President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell 2 percentage points to 20 percent in the fourth week of October, matching the record-low previously recorded in the second week of September, according to a weekly estimate by Gallup Korea on Friday. Additionally, the number of South Koreans who disapproved of the job Yoon was doing hit 70 percent -- an all-time high. The pollster's survey conducted Tuesday to Thursday on 1,001 respondents indicated that issues surrounding Yoon's wife

North Korea's parliament has convened a meeting to adopt a new law on its national anthem, state media reported Friday, in what observers believe was aimed at upholding leader Kim Jong-un's "two hostile states" stance. The Standing Committee of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly held its 33rd session in Pyongyang on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The report did not provide details about the new law on the national anthem, but observers speculated

President Yoon Suk Yeol said weapons manufactured in South Korea will safeguard Poland's national security, as Yoon hosted a state dinner for Polish President Andrzej Duda Thursday, according to Yoon's office on Friday. Yoon was quoted by his office as saying that South Korea and Poland recognize the significance of national security, adding he was confident that South Korean-made arms will protect the land and air of Poland, and Polish-made drones will safeguard South Korea's lan

South Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has met with the new Japanese finance chief, Katsunobu Kato, and discussed ways to strengthen economic ties between the two countries, his office said Friday. Choi held his first meeting with Kato in Washington, DC, on Thursday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to maintain close communication and make

KAZAN, Russia -- President Vladimir Putin did not deny US claims that North Korea had sent troops to Russia but said on Thursday it is up to Moscow how to run its mutual defence clause with Pyongyang and accused the West of escalating the Ukraine war. The United States said on Wednesday that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that the West is casting as a significant escalation of the Ukraine war. Asked by a reporter a

The United Nations Secretariat expressed its opposition Thursday to the "further militarization" of the ongoing war in Ukraine amid growing concerns that North Korean troops could be deployed to support Russian forces in the armed conflict. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Secretary General Antonio Guterres, made the remarks as Seoul and Washington have confirmed that some 3,000 North Korean troops were sent to eastern Russia by ship earlier this month -- a development reaffirming d

A fire at a US Forces Korea warehouse in the southeastern port city of Busan has been brought under control, with no casualties reported, officials said Friday. The Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters said the fire was nearly under control by 7:24 a.m., with the fire response system also lifted as of 7:34 a.m. The blaze occurred at 6:31 p.m. Thursday at the USFK's facility in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, prompting authorities to dispatch over 160 personnel and 51

The first batch of North Korean troops sent to Russia to support its war in Ukraine has reportedly arrived in Russia's western border region near Ukraine, according to Ukrainian media on Friday. The North Korean military unit was spotted Wednesday in the "war zones" of Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been conducting operations since launching an incursion in August, Ukrainian media outlets, including Ukrainska Pravda, reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence

A fire broke out at a US Forces Korea (USFK) storage facility in the southeastern port city of Busan on Thursday, officials said, with no casualties reported so far. The blaze occurred at 6:31 p.m. at the USFK's Busan Storage Center in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to officials. More than 160 personnel and 51 pieces of fire equipment have been mobilized to extinguish the fire, which is believed to have started during plumbing work. As of 7:55 p.m., Busan fire authoriti

Ruling People Power Party (PPP) chief Han Dong-hoon's call for appointing an independent inspector general investigating corruption by the president's family has sparked internal conflict, driving a wedge between him and the floor leader. During a supreme council meeting Thursday, Han reiterated his calls to begin the process to appoint an independent inspector general responsible for investigating corruption by the president's spouse, close relatives and senior presidential aides

Prosecutors on Thursday reaffirmed their demand for a fine of 3 million won ($2,174) against the wife of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of providing free meals to several people ahead of the 2021 party election to pick a presidential candidate. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office demanded the fine against Kim Hye-kyung during the closing hearing on charges of election law violations. She was indicted for providing meals worth 104,000 won to the wives of three former and current p

A group representing the families of those abducted by North Korea vowed Thursday to fly leaflets into North Korea next week, aiming to raise awareness about the abductee issue. About 100,000 leaflets bearing the names and photos of abductees in North Korea will be sent across the border from the western border city of Paju sometime next week, the group said in a press conference in Suwon, south of Seoul. A copy of the leaflet shown by the group included images and descriptions of those abduct

This year's National Assembly audit was slammed by critics on Thursday as the worst to date, with civic groups denouncing both sides of the political sphere for failing to carry out a proper audit. A monitoring group consisting of 270 different local civic groups here graded this year’s National Assembly audit a near-failing score of D-minus. The National Assembly Audit NGO Monitoring Group called this year’s parliamentary audit, which kicked off Oct. 7 and is set to wrap up Fri

China likely sidelined in NK’s decision to dispatch troops to Russia, says S. Korean FM

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