Presidential office said summit with Japan scheduled, but Japanese media reports Tokyo denies it

The families of Lee Dae-jun, a South Korean government official shot dead by North Korean troops at sea in 2020, and Otto Warmbier, a US college student who died after North Korea’s detainment left him in a coma in 2017, met on Saturday. Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of the South Korean official, told The Korea Herald that Fred and Cindy Warmbier, parents of the American student, got together for the first time at the couple’s home in Cincinnati, Ohio. “I have been wanting

The South Korean presidential office said Sunday there's "no change" in the plan to hold a South Korea-Japan summit meeting this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. A ranking presidential official made the remarks in a phone call with Yonhap News Agency, rejecting Japanese news reports on Sunday that the possibility of the summit meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remains uncertain. The presidential office an

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday instructed officials to maintain thorough readiness for Typhoon Nanmadol as the country's southern island of Jeju and the southeast coast are predicted to come under the typhoon's influence. Yoon made the instruction to Interior Minister Lee Sang-min at Seoul Air Base earlier in the morning before leaving for London for a three-nation trip that will also take him to the United States and Canada, a presidential spokesperson said in a written briefing. &

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fourth consecutive day to below 40,000 on Sunday as the spread of the virus slows down. The country reported 34,764 new COVID-19 infections, including 241 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,394,466, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload decreased more than 8,600 from the previous day. An omicron variant had led to a virus resurgence in early July, with the daily caseload spiking to more tha

President Yoon Suk-yeol left for London on Sunday to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, kicking off a three-nation trip that will include his first address to the UN General Assembly, and summits with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Yoon's second overseas trip since taking office will also take him to Canada on the last leg. He is set to arrive in London on Sunday afternoon (local time) and visit a Korean War memorial to honor the 56,000 British tro

Apartment entrance gates getting bigger and more luxurious, reflecting an obsession with high-end homes

Typhoon Nanmadol, currently passing the waters east of Japan's Okinawa, is expected to grow stronger Saturday before coming closer to South Korea in the next couple of days, the state weather agency said. With a central atmospheric pressure of 920 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 53 meters per second, this year's 14th typhoon was passing waters 520 kilometers east of Okinawa at 9 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Nanmadol, currently a "very strong&quo

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan voiced cautious hope Saturday for a "compromise" over a new U.S. law aimed at reducing inflation that has unnerved South Korea by excluding electric vehicles made outside North America from tax benefits.  He raised the possibility of a breakthrough on the controversial matter after the November midterm elections, speaking at a press conference in Seoul. The governor highlighted his commitment to efforts to insulate Seoul-Washington relations from the neg

US commits to strengthen coordination with S.Korea to deploy US strategic military assets in a ‘timely, effective manner’

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the third consecutive day to below 50,000 on Saturday amid the gradual slowdown of the spread of the virus. The country reported 43,457 new COVID-19 infections, including 280 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,359,702, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest figure is down by more than 8,000 from the previous day. An omicron variant had led to a virus resurgence in early July, with the daily caseload spiking

A local court issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of the suspect in the shocking murder of a female subway worker inside a subway ladies' restroom in Seoul. The 31-year-old Seoul Metro employee, surnamed Jeon, was apprehended Wednesday evening at Sindang Station on Line No. 2 after allegedly stabbing his female colleague in her 20s to death in the subway station's ladies' room. The case shocked the nation as it was revealed the killing took place one day before a court was set to sentence him

The older brother of Lee Dae-jun, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean soldiers at sea in 2020, asked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a chance to visit the site of the tragedy. In an open letter to Kim, which was made public on Friday, Lee urged to be granted “a chance to pay a visit” and “a moment to pray for him to rest in peace.” He said that on the second anniversary of his death, on Sept. 22, his family p

  President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday ordered the government to scrap a contentious plan to build a state guest house at the new presidential compound. Earlier in the day, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) slammed the government for requesting a massive budget for the project, saying the administration is squandering taxpayers' money on the unnecessary presidential office relocation. "After returning Cheong Wa Dae to the people, we tried to prepare a facility for state events, b