Yoon meets leaders of Sri Lanka, San Marino, other nations

President Yoon Suk Yeol held summits with the leaders of Sri Lanka, San Marino and four other nations in New York on Monday, kicking off a series of bilateral meetings arranged on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to seek support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Yoon, who arrived in New York on Monday for a five-day visit, is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and hold at least 30 bilateral summits on the margins, according to his office. Duri

Sept. 19, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Human rights and environmental due diligence, more exemptions from development charges

Proposed bill: Act on Human Rights and Environment Protection for Sustainable Business Administration of Corporations Proposed by Rep. Jung Tae-ho (Democratic Party of Korea) ● ESG policies are now considered a key factor in business management in achieving corporate sustainability and long-term value. In tandem with the global trend of mandating human rights and environmental due diligence within supply chains, this bill requires companies to create plans for implementing human rights and envir

Sept. 18, 2023

Yoon seeks global backing against NK after Kim-Putin talks

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol left for the 78th United Nations General Assembly on Monday to seek international support against North Korea's recent summit with Russia and promote Busan's 2030 World Expo bid. In his second attendance to the UN General Assembly since taking office last year, Yoon was expected to deliver a strong message condemning the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia during his keynote speech on Wednesday, Eastern Standard Time. Earlier last we

Sept. 18, 2023

Anti-corruption office demands indictment of ex-Defense Minister

The anti-corruption investigation office has demanded the prosecution indict former Defense Minister Song Young-moo over suspicions of abuse of power, officials said Monday. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials has been investigating Song on suspicions of forcing then senior ministry officials to make and endorse documents refuting a media report that he had said a controversial contingency martial law plan authored by the previous Park Geun-hye government "legally

Sept. 18, 2023

Prosecution seeks arrest warrant for ailing opposition chief

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the bedridden leader of the Democratic Party of Korea on a strike against what he calls President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “tyrannical rule,” is wanted by prosecutors on an arrest warrant request for the second time this year. Seoul prosecutors said Monday they filed a request for an arrest warrant against Lee, who is already a defendant in two corruption trials, on three different counts of accusations. One is that he colluded with a policy aide while he was mayor o

Sept. 18, 2023

Opposition leader taken to hospital on 19th day of hunger strike

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was taken to a hospital on Monday due to deteriorating health as his hunger strike entered the 19th day, officials said. Lee was almost unconscious after showing a sharp drop in blood sugar levels and was brought to a nearby hospital at 7:10 a.m., according to his main opposition Democratic Party. It is unclear whether Lee will be able to continue his fast, and the party plans to keep a close watch on his conditions after emergency measures are taken, party spokes

Sept. 18, 2023

Yoon sends letter to Pope Francis on anniversary of S. Korea-Vatican relations

President Yoon Suk Yeol sent a letter to Pope Francis on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Vatican City, expressing his hope to deepen the friendly and cooperative partnership, his office said Sunday. Yoon sent the letter via Kang Seung-kyoo, senior presidential secretary for civil society, who has been visiting the city-state as a special presidential envoy. During a meeting with the pope on Saturday, Kang conveyed Yoon

Sept. 17, 2023

Lee Jae-myung and the politics of fasting

South Korea’s main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung has been on an indefinite hunger strike, having consumed nothing other than salt and fluids for 18 days straight. The chair of the Democratic Party of Korea says he is forgoing food to protest the way President Yoon Suk Yeol is running the country, which he has characterized using two keywords -- “tyranny” and “incompetence.” He insists he would not give up unless his demands are met, one of which is that Yoon

Sept. 17, 2023

Democratic Party to introduce motion for prime minister's dismissal

The main opposition Democratic Party said Saturday it has decided to introduce a motion calling for the dismissal of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and take action to open an independent counsel to probe the case of a young Marine's death. "We call for the resignation of the Cabinet and will immediately file a dismissal motion for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo," the DP's floor leader Park Kwang-on read from a resolution during a media briefing after an emergency meeting of party l

Sept. 16, 2023

Yoon's UN speech to warn on NK-Russia military exchanges

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is slated to begin a six-day visit to New York starting Monday to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly, which comes after a summit on Wednesday where North Korea leader Kim Jong-un offered his full support to Russia's "sacred fight" against the West. During his visit, Yoon is likely to issue warnings regarding increasing military activities between North Korea and Russia, as well as Pyongyang's evolving nuclear ambitions. At the

Sept. 14, 2023

North Korea leader making ‘deal with devil,’ says South’ ruling party chair

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly reaching a deal over military cooperation with Russia's Vladimir Putin is like “making a deal with the devil,” South Korea’s ruling party chief said Thursday. Speaking at a meeting of the party leadership, the People Power Party’s chair, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, said the two “who are regarded by many in the international community as the most dangerous leaders, are being criticized all over the world for the demonic trade.&r

Sept. 14, 2023

S. Korean lawmakers to visit Tokyo for annual meeting with Japanese counterparts

Dozens of lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties were to depart for Tokyo on Thursday for an annual meeting with their Japanese counterparts. A total of 39 members of the South Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union are scheduled to meet with Korean residents in Japan later Thursday before attending the union's 44th joint conference with Japanese lawmakers Friday. They also plan to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday. During the conference, the lawmakers pl

Sept. 14, 2023

Industry minister nominee vows swift restoration of nuclear energy ecosystem

South Korean Industry Minister nominee Bang Moon-kyu vowed Wednesday to expedite efforts to restore and further develop the ecosystem of the country's nuclear power generation industry to better achieve net-zero goals and energy security. During a parliamentary confirmation hearing, Bang also pledged efforts to boost exports amid unfavorable global business circumstances and to strengthen cooperation with the United States, Japan and other partners on stable supply chains in advanced indu

Sept. 13, 2023

Resolution pushed to urge China not to repatriate North Koreans

South Korea’s ruling party is preparing a resolution to stop the possible forced repatriation of more than 2,600 North Korean defectors detained in China. The People Power Party said Wednesday that it has begun a discussion to adopt the resolution as the party platform, and submit what would be a party-wide resolution to the National Assembly as soon as possible. Speaking at a party leadership meeting Tuesday, Rep. Ji Seong-ho, a former North Korea escapee, said that the repatriation of No

Sept. 13, 2023

Yoon picks new ministers of defense, culture, gender equality

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol initiated a significant cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, appointing new defense, culture and gender equality ministers in a bid to rejuvenate his administration's momentum. Yoon named Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party as the defense minister, reappointed former Culture Minister Yu In-chon under the former Lee Myung-bak to the same role, and selected Kim Haeng, a spokesperson for the former Park Geun-hye administration as the gender equalit

Sept. 13, 2023

Ruling party reaffirms its support for 'Kim Keon Hee Law'

The ruling People Power Party on Wednesday confirmed that it will continue to pursue a ban on the consumption of dog meat through the so-called "Kim Keon Hee Law," named after the president's wife, who is an active animal welfare advocate. In a social media post, Rep. Park Dae-chul of the conservative People Power Party, rejected media reports that claimed the party had decided not to pursue the law. He further expressed his hope for thorough discussions during the parliamentary b

Sept. 13, 2023

General-turned-lawmaker tapped as defense chief

Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party was nominated as the minister of national defense on Wednesday. He is a former three-star general with 35 years of military service who built an extensive experience in both policy crafting and operations. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s chief of staff Kim Dae-ki said in a briefing on this day he was the “most qualified candidate to complete building South Korea’s security capabilities against escalating nuclear and missile threats.&

Sept. 13, 2023

National Assembly introduces resolution mourning Morocco earthquake victims

A lawmaker from South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is leading a resolution to mourn the lives lost in the recent Morocco earthquake​ and to mobilize support for recovery efforts in devastated communities. Rep. Jung Hee-yong, who heads the ruling party’s committee for natural disaster preparedness, said Tuesday he had introduced a resolution to recognize the victims of the the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night, and to support their recovery. The resolut

Sept. 12, 2023

Opposition leader questioned again over suspected illegal remittance to N. Korea

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was grilled by prosecutors again Tuesday over allegations of his involvement in a company's illegal remittance to North Korea in 2019. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, left the Suwon District Prosecutors Office after around five hours of questioning on charges of third-party bribery, three days after he underwent the first round of questioning on Saturday. "I don't know why (investigators) called me again, as they again failed to

Sept. 12, 2023

Kim Jong-un takes mysterious family train to Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted Monday traveling by his family train on his way to a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The third-generation Kim diverged from his famously flight-phobic father in his past summit trips, in June 2018 flying Air China to get to Singapore for the landmark meeting with then-US President Donald Trump. This time he chose to travel 20 hours on the train that is speculated to be bulletproof and multifunctional, with luxurious decors. Rep. Tae Yong-

Sept. 12, 2023