Escorted by police helicopters and patrol cars, some 37,000 World Scout Jamboree attendees from 156 nations left the campsite on reclaimed land in Buan, North Jeolla Province, on Tuesday, for alternative accomodation offered by eight municipalities across the country. For the massive departure of Scouts, over 1,000 buses were mobilized with the government deploying four police helicopters and 273 patrol cars to ensure their safety, according to the interior minister. “The evacuation

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2023

Saemangeum is a reclaimed tidal flat area of Buan, North Jeolla Province, which was dammed by the government’s Saemangeum Seawall Project in 2006. The area was first introduced as a potential location to host the event in 2015 when the Korea Scout Association chose Saemangeum over Goseong, Gangwon Province, in its bid to host the 2023 World Scout Jamboree. In 2015, the Park Geun-hye administration pushed for Korea’s victory in the bid, saying that the government will provide the su

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2023

All 36,000 scouts remaining at the World Scout Jamboree site in the Saemangeum reclaimed tidal flat area of Buan, North Jeolla Province will be withdrawing from the campsite starting on Tuesday morning as precautionary measure for a strong typhoon approaching the peninsula, the government said Monday. The participants will start withdrawing sequentially from 10 a.m. on Tuesday and move to the metropolitan area, as Typhoon Khanun is likely to hit the east coast of South Korea on Thursday. "A

Politics Aug. 7, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol lauded the sacrifices and bravery of the United Nations forces as the foundation of contemporary South Korea during a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice. Speaking at the ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center on Thursday, President Yoon expressed gratitude to the countries and veterans who participated in the Korean War and emphasized the enduring significance of the UN forces in preserving peace on the Korean Peninsula. "Toda

Politics July 27, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating continued its downward trajectory for a third consecutive week amid the torrential rain crisis that caused significant casualties and the court arrest of his mother-in-law on document forgery charges. According to the survey conducted from July 17-21 by polling agency Realmeter, commissioned by Media Tribune, positive evaluations of Yoon’s state affairs performance fell 1.5 percentage points from the previous week, marking 36.6 percent. Negati

Politics July 24, 2023

  The Office for Government Policy Coordination has requested prosecutors to investigate six police officers linked to the flooding of Osong's underground tunnel, a disaster that resulted in numerous casualties. The Office for Government Policy Coordination is a government agency consisting of the Prime Minister's Office and Prime Minister's Secretariat. The office issued a statement on Friday revealing it had uncovered "criminal charges" concerning the officers during an inspecti

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

  The South Korean Defense Ministry issued a stern warning against North Korea on Friday in response to the regime's threat to use nuclear weapons prompted by the US deploying a strategic nuclear submarine in Busan. In a statement, the ministry criticized North Korea for misrepresenting and criticizing the purpose of the Nuclear Consultative Group between South Korea and the United States, along with the US submarine's presence in South Korea. The statement said that the deployment of the s

North Korea July 21, 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday boarded the USS Kentucky, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, in a show of solidarity and force with its biggest ally in deterring North Korea's evolving nuclear missile threats. The visit by President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee came hours after North Korea fired two short-range missiles in an apparent protest against the arrival of the US nuclear-capable submarine in South Korea and the inaugural meeting of the new Nuclear Cons

Defense July 19, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday declared 13 municipalities as special disaster areas, after torrential rain pummeled most of the country and brought widespread destruction. The areas include Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province, which reported nine deaths as of 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, along with Gongju and Nonsan-si in South Chungcheong Province, Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province and Iksan in North Jeolla Province. “Areas where preliminary investigations have been completed are

Social Affairs July 19, 2023

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration on Monday launched an audit looking into all available administrative records to determine which government entity should be held responsible for failing to take adequate safety measures against flooding in South Korea, namely the deadly submerging of a tunnel in North Chungcheong Province. The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced Monday it had learned about emergency calls to police calling for swift evacuation and closure of the underpass hours b

Social Affairs July 17, 2023

WARSAW, Poland -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to depart for Seoul on Sunday, concluding a weeklong visit to Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, with an emphasis on global security, business reinforcement with NATO members and Ukrainian reconstruction. Yoon made an unexpected stop in Ukraine on Saturday, where he promised military supplies and financial aid. Yoon’s journey involved a mix of air, land and train travel, totaling 27 hours for the round trip. He stayed in Ukraine for 11 hours. Th

Foreign Affairs July 16, 2023

WARSAW, Poland -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged increased military aid as well as humanitarian support to Ukraine, a nation ravaged by war, during his surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday. Yoon had a 65-minute private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss pending issues between the two countries and a 45-minute extended meeting with key officials from both governments. At a joint press conference held following the summit, Yoon vowed to increase Korea&rsquo

Politics July 15, 2023

WARSAW, Poland -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee are in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a highly secretive visit made after the Korean president's official visit to Poland, the presidential office said Saturday. The couple arrived in Kyiv on Saturday morning, and traveled to Bucha, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv where Russian troops carried out atrocities early on in the war. He also visited nearby Irpin, where civilian areas were subjected to c

Foreign Affairs July 15, 2023

WARSAW, Poland -- South Korean and Polish businesses formalized 33 memorandums of understanding across the high-tech, energy and service industries during a business forum held in Poland's capital Warsaw on Friday. The deal was reached in the presence of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who also committed to bolstering the private sector's involvement in Ukraine's post-conflict reconstruction efforts. The South Korean and Polish firm's 33 deals include 11 within high-t

Foreign Affairs July 14, 2023

WARSAW, Poland -- South Korea will offer comprehensive support from both the public and private sectors for Ukraine reconstruction projects valued at $52 billion, according to the presidential office. "Ukraine has requested the involvement of Korean companies in approximately 5,000 construction projects, estimated at $20 billion, through an intergovernmental cooperation channel in May," said Choi Sang-mok, economic secretary for President Yoon. According to Choi, the government will b

Foreign Affairs July 14, 2023