Yoon again vetoes bills for special probe of first lady; opposition renews call for revote

Georgy Zinoviev, the Russian ambassador in Seoul, told South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday that although the relations between the two countries were going through a difficult time, he believed they would improve in the future. “I would like to take this opportunity to say that even though South Korea and Russia are going through a rough patch at this moment, I believe there is still a lot of potential for expanding cooperation and resuming dialogue in the future,” he said, speaking

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday endorsed Cabinet motions demanding parliamentary reconsideration of three opposition-led bills, including one calling for a special counsel probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee's allegations. It marked the 11th time that Yoon has exercised his veto power since taking office in May 2022, and a total of 24 bills have been rejected amid ongoing tensions between the opposition-controlled National Assembly and Yoon. The most disputed bill calls for an independe

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Wednesday the South Korean government will stay vigilant against heightened tensions in the Middle East following Iran's massive missile attack on Israel, vowing to enhance market monitoring and devise responses. Iran fired a barrage of around 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday (local time), in what Tehran said was retaliation for the recent killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas officials, according to foreign media reports. Israeli Prime Minister

Seoul unveils “monster” Hyunmoo missile during military parade featuring US strategic bomber

Police said Tuesday they had nabbed a North Korean defector for allegedly stealing a village bus in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and attempting to ram the bus northward through the militarized border between the two Koreas, in an apparent bid to return to North Korea. Police in Paju caught a man in his 30s at the Unification Bridge on Tuesday at around 1:30 a.m., as the bus he was driving hit a road blocker on the Imjin River's heavily guarded bridge that leads to the truce village Panmunjom in

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the sports ministry to uncover the truth behind the appointment of the national football team's head coach and come up with measures to enhance transparency in the hiring process. Yoon made the call after Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon briefed him on the ministry's probe into the Korea Football Association (KFA)'s controversial selection of Hong Myung-bo as the head coach of the South Korean men's squad in July, presidential

Prosecutors demanded Monday a three-year prison term for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of suborning a former mayoral secretary to make false court testimony in his favor in 2018. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was indicted last year on charges of demanding a secretary of former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony in a 2018 election law violation case involving him. The court will deliver the verdict on Nov. 25. The case involves Lee'

The Cabinet passed a motion Monday demanding that the opposition-led National Assembly reconsider three contentious bills, including the one that mandates a special counsel investigation into several allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee. The motion was passed during a morning Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, 11 days after the parliament passed the bills pushed through by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea amid a ruling party boycott. "We will d

North Korean artwork subject to United Nations sanctions and restrictions under South Korean laws is being sold on a major South Korean portal site, according to Rep. Park Choong-kwon on Monday. Some dozen pieces of artwork produced by Mansudae, a North Korean state-sponsored art studio in Pyongyang, are on sale on Naver, the South Korean ruling party lawmaker said. He said the art studio, founded in the 1970s by then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, was placed under UN sanctions in 2017 for bei

The leaders of South Korea and Slovakia agreed to elevate their ties by establishing the strategic partnership on Monday, at a summit held during the Slovak leader's visit to Seoul. Describing Slovakia as "an important European partner that shares common values in the face of the complex global crises," President Yoon Suk Yeol said during the summit in his office with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in Seoul that the strengthened diplomatic engagement would allow the tw

Proposed bill: Real Estate Development Project Management Act Proposed by Rep. Kwon Young-jin (People Power Party) and Rep. Son Myoung-soo (Democratic Party of Korea) ● In the domestic market, real estate project financing is characterized by a low capital adequacy ratio and heavy reliance on third-party guarantees. As the volume of real estate PF increases, the need for systematic government management has become increasingly urgent. Therefore, this bill promotes the effective management of rea

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has fallen to 25.8 percent, the lowest level since he took office in 2022, with the negative assessment of his performance topping 70 percent for the first time, a poll showed Monday. The survey, conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, showed Yoon's positive rating fell 4.5 percentage points from the previous week. The previous record low in Realmeter surveys was 27 percent in the second week of September. The survey att

Prosecutors were set to request a sentence Monday for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of suborning a former mayoral secretary to make false court testimony in his favor in 2018. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, was indicted last year on charges of demanding a secretary of former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony in a 2018 election law violation case involving him. The Seoul Central District Court was scheduled to hold the closing hearing on the

● Updated law: Parking Lot Act What it does: Prohibits camping, cooking and lighting fires in public parking lots Took effect: Sept. 20 Punishment: Fine up to 500,000 won ($379.33) In recent years, “chabak,” or the trend of camping in one's car, has become a major trend in South Korea. While it has provided travelers with the benefits of convenient and flexible camping compared to pitching and sleeping in a tent, it has also contributed to a surge in fire hazards. Recent actio