Prosecutors on Friday indicted former Vice Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Hwa-young on charges of taking bribes from an underwear company in return for business favors related to inter-Korean economic projects. Lee, a confidant of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, was accused of pocketing some 260 million won ($180,000) worth of bribes from SBW Inc. in the forms of a corporate credit card and luxury vehicles between 2018 and early 2022, when he was serving as vice Gyeonggi governor for peace.

While North Korean threats intensify, concerns are growing as the nation’s grave security issues could become political strife. Although President Yoon Suk-yeol and his office did not publicly admit to reviewing the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons amid constant threats from North Korea, the information about their moves is constantly being leaked from the government and the ruling party. When asked about Yoon’s position on related reports, Yoon told reporters Thursday mo

Diplomatic and other questions are being raised for South Korea, as Russians trying to avoid conscription into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are anticipated to head to the country to seek refugee status. Earlier this month, about two dozen Russians apparently fleeing Vladimir Putin’s draft were refused entry to South Korea.　 Over the first few days of October, five yachts carrying Russian passengers were spotted in South Korean waters, according to Coast Guard data submitted to

Ruling party criticizes Lee for holding defense stocks; Lee’s side says it has nothing to do with his defense committee

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday made official its stance against plans to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, while backing other parts of the government's reorganization strategy. Countering the government’s plan to abolish it, the Democratic Party said the ministry should be expanded, with a reorganization of the ministry's functions. Rep. Kim Sung-hwan, who chairs the party’s policy planning committee, made such remarks during a p

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that North Korea has nothing to gain from nuclear weapons, a day after the North said it carried out exercises on mobilizing "tactical nukes" and rejected any chances of negotiations. North Korea has ratcheted up tensions with a series of provocative missile launches in recent weeks, including one that flew over Japan in a demonstration of its ability to strike targets in the US territory of Guam. On Monday, the North also said that leader Kim Jong-

Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Chung Jin-suk lashed out at opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday for claiming that South Korea could end up seeing Japanese troops stationed in the country. Lee made the remark on Monday while denouncing trilateral missile-defense exercises, which South Korea held with the United States and Japan in the East Sea last week, as a move legitimizing Japan's Self-Defense Forces as a regular military. His point was that such exercises would help advanc

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Chile on Monday for an official visit as South Korea seeks to bolster cooperation in the field of mineral resources with the Latin American nation. During the three-day visit in Chile, Han and Chilean President Gabriel Boric plan to hold talks, and the two sides are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on mineral resources. The planned MOU is part of South Korea's efforts to diversify supply chains of key raw materials used in batteries

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province -- Kim Jin-tae, the governor of Gangwon Province, said on a missile crashing in one of its cities Tuesday that he believes this served as “a hard lesson” to “avoid a repetition in the future.”　 The missile crashed just 700 meters from a residential neighborhood after a failed launch during a joint drill with US forces, according to the South Korean military. Many locals endured a sleepless night after the fiery missile crash, as they waited

After a monthslong internal feud, the ruling party’s ethics panel decided on an extra one-year suspension for Lee Jun-seok, the former chair of People Power Party. Lee was pushed off the brink Thursday with the court turning down his request for an injunction to suspend the party’s interim chair Chung Jin-suk from duty. The ruling party’s ethics panel held a meeting the same day at the National Assembly to discuss the disciplinary measures for Lee. "We decided on an extra

  President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday he agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a phone call that relations between the two nations should be restored as early as possible and agreed to firmly respond to North Korean provocations. “We agreed that if Korea-Japan relations go back to the good times as early as possible and smooth corporate and public exchanges return, it will be beneficial to the economies of both countries,” Yoon told reporters when asked about the

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday defended his plan to abolish the gender ministry, saying it is aimed at better protecting women and other vulnerable groups. Yoon had pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during the presidential campaign, sparking fierce opposition from politicians and activists who feared it would undermine women's rights. The government finalized the abolition plan Thursday, under which most of the ministry's responsibilities will be transfer

The number of teenage drug offenders has almost doubled over the past three years, but drug education has been given to less than 4 percent of students during the same period, a lawmaker said Friday. Teenagers accused of using drugs totaled 309 last year, up from 164 in 2019, said Rep. Kang Hoon-sik of the main opposition Democratic Party, citing data from the Korean Association Against Drug Abuse. Between January and August this year alone, 227 have been apprehended on drug charges. Despite the

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) suspended the membership of former leader Lee Jun-seok for another year Friday in addition to a six-month suspension imposed earlier, effectively thwarting his run in the 2024 general elections. The PPP's ethics committee made the decision, holding Lee accountable for criticizing President Yoon Suk-yeol and the party with excessive expressions and filing a series of injunction suits against the party's decision to form an emergency leadership committ

President Yoon Suk-yeol met with the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Seoul on Thursday amid rising tensions over North Korea's missile tests, the presidential office said.   The meeting with Commander Adm. John Aquilino was not previously announced and followed Wednesday's redeployment of the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan to South Korean waters just days after it had left after a naval exercise with the South.  "The visit of the Ronald Reagan aircraft car