President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday that North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time it decides. Yoon was responding to a reporter's question about the U.S. Department of Defense's assessment that the North has completed preparations to carry out a nuclear test as early as within the month. "We believe that not only at the end of this month, but ever since my inauguration, it's fully ready and able to do it whenever it decides," he told reporters as he arrived for work.

South Korea's Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik will attend a ceremony celebrating the completion of a new Korean War memorial monument in Washington DC next week, his ministry said Friday. Park plans to read out President Yoon Suk-yeol's message during Wednesday's event unveiling the Wall of Remembrance, which bears the names of 36,634 US troops and 7,174 members of the Korean Augmentation to the US Army who died during the 1950-53 conflict. The wall, another symbol of the

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 200 for the second consecutive day, according to its state media Friday. More than 140 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of July 5, the death toll stood at 74, with the fatality r

President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed on Thursday that economic diplomacy is important and that he is willing to go anywhere if it helps the economy during a meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin on Thursday. After a two and half hour meeting, Minister Park held a press briefing where he said that President Yoon ordered him to look after the diplomatic relationships with Russia, China, Japan and the US -- with a focus on the Korea-US alliance -- and expand diplomatic horizons in Asia, the Middle

Foreign Minister makes first report on diplomatic tasks to president. Yoon stresses on the importance of economic security in diplomacy

President Yoon Suk-yeol again called for an end to “illegal activities” related to the prolonged strike by unionized Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s subcontractors on Thursday. Although Yoon’s tone was more cautious than his earlier remarks that hinted at the use of force two days ago, he still reiterated suspending the occupation of the company’s shipyard in Okpo, South Gyeongsang Province, by seven striking workers. “Resolving and normali

Low-profile secretaries being targeted due to declining rating

A school field trip to Jeju Island resulted in a mass infection of COVID-19 for a high school based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. A total of 159 high school students and faculty members tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday. According to the North Jeolla Province Education Office, some 440 high school students and 20 faculty members went to Jeju Island from July 12 to 15. Though this trip is usually only taken by first graders, this year, second graders joined in as they could n

Floor leader vows drastic shifts, improvement to take place with Yoon administration

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Working Group on Bribery has voiced "serious concerns" that the recently enacted prosecution reform laws could hamper the country's capacity to investigate and prosecute foreign bribery. The Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, tasked with monitoring the implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and other instruments, voiced the opinion in a statement Wednesday after adopting it d

President Yoon Suk-yeol postponed receiving a policy briefing from the unification ministry Thursday due to a scheduling conflict, officials said. The briefing had been scheduled for 4 p.m. at the presidential office but is currently being rescheduled, presidential spokesperson Kang In-sun told reporters. A presidential official said there were "various circumstances" that led to the postponement, including scheduling conflicts and work related to the National Assembly. The postponemen

The Hungarian and Colombian ambassadors to South Korea were awarded honorary citizenship of Seoul on Thursday in recognition of their contributions to developing bilateral ties. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented a certificate of honorary citizenship to Hungarian Ambassador to South Korea Mozes Csoma and Colombian Ambassador to South Korea Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero in a ceremony at City Hall. Csoma, a fluent speaker of the Korean language, has served as Budapest's ambassador to South Korea sin

A lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday refuted the ruling People Power Party's claim that the preceding Moon Jae-in administration falsely accused two North Korean fishermen of killing 16 fellow crew members before repatriating them in 2019. The alleged killings were the main reason behind the Moon administration's decision to send the North Koreans back to their homeland, where they could face harsh punishment, even though they had expressed a desire to de

An international ocean forum kicked off in the western port city of Incheon on Thursday to seek ways to further promote the maritime industry. The two-day Incheon International Ocean Forum (IIOF) 2022 opened at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, under the theme of "The World Calls, The Ocean Waves," bringing together maritime industry experts and businessmen from across the world. The forum is hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Incheon m

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday the people wish to see a quick end to a strike at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) and enabling that will be helpful to everyone. Subcontract workers at DSME have been striking since June 2, occupying a shipyard on Geoje Island on the south coast and causing up to trillions of won in losses for the company. Wage negotiations between the workers and management have yielded no breakthrough. "Quickly resolving the illegal action and norm