South Korea’s politicians on Friday remained divided on the issue of reviving party district offices, 20 years after they were shut down due to bribery and corruption accusations. As the 22nd National Assembly kicked-off its four-year term Thursday, main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-bae proposed a bill that would mandate the return of district offices, which were all shut down in 2004, two years after it was found they were abused in a 2002 political bribery scandal.

South Korea's top diplomat has said that the country will actively position itself as a cooperation hub in various networks, highlighting its vision as a "global pivotal state." The vision, promoted by the current government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, aims for South Korea to serve as a responsible nation that upholds and promotes freedom, human rights and the rule of law. "Under the vision of 'global pivotal state,' the government is participating in multilateral a

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Japan have met in Washington to discuss bilateral relations and North Korea's recent launches of a military spy satellite and ballistic missiles, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The 70-minute luncheon meeting took place between First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Japanese counterpart, Masataka Okano, on Thursday, a day before they were to have trilateral talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. The two condemned the

Delegations from 48 African countries and 25 state leaders are coming to Seoul next week on South Korea's invitation to its first-ever multilateral summit organized in hopes of strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with the continent, the presidential office said Thursday. At the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place from June 4-5, President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to hold formal talks with 25 leaders of African countries, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the p

South Korea will send the first lunar rover by 2032 and plant the first Korean flag on Mars by 2045, according to a blueprint for space exploration that President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled Thursday. At the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)'s temporary headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoon said these goals would be part of the so-called "Space Gwanggaeto Project" unveiled Thursday, named after King Gwanggaeto the Great who ruled the Goguryeo empire on the Korean Peni

The National Assembly began its 22nd four-year session Thursday, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea having the majority of 175 seats in the 300-member parliament, foreshadowing another heated partisan struggle against the conservative president and ruling party, which holds 108 seats. The National Assembly will hold its first plenary session on June 5, where it will elect a new speaker to lead the new parliament for the first two years. As it is customary for the party with the

Outgoing Speaker Kim Jin-pyo embarks on his new mission to address S. Korea’s low birth rate

President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed four contentious bills Wednesday, including one requiring the government to support victims of home rental scams, in his 11th to 14th vetoes of a bill since taking office two years ago. Yoon exercised his veto power by endorsing motions demanding the National Assembly reconsider the bills, which the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed Tuesday despite objections from the ruling People Power Party (PPP). Yoon had been expected to veto the bills before the

The 21st legislative session of the National Assembly ended Wednesday amid an unceasing partisan gridlock. On the last day of the four-year session, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea staged a rally outside the Yoon Suk Yeol presidential office to protest a contentious special counsel investigation bill failing to pass the Assembly in a vote held Tuesday. The Democratic Party-led bill seeking the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the on-duty death of a marine in July las

The government has decided to accept and promulgate an opposition-led bill extending support for victims of the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol, while asking President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto four other contentious bills, sources said Wednesday. The legislation on the Sewol disaster was one of five bills that the main opposition Democratic Party and other minor opposition parties unilaterally passed through the National Assembly on Tuesday despite objections from the ruling People Power Party. The

President Yoon Suk Yeol and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan bonded over dinner and a stroll through an ancient palace as the UAE leader embarks on a state visit to South Korea on Tuesday, Yoon's office said. The two leaders visited the Huwon Secret Garden at Changdeok Palace in Seoul and discussed various topics, including South Korean culture, while taking a walk through the palace grounds, the presidential office said. First lady Kim Keon Hee joined the two. Als

Political tension likely to shift to new parliament as Democratic Party plans to railroad bill

A bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year will likely be put up for a revote Tuesday at the final session of the current National Assembly. The bill, which was passed by the opposition-controlled parliament early this month and vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, calls for the appointment of a special counsel to look into allegations Yoon's office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the military�

The main opposition party here on late Sunday denounced the latest bilateral talks between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling it Yoon’s “declaration of surrender” to Tokyo. The Democratic Party of Korea, in a written briefing released after the conclusion of talks between Yoon and Kishida, criticized the South Korean leader’s decision to recognize the Japanese government’s apparent pressure on Naver to give up its

Chinese premier urges stakeholders to exercise restraints over Korean peninsula in 1st trilateral talks in 4 1/2 years