The new residence of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Hannam-dong, Seoul, and the nearby area has been designated as a military facility protection zone for higher level of security, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Yoon plans to move into the new residence this week and begin commuting from there Thursday, according to sources. Until now, he has been commuting from his private residence in southern Seoul. To be in effect from Wednesday, the designation applies to parts of Hannam-dong

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is raising calls to appoint a special counsel to take over the ongoing investigation into first lady Kim Keon-hee. The main opposition party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun told reporters Monday that if police and prosecutors “don’t do their jobs adequately,” appointing a special counsel to handle the investigations would be “unavoidable.” In a first meeting on the same day, the party’s supreme council

Yoon talks with Lee over phone, but remains cautious on in-person meeting

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday asked the National Assembly for cooperation on a budget proposal of 639 trillion won ($473.5 billion) for next year that marks the slowest spending growth in six years. Han told a Cabinet meeting that the government "asks for active cooperation in the parliamentary deliberation process so that the direction of state administration and core values contained in the budget bill can be kept well." The main opposition Democratic Party holds a majority

The Democratic Party of Korea’s new Chairman Lee Jae-myung began his first day on Monday by pledging to seek cooperation with the ruling party and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to overcome pressing economic issues and to improve people’s livelihoods. But, he also noted that he will fight any attempts to hurt democracy. On Monday morning, Lee began his first day with a visit to Seoul National Cemetery to pay tribute to fallen patriots. He then held a meeting with high-level offi

Party members call on Kweon to resign, suspended leader Lee warns of another legal action

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that the presidential office must be dedicated and competent to better serve people amid speculation he may carry out a reshuffle of aides at his office to regain people's trust. "The presidential office should be the most dedicated and competent group to properly serve the people," Yoon replied when asked about a possible reshuffle of his office as he arrived for work. Yoon also said the presidential office's "commitment to the nation

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating rose for a third consecutive week, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 2,513 voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, 33.6 percent gave a positive assessment of Yoon's performance, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous week. Yoon's disapproval rating fell for the third straight week to 63.3 percent. The rise is attributable to factors including Yoon's decision to strengthen security around former President

Ruling party’s leadership feud deepens as rival party’s leader takes office with unprecedented support 　

Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party are set to hold a meeting Saturday to cope with the aftermath of the previous day's court ruling that suspended interim leader Joo Ho-young from duty. The Seoul Southern District Court on Friday granted an injunction requested by ousted People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, throwing the conservative party into a new leadership turmoil, just 10 days after its emergency leadership committee took off. The crisis meeting, called by floor leader Kweon

A Seoul court on Friday took the side of Lee Jun-seok, the disgraced former leader of the ruling People Power Party, halting the party from moving forward with an interim leadership. The Seoul Southern District Court granted part of an injunction request filed by Lee, ordering a temporary suspension of duties for the party’s interim chair Rep. Joo Ho-young. “If Joo, who has been appointed as the party’s interim chair through a vote, holds a party convention to elect a new p

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo sent a letter of congratulations Friday to South Korean Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who is set to be ordained as a cardinal this weekend, calling for his role in raising global attention for peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to his office. You, 70, has been serving as Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons since June 2021, and was appointed as one of 20 new cardinals by Pope Francis in May. He wi

Billiard player-turned-politician Cha Yu-ram apologized on behalf of her husband, writer Lee Ji-sung, for making inappropriate remarks at a banquet with lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party. 　 Cha said on her Facebook page on Thursday, “I apologize for the inappropriate remarks made by my husband, Lee Ji-sung. The remarks were inappropriate, and I couldn‘t agree with them at all.” Earlier in the day, writer Lee Ji-sung was embroiled in controversy over inappropriate re

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee declared 7.6 billion won ($5.7 million) in personal assets, in their first asset disclosure since Yoon took office, the government gazette showed Friday. The first couple's assets fell about 100 million won from February, when Yoon was required to report their assets as a presidential candidate. Kim accounted for most of their declared assets. Yoon reported his personal assets at 520 million won and Kim's assets at about 7.1 billion w

Presidential office apparently more interested in power struggle than keeping eye on president’s family, top aides