President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday that the increasing pace of exchanges between South Korea and Japan shows it is the will of both countries' people to improve and develop the bilateral relationship, according to his office. Yoon made the remark while meeting with members of the Korea-Japan Friendship Association and the Japan-Korea Friendship Association, who are set to hold a joint conference later in the day to mark the 25th anniversary of a key declaration that called for overcoming t

South Korea's military exemptions granted to qualified athletes and musicians were called into question during a parliamentary audit Friday as this year's Asian Games reignited debates over their fairness. Both ruling and opposition parties called on the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) to reconsider the current supplementary military system that grants elite athletes and classical musicians with much-coveted exemptions of 18 month-long compulsory military service. Introduced in

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with his Croatian counterpart during his official visit to Zagreb as part of his four-nation European trip and discussed ways to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Han's office said Friday. Han arrived in the Croatian capital Wednesday for the third leg of his tour, following visits to France and Denmark, and engaged in meetings with prominent figures, including Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Gordan Jandrokovic, th

Yoon’s controversial gender minister nominee withdraws

Baltic nation opens embassy, first-ever business hub in Seoul in pursuit of stronger ties

Leaders of the ruling People Power Party pledged Thursday to heed the voice of the people and come up with extraordinary measures to win back their trust after a crushing defeat in this week's by-election for chief of Seoul's Gangseo Ward office. Jin Kyo-hoon of the main opposition Democratic Party won 56.52 percent of the vote against his People Power Party rival Kim Tae-woo's 39.37 percent in Wednesday's election seen as a test of voter sentiment ahead of next year's

The floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party called on President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday to take responsibility for the ruling party's defeat in a crucial by-election in Seoul, starting with a complete overhaul of the Cabinet. Jin Kyo-hoon of the Democratic Party was elected earlier in the day to represent Gangseo Ward in Seoul, defeating his rival from the ruling People Power Party, Kim Tae-woo, by a larger-than-expected margin of 17.15 percentage points. "The dismissal

Prosecutors on Thursday indicted opposition leader Lee Jae-myung without physical detention over corruption charges, two weeks after a court rejected an arrest warrant sought for him. Lee of the Democratic Party has been accused of breach of trust, bribery and other charges stemming from his time as the mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, from 2014-2018 in connection with a scandal-ridden land development project in the city's Bundang district. The prosecution has accused Lee of committing a

The candidate from the main opposition Democratic Party won a crucial local by-election in Seoul, the voting results showed Thursday, capping a high-stakes contest seen as a key barometer of voter sentiment ahead of next year's parliamentary election in April. Jin Kyo-hoon of the Democratic Party had 56.52 percent of the vote to represent Gangseo Ward, while his rival from the ruling People Power Party, Kim Tae-woo, had 39.37 percent, according to the National Election Commission. Jin was 1

First lady Kim Keon Hee met Wednesday with a group of Korean women residing in Japan, thanking them for their contributions to the Korean community there and their help in promoting bilateral exchanges, the presidential office said. Kim held a tea meeting at the presidential office with leaders of an association of Korean women in Japan, which was established in 1949 and claims a membership of more than 100,000, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon. "As daughters and mothers o

President Yoon Suk Yeol and top government officials "strongly condemned" Wednesday the Hamas militant group's killing of civilians and hostage-taking in Israel as an act of terrorism in clear violation of international humanitarian law, the presidential office said. The condemnation came during an emergency meeting called by Yoon to discuss the economic and security impact of the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. In attendance were key national sec

The by-election for the chief of Seoul's key district ended with a turnout of 48.7 percent on Wednesday, the election watchdog said, with the result expected to serve as a key barometer of voter sentiment ahead of the parliamentary elections slated for April next year. More than 243,665 of Gangseo Ward's 500,603 eligible voters cast their ballots at polling stations from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the National Election Commission. The potential winner is expected to emerge late Wed

President Yoon Suk Yeol and a bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation met in Seoul on Wednesday and condemned the "indiscriminate attack" on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the presidential office said. Yoon met with the six-member delegation, including Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, during their swing through South Korea, China and Japan. "The president and the Senate delegation condemned Hamas' indiscriminate attack on Israel, and agreed that South Korea an

President Yoon Suk Yeol urged officials to “closely monitor and report” on the economic and security ramifications of the Israel-Hamas conflict as he convened an emergency meeting on economic and security issues Wednesday afternoon. While acknowledging the difficulty in predicting the conflict's escalation, Yoon warned it could heighten global vulnerabilities, especially concerning “energy security and supply chain” challenges. "We must recognize that if we don&

South Korea’s election service on Wednesday denied the spy agency verdict that voting systems remain vulnerable to foreign hacking, with at least seven known instances of attacks by North Korean hackers in the last two years. Responding to The Korea Herald, the National Election Commission said that the vulnerabilities in its systems may have been found in the latest security screenings led by the NIS due to internal information having been shared beforehand. “The mock cyberattacks w