Another high-profile NK provocation unlikely this week as Pyongyang is in good spirits after ICBM launch on Nov. 18

'A successor should be a legitimate son'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a second public appearance with his daughter during a photo session with officials involved in this month's intercontinental ballistic missile launch, state media said Sunday. Photos published by the Korean Central News Agency showed the daughter, presumed to be Kim's second child, Ju-ae, dressed in a long black winter coat with a fur collar and with her hair partially tied back, as she walked hand in hand or linking arms with her father. The appear

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 50,000 on Sunday, but health authorities remained on edge over a possible spike in transmissions in the winter season. The country reported 47,028 new COVID-19 infections, including 70 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,937,516, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This marked the first time in six days that the daily cases have fallen below 50,000. The latest reading was down from the previou

Striking cargo truckers and the government will sit down next week to seek a negotiated solution to the nationwide walkout that continued to disrupt supply chains across the cement and steel industries on its third day Saturday. Truck drivers went on strike Thursday, the second strike this year in less than six months, demanding the government extend temporary rules guaranteeing minimum freight rates, citing high fuel prices. The rules are set to expire at the end of this year. According to the

Convicted child rapist Cho Doo-soon recently gave up on moving to a new home in Seonbu-dong, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, after fierce protests from residents, according to local media reports citing Ansan residents. Cho and his wife recently signed a deal to rent a home in Seonbu-dong, but Cho's wife on Thursday was given back the 10 million won ($7,522) deposit along with a 1 million won cancellation fee. It was reported by local media that the couple plans to stay at his current residence i

The US Forces Korea (USFK) will host a component command of the US Space Force (USSF), likely the second regional space command to be established by the United States outside of its mainland, amid growing missile threats from North Korea, sources here said Saturday. The US Department of Defense plans to open a component command of the Space Force under the wing of the USFK, and the USSF is scheduled to integrate the body into its organizational structure by the end of this year, according to mul

A special police investigation team called in the chief of the Yongsan Fire Station for questioning on Saturday as part of its widening investigation into the bungled response to the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Choi Seong-beom, chief of the Yongsan Fire Station, appeared at the investigation team's office in Seoul's Mapo district earlier in the morning for his second interrogation in connection with the Oct. 29 incident that killed at least 158 people. He was firs

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he attaches great importance to his country's relations with North Korea in a letter recently sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the North's official news agency reported Saturday. Xi made the remarks in a letter sent on Tuesday in reply to Kim's congratulatory message dispatched last month after the Chinese president secured his third term. "Through several rounds of meetings, I and my comrade, General Secretary (Kim), established

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases came in the 50,000 range on Saturday for the third day in a row, continuing the recent mild resurgence on the back of the winter virus wave. The country reported 52,788 new COVID-19 infections, including 62 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,890,488, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's figure is down from 53,698 posted the previous day but increased by more than 2,000 compared with a week earlier,

Two teenage brothers have been found dead with their parents unconscious at their home in Incheon, police said Saturday. A teacher of the school of one of the children found the family at 11:41 a.m. Friday and reported to the police, according to the Incheon Seobu Police Station in the city, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul. The police believe no foul play was involved. When fire workers arrived, all of them were lying in one room where signs of suicide were found, the police said. The brothers

An Air Force brigadier general has been demoted by one rank to colonel for mishandling a sexual assault case that led to the suicide death of a female soldier, military sources said Saturday. Jeon Ik-soo, the chief legal affairs officer of the Air Force, became the first general officer to be reduced in rank in about 40 years. The defense ministry passed the rare disciplinary measure on Nov. 18 and President Yoon Suk-yeol approved it Tuesday, they said. Jeon was among several Air Force officers

President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a dinner with ruling People Power Party (PPP) leaders at the presidential residence Friday to discuss his recent Southeast Asia trip and other issues, his office said. The meeting was attended by PPP chief Chung Jin-suk, floor leader Joo Ho-young, Secretary-General Kim Seok-ki and other members of the interim leadership, as well as Yoon's chief of staff Kim Dae-ki, senior political secretary Lee Jin-bok and senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim E

"Squid Game" actor O Yeong-su has been indicted on charges of sexual misconduct, judicial officials said Friday. The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office indicted the 78-year-old O without detention Thursday over an allegation that he inappropriately touched the body of a woman in mid-2017, the officials said. The case dates back to December last year, when the alleged victim filed a complaint against O with police. Police then closed the case without filing any cha

The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for the Army to force enlisted soldiers to participate in religious events at the Army Training Center. Following the ruling, the Army said they will guarantee the basic rights of individual soldiers. "Forcing people to attend religious events held at religious facilities limits soldiers' freedom of not having faith and not attending religious ceremonies," the Constitutional Court said in the ruling. The court