, Japan team up for advanced industry materials, tech development

South Korea and Japan joined hands to boost cooperation on the development of key industry materials and advanced technologies in such major fields as semiconductors and displays, Seoul's industry ministry said Friday. The two nations held an event Wednesday to launch a project to jointly conduct technology research and development programs in the fine chemical fields as part of efforts to strengthen their industry competitiveness, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Th

June 16, 2023

[Exclusive] China-sponsored Confucius Institutes behind ‘hostile activities’ against pro-Hong Kong rallies in Seoul: lawmaker

Chinese government-run Confucius Institutes in South Korea allegedly led “hostile activities” targeting rallies in support of Hong Kong democracy movement, according to a lawmaker in Seoul. The Institutes mobilized Chinese students here to stage counter-protests against pro-Hong Kong rallies at South Korean universities, People Power Party Rep. Choe Jae-hyeong office told The Korea Herald quoting an intelligence report. At the instruction of the Institutes, Chinese students defaced p

June 15, 2023

S. Korea to soon finalize analysis of contaminated water from Japan's Fukushima plant

South Korea plans to soon finalize its own analysis of contaminated water from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant before the neighboring country begins to discharge it into sea, the chief of the country's nuclear safety watchdog said Thursday. "We are speeding up the analysis, and we will finalize it before the discharge (of contaminated water)," Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Guk-hee told lawmakers. Last month, a team of South Korean experts c

June 15, 2023