S. Korean military to upgrade joint command, control system

South Korea’s military will upgrade the Allied Korean Joint Command and Control System in a bid to ensure a smoother transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. The command and control system — designed and developed by the South Korean military — will be upgraded and ready for operations by 2029, under a 117.8 billion won ($84.9 million) project, according to Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration. A key goal is to

Aug. 4, 2025

Lee to go on weeklong summer vacation

President Lee Jae Myung’s weeklong summer vacation will start this weekend, during which he will spend his time at the presidential resort on an island located near the southern city of Geoje, his office said Friday. Lee’s official vacation period is from Aug. 4 to 8, but it will start from Saturday. At the historic resort on Jeodo Island, he plans to reflect on the country’s political situation and take time to “recharge by reading books and watching movies,” the presidential office said. Lee p

Aug. 1, 2025

Pro-labor, broadcast reform bills to be put to vote next week

Several contentious bills, including one pro-labor bill and three aimed at reducing government influence over public broadcasters, will be put to a vote at the National Assembly next week after a parliamentary standing committee approved them on Friday. The Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, voted in favor of passing the three broadcasting bills and the pro-labor bill dubbed the “Yellow Envelope Law” during a meeting. All four bills are s

Aug. 1, 2025

Talks launched to set date for 1st Lee-Trump summit

Seoul and Washington have launched discussions to set a date for a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, South Korea’s Foreign Minister said Friday. The latest talks follow US President Donald Trump’s remark that his first summit with Lee would take place in the White House “within two weeks,” shared the previous day via Truth Social. "(The two sides) are coordinating to set a date (for the summit)," Cho said during a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Wa

Aug. 1, 2025

What will be discussed in the first Lee-Trump summit?

US President Donald Trump on Thursday mentioned that his first summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung would take place “within the next two weeks” in Washington. The remark, via Truth Social, was included in Trump's announcement that Washington and Seoul reached a trade deal in which the US will impose 15 percent tariffs on South Korea. If the summit between Trump and Lee takes place in the timeframe the US president mentioned, the two leaders would likely discuss the follow-up of the

July 31, 2025

Inside the frantic final hours of South Korea-US tariff talks

While South Korea and the US were able to reach a trade deal Thursday that set tariffs on exports to the US at 15 percent, the hours leading up to the announcement of the agreement were a whirlwind of uncertainty and frantic activity. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his aides remained on high alert throughout the night, continuing to receive reports from Seoul’s trade delegation led by Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol in Washington. The delegation made last-minute efforts to reach a deal

July 31, 2025

New Defense Minister heads to Poland to finalize 2nd K2 tank deal

South Korea’s Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back flies to Poland on Thursday to meet with his Polish counterpart and finalize an estimated 8.8 trillion won ($6.4 million) to export a second batch of K2 tanks to Poland. Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that Ahn plans to visit the European nation from Thursday to Saturday, in his first overseas trip since taking office last week. The trip was arranged at the request of Poland’s Ministry of National Defense, according to Seoul’s ministry. Through

July 30, 2025

FM Cho seeks stronger trilateral cooperation with US, Japan

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun headed to Tokyo on Tuesday to advance trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan, amid mounting pressure faced by Seoul as the deadline for tariff negotiations with the Donald Trump administration fast approaches. “By visiting Japan first (ahead of the US), we plan to go beyond improving South Korea-Japan bilateral relations and improve trilateral cooperation among South Korea, US and Japan, while upgrading our overall foreign policy to align with the Lee Jae Myung ad

July 29, 2025

South Korea upgrades air defense system

South Korea has successfully deployed its enhanced air defense system capable of striking down ballistic targets, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. The first batch of the new Cheongung-II system, upgraded from the Cheongung-I, has been deployed to the South Korean military and is projected to be fully installed and in operation by 2027, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The Cheongung-I system focuses on striking hostile aircraft at altitudes of up to 40 ki

July 28, 2025

Lee reaffirms push for peace as Pyongyang rejects overtures

President Lee Jae Myung reaffirmed his administration's push for peace on the Korean Peninsula on Monday as Pyongyang rejected Seoul's gestures for an inter-Korean thaw. The liberal president highlighted the importance of "restoring trust" between the divided Koreas and building towards peace on the Korean peninsula, during a ceremony at the presidential office to present a letter of appointment to Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing.

July 28, 2025