Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will visit Bangkok later this week to attend an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Han's office said Tuesday. Han will leave for Bangkok on Thursday for the APEC summit, which is slated for Friday and Saturday, the office said in a statement. During the summit, Han is expected to discuss measures to strengthen trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as sustainable growth, it said. On the sidelines of the summit, Han is expected to hold bil

BALI -- First lady Kim Keon-hee met with a pair of environmental activists in Bali and talked about their shared love for eco-friendly products, the presidential office said Tuesday. The meeting with the Wijsen sisters -- Melati and Isabel -- took place Monday during Kim's visit to the island with President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon is due to attend a Group of 20 summit in Bali on Tuesday. "An issue that's no less important than nuclear war is the issue of climate and the environment,&q

First lady Kim Keon-hee is once again drawing fire from the opposition bloc this time over her activities in Cambodia, where she accompanied President Yoon Suk-yeol for the ASEAN meeting. During her trip, she declined to attend a cultural event arranged by the Cambodian government for the spouses of attending state leaders. Instead, she visited a young heart patient at a hospital as well as at the patient’s home. Her actions were made public through a series of photographs, which oppositio

President Yoon Suk-yeol presented “digital transformation” as a solution to the global complex crisis in his keynote speech on Monday at the B20 Summit involving representatives of companies from 20 major countries held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. B20 Summit established in 2010 has served to channel the voice and aspirations of the global business community to G20 leaders. Yoon delivered a keynote speech on the theme of the role of companies in overcoming the global complex c

The ruling and main opposition parties remain at loggerheads over the Itaewon tragedy, with the two sides refusing to give way in discussions over a parliamentary investigation. On Monday, ruling People Power Party Floor Leader Rep. Joo Ho-young and Democratic Party of Korea Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun met with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo to discuss the issue, but parted ways after only confirming their differences. Park urged the ruling party to participate in the parliamentary i

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of regional gatherings in Cambodia on Sunday, his office said. A presidential official told reporters the summit was fixed Saturday, as both leaders are in Phnom Penh to attend various summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two sides agreed on the need for a summit given the importance of security cooperation in the wake of North

PHNOM PENH -- President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday voiced hope for a swift reactivation of trilateral cooperation mechanisms among South Korea, China and Japan.   Yoon made the remark during a summit involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea, China and Japan, known as the ASEAN Plus Three, which brought together the leaders of nine ASEAN countries, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.  "South Korea will pla

President Yoon Suk-yeol left for Cambodia on Friday on the first leg of a two-nation tour that will include his attendance at various summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20. In Phnom Penh, Yoon is scheduled to attend a South Korea-ASEAN summit, an ASEAN Plus Three summit and the East Asia Summit during a three-day stay, with other bilateral and multilateral meetings expected to take place on the sidelines. Yoon told reporters earlier he will hold a trila

South Korea and Saudi Arabia agreed Thursday to deepen economic ties and boost business cooperation in various areas, including smart city, hydrogen and bio industries, Seoul's industry ministry said. Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and Saudi Arabia's Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih reached the consensus during their talks in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. During the talks, Lee proposed enhanced bilateral cooperation, as large-scale investment has

The new head of the U.N. human rights agency's office in South Korea on Thursday called on North Korea to use resources for improving its dire human rights situations instead of focusing on provocative acts, like missile launches. James Heenan, representative of the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul, made the remarks during his introductory meeting with reporters here amid heightened tensions on the peninsula caused by a string of North Korea's missile provocations. The Office of the U

The second prototype of South Korea’s first homegrown KF-21 fighter completes its inaugural test flight on Thursday morning at the base of South Korea’s Air Force 3rd Training Wing in the city of Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. The first prototype of the KF-21 Boramae fighter conducted its first test flight in July. South Korea’s Air Force and Korea Aerospace Industries aim to conduct around 2,200 test flights until 2026 with six KF-21 fighter prototypes. (Defense Acquisi

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday he believes the people want to see a "scientific" and "compulsory" investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush, effectively dismissing the opposition's push for a parliamentary probe. The main opposition Democratic Party and two minor parties jointly submitted a request for a parliamentary probe into the tragedy Wednesday. The request is expected to be handled during a plenary parliamentary session scheduled for later Thursday. "

The spokesman of the main opposition Democratic Party has apologized for misquoting European Union Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez during her meeting with party leader Lee Jae-myung earlier this week. The EU envoy met with the opposition leader in a closed-door meeting Tuesday and discussed issues ranging from North Korea's intensifying military threats to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Following their meeting, Democratic Party spokesperson Rep. Kim Eui-kum told reporters that the ambassad

Rare move prompts criticism, protests from media, experts

The main opposition Democratic Party and two minor progressive parties submitted a joint request Wednesday for a parliamentary investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush despite opposition from the ruling party. The DP, the Justice Party (JP) and the Basic Income Party submitted the request to the National Assembly's Bills Division on Wednesday afternoon, with an aim to have the request reported at a parliamentary plenary session scheduled for Thursday. "We should clearly determi