High-ranking NK defector being considered for vice-ministerial post: report

Tae Yong-ho, a former high-ranking North Korean official who defected to South Korea and later became a lawmaker for the conservative ruling People Power Party, could potentially become the first North Korean diplomat-turned-defector to ascend to a vice-ministerial post in South Korea's history, according to a report in local daily Dong-a Ilbo. Tae, 62, is reportedly being considered as one of the candidates for the position of secretary-general of the presidential Peaceful Unification Advi

July 17, 2024

Violence mars ruling party’s leadership race

The ruling conservative party’s leadership race has been plagued by violence, as supporters of different candidates clashed during a joint campaign speech event held early this week. Videos of the speech event held Monday in the central city of Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, showed apparent supporters of former People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon and ex-Land Minister Won Hee-ryong embroiled in a physical altercation. A YouTuber, who is an apparent supporter of Won, yelled

July 17, 2024

Lawyer confirms first lady's bag return instruction

A lawyer for first lady Kim Keon Hee said Tuesday it is true that Kim ordered her aide to return a Dior bag she received as a gift from a pastor on the same day it was given, asking media to refrain from "excessive speculation" on the matter. Lawyer Choi Ji-woo released a press release, expressing hope that the media will refrain from "excessively speculative and malicious articles" on the first lady. The scandal centers on allegations that Kim illegally received a Dior handb

July 16, 2024

Yoon likely to name new police chief, promote his secretaries soon

President Yoon Suk Yeol will reportedly name a new chief for South Korea's National Police Agency as well as nominate new and replace some ministers later this week. According to news reports, Jo Ji-ho, the incumbent chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will likely be nominated as chief of the Korean National Police Agency. A KNPA chief nominee -- a vice-minister-level official in South Korea -- is required to go through a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly. Yoon will

July 16, 2024

NTS chief nominee apologizes for controversy over thesis

The nominee to head the National Tax Service on Tuesday apologized for controversies surrounding his master’s degree thesis, which included allegations of plagiarism and using “inappropriate terms” to describe the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. Kang Min-soo, the former chief of the Seoul Regional Tax Office, who was tapped by President Yoon Suk Yeol as the next commissioner of the NTS, was recently accused of using terms that describe the previous military Chun Doo-hwan

July 16, 2024

Yoon hails S. Korea-US 'nuclear-based' alliance in face of NK missiles

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday hailed the signing of guidelines for extended deterrence cooperation by Seoul and Washington as enhancing the bilateral alliance to one that he said is "nuclear-based," meant to counter North Korea's nuclear missile threats. The "US-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula" document, signed between Yoon and his US counterpart Joe Biden on Thursday during Yoon's visit to Washington, "sets the s

July 16, 2024

Parties ramp up security for politicians ahead of conventions

South Korea’s two largest political parties have decided to bolster security measures for their respective leader candidates, as both party conventions are scheduled to be held by the end of next month, sources close to the matter said Monday. The moves follow the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, the US, last week, prompting concerns about political violence here as well. With only a few weeks left until its July 23 party convention, the ruling People

July 15, 2024

Yoon's spokesperson named vice unification minister

Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson of President Yoon Suk Yeol's office was named as the new Vice Minister of Unification, according to Yoon's office Monday. Kim, 48, has served as Yoon's spokesperson since December. Before joining the presidential office, she was formerly a journalist at the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a social welfare professor at Hanshin University and a secretary for unification in the presidential office. Kim w

July 15, 2024

First lady likely to refuse to testify before Assembly committee

South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee is likely to refuse to testify before the opposition-controlled Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly as they plan to hold a parliamentary hearing to seek an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol. This will be in line with the presidential office's move to decline to receive the committee's written request urging five presidential secretaries to attend the first round of hearings scheduled on Friday. A senio

July 15, 2024

[Bills in Focus] High-tech industries support, proactive supply chain measures

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Strengthening the Competitiveness of, and Protecting National High-tech Strategic Industries Proposed by Rep. Lee Sang-sik (Democratic Party of Korea) ● The current Act designates key technologies and industries as national high-tech strategic technologies and promotes investment through specialized complexes with government subsidies. However, unlike countries like the US, China, and Taiwan, which fully subsidize industrial in

July 15, 2024

Yoon 'appalled' over Trump shooting

South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday expressed best wishes to former US President Donald Trump, denouncing the shooting attack during his presidential election campaign rally in Pennsylvania that left him wounded Saturday. "I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence," Yoon noted on his X account. "I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery. The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America." Yoon's spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung sai

July 14, 2024

NATO ramps up pressure on China. What does it mean to South Korea?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's joint declaration issued Wednesday in Washington signaled a change from the Western military alliance's traditional focus on Russia with its rare open rebuke of China, calling it a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war in Ukraine. The rhetoric comes at a time when NATO declared its bid to bolster cooperation with its so-called "Indo-Pacific 4" partners -- namely South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- in their late

July 14, 2024

Yoon promises incentives for companies hiring NK defectors

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Sunday to provide financial incentives to South Korean companies hiring North Korean defectors, as the conservative leader commemorated North Korean Defectors' Day designated for the first time. In its inaugural ceremony in Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, formerly used as the presidential office, Yoon promised to tackle the problem of unemployment among North Korean defectors who often struggle to land a proper job here. Tax credits or government subsidies could be p

July 14, 2024

Ruling party warns leadership contenders to halt mudslinging

The ruling party People Power Party’s election management committee formed to handle the ongoing race to select its next leader said Friday it issued a warning to two of its contenders, requesting them to halt their “personal attacks” against each other. The committee revealed that it had sent warning letters to former Justice Minister and party interim leader Han Dong-hoon and former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong – two of four candidates for the chairman position –

July 12, 2024

NATO slams NK-Russia arms trade as Yoon moves to bolster security cooperation

Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Wednesday expressed "great concern" about the deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, shown in the pact signed in June, and condemned North Korea's weapons exports to Russia, as President Yoon Suk Yeol, who traveled to the United States to attend the NATO summit, moves to bolster security cooperation with NATO member states and other allies. In a communique released Wednesday, the Washington Summit Declaration, the 32 NAT

July 11, 2024

Lee Jae-myung formally announces rerun for DP chairmanship

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday officially announced he will run again to be the leader of the main opposition here, with observers saying he is likely to be reelected at the party's convention next month. The announcement comes two weeks after Lee resigned as chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party. Lee had taken office as the party leader in 2022 after winning 77.77 percent of the vote at the national convention in August that year. At a press conference

July 10, 2024

Indo-Pacific Command's role key to 'rock-solid' Korea-US alliance: Yoon

President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed the United States Indo-Pacific Command's role in taking the alliance between Seoul and Washington to a new level, amid growing geopolitical tensions beyond the Korean Peninsula. Yoon on Tuesday local time visited the headquarters of the Indo-Pacific Command at Camp H. M. Smith in Halawa, Hawaii, near Honolulu. The last time a South Korean head of state visited the base was then-President Kim Young-sam 29 years ago. "Among many other important missions,

July 10, 2024

Yoon pledges to enhance combined readiness with US against N. Korea

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to bolster South Korea's combined defense readiness with the United States to deter North Korea's growing threats during his visit to the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii on Tuesday. Yoon made the remark during his meeting with Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of Indo-Pacific Command, and Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of US Forces Korea, and other US military leaders. "North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities and continued provocations

July 10, 2024

National Assembly launches forum for potential nuclear armament

The National Assembly forum for potentially arming South Korea with nuclear weapons, the Mugunghwa Forum, kicked off Tuesday. The ruling People Power Party Rep. Yu Yong-weon, the Mugunghwa Forum’s founding president, said in remarks delivered at the inaugural ceremony that the forum will discuss policies and strategies for cultivating what he has termed the country’s “nuclear potential.” “I am pleased that the forum is taking off on this day at the National Assembly

July 9, 2024

Quarrel over first lady’s text messages opens new rift in ruling bloc

Rumors that former ruling party interim leader Han Dong-hoon ignored a total of five text messages from first lady Kim Keon Hee have opened a new rift within the conservative bloc, with some questioning the intention behind the alleged texts by the wife of the president, who is expected to remain politically neutral. The intra-party rift intensified after the Telegram text messages reportedly sent by Kim to former ruling party interim leader and ex-Justice Minister Han, ahead of the April 10 gen

July 9, 2024