A Seoul court is set to hold hearings Friday to decide whether to issue arrest warrants for former Defense Minister Suh Wook and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee in connection with the previous administration's handling of the 2020 death of a fisheries official at the hands of North Korea, officials said. The Seoul Central District Court will hold hearings for the two, and the decision is expected later in the day or early Saturday. The two are facing various charges, in

Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant Friday for a close confidant of Lee Jae-myung, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, on charges of taking illegal political funds from real estate developers, officials said. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office filed for the warrant for Kim Yong, deputy head of the Democratic Party-affiliated Institute for Democracy think tank, on suspicion of receiving a total of 847 million won ($594,000) from property developers in the city of Seo

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains committed to the denuclearization of the "entire" Korean Peninsula, a defense department spokesperson said Thursday, indicating that the US is not considering deploying nuclear weapons to South Korea. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder also reiterated that the US extended deterrence provided to South Korea would be sufficient to defend the Asian ally and deter any potential aggression from North Korea. "We are still committed to denuclearization of the en

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari will visit South Korea to attend the World Bio Summit 2022, being held in Seoul next Tuesday and Wednesday, the Embassy of Nigeria in Seoul said Thursday evening. According to a statement released by the embassy, Nigerian president Buhari will deliver a congratulatory message at the event’s opening ceremony. During his visit, Buhari will meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Nigerian president is also scheduled to meet with former UN Sec

Seoul expected to co-sponsor the UN resolution for first time in four years

The family of Lee Dae-jun, a South Korean fisheries official slain at sea two years ago, talked Thursday about meeting with Seoul’s new North Korea human rights envoy, Lee Shin-wha. Lee Rae-jin, the late official’s brother, said he and the family’s lawyer Kim Ki-yun spoke with the ambassador-at-large on North Korean human rights issues for about an hour on Wednesday. “She said that bickering among ourselves would do nobody good but North Korea, and that South Korea sho

The number of people who died in South Korea as a result of alcohol addiction surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with solitary deaths accounting for half of that figure, a survey showed Thursday. The Korean Academy of Addiction Psychiatry collected the data from local addiction treatment facilities nationwide, which keep records of patients with alcohol use disorder. Excessive alcohol use was responsible for 156 deaths in 2019, according to KAAP. The figure increased to 204 in 2020 and 215

Scholars say they are seeking ways to tap into growing popularity of South Korean pop culture

Police concluded footage that allegedly proved Lee Jun-seok received sexual favors never existed, thus proving Lee did not destroy it to clear his name. Lee, the former chairman of the ruling People Power Party, has been accused of receiving sexual favors paid for by Kim Sung-jin, CEO of tech company I-kaist. In December, YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, run by conservative-leaning lawyer Kang Yong-suk, claimed Kim arranged sexual services for Lee in 2013 in exchange for help in meeting fo

Opposition party leader cries foul as probe spreads to election funds

An antiquated southern Seoul apartment complex long at the center of the nation's real estate policy debate due to its massive size and location in the wealthy Gangnam district has obtained a long-awaited reconstruction approval, the city government said Thursday, signaling its intent to speed up its plan to increase the housing supply. The Seoul city government's Urban Planning Committee convened Wednesday to approve a reconstruction plan by Eunma Apartments, a complex of 4,424 apartm

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday that the government will "minutely adjust" energy policies to help achieve its target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. "The goal of carbon neutrality is audacious and challenging, but the implementation process that underpins it must be very reasonable and feasible," Han told a conference on carbon neutrality. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, Han said the government will "minutely adjust its energy policy direction

President Yoon Suk-yeol lamented the recent death of a young worker at a bread factory Thursday, saying it was "truly regrettable" and that he has instructed officials to determine the details of the incident. A 23-year-old worker at a factory affiliated with food and beverage giant SPC Group died Saturday after getting caught in a mixer at the plant in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, according to police. Her death prompted an outpouring of grief among the public as questions

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases continued to stay below 30,000 Thursday as the country's virus curve has moved down in recent months. The country reported 25,431 new COVID-19 infections, including 53 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,219,546, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's figure is down 4,072 from a day ago. It also declined by around 1,500 from a week ago and 3,200 from two weeks ago. The country reported 23 deaths from CO

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday that an opposition-led bill mandating government purchases of excess rice is unhelpful to farmers, suggesting he would veto the bill if it passes through the National Assembly. The main opposition Democratic Party railroaded a revision to the Grain Management Act through a standing parliamentary committee Wednesday, making it mandatory for the government to purchase rice when supply is at least 3 percent in excess of demand. Yoon told reporters as he arrived