The presidential office on Wednesday night told MBC reporters that they would not be allowed to board the presidential plane, two days before President Yoon Seok-yeol's trip to the summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Group of 20, sparking intense criticism from media and opposition parties. “The boarding of the presidential plane has been providing convenience for reporting on diplomatic and security issues,” read a text message released by MBC late Wedne

Politics Nov. 10, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol will attend the upcoming ASEAN and G20 summits to strengthen economic and security ties with the region and present the nation’s new Indo-Pacific and ASEAN strategies. During the six-day journey, he could have multilateral talks with the US and Japan, but the chance of bilateral meetings with Japan and China appears low. The president will depart for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday to attend the ASEAN summit and then leave for Bali, Indonesia on Monday to join the

Politics Nov. 9, 2022

As the world watches the outcome of the US midterm elections, South Korean experts say the results will bring subtle changes for Korea. If the Republican Party prevails, President Joe Biden's economic policies with US allies may see subtle changes, but the US stance on North Korean issues is unlikely to change, experts say. South Korea is paying special attention to the US midterm elections over whether the result could affect some of the US’ economic policies such as the Inflatio

Politics Nov. 8, 2022

With the end of the national mourning period for the Itaewon disaster, President Yoon Suk-yeol is now grappling with who to hold accountable amid continued revelations regarding the nation’s poor response and growing calls to sack related high-ranking officials. At a national safety system inspection meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Monday morning, Yoon said, “We will strictly hold the responsible people accountable according to the (investigation&rsq

Politics Nov. 7, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday, where they promised cooperation in the economic and security sectors of the two countries and close cooperation in the event of further provocations by North Korea. After holding a summit at the presidential office building in Yongsan, the two leaders made a joint press announcement. "We both agreed that solidarity between countries is important to protect freedom in response to the threats faci

Politics Nov. 4, 2022

The United Nations Security Council said it would hold a meeting to discuss the North Korean issue at the UN Headquarters in New York at 3 p.m. on Friday, local time, amid the escalating North Korean provocations. This meeting, held at the request of the US, is the first in a month since the public meeting held on Oct. 5 in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile. North Korea has recently increased the intensity of its provocations, firing a total of six

Politics Nov. 4, 2022

North Korea on Thursday continued launching missiles for a second day, upping the pressure on the South with what Seoul suspects to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. The South Korea and US air forces have decided to extend the training period of their large-scale joint air exercise “Vigilant Storm.” The South Korean military detected one long-range ballistic missile, which was launched into the East Sea from around 7:40 a.m. in Pyongyang, and two short-range ballistic missile

Politics Nov. 3, 2022

“I came here to pray. We are very sorry to the young people,” Lee Jeong-ja, 78, said, wiping away tears with a handkerchief at the joint memorial altar at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on Wednesday afternoon. “Young people should come here, not the old people like us. I am sorry,” she said, who has a young granddaughter of similar age of the people who died in Itaewon disaster. Another man surnamed Jeon, 59, who also visited the altar, said, “My heart aches. I am so

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol said the Itaewon disaster showed the nation lacks capability in crowd management, vowing all-out efforts following the tragic surge disaster and to come up with measures on crowd management to prevent a recurrence. As South Korea is in a state of mourning after the deadly Itaewon accident that killed at least 156 people and injured 151, Yoon canceled his usual morning interview and instead presided over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan on Tuesday mo

Politics Nov. 1, 2022

South Korea is wrapped in collective shock and grief from the unprecedented tragedy that took the lives of 155 people in a popular nightlife district in central Seoul. The number of deaths continued to rise, reaching 155 people with more than 149 injured on Monday. Twenty-six foreigners were among the dead. They are from Iran, China, the US, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Austria and Russia. The dead also included six teenagers. Police sai

Politics Oct. 31, 2022

At least 26 foreign nationals are among the 155 confirmed deaths from Saturday night's crowd crush that occurred amid Halloween celebrations in Seoul's Itaewon. According to authorities, foreign casualties stood at 26 as of Monday. They are from Iran, China, the US, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Austria and Russia. Foreign Minister Park Jin ordered officials to urgently notify relevant embassies in Seoul of the current status

Politics Oct. 30, 2022

The area around Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, full of excited Halloween partygoers on Saturday night, turned into a catastrophic scene in an instant. At least 153 people died and dozens were injured in a crowd crush that took place in a narrow alley near the neighborhood’s famous Hamilton Hotel. The celebratory scene quickly turned into a nightmare as screams and cries for help erupted from the crowd, and the sounds of ambulance sirens mixed with thumping music that continued to fl

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol held an emergency meeting and instructed officials to quickly dispatch the disaster medical assistance team, the presidential office said at around 1 a.m. on Sunday as dozens of people are reported to be in cardiac arrest in Itaewon, central Seoul, where large crowds were celebrating the first outdoor no-mask Halloween since the pandemic. "The top priority right now is saving and evacuating patients, and providing prompt transportation and treatment to victims (hea

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2022

At least 153 people died and more than 103 were injured in a crowd crush in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, according to fire authorities at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The fire department began to receive reports of patients having difficulty breathing at 10:22 p.m. on Saturday. Of the people who died, more than 100 were transferred to the hospital. The remaining bodies were kept on site and later moved to a nearby multi-purpose indoor gymnasium. Identifying the deceased is expected to take some ti

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2022

From the stance of Korean diplomacy, relations with Japan are the primary dilemma. Although there may be some differences in degree compared to the US according to political orientation, an alliance has immutable value. It has an absolute influence on daily life in Korea. At the same time, though we may have a different perspective from China, we cannot neglect China’s influence on Korea’s economy and policies toward North Korea. The US and China are like two strong wings flanking K

Foreign Affairs Oct. 25, 2022