S. Korean presidential office downplays foreign minister's China remarks

President Lee Jae Myung's office on Tuesday downplayed Foreign Minister Cho Hyun's remarks about China in a recent media interview. In a note to reporters, the presidential office said Cho's remarks were meant to deliver his intention to "continue to foster a relationship between South Korea and China to contribute to people's economic well-being, regional stability and prosperity, despite some differences over some issues between the two countries." The presidential office also noted that it wo

Aug. 5, 2025

PPP launches filibuster to delay DP-led legislation

The main opposition People Power Party launched a filibuster Monday to delay the vote on a contentious bill proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea, denouncing what it called a "unilateral" legislative push by the ruling liberal bloc. The filibuster is the first by the conservative party in over a year. It targeted a revision of the Broadcasting Act, concerning the governance structure of public broadcaster KBS. Dozens of Democratic Party lawmakers walked out of the session as Rep. Shin Dong-u

Aug. 4, 2025

Lee's approval rating recovers on trade deal, safety stance: Realmeter

President Lee Jae Myung's job approval rating for the fifth week of July rose by 1.8 percentage points to 63.3 percent, a poll by Realmeter showed Monday. The recovery -- which reversed more than half the decline seen in the two previous weeks -- followed Seoul's announcement Thursday of a reduction in new US tariffs on South Korean goods, including cars, from 25 percent to 15 percent in return for a $450 billion spending package to invest in the US and buy US liquefied natural gas. The latest p

Aug. 4, 2025

Ruling party faces backlash on tax code revision

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is facing backlash amid speculation that Friday's sharp drop in the Korea Exchange's main board Kospi may be linked to the Lee Jae Myung government's push to expand taxation to a wider scope of investors to address a tax revenue shortfall. On Sunday, Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party said in a statement that the ruling bloc has "launched a war against individual investors out of nowhere" through the proposed tax code revision, whic

Aug. 3, 2025

S. Korea deal cuts US tariffs to 15%; Lee to visit Washington in 2 weeks

South Korea and the United States struck a massive deal to lower prospective US tariffs on South Korean imports to 15 percent from a proposed 25 percent, in exchange for $350 billion of South Korean investment in the US, leaders of the two countries said Thursday. "We've overcome a major hurdle," President Lee Jae Myung noted on his Facebook Thursday as he confirmed the deal, saying it had removed uncertainties on Korea's export front. "Despite the tight deadline and challenging conditions, the

July 31, 2025

Trump reaffirms Seoul-Washington alliance; NK repudiates nuke talks

US President Donald Trump highlighted the need for the US armed forces to work together with the South Korean military in an "ironclad alliance" for peace on the Korean Peninsula in a statement released Monday, US time, to mark Korean War veterans day. The comments came as Pyongyang put out a statement Tuesday stating that personal ties between the leaders of the North and the United States were "not bad," but rebuffing any talks on Pyongyang's denuclearization. In the presidential statement to

July 29, 2025

FM to go on trip to Japan, US this week

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Japan and the United States this week to meet his counterparts, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. Cho, who took office on July 21, will meet his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, on Tuesday. Cho is scheduled to attend a working dinner hosted by Iwaya. It will be the first in-person meeting of the two since Cho started his term. The two held their first phone talks on Thursday and agreed that bilateral cooperation is key to addressing

July 28, 2025

S. Korea poised for Lee Jae Myung's formal inauguration ceremony on Liberation Day

South Korea is poised to hold an official inauguration ceremony on Aug. 15 for President Lee Jae Myung, according to the government and the presidential office on Monday. The ceremony for Lee, who assumed the presidency on June 4 immediately after his election victory -- without the customary transition period or ceremony -- will align with the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, commemorated annually as National Liberation Day. The ceremony is scheduled to take p

July 28, 2025

At least 11 deaths linked to scorching heat wave

Amid an intense heat wave in South Korea that shows no signs of abating, a government estimate suggested Sunday that the number of suspected heat-related deaths has reached 11, almost triple the number last year. From May 20 until Saturday, the government's daily estimate showed that 11 deaths were suspected to be heat-related, compared to four in the same period last year. In the latest incident, a pedestrian in his 50s died at around 3 p.m. Friday after he collapsed in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Provi

July 27, 2025

Pro-Yoon lawmaker quizzed in special counsel probe

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, a lawmaker of the conservative People Power Party, was questioned Sunday by investigators looking into influence-peddling allegations against Kim Keon Hee, former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s wife. The five-time lawmaker, who was considered one of Yoon Suk Yeol’s leading supporters, appeared for questioning at the office of the special counsel leading the investigation. Asked about his stance on claims he had helped Yoon and Kim interfere in the party’s nomination process for a

July 27, 2025