President Yoon Suk Yeol's national security adviser said Friday that Russia had already provided North Korea with military equipment and "anti-air" weapons in return for North Korea's recent troop dispatch to the Ukraine war. Shin Won-sik, director of the presidential National Security Office, said in a televised interview with SBS Friday that these weapons were sent to Pyongyang, which would "allow North Korea to address vulnerabilities in its anti-air defense capability." T

Politics Nov. 22, 2024

Akiko Ikuina, parliamentary vice minister at Japan's Foreign Ministry, will attend the Sado gold mine memorial ceremony on Sunday to commemorate wartime forced labor victims there, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday. From Saturday to Sunday, Ikuina will visit Sado, in Japan's Niigata prefecture, to "attend the memorial service for the Sado Island Gold Mine and also tour (the mine)," the Japanese government said in a notification. South Korean Ambassador

Politics Nov. 22, 2024

The presidential office on Friday signaled it would consider a supplementary budget with President Yoon Suk Yeol addressing the issue of social polarization as the policy priority its administration should tackle. A senior official of the presidential office said that it "will not rule out the possibilities of the proactive fiscal intervention including the allocation of an extra budget," adding the timing for the supplementary budget "has yet to be determined." This signals

Politics Nov. 22, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's job approval rating has remained unchanged for two straight months, despite Yoon's handling of foreign affairs during his trip to the South American countries and the conviction of the opposition leader for election law offenses the previous week. According to Gallup Korea's weekly poll result of 1,001 respondents released Friday, Yoon's popularity came to 20 percent. His job disapproval rating edged up 1 percentage point to 72 percent compared to th

Politics Nov. 22, 2024

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

Politics Nov. 20, 2024

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

Politics Nov. 19, 2024

Counseling services for foreign nationals in Seoul who fell victim to "jeonse" housing rental fraud will be offered in seven languages at the Seoul Foreign Resident Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday. Starting Monday, the counseling services will be provided in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Russian, Uzbek and Urdu, every Monday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Counselling is delivered by certified real estate agents in English and

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2024

South Korea’s bid to secure a surprise early meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President-elect Donald Trump on the occasion of Yoon’s trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Group of 20 summits in South America, is now facing slim odds. Last week, President Yoon’s office unexpectedly hinted at the possibility of a meeting between the South Korean leader and former US President Donald Trump before Yoon's return to Seoul. This uncertainty was cit

Foreign Affairs Nov. 17, 2024

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

Politics Nov. 17, 2024

South Korea's National Assembly on Thursday passed a revision to permit undercover investigations of digital sex crimes targeting adults, in a move to curb the spread of deepfake sexual images rampant online. At a plenary session of the 300-member National Assembly, the bill to revise the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes earned 272 votes in favor out of 273 lawmakers present. The bill expands the range of undercover police investigations from those targeting childr

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

United States President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House next year signals the possibility that parts of the South Korea-US alliance or regional security-related matters could be negotiated away. South Korea must brace for any attempt by Trump to do so, even when dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, said Chung Duck-koo, founder and chair of Seoul-based think tank North East Asia Research Foundation, on Wednesday. "The Korea-US alliance is ne

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol left South Korea on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, or APEC summit, in Lima, Peru, later this week. Lima will be the first stop of Yoon's first official visit to South America since he was inaugurated in May 2022. After attending the APEC summit, Yoon will fly to Rio de Janeiro for the Group of 20 summit. Yoon boarded Air Force One at 11:48 a.m. at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In attendance were the ruling People Power Par

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

When reports surfaced that President Yoon Suk Yeol had played golf at a course in northeastern Seoul on Saturday, opposition politicians saw it as an opportunity to pounce. Playing golf has become close to a taboo for politicians in Korea. The exclusive and expensive nature of the sport here means that it is seen as an elite indulgence, rather than a way to unwind or a pastime for ordinary people. As such, public officials who golf are often accused of being out of touch with the general public

Politics Nov. 13, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol could stop by the United States to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump after two series of multilateral summits in South American countries he heads to later this week. When asked about the possibility of Yoon meeting Trump on the occasion of his upcoming trip to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and the Group of 20 summit in Brazil, an official of the presidential office said Tuesday, "We are closely communicating with representatives

Politics Nov. 12, 2024

JEJU ISLAND -- As South Korea's relationship with ASEAN marked a new high in its 35th year of dialogue relations by signing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, South Korea on Friday unveiled a new concrete bench near the shoreline of the southern part of Jeju Island. The structure sits in the middle of Jeju Olle Trail No. 8 in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, where trekkers come across tourist attractions such as Jusangjeollidae -- a cliff formed by volcanic rocks -- and where those staying in large

Politics Nov. 11, 2024