South Korea’s presidential office on Tuesday announced another batch in the ongoing Cabinet reshuffle, with President Yoon Suk Yeol nominating his national security adviser to be chief of the intelligence agency and a former top envoy to the United Nations as new foreign minister. A new bureau dedicated to economic security in the presidential National Security Office will also be created as part of the reshuffle, his office said. According to the office, Yoon named Director of the Nationa

Politics Dec. 19, 2023

A trilateral scheme has kicked off for sharing data on North Korean missiles in real time among the defense chiefs of South Korea, Japan and the US. The Ministry of National Defense in Seoul said Tuesday its prelaunch inspections have found the missile data-sharing scheme to be “completely ready for operations” and currently “operating smoothly.” The Defense Ministry said the scheme would allow the three allies to detect North Korea’s missiles and share related info

Defense Dec. 19, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday pledged stricter corrective measures and law enforcement on e-commerce players to curtail their dominance in South Korea's online market, claiming these marketplace operators were bullying mom-and-pop vendors and undermining consumer choice. This will accompany the Yoon administration's proposal of a new law to restrict business activities of e-commerce companies designated as "dominant platform business entities," which was announced later in the day

Politics Dec. 19, 2023

South Korea's Foreign Ministry denied a media report on Friday that the government of the Netherlands had summoned its ambassador to voice concerns about Seoul's demands regarding a presidential visit to the headquarters of the semiconductor printing machine supplier ASML. The Joongang Ilbo newspaper reported that the South Korean Ambassador to the Netherlands Choe Hyoung-chan had been summoned to hear concerns over Seoul's "various demands" related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit t

Foreign Affairs Dec. 15, 2023

The Presidential National Security Office's first deputy chief Kim Tae-hyo said Thursday North Korea might launch another intercontinental ballistic missile before the end of the year, as he arrived in Washington to attend a nuclear consultative group meeting Friday. "I think there is a possibility that North Korea would launch an ICBM in December," he told reporters at Dulles International Airport near Washington. "I can't tell you further about this," he added when asked wh

Politics Dec. 15, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged his support for South Korea's bid to build two new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, as he wrapped up his five-day state visit to the European country which faces energy transition pressure due to geopolitical uncertainties. "I will actively support South Korean companies, boasting world-class plant engineering capabilities, to participate in new projects to build nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, based on the agreements signed today," Yoon

Politics Dec. 14, 2023

In a crowded but somewhat solemn atmosphere, some 60,000 people gathered at Seoul's New Year's Eve celebration near Bosingak on Dec. 31, 2022, braving the cold and waving their smartphone flashlights while watching prominent figures here ring a 3.2-meter-tall bell 33 times after a countdown. For this year's New Year's celebration, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, as the host of the event, is looking to spice things up by adding festivities to boost touristic appeal. Immersi

Social Affairs Dec. 13, 2023

South Korea and the Netherlands on Wednesday announced a "semiconductor alliance" under which the two countries will join forces to strive for chip supremacy and overcome chip supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical tensions. The announcement came as President Yoon Suk Yeol and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met in The Hague on Wednesday and signed three memoranda of understanding, including one on intergovernmental cooperation to ensure chip supply chain stability. "Both le

Politics Dec. 13, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived Monday in Amsterdam to forge stronger bilateral ties with the Netherlands, South Korea's emerging European trade partner in terms of semiconductor chips, logistics and artificial intelligence cooperation. During the five-day state visit, South Korea is set to ink a project deal to deploy its cold chain logistics technology in Europe. Moreover, South Korea laid out a plan with the Netherlands to nurture 500 semiconductor experts over the next five years, and e

Politics Dec. 12, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee flew to the Netherlands on Monday at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander, in a bid to strengthen bilateral semiconductor supply chain cooperation and to enhance the European nation's involvement in Indo-Pacific regional security, in what will be the president's last trip to a foreign country this year. Yoon is the first South Korean president to pay a state visit to the Netherlands since the two countries forged diplomatic relat

Politics Dec. 11, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday approved his nomination of Cho Hee-dae as the new chief justice of South Korea's top court, ending the rare, monthslong judiciary leadership vacuum. Yoon's approval came hours after the National Assembly voted 264-18 for the nomination of Cho, who was formerly a Supreme Court justice until his retirement in 2020. Cho passed the parliament's confirmation hearing earlier this week. Cho, 66, will take office on Monday. A chief justice normally serves six years in a

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2023

Cho Min, daughter of ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk, on Friday attended the first hearing for her trial on forgery charges in a college admissions scandal. Cho told reporters she would "faithfully engage in her trial" and declined to comment further, as she appeared at the Seoul Central District Court. The 32-year-old, who was trained as a physician, is accused of fabricating her own credentials when she applied for an undergraduate degree at Korea University and another at Pusan National

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2023

Song Young-gil, former chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, on Friday denied allegations of illegal campaigning before a 2021 ballot where he was elected the party chairman, as well as separate bribery allegations. The prosecution is now seeking criminal charges against the 60-year-old, who was a five-term lawmaker. He has not been indicted for the allegations. Song said he would exercise his right to remain silent during the interrogation, in a show of resistance to what he c

Politics Dec. 8, 2023

South Korea is working to host a trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, according to an official of Seoul's presidential office on Thursday. The trilateral summit would be a follow-up to a three-way meeting in August at Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland, the official said on condition of anonymity. "The Camp David Principle stipulates an agreement of the three leaders to hold a regular summit on a yearly basis," the official said. "We have been

Politics Dec. 7, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming state visit to the Netherlands will lay the groundwork for the new chip alliance with the country, a semiconductor industry powerhouse home to the world's sole extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment supplier, to enable the production of more sophisticated microchips, according to the presidential office, Thursday. Yoon's state visit to the Netherlands, upon the invitation of King Willem-Alexander from Monday to Thursday, could "magnify bi

Politics Dec. 7, 2023