One of the surviving South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor has expressed an intent to accept the Seoul government's third-party reimbursement plan, an informed source said Sunday. The person, whose identity was withheld, recently reversed an earlier objection to the plan that the government announced in March to compensate victims through a government-affiliated foundation without contributions from Japanese firms, according to the source. The victim is among the three s

    President Yoon Suk Yeol invited children to Chung Wa Dae, the former presidential office, to spend time with him on Friday, which falls on Children’s Day. The 320 children who have been invited are from remote islands, have been entrusted to foster care facilities, or come from single-parent households and multicultural families. At the event, President Yoon thanked the parents, teachers and facility workers who take care of the children with love and dedication. He vowed to

National Intelligence Service says North Korea targeted state election system

Seoul plans top-level security for Japanese PM; Yoon’s office says declaration unlikely

Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the People Power Party on Wednesday flatly denied allegations that he received an illegal political donation around last year's local elections amid several other looming controversies surrounding him. According to a media report, the North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker allegedly accepted political funds from elected councilors of his constituency in Seoul's Gangnam district, in return for backing their nomination. The donations were allegedly split up and given u

Two lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party accused of involvement in a political funding scandal said Wednesday they will voluntarily leave the party. The scandal centers on allegations that campaign officials of Song Young-gil, a former DP leader, distributed cash envelopes to party members prior to the party's national convention in May 2021, during which Song was elected chairman. Reps. Youn Kwan-suk and Lee Sung-man, who are accused of involvement in the illegal electioneering cam

About 13,000 illegal immigrants left South Korea through a crackdown and the voluntary departure program over the past two months, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday. The government has resumed its crackdown on foreigners staying or working illegally here since last October after a pause due to COVID-19. The latest crackdown from March 2 to April 30 was mainly conducted in fields that can cause social harm, such as entertainment services, and in industries closely linked to local people'

President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprise appearance at a luncheon for reporters on Tuesday and shared his thoughts about marking one year in office next week. Yoon sat with presidential office reporters on a lawn inside the office compound as the journalists had lunch following a press tour of Yongsan Children's Garden. The garden is effectively a park adjacent to the compound and will open to the public on Thursday. "Through the criticism and the encouragement, it's already been a

A newly constructed park in front of the presidential office building will open to the public this week ahead of the first anniversary of President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration, the office said Tuesday. The park, which has been named Yongsan Children's Garden, will open Thursday on the eve of the Children's Day holiday, after having undergone reconstruction for a year in line with Yoon's campaign pledge to draw closer to the public. As part of that pledge, Yoon also relocated

The former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, a key suspect in an illicit political funding scandal, claimed that the prosecution is politically persecuting him and President Yoon Suk Yeol's so-called "political enemies." Song Young-gil said Tuesday that the 60-year-old himself and his successor Rep. Lee Jae-myung, as well as some 700 former officials under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, have been targeted by the prosecution in attempt to steer public su

President Yoon Suk Yeol will share the results of his state visit to the United States with ruling People Power Party leaders Tuesday, an official said. People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leader Yun Jae-ok, secretary general Lee Chul-gyu, chief policymaker Park Dae-chul and others have been invited to a dinner with Yoon at the presidential office later in the day, according to the senior presidential official. "President Yoon will personally explain the results of the US visit an

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Medical Service Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Sung-won (People Power Party) ● The government temporarily allowed non-face-to-face (NF2F) medical diagnosis after COVID-19 social distancing policies made it difficult for people to visit medical institutions. Since then, over 35 million cases were successfully treated remotely, and individuals with mobility or time restrictions, such as the elderly, the disabled, office workers and sole proprietors enjoyed enhance

South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol returned to Seoul on Sunday to face a growing number of partisan challenges, in addition to criticism from the country’s main opposition party over the results of his summit with US President Joe Biden. While Yoon was away in Washington, the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea said the party would propose a bill regulating the role of a presidential spouse, in criticism of the first lady’s public appearances in the US. “We need a bill

President Yoon Suk Yeol will invite members of a military operation to airlift 28 South Koreans out of war-torn Sudan to the presidential office on Monday to commend their successful completion of the mission, according to his office. The participants in the Operation Promise will be invited to the presidential office in the afternoon, the presidential office said in a release. It is Yoon's first official schedule since returning from his six-day state visit to the United States. A military

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has rebounded for the first time in four weeks, thanks to positive feedback on his recent state visit to the United States, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 2,507 adults aged 18 or older conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance went up 1.8 percentage points from the previous week to 34.5 percent. The result marked Yoon's highest performance in public polls since the 36.7 p