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Disgraced ex-President Yoon summoned again over martial law, but attendance remains uncertain
Arrested former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been asked to appear for questioning by a special counsel team Monday over his failed martial law bid, but whether he will appear for questioning remains unclear as he continues to cite health issues. Yoon, who has been held at the Seoul Detention Center since his second arrest last Thursday, was asked to appear at the special counsel's office for questioning at 2 p.m. He was initially summoned for a questioning scheduled for Friday afternoon but did n
July 14, 2025 -
Lee appoints 6 vice ministers
President Lee Jae Myung appointed six vice ministers and six vice ministerial-level officials, including those for education and science, in the latest appointments of senior officials, the presidential office said Sunday. Choi Eun-ok, former director general of the higher education policy bureau at the Education Ministry, was promoted to vice education minister. Choi has spent most of her career at the Education Ministry since passing the administrative exam in 1990. As chief of the office of t
July 13, 2025 -
5-year blueprint for Lee administration in final stage: presidential committee
The two-month State Affairs Planning Committee, tasked with developing a blueprint for how the Lee Jae Myung administration will run the country for the next five years, gave a halfway review on Sunday. Committee head Lee Han-joo said at a press conference that the blueprint was in the final stages of being completed. Lee is also director of the Democratic Party of Korea's think tank, the Institute for Democracy, and a longtime policy mentor to the president. The committee has so far listed arou
July 13, 2025 -
Lee Jae Myung to send special envoys to key partner countries
President Lee Jae Myung has stacked up special envoys to be dispatched to the European Union, France, the UK and India starting next week. According to the presidential office Sunday, South Korean delegations led by the newly appointed special envoys would travel to the EU and the three countries from Monday to communicate the Lee administration's agenda. Yoon Yeo-jun, a former environment minister who helped steer the Lee presidential campaign, has been picked as the special envoy to the EU. Ka
July 13, 2025 -
Lee’s Cabinet picks hit by ‘gapjil’ claims
President Lee Jae Myung’s picks to head the education and gender equality ministries are facing allegations that have sparked calls for their withdrawal. Lee Jin-sook, who has been nominated for education minister, a position that doubles as deputy prime minister, has been accused of plagiarizing an earlier paper by her student while she was a professor. According to a page-to-page analysis of Lee’s paper and her student’s, released by main opposition People Power Party Rep. Joo Jin-woo, some of
July 13, 2025 -
PM welcomes protesting medical students' decision to return to school as 'big step forward'
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Sunday welcomed medical students' decision to return to school after a 17-month boycott of classes in protest of the previous government's medical reform plan as a "big step forward." An association of medical students announced Saturday they will return to school after boycotting classes since February last year in protest of the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to increase medical school enrollment by 2,000 starting this year. "(Their decision) marks
July 13, 2025 -
Lee urges citizens to dine out as part of efforts to boost domestic demand
President Lee Jae Myung said Saturday that he hopes citizens would join a move to dine out as part of efforts to boost domestic demand. On Friday, Lee had dinner at a restaurant in central Seoul with his staff in a way to promote dining out to help small-sized brick-and-mortar restaurants and small merchants, overcome a slump amid sluggish domestic demand. "I personally hope citizens would visit nearby restaurants to promote and cheer on their businesses ... which will in turn revive the local e
July 12, 2025 -
Special counsel summons arrested ex-President Yoon to appear for questioning Monday
A special counsel team said Friday it has asked arrested former President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning next Monday as part of a probe into his attempt to impose martial law. "We have notified Yoon's attorney that the former president should appear for questioning at 2 p.m. next Monday," assistant special counsel Park Ji-young said during a press briefing. Yoon, who has been held at the Seoul Detention Center since his second arrest Thursday, was summoned for a questioning originally s
July 11, 2025 -
Lee Jae Myung finalizes Cabinet lineup with 2 minister picks
President Lee Jae Myung has named two ministers to complete his administration's Cabinet nominations, about a month after his inauguration. Chae Hwi-young, CEO of South Korea's online travel booking platform operator Nol Universe, was selected as the nominee for the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, according to Lee's Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik on Friday. Three-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Yun-duk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was named to lead the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure a
July 11, 2025 -
People Power Party's popularity dips below 20% for 1st time in 5 years
South Korea's right-wing People Power Party saw its popularity rating fall below the 20 percent mark for the first time in nearly five years, amid intensifying special counsel probes into disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The main opposition party's support ratings for the second week of July came to 19 percent, down by 3 percentage points from the previous week, according to a poll on 1,002 South Korean adults by Gallup Korea on Friday. According to the pollster, Friday's figure was the
July 11, 2025 -
Defense Ministry, National Security Office searched in Marine death probe
The special counsel team on Thursday conducted a serach and seizure operation at the Ministry of National Defense and the presidential National Security Office as part of an investigation into allegations that senior officials intervened in a probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine. The team, led by special counsel Lee Myung-hyun, executed search and seizure warrants targeting the Defense Ministry’s Policy Office, Spokesperson’s Office and Military Advisor’s Office, as well as the National S
July 10, 2025 -
Will wartime control, US troop cuts be part of tariff talks?
Amid Washington's pressure for a tariff hike on most South Korean goods, the presidential office appears to be open to widening the scope of the tariff negotiations with the US by adding elements that could reshape the two countries' alliance. Signaling that the ongoing negotiations would not only encompass "tariff and non-tariff issues" but also other elements such as investment, purchases of US goods and regional security, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said he "proposed that (Seoul) ta
July 10, 2025 -
Lee set to preside over 1st NSC meeting since inauguration
President Lee Jae Myung will preside over his first meeting of the National Security Council on Thursday since he took office early last month, the presidential office said. Lee will be briefed about security issues during the planned NSC meeting, the office said in a statement. The NSC meeting comes just a day after National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac returned from a four-day trip to the United States for discussions on trade negotiations and broader alliance issues in meetings with US Secret
July 10, 2025 -
Ex-President Yoon in custody for 2nd time over Dec. martial law bid
A Seoul court on Thursday issued a warrant to arrest former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, placing him in custody for the second time. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant hours after holding a hearing to review the arrest warrant requested by special counsel Cho Eun-suk. Cho's team sought the warrant on five key charges, including Yoon's alleged violation of the rights of Cabinet members by calling only a select few to a meeting held shortly before he de
July 10, 2025 -
Wi, Rubio agree on swift Lee-Trump summit, date undecided
Seoul and Washington have found common ground on holding a bilateral summit between South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump at an early date, according to Lee’s security advisor on Wednesday. This follows the United States' notifying South Korea on Monday that it was among 14 countries which had failed to reach a deal on tariff and non-tariff matters and therefore would be subject to a steep hike of import duties on imports to the US. Wi Sung-lac, director of the pres
July 9, 2025