President Yoon Suk-yeol warned of a "resolute" response after North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that he said flew about 4,000 kilometers on Tuesday. Yoon made the remark to reporters shortly after South Korea's military said it detected one IRBM launched eastward past Japan. "North Korea again launched an intermediate range ballistic missile of around 4,000 kilometers over the Japanese archipelago," he said, offering details the military ha

The government is planning to set up a math fellowship program inspired by Korean American mathematician June Huh, officials said Tuesday. The program is aimed at nurturing young mathematicians under 40 through an annual stipend of around 120 million won ($84,000) for up to 10 years, according to officials at the presidential office. The fellowship, which will be run by the Ministry of Science and ICT, will ensure research freedom by having only one progress evaluation in the fifth year. The min

Audit board attempts to investigate Moon; Opposition calls it ‘political retaliation’

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating fell for the first time in four weeks after his remarks caught on a hot mic in New York caused an uproar here, a survey showed Monday. In the poll of 2,522 voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, 31.2 percent positively assessed Yoon's job performance, down 3.4 percentage points from the previous week. Yoon's disapproval rating was 66 percent, up 3.8 percentage points. The drop could be attributable to the hot mic co

Prosecutors on Friday indicted a former CEO of Doosan Engineering & Construction Co. and an official of Seongnam City in connection with alleged corruption involving opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. The case centers on allegations that the city government of Seongnam, just south of Seoul, had attracted about 16 billion won (US$11.14 million) in donations from six corporations, including Doosan Engineering, to its pro-football club in return for business favors between 2016 and 2018. Lee,

The ruling People Power Party on Friday submitted a resolution asking National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo to step down, in an apparent retaliation against the main opposition party’s passing of a motion calling for the dismissal of the foreign minister at the National Assembly on Thursday. The motion for the dismissal of Foreign Minister Park Jin was approved in a 168-1 vote boycotted by the ruling People Power Party on Thursday evening. It was put to a vote at a delayed plenary sessio

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Friday the relocation cost of the presidential office will be far greater than expected, surpassing 1 trillion won (US$698 million). The envisioned cost far exceeds the 49.6 billion won announced by President Yoon Suk-yeol as the expected cost for the relocation project, Rep. Han Byung-do, who leads the DP's fact-finding mission on alleged irregularities involving the presidential office, said. Han said there could be more unidentified expenses

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday passed a motion to formally request that President Yoon Suk-yeol replace Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin over diplomatic gaffes during Yoon’s overseas trip last week. The motion was put to a vote in a National Assembly plenary session, which resumed at 6 p.m. The motion it was passed with 168 votes, mainly from the main opposition party, which holds a majority -- 169 out of 299 seats -- in the National Ass

PCR tests for those arriving in Korea and the current indoor mask mandate could go under review following calls from the ruling People Power Party for disease control measures that “minimize inconvenience and restrictions.” Speaking at a ruling party-government meeting on Thursday, top People Power Party officials called for ending PCR tests for overseas arrivals, and to review the negative impact that wearing face masks may have on young children. “Currently, Korea and China

Yoon, Harris reaffirm security alliance against North Korea provocations

President Yoon Suk-yeol touted Foreign Minister Park Jin on Thursday as a capable diplomat working so hard at a level causing concern about his health as the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was set to pass a no-confidence motion against him. The remark suggests that Yoon will not comply even if the DP passes the motion calling for Park's dismissal to hold him responsible for what it portrays as Yoon's disastrous trip to Britain, the United States and Canada last week. The motion

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday called on the government to ease antivirus curbs, such as a virus test for inbound travelers, and an indoor mask mandate for toddlers and children, amid signs that the virus wave is slowing down. The virus wave, triggered by the spread of a highly contagious omicron variant, has been on a decline after a resurgence in July that later peaked above 180,000 cases in mid-August. As part of efforts to curb the public's inconvenience, the government

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) decided to hold an ethics committee meeting next week to decide on an additional penalty for former Chairman Lee Jun-seok over his harsh criticism of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the party, officials said Thursday. The PPP held an ethics panel meeting Wednesday, but only suspended the party membership of Rep. Kim Sung-won for making insensitive remarks over flooding in Seoul and elsewhere caused by heavy rains last month. The panel also decided to open a discip

Office sends letter to verify reports; ruling party visits broadcaster in protest

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) will hold an ethics committee meeting Wednesday amid speculation it may impose an additional penalty on former Chairman Lee Jun-seok over his sharply worded criticism of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the party. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. but whether to discuss Lee's case has not been decided, party officials said. But observers say the committee may decide to expel Lee from the party at worst. In July, the PPP suspended Lee's party membership for si