Delegations from 48 African countries and 25 state leaders are coming to Seoul next week on South Korea's invitation to its first-ever multilateral summit organized in hopes of strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with the continent, the presidential office said Thursday. At the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place from June 4-5, President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to hold formal talks with 25 leaders of African countries, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the p

Politics May 30, 2024

South Korea will send the first lunar rover by 2032 and plant the first Korean flag on Mars by 2045, according to a blueprint for space exploration that President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled Thursday. At the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)'s temporary headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoon said these goals would be part of the so-called "Space Gwanggaeto Project" unveiled Thursday, named after King Gwanggaeto the Great who ruled the Goguryeo empire on the Korean Peni

Politics May 30, 2024

North Korea on Thursday fired at least 10 projectiles believed by South Korea to be short-range ballistic missiles, as Pyongyang continued military provocations following the three-way talks between the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China earlier on Monday. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea's military, the projectiles, fired at around 6:14 a.m., flew 350 kilometers from the Sunan district in northwestern Pyongyang, before falling into the East Sea. Seoul and other po

North Korea May 30, 2024

Leaders of South Korea, Japan and China reaffirmed Monday that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula serves their common interest and is their responsibility, amid continued provocations from North Korea that have undermined regional peace in Northeast Asia. In the first trilateral summit in 4 1/2 years hosted in Seoul, the three countries represented by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated their stan

Politics May 27, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted an official dinner with reporters covering his office for the first time on Friday, serving kimchi stew by himself, at an event held in an apparent effort to mend ties with the media. "As soon as I took office, I promised to invite you to a dinner with gyeran mari and kimchi jjigae, as seen in a TV show 'All the Butlers' as a presidential candidate, and I haven't been able to in the past two years," Yoon told some 200 reporters who attended

Politics May 26, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office rejected Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung's proposal to hold formal talks with Yoon to narrow differences on a pension reform bill that would require people to contribute more while employed and benefit them more after retirement, Lee's aide told reporters Friday. Yoon's aide on political affairs Hong Chul-ho turned down Lee's proposal for either two-way talks between Yoon and Lee, or three-way talks between Yoon, Lee an

Politics May 24, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to resume his diplomatic activity with Seoul ready to host a forthcoming three-way summit with Japan and China on Monday, according to Yoon's office Thursday. Before the trilateral summit, Yoon and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will sit down for bilateral talks Sunday, followed by in-person talks between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the same day. Monday's trilateral meeting will be the first dialogue between the leaders of the three Eas

Politics May 23, 2024

Bipartisan tensions are poised to reignite over the bill for a special investigation into allegations of government interference surrounding a young Marine's death last July, as it heads back to the National Assembly after a presidential veto. President Yoon Suk Yeol blocked the bill Tuesday, rejecting the opposition parties' calls for an independent counsel's investigation of the alleged influence-peddling case, his Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk told reporters. It became the 10th

Politics May 21, 2024

The AI Seoul Summit may serve as a platform to discuss ways to make artificial intelligence technology equitable in marginalized countries in the so-called "Global South," according to the presidential office on Monday. From the perspective of AI's inclusivity -- one of the three pillars of the global AI governance suggested in the upcoming event along with safety and innovation -- developed countries taking part in the AI Seoul Summit are to discuss AI's expansion in the Global South,

Politics May 20, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing calls from multiple opposition leaders to stop vetoing bills, as the fate of a bill mandating a special counsel to probe alleged state interference in an investigation into the death of a young Marine is to be determined later this week. Yoon, who has just passed two years in office, has already used the presidential power to veto nine times, only the second-most of all South Korean presidents since President Syngman Rhee took office in 1948. The main opposition

Politics May 20, 2024

South Korea on Sunday withdrew its plan to ban foreign businesses from selling goods for cross-border shopping without South Korea's safety certifications just three days after the government mapped out the plan to protect its consumers. Lee Jeong-won, second vice minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said in a briefing in Seoul on Sunday that it is not true that the government was seeking a "preemptive all-out ban on cross-border shopping of 80 items," adding the

Politics May 19, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday unveiled plans to open a detached, private lodging facility on a bridge of Han River that will offer guests stunning views of the river and city skyline through its windows. According to the municipal government, the planned structure, referred to as a "scenic hotel," is slated to open in July and will claim the title of the world's first lodging facility built on a river bridge. Inside the self-contained structure, which used to be a co

Social Affairs May 19, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee on Sunday celebrated the return of 14th-century Buddhist relics that Seoul believes were illegally removed from the country about a century ago during the Japanese colonial era. In his opening remarks, Yoon praised the relics as a "precious national heritage symbolizing the authenticity and spiritual lineage of Korean Buddhism," emphasizing that the improving ties between the allies were instrumental in achieving their return. "I

Politics May 19, 2024

South Korea and Cambodia officially elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership on Thursday at a summit of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet in Seoul. The announcement came "with full confidence in the future of the bilateral partnership" as the two countries acknowledged that their diplomatic ties have grown stronger over the past few decades, according to a joint statement released Thursday. "Since the reestablishment of relations in 1997

Politics May 16, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday his government has proposed a law to protect the rights of what he called "underprivileged workers" in South Korea. Yoon referred to gig workers, independent contractors and freelancers who are often temporarily employed and do not have the job security, standard four basic insurances, paid annual leave or severance guaranteed to regular employees under the country's Labor Standards Act. The proposed legislation will protect the rights of such

Politics May 14, 2024