Release of records kept secret by Moon at core of legal fight

Widely known for mass wedding ceremonies, S. Korea-founded religious sect in spotlight in wake of assassination of former Japanese PM

TOKYO -- Family and friends of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe gathered at a Tokyo temple Tuesday for a private funeral, as mourners outside condemned the leader's "despicable" murder. Abe was shot at close range on Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days ahead of upper house elections that saw his ruling party strengthen its hold on power. The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because h

Regional education office chiefs met with the Education Minister on Monday, calling for a task force to work out measures related to the government’s education budget reallocation plan. After the authorities have decided to reallocate part of budget earmarked for early childhood, elementary and secondary education for higher and lifelong education -- mainly to invest in training for semiconductor experts -- chiefs of education offices across the nation expressed disapproval. “The

South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the bilateral relations of Seoul and Washington and North Korea’s nuclear issues on Monday (US time). In a Facebook post, Amb. Cho explained how he had first met with Sherman when he was serving as the first vice minister of the Foreign Ministry, from February 2014 to October 2015. “Deputy Secretary Sherman is the first women to serve in the post at the US Dep

Police to strengthen security as new US ambassador plans to participate in Pride festival this weekend

It is important to ensure people‘s livelihoods not affected by economic crisis, Yoon says

British American Tobacco has selected 10 teams of college students for an idea contest focused on sustainability. BAT Rothmans, the South Korean business arm of the international tobacco group, said Monday it has started a five month-long ESG campaign by holding an orientation for the 10 college teams, who will compete to win prizes based on their suggestions on eco-friendly business ideas. The selected teams are from Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Konkuk Unive

Move seen as Lee’s effort to fight back against six-month suspension

The weekly average number of COVID-19 infections increased 87% last week

Wine connects Georgia and Korea, and connecting the two countries with completely different cultures is the goal of Georgia‘s National Wine Agency, says the agency’s Deputy Chairman Davit Tkemaladze. Tkemaladze visited Seoul to support his country’s wine producers in exploring the Korean market and presenting Georgian wine to Korean consumers. “Wine connects Georgia and Korea,” he said, drawing a comparison to the historical legacy of Georgia’s unique winema

President Yoon Suk-yeol's new official residence is likely to be ready as early as this week, allowing him and first lady Kim Keon-hee to move in by next month, an official said Tuesday. The foreign minister's official residence is currently being renovated to be used as the new presidential residence in line with Yoon's decision to relocate the presidential office to the defense ministry compound nearby. Yoon took office in May after winning the election on a pledge to move the p

A key aide to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with a South Korean foreign ministry official for discussions on the bilateral alliance and other issues. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted that he had a meeting with Yeo Seung-bae, deputy minister for political affairs, in Seoul. "We spoke about the US-ROK Alliance and our joint efforts on regional and global issues. I appreciate the ROK's partnership on Burma," Chollet wrote, using the acronym for Sout

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for a fundamental reform of the labor market, as the government seeks to promote job creation led by the private sector. "For sustainable recovery of employment, a fundamental improvement in the job market is needed," Han told a Cabinet meeting, urging ministers to "make more efforts to create an environment in which jobs are created by the private sector." Citing the labor ministry's data, Han said indicators of the job mark

JEJU -- The Coast Guard retrieved Tuesday a body believed to be of a crewman who went missing in a devastating fire at a port on the southern island of Jeju last week, officials said. The fire broke out on a 29-ton fishing boat docked at Hallim Port on Thursday and spread to two others, leaving three crewmen of the first boat seriously injured and two others -- one foreigner and one South Korean -- missing. During an operation to lift the 29-ton boat out of the sea Tuesday, Coast Guard workers f