North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials had discussions on adding missions and revising operational plans of front-line military units during a major party meeting, according to state media Thursday. The news came two months after the Kim regime openly hinted at deploying tactical nuclear weapons in front-line artillery units. The secretive nation has reportedly completed preparations for a nuclear test seen as part of efforts to develop smaller nuclear warheads to fit on tactica

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 10,000 for the 14th straight day on Thursday amid a steady omicron downtrend, though the country remains vigilant against any potential virus resurgence. The country reported 7,497 new COVID-19 infections, including 92 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,305,738, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally has stayed below 10,000 since June 10. The numbers have declined at a steady pace after hit

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup on Thursday reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to further strengthening its alliance with the United States, pointing to the "very grave" security threats from North Korea. He was speaking at a breakfast meeting with former and current South Korean and US officials, as concerns have grown about the possibility of the North carrying out its seventh nuclear experiment at the Punggye-ri testing site. "Due to the advances in North Korea's nuc

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo returned home on Thursday after a five-day trip to Paris where he appealed for international support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern port city of Busan. During his first overseas trip since taking office last month, Han attended a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), an intergovernmental body in charge of overseeing World Expos. Han delivered a presentation on South Korea's bid to bring the e

The ethics committee of the ruling People Power Party has deferred a decision until next month on whether to take disciplinary action against party chairman Lee Jun-seok over allegations he received sexual services as a bribe about 10 years ago and attempted to cover up the case. The committee, however, decided at Wednesday's meeting to begin the process of reprimanding Kim Cheol-geun, a key aide to Lee, over allegations that he met with Lee's accuser earlier this year and attempted to

ICHEON -- South Korea's military on Thursday launched new correctional facilities with an advanced monitoring solution, including the country's first suicide prevention sensors and other systems designed to improve the living conditions of inmates and help reduce the workload of guards. The opening of the institution, located 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, came around two years after the Military Correctional Institution broke ground on a 17.7-billion-won ($13.6 million) project to

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 20,000 for the fifth consecutive day, according to its state media Thursday. More than 13,100 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. Since June 15, the death toll has remained at 73, with

North Korea held a rare military meeting to change the operational plan of military frontline units with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media said Thursday, amid heightening tensions in the region. Kim also discussed the reorganization of key military formations as he convened the second-day sitting of the third enlarged meeting of the eighth Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (K

Leaders of Seoul, Tokyo would have chance to talk at NATO summit, National Security Adviser says

While most people would rather not have a metaphorical frog in their throat, the prospect was quite literal for students at two Seoul schools, who found uninvited amphibians in their lunch trays. Now, the suppliers of the “frog kimchi” served in the school lunches face the possibility of having their food safety certifications revoked. Both frogs were found in radish kimchi, a common side dish, but at different schools dealing with different suppliers. A dead frog was found in a

South Korea raised the alert level for monkeypox after confirming its first patient on Wednesday. The patient had come from Germany on Tuesday afternoon, and was sent straight to the Incheon Medical Center nearby the airport for showing possible monkeypox symptoms, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. His symptoms were a low-grade fever of 37 degrees Celsius, sore throat, fatigue and lesions around the body -- which he said began around the day of his departure. S

The family of Lee Dae-jun, a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korean soldiers at sea in 2020, on Wednesday filed a criminal complaint against national security and civil affairs officials of former President Moon Jae-in’s Cheong Wa Dae. Kim Ki-yun, an attorney working with the family, told reporters outside Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office that three ex-Cheong Wa Dae officials were reported to prosecutors for suspicions of obstruction of the execution of of

Kim develops nuclear tests to look powerful and break Korea-US alliance: US defense expert

Strict regulations on firearms lead to virtually no gun violence in Korea; prevalent reluctance among police officers to pull trigger

First-ever multi-day defense meeting comes after N.Korean leader pledged to reinforce military capabilities at party plenum