Korean prime minister says China's visa suspension not retaliation

On his recent US trip, Mayor Lee Sang-il exhibits his determination to turn Yongin into world-class semiconductor city

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday renewed his pledge not to give way against what he called the prosecution's "violent attempt to distort and fabricate," a day after he was questioned over bribery allegations. In a questioning that lasted roughly 12 hours, Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, was grilled by prosecutors on Tuesday over allegations that the city government of Seongnam attracted 17 billion won ($13.7 million) in corporate donations to its muni

Supporters of the ruling People Power Party picked former four-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won as their favorite for party leader, giving her almost twice as much support as the closest challenger, a poll showed Wednesday. In a poll of 1,020 voters conducted by Hangil Research from Saturday to Monday, 30.7 percent of PPP supporters said Na should be the next chair of the party. Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon was in second place with 18.8 percent, followed by former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min at 14.6 percent, Rep. Ahn

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said he had expressed objections to a birth policy suggested by a presidential committee on low birthrates, as the committee's chief offered to resign after the suggestion ran afoul of the presidential office. Han made the remarks on Tuesday, the day after Na Kyung-won, a former four-term lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, tendered her resignation as vice chair of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy. The policy row began aft

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Wednesday tally in 11 weeks, while imported cases remained high. The country reported 54,343 new COVID-19 infections, including 120 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,654,090, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Wednesday since Oct. 26, when the country reported 40,816 new cases. The country added 76 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,745. The number of c

WASHINGTON-- The United States continues to keep a close watch on North Korea and others for possible use or proliferation of illegal chemical and biological weapons, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder also said the US will take all necessary measures to hold any country accountable should they use or spread such weapons. "When it comes to chem-bio capabilities worldwide, it's something that the Department of Defense monitors very closely," the defense

The former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, who had fled the country in the wake of several high-profile corruption investigations, has been arrested in Thailand, according to legal sources Tuesday. According to the sources, Kim Seong-tae, the former chairman, was apprehended by local police at a golf club Tuesday evening, roughly eight months after he departed for Singapore ahead of a raid by the prosecution in late May. Prosecutors suspect Kim is a key figure in a number of high-profile corrup

Hwaseong City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun has signed an agreement with Santa Clara County Korean American Chamber of Commerce on Monday to support global entry of local startups operating in the Korean city, officials said Tuesday. Under the agreement, the two sides will hold a technology seminar and expo in the US as well as develop a network of companies and an entrepreneur leadership program. The agreement took place during Mayor Jeong’s visit to the Californian city. With Santa Clara Count

Bereaved families to speak as witnesses at final public hearing of parliamentary probe

Korea’s first state visit to UAE reflects expectations to advance partnership to higher level

Recently, the possibility police discovered a new serial killer sent shock waves across South Korea. Lee Ki-young, who was arrested late last month for the murder of a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend, will undergo an extensive investigation into additional DNA found inside his home. Looking back, South Korea’s history of serial killers is still considered for its hateful brutality and aggression. Here are three of Korea’s most notorious serial killers: 1. Lee Choon-jae, the &l

South Korea and the United States are “indispensable partners” that share such universal values as freedom and human rights -- the commitment central to their economic solidarity, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon said Tuesday ahead of marking the allies’ 70 years of security ties in October. Lee and his US counterpart, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez, discussed bolstering support for economic security or plans to de

North Korea will never compromise or concede on the fundamental interests and sovereignty of the country despite any challenges, North Korean state media said Tuesday, legitimizing the ruling party’s intransigence and determination to stand against foreign powers. In an article, the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, echoed the country’s principle of strength-for-strength and head-on confrontation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed at th

The average marriage age for South Korean women was consistently in their 20s for decades, but statistics showed a shifting trend where women are now getting married in their 30s. According to Statistics Korea, the number of women married for the first time in their 30s surpassed women married in their 20s as of 2021. This is the first time in 31 years, since 1990 when the agency started to compile related data. In 2021, the total number of reported marriages was 193,000, and of this number, wom