Killing at sea coincides with then-president’s UN address calling for end-of-war declaration

First lady Kim Keon Hee visited community centers and a local market in Daegu on Wednesday, expanding her public service activities ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United Arab Emirates and Korea's Lunar New Year holiday next week, according to the presidential office. She visited Seongseo Social Welfare Center in Daegu and served meals with college student volunteers of the...

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday renewed his pledge not to give way against what he called the prosecution's "violent attempt to distort and fabricate," a day after he was questioned over bribery allegations. In a questioning that lasted roughly 12 hours, Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, was grilled by prosecutors on Tuesday over allegations that the city govern...

Supporters of the ruling People Power Party picked former four-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won as their favorite for party leader, giving her almost twice as much support as the closest challenger, a poll showed Wednesday. In a poll of 1,020 voters conducted by Hangil Research from Saturday to Monday, 30.7 percent of PPP supporters said Na should be the next chair of the party. Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon was...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said he had expressed objections to a birth policy suggested by a presidential committee on low birthrates, as the committee's chief offered to resign after the suggestion ran afoul of the presidential office. Han made the remarks on Tuesday, the day after Na Kyung-won, a former four-term lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, tendered her resignation as vice chai...

Hwaseong City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun has signed an agreement with Santa Clara County Korean American Chamber of Commerce on Monday to support global entry of local startups operating in the Korean city, officials said Tuesday. Under the agreement, the two sides will hold a technology seminar and expo in the US as well as develop a network of companies and an entrepreneur leadership program. Th...

Bereaved families to speak as witnesses at final public hearing of parliamentary probe

Lee blasts probe as 'political trap' set by prosecution

SEONGNAM --Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appeared at a prosecutors office for questioning over bribery allegations Tuesday, accusing the prosecution of fabricating charges against him. Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, arrived at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office located just south of Seoul at 10:20 a.m., surrounded by a large crowd of supporters...

Jose Fernandez, the U.S. under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, arrived in South Korea on Monday for consultations on a range of bilateral economic issues. Fernandez is the first senior U.S. official to visit Seoul this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. He plans to meet Lee Do-hoon, Seoul‘s second vice foreign ministe...

Elite defector-turned-lawmaker says ‘one Korea’ may not be far-off dream

With the party convention approaching, the race for a new leadership of the ruling People Power Party is heating up. President Yoon Suk Yeol is unlikely to issue a public endorsement, but contenders’ closeness with the president is considered a major factor that can sway the outcome. Over the weekend, the presidential office and Na Kyung-won, four-time lawmaker and not a pro-Yoon contender for p...

Prosecutors on Friday demanded a five-year prison term for independent Rep. Youn Mee-hyang on charges of embezzling funds donated to help support women who were forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan during World War II. Youn was accused of collecting hundreds of millions of won in donations to her private bank accounts and spent some of them for personal use, including living expenses, whi...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday instructed relevant authorities to take emergency measures to cope with ultrafine dust plaguing the nation. "With the environment minister taking the lead, ministries and local governments should thoroughly implement emergency reduction measures in accordance with the current high-concentration ultrafine dust measures," Han said in a statement. Han also ord...

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, will comply with the prosecution's summons as part of an investigation into alleged bribery on Tuesday. This will be the first time for Lee to comply with the prosecution's summons since he became the party leader last year. “It was agreed that Lee will appear at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office ...