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New leader of ruling party begins official schedule by paying tribute at national cemetery
The new leader of the ruling Democratic Party on Monday began his first official schedule by paying tribute at Seoul National Cemetery. The DP's new leadership, including leader Jung Chung-rae, and members of the party's Supreme Council paid their respects at the cemetery in the southern Dongjak Ward. Jung wrote a message in the guestbook that read, "I will build a more democratic Democratic Party, a more competent Democratic Party and a stronger Democratic Party to support the Lee Jae Myung adm
Aug. 4, 2025 -
Special counsel summons ex-FM Park in probe into ex-first lady
A special counsel team said Monday it has summoned former Foreign Minister Park Jin to appear for questioning over corruption allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Park has been asked to appear as a reference witness at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki at 2 p.m. to undergo questioning about the circumstances that led to former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife's surprise trip to Ukraine in July 2023. Min's team is looking into possible links between the Ukraine visit
Aug. 4, 2025 -
KOTRA to offer consulting services to small businesses amid new US tariff
The state-run trade promotion agency said Monday it has launched a consulting program for small and medium-sized businesses to help them develop trade strategies following the recent trade deal between Seoul and Washington. Last week, South Korea struck a trade agreement with the United States under which Washington began imposing 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods, down from the initially proposed 25 percent. The reciprocal tariffs went into effect Friday (US time). The Korea Trade-Invest
Aug. 4, 2025 -
S. Korea to host APEC ministerial meeting on food security
South Korea will host a meeting of agriculture ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies this weekend to discuss measures to bolster food security in the region, officials said Monday. The meeting will take place in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sunday under the theme "Driving Innovation in Agri-food Systems for Shared Prosperity," according to officials from Seoul's agriculture ministry. Ministers from the 21 APEC member economies, including the United States, China, Ja
Aug. 4, 2025 -
Heavy rainfall causes flooding, evacuations in southern Korea
Heavy rainfall in South Korea’s southernmost provinces led to widespread flooding, evacuations and at least one death, according to local authorities Monday. Fire departments in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province had reported hundreds of incidents as of 5:30 a.m. Monday. In Gwangju alone, 172 flooding cases were reported, while 406 total damage reports, including loss of life, came in from South Jeolla Province. Muan in South Jeolla Province received 289.6 millimeters of rainfall from Sunday to 7
Aug. 4, 2025 -
About 64% of S. Koreans give positive assessment of trade deal with US: poll
More than 6 in 10 South Koreans gave a positive assessment of the trade deal reached last week between Seoul and Washington, a poll showed Monday. According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,016 adults aged over 18 on Friday, 63.9 percent said they viewed the deal positively, while 32.3 percent had a negative view. When asked about the most significant outcome of the negotiations, 23.8 percent cited the reduction of "reciprocal" tariffs to 15 percent and securing the same conditions that
Aug. 4, 2025 -
N. Korea slams Japan's reported move to deploy upgraded anti-ship missiles in Kumamoto
North Korea on Monday lambasted Japan over a reported move to deploy upgraded surface-to-ship missiles in western coastal Kumamoto Prefecture near China as Tokyo continued to strengthen its defense posture. The Korean Central News Agency issued the criticism following a recent Japanese news report that the country's defense ministry is finalizing a plan to deploy locally produced Type-12 anti-ship missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto during the current fiscal year that runs through March 31. The
Aug. 4, 2025 -
Lee's approval rating rebounds to 63.3%: poll
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating slightly rebounded to above 63 percent after falling for two weeks, a survey showed Monday, following a recent trade deal between South Korea and the United States. According to the survey by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, 63.3 percent gave a positive assessment of Lee's handling of state affairs, up 1.8 percentage points from the previous week, while the negative assessment dropped 1.6 percentage points to 31.4 percent. Realmeter exp
Aug. 4, 2025 -
S. Korea on high alert amid downpour forecasts; heavy rain pounds Muan
Heavier-than-expected downpours were forecast in South Korea's southern provinces, with a near-record 142.1 millimeters of rain falling in the southwestern county of Muan in just an hourlong span Sunday, the state weather agency said. The precipitation reported in Muan between 7:10 and 8:10 p.m. Sunday accounted for roughly 11 percent of the annual average rainfall in the county. The country's record hourlong precipitation stands at 145 mm, logged in July 1998. As of 9 p.m., 30 to 80 mm of rainf
Aug. 3, 2025 -
FM Cho says Lee-Trump summit unlikely to be delayed to next month
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Sunday last-minute coordination to set a date for a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump is under way, noting the envisioned meeting will not be delayed to next month. Last week, Trump announced that Lee will visit the White House in two weeks, as he announced Washington has agreed to lower "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea to 15 percent from the proposed 25 percent in return for massive investments and market opening. Cho made the
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Lee calls for measures to curb fake news on YouTube
President Lee Jae Myung has instructed the government to draw up measures to fundamentally prevent the spread of fake news through online platforms, like YouTube, minutes from a Cabinet meeting held in June showed Sunday. "There are too many instances where fake news is used to earn money," Lee was quoted as saying in the minutes from the June 19 meeting disclosed by the interior ministry. "Resorting to illegal actions to earn money should be fundamentally prevented." Lee suggested imposing puni
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Heat-related death toll rises to 19 amid extreme heat wave
A total of 19 people have died from heat-related illnesses in South Korea so far this year as the country endured severe heat waves, health authorities said Sunday. More than 3,100 patients had visited emergency rooms for heat-related conditions as of Wednesday since mid-May, when authorities launched the heat-related illness surveillance system, and 19 have died, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Compared with the same period last year, the number of patients and dea
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Cosmetic factory explodes in Yeongcheon
Three employees were injured, one of them seriously, after a cosmetic material factory in the southern city of Yeongcheon exploded and caught fire Sunday, firefighters said. Firefighters received a report shortly before 1 p.m. that a chemical factory producing materials for cosmetics had exploded and caused a fire at an industrial complex in Yeongcheon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The incident left one employee seriously injured and two others with relatively minor injuries, accordi
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Daughter of Korean priest detained by ICE after visa hearing
A 20-year-old South Korean student at Purdue University and daughter of an Episcopal priest has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after attending a routine court hearing over her visa status, according to news reports Sunday. The Episcopal Diocese of New York and immigrant advocacy groups are calling for the immediate release of Go Yeon-soo, saying she was unfairly detained despite having legal status, and that immigration authorities bypassed proper legal procedures. G
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Filibuster anticipated as DP floats 'Yellow Envelope' bill
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday reaffirmed its intention to unilaterally push forward a pro-labor bill — dubbed the “Yellow Envelope Law” — through a plenary session scheduled for Monday, with the People Power Party vowing to launch a filibuster to block its passage. Labeling the bill — which would revise Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act — as “corporate-killing legislation,” the People Power Party has hinted at delaying its passage for 24 hours through an unlimited debate d
Aug. 3, 2025