Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appeared before prosecutors Saturday for questioning over allegations that he was involved in a company's alleged illegal money transfers to North Korea. Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, showed up at the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:18 a.m., marking his fifth appearance for prosecution questioning. He was last questioned on Aug. 17 over a separate case. Lee has been under investigation o

Politics Sept. 9, 2023

Veteran South Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl is set to become a member of the International Olympic Committee membership, with his candidacy expected to be ratified next month. The Swiss-based IOC announced on its website Friday that its executive board had approved the nomination of eight candidates for election. IOC members will vote on their candidacy during the IOC Session in Mumbai in October, a process regarded as a formality. Kim, president of the International Skating Union, is

More Sports Sept. 9, 2023

North Korea staged a paramilitary parade in Pyongyang on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the regime's founding day, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, the North's state media said. Kim observed the military parade that took place "with splendor" at Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate the founding anniversary, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim did not deliver a speech at the event, which was also attended by his daughter, believed to be named Ju-ae. Als

North Korea Sept. 9, 2023

North Korea was staging a paramilitary parade in Pyongyang on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the regime's founding day, an informed source said. The event began at midnight following a pre-parade ceremony held Friday night, the source said, without elaborating. Details of the event, including whether leader Kim Jong-un attended the parade and what weapons were displayed, were not immediately known. The nighttime event marks the third military parade North Korea has staged this yea

North Korea Sept. 9, 2023

A Seoul court on Friday ruled in favor of a civic group seeking to reverse a police decision to partially ban its plan to march toward the presidential office in protest against Japan's release of treated radioactive water. A civic group, called Collective Action Against Japan's Release of Contaminated Radioactive Water had filed a notification of its plan to stage protest marches toward the presidential office in Yongsan in central Seoul on Saturday and the two following Saturdays. Th

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2023

South Korea and the United States plan to hold high-level talks on extended deterrence next week to discuss ways to better deal with evolving North Korean threats, according to Seoul's foreign and defense ministries Friday. The fourth meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, a gathering of the two countries' vice ministerial defense and diplomatic officials, is scheduled to take place in Seoul on Sept. 15, they said. Seoul's vice foreign and defense mini

Foreign Affairs Sept. 8, 2023

Civic groups filed a complaint against a provincial governor and the culture minister Friday, calling for the reversal of a recent decision to remove sex education books for children from public libraries. Some 10 children's books on sex education have been ousted from 36 public libraries in South Chungcheong Province since July 25, after civic and parents groups complained that they justify homosexuality or promote the premature sexualization of children. The South Korean Coalition for Ant

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a motion for the dismissal of a left-leaning commissioner of the state media regulation agency Friday for violating conflict-of-interest rules, the presidential office said. Earlier in the day, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that Choung Min-young, one of the nine commissioners of the Korea Communications Standards Commission recommended by the opposition bloc, had breached the law prohibiting commissioners from engaging in personal acti

Politics Sept. 8, 2023

Seoul shares ended lower Friday following tech losses on Wall Street amid concerns over China's ban on Apple Inc.'s use by government officials and the Federal Reserve's possible rate hikes. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.58 point, or 0.02 percent, to close at 2,547.68, extending its losses to the fourth session. The KOSPI has risen 0.6 percent this week. Trading volume was moderate at 386.53 million shares worth 7

Market Sept. 8, 2023

Major South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean Co. said Friday it has won a series of certifications for eco-friendly technologies from major global maritime rating agencies at an ongoing world gas industry exhibition. Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., has obtained an approval in principle for the hold of a 70,000-cubic-meter liquefied carbon dioxide carrier from Norwegian accredited registrar and classification society DNV. The capacity of Hanwha Ocean's

Industry Sept. 8, 2023

South Korea's Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik is set to depart for a 10-day trip to Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands on Friday to attend an international sporting event for soldiers and veterans and meet Korean War veterans in Europe, the ministry said. During his three-day visit to Germany, Park will meet with Koreans who were deployed to Germany as miners in the 1960s and 70s and attend the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, where some 550 wounded service members and d

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 8, 2023

With the South Korean men's national football team unable to get past Wales in their latest friendly match, defender Kim Min-jae thinks the players need more time to develop cohesion. Kim played the full 90 minutes of South Korea's goalless draw against Wales in Cardiff on Thursday. The Bayern Munich center back tried to look on the brighter side of things, saying, "I think it was good for us not to concede any goals in such a tough match." On the other hand, the draw left So

Soccer Sept. 8, 2023

South Korea's finance ministry said Friday it has reached an agreement with Uzbekistan to settle an outstanding payment of around $1 billion involving a joint gas project. The agreement was reached during Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho's visit to the Central Asian nation, where he held a bilateral meeting with his Uzbek counterpart, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. South Korea and Uzbekistan launched a gas project in 2008 with a joint venture named Uz-Kor Gas Chemical,

Economy Sept. 8, 2023

Three minor earthquakes struck North Korea's northeastern county of Kilju, home to the country's nuclear testing site, but all of them were natural tremors, South Korea's state weather agency said Friday. The first quake occurred about 38 km north of Kilju at 3:29 a.m., while the second and third ones struck nearby areas at 4:01 a.m. and 5:12 a.m., respectively, with their magnitudes ranging between 2.1 and 2.3, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The KMA said al

North Korea Sept. 8, 2023

South Korea's customs agency said Friday it has held the first bilateral meeting with its Japanese counterpart in seven years amid signs of improving economic relations. Commissioner Ko Kwang-hyo met his Japanese counterpart in Seoul on Thursday to discuss a wide array of issues, which marked the first of its kind since 2016, according to the Korea Customs Service. During the meeting, the two countries exchanged opinions on addressing global protectionism, as well as the escalating concerns

Economy Sept. 8, 2023