President Yoon Suk Yeol sent a congratulatory message to Donald Trump on Wednesday evening Seoul time, when he was reported as on the brink of victory. Yoon posted to his official account on social media platform X, "Under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK-US alliance and America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you." ROK stands for Republic of Korea, which is South Korea's official name. "Depending on the election outcome, Yoon is expecte

Scandals stall Yoon's agenda, but let's touch upon the positives

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said Wednesday that the alliance between Seoul and Washington will strengthen regardless of who wins the latest US presidential election. “The South Korea-US alliance will strengthen regardless of the candidate who is elected president of the United States,” Han said in an emergency intra-party meeting on foreign affairs and security matters. The meeting was held a day after ruling party lawmakers compiled and reviewed

Andy Kim, 42, a three-term Congress representative from New Jersey, has won the US Senate race, becoming the first Korean American elected to the Senate. Kim, a Democrat, defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw, securing 53 percent of the vote to Bashaw’s 44.7 percent, with 87 percent of ballots counted as of 3 p.m., according to AP. This Senate seat opened in August when former Senator Bob Menendez resigned after being convicted on charges of bribery and acting as an agent of the Egyptian gover

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a news conference on Thursday at 10 a.m., as the South Korean leader approaches the halfway point of his five-year term on Nov. 10, watchful of challenges at home and abroad. Yoon's news conference comes at a turbulent time due both to heightened external uncertainties -- as the US begins counting ballots from Wednesday here that will determine its next president as well as control of the US Congress -- as well as scandals here involving him and his wife. T

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on the Collection of Insurance Premiums for Employment Insurance and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Proposed by Rep. Cho Ji-yeon (People Power Party) ● In response to the tragic fire at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in the loss of 23 lives -- 18 of whom were residents of foreign nationality — this proposed amendment aims to tighten the accountability of risk assessment certifications for wo

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a news conference on Thursday at 10 a.m. as the South Korean leader approaches the halfway point of his five-year term, Yoon's office announced on Monday. According to the presidential office, Yoon will map out his administration’s policy direction for the future and engage in a sincere discussion of topics that have drawn public interest. Yoon’s aides proposed that he take the opportunity to communicate with the public before he departs for an

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, on Monday condemned North Korea for participating in Russia’s war in Ukraine. At a meeting of the party's leadership, Han said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sending troops to Russia was a “serious challenge to international peace” and a “crime against humanity.” “The Kim Jong-un regime, with its decision to enter the war, has made it seem like the Korean Peninsula has something to do with the o

PM reads budget proposal to parliament on behalf of embattled president

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon on Monday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to issue a public apology and reshuffle aides at the presidential office to address growing concerns over allegations surrounding the first lady. Han of the People Power Party made the remarks during a meeting of the party's supreme council, calling for a "complete" personnel overhaul of the presidential aides. "The president should publicly and thoroughly address the concerns of the people, issue a

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will deliver the government's 2025 budget speech at the National Assembly on behalf of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday, Han's office said. It marks the first time in 11 years that a sitting president has not addressed parliament on the annual budget. Yoon presented the budget speech the past two years after taking office in May 2022. Since 1988, it has been customary for presidents to outline their key priorities to lawmakers before submitting the governme

South Korea's Presidential Bio Committee will hold its inaugural meeting in December, with President Yoon Suk Yeol chairing the committee of roughly 20 experts in the field of biotechnology, to bolster the nation's push to achieve a biotechnology breakthrough. Park Sang-ook, senior presidential secretary for science and technology, said in a briefing Sunday that Lee Sang-yup, vice president for research at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, will serve as the vice c

Former lawmaker and veteran politician Kim Young-sun, a central figure in allegations that President Yoon Suk Yeol meddled in the June 2022 by-elections, denied accusations that she paid for Yoon's political forecasting and alleged poll manipulation expenses in exchange for the ruling party's nomination to run for her seat in the National Assembly. The prosecution interrogated Kim on Sunday regarding what they consider a violation of the Political Funds Act, namely Kim's wiring of

The National Assembly is set to begin deliberations on the 2025 budget proposal this week, with ruling and opposition parties expected to wrangle over spending on controversial projects. On Monday, the National Assembly is set to begin deliberations on next year's budget of 677.4 trillion won ($509.7 billion), a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year. The ruling People Power Party is expected to advocate the government's focus on discretionary spending due to fiscal deficit, while

The government said Friday it will designate three cities as the nation's first hydrogen-specialized complexes and support their growth into hydrogen industry hubs. The designation comes after the three cities -- Donghae and Samcheok of Gangwon Province and Pohang of North Gyeongsang Province -- passed preliminary feasibility surveys to carry out hydrogen cluster projects, the government said following a meeting of the government-led Hydrogen Economy Committee. The Donghae-Samcheok project