Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday he will send special envoys to the United States, China, Japan and North Korea as soon as he is elected in an effort to help bring lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party made the remark during a special press conference on the eve of the election, saying he will pursue pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests and remove dangers of war from the divided peninsula. "I will remove a thre

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday urged voters to take part in the presidential election, while calling for thorough preparations to prevent lapses shown in early voting and guarantee virus-infected people's right to vote. Moon made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting, a day before South Koreans vote to pick his successor. In two-day early voting that ended last Saturday, turnout stood at a record of about 37 percent. "Tomorrow is the time for people to choose a president who will lead state af

South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday called on North Korea to abide by agreements it has made with the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula amid reports the reclusive regime is continuing activities at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex. On Monday, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the agency's monitoring team has spotted indications of activity at the 5-megawatt reactor at the complex north of Pyong

Ruling Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Song Young-gil was discharged from a hospital Tuesday, a day after he was wounded in a hammer attack during his campaigning for the party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. In Monday's attack, a YouTuber in his 70s struck Song in the head from behind with a hammer several times during campaigning in Seoul's Sinchon area. He was immediately taken to a hospital and received stitches on his head. The assailant was immediately taken into police custody.

The Seoul city government said Tuesday it plans to install 403 more CCTV cameras at riverside parks along the Han River to strengthen safety surveillance following a high-profile death of a medical college student last year. The plan to complete the installations of new CCTVs, including 40 smart poles, by the end of June, will boost the total number of cameras from the current 163 to 567, officials said. The new installations will be concentrated around lawn plazas and other popular zones. Calls

South Korea's state defense research institute has developed a small high-power thermal battery to be fitted on precision guided bombs to enhance their accuracy and operational range, its officials said Tuesday. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) said the battery is designed to be activated by the shock of a munitions launch, and it will power key components of guided bombs, such as GPS. Through various tests, the agency has confirmed that the battery is capable of functioning stably even

Multiple wildfires have charred east coastal mountain areas the size of more than 30,000 soccer fields over the past five days, but firefighting efforts have made slow headway hampered by thick smoke and fickle winds, officials said Tuesday. Firefighting authorities regard Tuesday as a watershed in their all-out efforts to contain the main fires, as the wind direction is forecast to change unfavorably in the afternoon. They initially aimed to extinguish the main fires Monday but were disturbed b

Australia has imposed its own sanctions against a North Korean trading company linked with the secretive nation's development of weapons of mass destruction, as well as Chinese and Russian companies accused of helping Pyongyang shun international sanctions, a recent government document showed. The Pyongyang-based Puhung Trading Corp. has been added to Australia's list of entities under financial sanctions, which restrict the use of their assets, according to a document from Foreign Minister Mari

Severe and critical cases of COVID-19 in South Korea hit a two-month high Tuesday as the highly contagious omicron variant continued to spread rapidly across the country and fuel new outbreaks. The country reported 202,721 new COVID-19 infections, including 202,647 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,869,691, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Severe and critical cases among those hospitalized for COVID-19 increased to a two-month high of 1,007, up 52

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol were set to wrap up their hard-fought campaigns with final rallies in Seoul on the eve of the election Tuesday as both sides claimed they would ultimately emerge victorious. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said the weekend's record turnout of 36.93 percent during the two-day early voting reflected the convergence of Lee's supporters following last week's surprise merger deal between two leading opposit

South Korea's military mobilized 1,950 troops and 48 choppers on Tuesday to help contain wildfires in eastern coastal areas for the fifth day. Local authorities have been struggling to put out the blazes that began on Friday in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and spread to other areas. Earlier this week, Defense Minister Suh Wook called for "all-out" efforts to help extinguish the fires during a special meeting of top commanders from all service branches. The cumulative nu

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday designated two more wildfire-hit cities in the eastern coastal areas as special disaster zones eligible for the government's financial support in recovery work, relief funds for victims and other benefits. The two eastern cities -- Gangneung and Donghae -- were declared as special disaster zones, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The move came two days after Moon designated Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its neighboring

The US government has formally announced the exclusion of South Korea from its expanded export restrictions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which enhances partner nations' joint efforts to implement strong sanctions against Moscow, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday. Last month, the US government announced the Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) for all of Russia, calling on companies to receive a license from the United States for tech-related items using US technology before they can b

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that his administration has made progress in implementing policies related to gender equality, but South Korea still lags behind other nations in the area. "Compared to the degree of national development, our nation is far behind in the field of gender equality," Moon said in his remarks on International Women's Day. "For women, the glass ceiling is solid. Structures and cultures that hamper gender equality remain everywhere." Moon, whose te