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Seoul pulls out all stops for deal as US tariff suspension nears end
South Korea's Lee Jae Myung administration is scrambling to take the edge off the United States' new tariffs, as the nation's top security adviser departed Seoul on Sunday to travel to Washington and join forces with Seoul's trade minister, who had arrived there the day before. Their trip to Washington came as the deadline nears for US President Donald Trump's 90-day suspension of "reciprocal tariffs." Trump told the media Friday that he would begin sending out letters Monday notifying 12 undisc
July 6, 2025 -
Ruling party, govt to hold 1st high-level consultation meeting
A high-level policy coordination meeting between the ruling Democratic Party and the government was set to take place later Sunday at the prime minister's residence in Seoul. The meeting will be the first of its kind since Prime Minister Kim Min-seok took office Thursday following his parliamentary confirmation hearing. Discussions are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including measures for the swift passage of a government-proposed supplementary budget bill, inflation countermeasures a
July 6, 2025 -
Top security adviser to visit U.S. this week for alliance talks: presidential office
South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac will travel to the United States early this week for "in-depth" talks with officials of the Donald Trump administration on various bilateral issues, the presidential office said Saturday. Wi's three-day trip to Washington, starting Sunday, comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio scrapped plans for a visit to South Korea, initially set for later this week, citing various circumstances on his side. The cancelled visit by the top U.S. dipl
July 5, 2025 -
Lee orders comprehensive measures to prevent industrial disasters
President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday instructed the government to prepare comprehensive measures to prevent serious industrial accidents and enhance workplace safety. During a Cabinet meeting, Lee urged all relevant ministries to work together to assess the current state of industrial accidents, implement immediate countermeasures and prepare legislative proposals to reform existing systems if necessary. "(South Korea) has one of the highest rates of industrial disasters and fatalities in the wor
July 5, 2025 -
Lee calls for swift execution of T31.8W extra budget to boost economy
President Lee Jae Myung urged the government Saturday to swiftly execute the 31.8 trillion-won (US$23.3 billion) extra budget to help stimulate the sluggish economy amid economic challenges. His remarks came during a Cabinet meeting he presided over to approve the budget, which exceeds the government's initial proposal of 30.5 trillion won. The approval followed the budget's passage by the National Assembly the previous day. "The new government's first supplementary budget was urgently prepared
July 5, 2025 -
Cabinet approves T31.8W extra budget to boost economy
The Cabinet on Saturday approved an extra budget bill of 31.8 trillion won (US$23.3 billion), marking the first supplementary budget under the Lee Jae Myung government. The budget, which exceeds the government's initial proposal of 30.5 trillion won, was passed by the National Assembly on Friday. During the Cabinet meeting, Lee said the supplementary budget was urgently prepared amid challenging economic conditions and urged relevant ministries to swiftly execute it to improve people's livelihoo
July 5, 2025 -
Ex-President Yoon appears for 2nd questioning by special counsel
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared Saturday for a second round of questioning by the special counsel team's investigation into his insurrection charges tied to his failed martial law bid in December. Yoon entered the office of special counsel Cho Eun-suk, located within the Seoul High Prosecutors Office, at 9 a.m., without answering reporters' questions. It marks his second questioning by the team, following the first session last Saturday. The special counsel team is expected to question h
July 5, 2025 -
Lee seeks to send special envoys to 10 countries including US, Japan, China this month
President Lee Jae Myung is mulling sending special envoys to key nations this month, the presidential office said Friday, with countries under review reportedly including the United States, Japan, China and others in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. "It is true the government is seeking to dispatch special envoys to major nations," the presidential office said in a notice, without providing further details, citing ongoing consultations with counterparts. The office is reportedly reviewing a p
July 4, 2025 -
New PM meets protesting farmers on first day in office
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday met with groups of farmers protesting against President Lee Jae Myung’s decision to reappoint Agricultural Minister Song Mi-ryung, on his first day in office. A total of eight groups of farmers were holding a rally across the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, opposing Lee’s reappointment of Song, who had criticized the four agricultural bills drafted by the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and passed the National Assembly in November last year. The
July 4, 2025 -
Constitutional revision to be Lee's top priority: presidential committee
The State Affairs Planning Committee, tasked with creating a blueprint for how President Lee Jae Myung will run the country, said Friday that amending the Constitution is expected to be one of the top priorities of the administration. Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, the committee's spokesperson, told a briefing that amending the Constitution will be included in the Lee administration's agenda. As a candidate, Lee had said that he would consider revising the Constitution to allow presidents to serve more tha
July 4, 2025 -
Democratic Party of Korea to pass W31tr extra budget bill without opposition
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Friday said it would pass a supplementary budget bill for universal cash handouts in the absence of the opposition, the People Power Party. The Democratic Party's floor leader, Rep. Kim Byung-kee, said that his party, which has 56 percent of the National Assembly's seats, could no longer delay passing the supplementary budget bill of 31 trillion won to "support the government's efforts to revive the economy." The People Power Party opposed the supplementar
July 4, 2025 -
Lee's approval rating edges up to 65%
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating inched up to 65 percent, a survey showed Friday, as he marked his first 30 days in office. In the Gallup Korea survey of 1,001 adults conducted between Tuesday and Thursday, 65 percent of the respondents said Lee was doing a good job, up 1 percentage point from the previous week, when the pollster conducted its first approval poll since Lee's inauguration. Twenty-three percent of the respondents disapproved of his performance, while the remaining 12 perc
July 4, 2025 -
Ruling party seeks to railroad extra budget bill despite resistance from main opposition party
The ruling Democratic Party said Friday it would try to unilaterally pass a supplementary budget bill during a plenary session later in the day, although negotiations with the main opposition People Power Party broke down. The rival parties had been in last-minute talks over contentious issues of the planned extra budget, including whether to give cash handouts to all citizens, but they failed to narrow differences, Rep. Moon Jin-seok of the DP told reporters. Moon said the budget proposal will
July 4, 2025 -
Lee's PM pick passes Assembly amid opposition boycott
The National Assembly confirmed Rep. Kim Min-seok as prime minister the National Assembly on Thursday, in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition People Power Party. The National Assembly's approval of Kim comes 29 days after President Lee Jae Myung chose the former head of the Democratic Party's supreme council, the party's top decision-making body, to lead his Cabinet. The vote on whether to approve Kim's nomination, in which only the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and minor liberal part
July 3, 2025 -
Lee Jae Myung pledges to rebuild inter-Korean ties based on strong cooperation with US
President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that efforts to improve relations with North Korea must be grounded in close cooperation between Seoul and Washington, noting that inter-Korean dialogue remains difficult to pursue for now. "The relationship between the two Koreas should improve based on the joint effort and cooperation between South Korea and the United States," Lee said in a news conference held at Cheong Wa Dae, which was formerly used as the presidential compound. "But at this moment, th
July 3, 2025