The government will push for a speedy influx of immigrant workers to help alleviate labor shortages in farming, fishing and other industries in the wake of COVID-19, officials said Tuesday. Farms, fisheries and small-size firms, often reliant on immigrant workers, have been experiencing labor shortages in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as heightened border controls curbed the inflow of immigrant laborers. The Ministry of Labor and Employment said that it will bring in some 26,000 immigrant w

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for truck drivers to end their strike causing widespread disruptions in the country's logistics networks, saying their "illegal" actions cannot be supported by people. Han made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting, as the nationwide walkout of truckers entered its eighth day, paralyzing operations at auto, steel, petrochemical and other sectors. "Please keep in mind that illegal actions, such as obstruction of transportation by the Ca

President Yoon Suk-yeol tapped a cybersecurity expert to be the third deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Tuesday, his office said. Baek Jong-wook, a professor of computer engineering at Gachon University, was nominated after previously serving as chief of the NIS national cybersecurity center, it said. The position of third deputy director is responsible for science and cyber intelligence operations. Baek's nomination completes the lineup of NIS leadership positio

The presidential office is likely to get a new name Tuesday, an official said. Five names are currently in the running, after they were chosen from among 30,000 entries in a public contest. The five are The People's House, Itaewon-ro 22, The People's Government Office, Mineum Government Office and Bareunnuri. "I believe (the naming committee) will make a final decision today on which name to use," the presidential official told reporters, saying the committee will meet in the

The government will set up a new regular meeting to be presided over by President Yoon Suk-yeol to speed up regulatory reforms, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday. The Regulatory Innovation Strategy Meeting is aimed at swiftly cutting red tape and preventing promising projects from becoming bogged down in bureaucracy, Han told reporters. The meeting will serve as the "top decision maker of government regulatory innovation," Han said. Yoon will serve as a chairperson of the new me

President Yoon Suk-yeol declined to comment Tuesday on whether a North Korean nuclear test was imminent, as his top diplomat was in Washington to discuss the allies' response should the test occur. Officials in Seoul and Washington have prepared for weeks against the possibility that Pyongyang will stage its first nuclear test since 2017 despite repeated warnings it would be met by a firm response from the allies. Yoon was asked by a reporter as he arrived for work whether the test appeared

Seoul and Gyeonggi chiefs agree to cooperate on traffic, hold three-way meeting with Incheon to pick alternative landfill location

Kim insists on ‘end to dog eating’ in first interview on animal rights

Main opposition pushes for bill allowing lawmakers to revise presidential, prime ministerial decrees

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that there was nothing wrong with him and first lady Kim Keon-hee watching a movie the previous day shortly after North Korea fired artillery shots because the government took necessary steps in response. Yoon and the first lady watched the Cannes award-winning film "Broker" at a movie theater in Seoul on Sunday. But some critics said it was inappropriate for the president to watch a movie at a time when the North had fired shots from a presumed mult

President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters Monday to not read too much into first lady Kim Keon-hee's planned visit with the widow of former President Roh Moo-hyun, saying it was something she had wanted to do since last year. Kim is scheduled to pay a visit to Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of the former president who took his own life in 2009 amid a sprawling corruption probe, at her home in the southeastern village of Bongha later Monday. "She's been planning to visit since last year, b

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that an opposition push to strengthen parliamentary oversight of the government could be "unconstitutional." Rep. Cho Eung-chon of the main opposition Democratic Party is reportedly planning to introduce an amendment to the National Assembly Act to enable parliamentary standing committees to request a revision to a presidential decree or a prime minister's ordinance if they deem it to be incompatible with the law. Critics said the amendment, if

President Yoon Suk-yeol had dinner on Sunday with director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho to celebrate their honors at this year's Cannes International Film Festival. Park won the Best Director prize at the 75th edition of the film festival last month for his romance thriller "Decision to Leave." It was his third Cannes award following the Grand Prix for "Oldboy" (2003) and the Jury Prize for "Thirst" (2009). For his performance in the drama "Broker,&

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday that disputes between labor and management should be resolved among themselves without government intervention. Yoon made the remark as thousands of unionized cargo truckers continued a nationwide strike for the fourth day to demand basic wage guarantees amid soaring fuel prices. "Only when the government sticks to the law and principles and remains neutral, do I believe labor and management will be able to build the capacity to freely resolve their iss

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he would bring changes to the Seoul City-run media company Traffic Broadcasting System, which has often been accused of political bias in favor of the Democratic Party of Korea in one of its flagship radio shows. Oh, revealing the plan regarding TBS during an interview with Korean Broadcasting System on Wednesday night, said TBS would focus more on education programs in the future. “People no longer listen to TBS to get traffic information, and that’s