President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January next year, his spokesperson said Thursday. Yoon expressed his intention to attend the forum in Davos after receiving an invitation from World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab during their meeting Wednesday, according to Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin. The WEF organizes an annual forum in Davos where the world's political and economic leaders gather to discuss

Discussions have been under way between South Korea and the United States to arrange a meeting between outgoing President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden when Biden visits Seoul next month for summit talks with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol, an official said Thursday. Yoon, who is set to take office on May 10, and Biden will hold their first summit in Seoul on May 21, Yoon's officials said. Biden plans to visit South Korea from May 20-22. South Korea and the US have been discussing a m

The presidential transition team’s vice spokesperson on Wednesday denied a report that President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, might lead an art exhibition at Cheong Wa Dae. It refuted a Yonhap report on Wednesday which quoted an aide to Kim saying that the incoming first lady could categorize artworks owned by Cheong Wa Dae and introduce them to the public. “It’s only a natural idea that Kim, who has expertise in art curation, helps open the art collection

People Power Party looks to fight with filibuster citing negative public opinion

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will meet separately with World Economic Forum (WEF) Chairman Klaus Schwab and US think tank Heritage Foundation founder Edwin Feulner on Wednesday to discuss cooperation in economic and security issues, his spokesperson said. With Schwab, Yoon is expected to exchange views on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and plans regarding the upcoming WEF Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin. "As the Yoon government pledged to make t

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's spokesperson hit back at President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday for criticizing Yoon's plan to relocate the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae, saying the outgoing president should focus on his duties in the little time he has left in office. Moon voiced his concern during an interview with JTBC that aired Tuesday, saying he personally did not think it was "appropriate" to move the presidential office without thoroughly collecting the public's opinions

Seven politician-turned-ministers in the outgoing Moon Jae-in administration are likely to step down on May 9, a day before incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol is inaugurated, a political source said Wednesday. The seven ministers, including Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol, have agreed to resign on the day that Moon's term ends, according to the source. Four other ministers are Unification Minister Lee In-young, Environment Ministe

The parliamentary confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Duk-soo has been rescheduled to next week, after the hearing fell apart due to a boycott from the liberal bloc on Tuesday. On the second day of the two-day confirmation hearing, the special committee members for the hearing from the the Democratic Party of Korea and minor opposition Justice Party were absent, as they had been the day before, aside from their respective committee heads. As the event ended without proper vet

Moon contemplates as calls from business, religious groups rise

Tension continues after People Power Party steps back from bipartisan compromise

Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the minor opposition Justice Party boycotted the confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo for the second day Tuesday, citing Han's failure to submit requested information. Although a legal deadline for the National Assembly to complete Han's confirmation hearing passed without a decision, the DP and the Justice Party asked the Assembly to reschedule a date for the hearing. Tuesday's hearing was adjourned about 30 minutes aft

TOKYO -- A South Korean delegation sent by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol had a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, during which it appears to have delivered the incoming president's personal letter. The meeting was held at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, two days after the seven-member team, led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of Yoon's conservative People Power Party, arrived here for "policy consultations" with Japanese officials ahead of the launch

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the remaining 13.6 billion won ($10.9 million) in reserve government funds for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office. The spending was approved about three weeks after the first 36 billion won was approved following the orders of outgoing President Moon Jae-in, who endorsed the plan after initially opposing it over concerns a hurried relocation could leave a "security vacuum." The new presidential office will be set up

Nationwide strikes by unionized city bus drivers were withdrawn or postponed in last-minute negotiations held just hours before and after the deadline on Tuesday. In Seoul, Busan and three other regions, unions of bus drivers and their employers reached deals on wage hikes at the last minute prior to the suspension of city bus services. Unionized drivers in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, and the southeastern city of Daegu decided to postpone strikes slated to begin Tuesday or Wednesda

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has said he will "positively review" South Korea's joining of Quad, a US-led anti-China security partnership, if invited, according to a report. Yoon made the remark in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday (US time), saying he does not expect South Korea to receive an invitation any time soon, but if approached, "will positively review joining." The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is made up of the United States, Austr