The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's first ruling party-government consultative meeting is expected to take place Wednesday to discuss an extra budget bill aimed at compensating pandemic-hit small merchants, an official with the now ruling People Power Party (PPP) said Tuesday. The meeting between the PPP and the new government is likely to be held at 7:30 a.m. at the National Assembly one day after Yoon takes office, according to the official. "Since the extra budget bill is the most urgent

Police launched an investigation into an online posting talking about a bomb attack at the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol, officials said Tuesday. An unidentified person wrote the posting on a popular community website, Bobaedream, Monday night, seeking an accomplice to detonate a grenade at the ceremony, the National Police Agency said. The suspect also mentioned Yun Bong-gil, a national independence fighter who killed high-ranking Japanese officials by setting off a bomb du

　The number of obese people in South Korea more than doubled between 2017 and 2021, a trend exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, data showed.  　According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of overweight patients increased from 14,966 in 2017 to 31,170 last year. 　The number of obese men increased by 3.4-fold to 9,676 and that of female patients grew by 1.7 times to 20,494. 　By age, those in their 30s had the largest proportion at 22.1 percent, followed

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 40,000 on Tuesday amid the government's eased virus curbs to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 49,933 new COVID-19 infections, including 23 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,614,895, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally is up from 40,064 on Sunday and 20,601 on Monday. The jump came as family and religious gatherings increased last week as Child

South Korea will hold its first meeting of top military commanders under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration this week, sources said Tuesday, amid concerns about North Korea's apparent preparations for a nuclear test. Lee Jong-sup, set to take office as new defense minister later in the day, plans to preside over the gathering Wednesday via video links, with the attendance of top officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and other military institutions, according to the sources. Yoon b

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his country's "firm solidarity" with Russia in a congratulatory message sent to President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's celebration of its "Victory Day" holiday, the North's state media reported Tuesday. In the message sent the previous day, Kim congratulated Putin on the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, according to the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party, and the Korean Cen

Cheong Wa Dae was set to open to the public later Tuesday, immediately after incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony, ending its 74-year-old role as the site for the presidential office and residence in line with Yoon's pledge to relocate the top office. The compound, including the main office building, the Nokjiwon garden and the state guest house of Yeongbin-gwan, will be open to visitors who have made online reservations in advance from noon to 8 p.m. and then from 7 a.m. to

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden looks forward to having discussions on North Korea with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts when he travels to the region later this month, a White House spokesperson said Monday. Jen Psaki also said the North Korean issue will be at the "front and center" of his discussions. "I would note that when the President goes to South Korea, (and) Japan, North Korea, especially given the recent tests, will be front and center in the agenda and d

Yoon Suk-yeol is set to be sworn in as South Korea's new president Tuesday, marking the start of a tough battle to avert an economic crisis, win the cooperation of an opposition-controlled parliament and rein in an increasingly menacing North Korea. Yoon kicked off his five-year term at midnight in the underground bunker of the new presidential office building in Yongsan by receiving a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his appreciation for the hard

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) this week to discuss North Korea's latest missile provocation, a news report said. The US requested the emergency meeting be held on Wednesday, the AFP reported, quoting unidentified diplomats. The move comes after North Korea fired an apparent submarine-launched ballistic missile on Saturday (Seoul time) in its 15th missile launch of the year. Ned Price, spokesperson for the US state depa

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to Seoul and Tokyo seeks to send a clear message that the US continues to remain committed to addressing various challenges in the region, a White House official said Monday. Kurt Campbell, Indo-Pacific policy coordinator at the National Security Council, added the US also recognizes that larger and most pressing challenges for the country and the rest of the world lie in the Indo-Pacific region. "The overriding message that we are seekin

WASHINGTON -- The United States looks forward to continuing to work with South Korea under President Yoon Suk-yeol in tackling various challenges facing the US-South Korea alliance, a state department spokesperson said Monday. "The US-ROK alliance is the linchpin of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and we look forward to continuing US-ROK cooperation in tackling the most pressing global challenges," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency, asking not to be identified

New South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol began his five-year term at the start of Tuesday in an underground bunker set up at his office building by receiving a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the commander-in-chief. Yoon was briefed at midnight in the situation room of the national crisis management center of the new presidential office in Yongsan, joined by top security officials, including new National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and Defense Minister nominee Lee Jong-sup. Outgoing

Outgoing President Moon Jae-in appealed for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue Monday as he delivered a farewell address on his last day in office amid heightened tensions over North Korea's repeated tests of weapons. "Peace is a condition of survival for us, a condition of prosperity," Moon said. "I sincerely hope that efforts for denuclearization and institutionalization of peace will continue with the resumption of dialogue between the South and the North." Taking

The confirmation hearing for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s arguably most contested Cabinet pick, Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon, was gripped by partisan tensions. During the hearing held on the eve of Yoon’s inauguration, Han argued that the Democratic Party of Korea-led prosecutorial reforms -- which entail expanding police powers while curtailing those of the prosecution -- would end up hurting the public while aiding criminals. Han was also pressed to give his position&nbs