North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia, NIS confirms

North Korean troops are mobilized on the Russian front lines fighting Ukraine, according to a South Korean intelligence agency briefing presented to lawmakers Wednesday. Around 11,000 North Korean troops, many of them part of special forces, had already been trained and deployed to Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine by late October, Rep. Park Sun-won told reporters. Park, who sits as the deputy chair of the National Assembly intelligence committee, was speaking after he was

Nov. 20, 2024

Presidential aide calls journalist's question about Yoon's apology 'rude'

A senior secretary to President Yoon Suk Yeol criticized a journalist's question, which had asked the president to elaborate on the specifics reasons for his public apology during a televised press conference, calling it "rude." At a parliamentary session Tuesday, Hong Chul-ho, Yoon’s senior political secretary, made the criticism while trying to defend the president and the latter's 140-minute-long Q&A session with the media on Nov. 7. “The president apologiz

Nov. 20, 2024

Yoon to return without early Trump meeting

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday departed for South Korea after he wrapped up his visit to South America to attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and Group of 20 summit. At Galeao Air Force Base in Rio de Janeiro, Yoon boarded South Korea's Air Force One at 4:37 p.m. on Tuesday. Yoon was set to arrive in Seoul Thursday as tentatively scheduled, according to the presidential office. His wife Kim Keon Hee did not accompany Yoon on this trip. The date for Yoon's return remained

Nov. 20, 2024

CFC deputy commander to visit US this week to discuss military cooperation

Gen. Kang Shin-chul, the deputy commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, was set to depart for the United States on Wednesday to discuss ways to improve the allies' combined defense posture, according to the CFC. Kang's trip, which runs through Nov. 28, will begin by laying flowers at a monument dedicated to those who served in the 1953-53 Korean War and involve visits to institutions, including the US Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CFC said in

Nov. 20, 2024

Yoon focuses on expanding global solidarity against NK-Russia military ties at APEC, G20 summits

President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up visits to Peru and Brazil on Tuesday, where he focused on expanding international solidarity against the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Yoon met with leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in Lima and joined the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Rio de Janeiro during the six-day trip, his first visit to South America since taking office in May 2022. He used the diplomatic stages to issue a stern warning against Nort

Nov. 20, 2024

Ex-president's daughter referred to prosecution over drunk driving

Former President Moon Jae-in's daughter was referred to the prosecution Tuesday on charges of drunk driving, police said. The Seoul Yongsan Police Station said it referred Moon Da-hye to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office without physical detention for allegedly causing a collision with a taxi in Seoul's Itaewon district on Oct. 5 while driving under the influence of alcohol. Her blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.14 percent, exceeding the 0.08 percent threshold f

Nov. 19, 2024

Diplomats in Seoul gather on 1,000th day of full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ambassadors and other representatives of diplomatic missions from around 20 countries filled the Warriors’ Lounge at the the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul, near the presidential office in Yongsan on Tuesday, as Ukraine marked 1,000 days since Russia launched a full-scale invasion. The commemorative event was organized by the Ukraine Embassy in South Korea. Ponomarenko Dmytro, the ambassador of Ukraine to Seoul, said in remarks that North Korea joining Russia in its aggression has

Nov. 19, 2024

Seoul says US told it of plans to lift Ukraine arms use limit

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office confirmed it was notified of Ukraine's plan to use US-made long-range supersonic ballistic missiles to strike Russia's Kursk region before US President Joe Biden authorized the change. Asked if there was any coordination before Biden's announcement Sunday, a senior official of South Korea's presidential office told reporters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday that Washington "notified Seoul that it was to give (Ukraine) permission for

Nov. 19, 2024

DP leader indicted again over alleged misuse of public funds

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was indicted without detention Tuesday on charges of misappropriating funds when he was the governor of Gyeonggi Province including alleged misuse of corporate cards for personal benefit, the Suwon District Prosecutors Office said. The chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party was indicted, along with his former chief secretary, identified only by his surname Chung and another former Gyeonggi Province official Bae, all on charges of breach of trust. Lee is

Nov. 19, 2024

State auditor accuses Moon gov't of leaking THAAD-related intelligence to activists, China

The state auditor has referred senior officials of the former Moon Jae-in administration to the prosecution on suspicions of leaking intelligence related to the THAAD US missile defense system to activists and China, an official with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday. Former National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong, former Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, and two other officials who served in the preceding administration were referred to the Supreme Prosecutors Office by the Board of Audit

Nov. 19, 2024

Opposition leader's wife appeals against election law violations

The wife of the main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has filed an appeal against a court ruling that fined her for providing free meals during Lee's run in the party primary for the 2022 presidential election, people familiar with the matter said Monday. Kim Hye-kyung submitted the appeal to the Suwon District Court, south of Seoul, through her legal counsel, after she was found guilty of providing meals worth 104,000 won ($74.43) to the wives of three former and current pa

Nov. 18, 2024

Yoon says S. Korea's relations with US, China not about choosing sides

President Yoon Suk Yeol said South Korea's relations with the United States and China are not about choosing sides, pledging to working closely with both great powers amid Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House, according to interviews published Monday. Yoon expressed hope for constructive relations between Washington and Beijing in a written interview with Brazilian newspapers -- Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo -- as he visited Rio de Janeiro to attend the Group of 20 summit.

Nov. 18, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Flexible work hours for high-tech, fairness in network fees

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Labor Standards Act Proposed by Rep. Ko Dong-jin (People Power Party) ● To enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s national high-tech strategic industries, this bill aims to exempt the R&D sector in industries such as semiconductors, displays, biotechnology and secondary batteries from the current weekly cap of 52 work hours. Rep. Ko, a former CEO of Samsung Electronics, emphasized that flexibility in working hours is essential for boosting produc

Nov. 18, 2024

Yoon arrives in Brazil for G20 summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit, a multilateral forum representing the world's major economies. Yoon flew from Lima to Rio de Janeiro to participate in the G20 summit slated for Monday and Tuesday, which marks Yoon's third consecutive attendance at the summit. On the first day, Yoon will join the launch of the Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty and outline South Korea's contributions to combat global h

Nov. 18, 2024

N. Korea's Kim calls for bolstering nuclear forces 'without limitation,' completing war preparations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for bolstering the country's nuclear forces "without limitation" and completing war preparations as the country's enemies have increased "frantic" military confrontations with North Korea, state media reported Monday. Kim made the remark during the 4th Conference of Battalion Commanders and Political Instructors of the Korean People's Army on Friday, the final day of the two-day event held in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Centra

Nov. 18, 2024

Yoon departs for Brazil to attend G20 summit following Peru visit

President Yoon Suk Yeol departed Peru on Sunday for Brazil to attend the Group of 20 summit, concluding his four-day visit to Lima for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Yoon traveled from Lima to Rio de Janeiro, the second stop of his South American trip, to join the G20 meetings slated for Monday and Tuesday. During his stay in Peru, Yoon attended APEC sessions, an economic forum and other events on Friday and Saturday. On the sidelines, he held a trilateral summit with US President

Nov. 18, 2024

Consultative body on doctors' walkout fails to narrow differences in meeting

A consultative body involving the ruling People Power Party, the government and doctors' groups held their second round of talks Sunday but failed to narrow their differences as they seek to resolve a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors. Thousands of trainee doctors have left their workplaces in a mass resignation since February to protest the government's decision to sharply raise the medical school quota, causing major disruptions to the national health care service. In a press brie

Nov. 17, 2024

Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers face loyalty test as court rules to jail leader

A rift appears to be forming within the Democratic Party of Korea after a Seoul court sentenced party leader and previous presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung to a suspended jail term Friday for election law violations. The Democratic Party has officially denied that Lee’s conviction -- which, if confirmed by higher courts, could cost him his legislative seat -- would divide the party or necessitate a leadership shake-up. The party’s secretary-general, Rep. Kim Yun-duck, told re

Nov. 17, 2024

South Korean delegation in Peru to promote APEC 2025 Korea

A South Korean delegation preparing for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2025 is in Peru, abuzz with gatherings of leaders from 21 economies around the Pacific. The delegation includes Rep. Kim Seok-ki, the three-time lawmaker of Gyeongju where next year’s APEC meetings will be hosted, and its mayor Joo Nak-yong. Lee Cheol-woo, the governor of North Gyeongsang Province, which houses Gyeongju, also went. According to the ruling party lawmaker’s office, the delegation visited Peru to

Nov. 17, 2024

US, Korea urge China to act on NK troop deployment

The leaders of South Korea and the United States, respectively, urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to act to address the deepening concerns arising from North Korea's troop deployment to the Russia-Ukraine war, which is nearing its three-year mark. On Saturday local time, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in a briefing in Lima, Peru, that US President Joe Biden had pressured Xi in a meeting that same day to stop North Korea from continuing its military support to Rus

Nov. 17, 2024