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1. The Presidential office said Wednesday that President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed during phone talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to promote bilateral and trilateral cooperation together with the United States. 2. According to an official at the Presidential office, President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo earlier this week to discuss the direction of state affairs, inc...

1. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday held the 2024 growth outlook for South Korea steady at 2-point-3 percent, citing "surprisingly resilient" global economic activity. The latest projection is the same as its forecast made in January. 2. According to a survey conducted by the gender ministry on 12-thousand-44 households nationwide from June 1st to July 31st 2023, an increased p...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he humbly accepts the public sentiment revealed in the parliamentary elections and will work to improve communication with the people. President Yoon made the pledge in his first public remarks on last Wednesday's general elections. 2. South Korea "strongly" protested against Japan on Tuesday after Tokyo issued an annual diplomatic report renew...

1. Iran launched an unprecedented large-scale drone and missile attack at Israel on Saturday night in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria. An Israeli official said Israel's war cabinet meeting ended Sunday without a decision on how Israel will respond to Iran’s attack. 2. South Korea's finance minister said Monday the government will extend...

1. According to a presidential official Friday, President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to give a public statement sometime after the weekend regarding the ruling People Power Party's crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections. 2. The monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea on Friday kept its policy rate unchanged at 3-point-5 percent for the 10th straight session. The central bank said its...

1. The main opposition Democratic Party retained a majority in the National Assembly in Wednesday's general elections. Including proportional seats, the Democratic Party and its satellite party garnered 175 seats, while the People Power Party and its satellite party clinched 108 seats out of a total of 300. 2. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday vowed to reform state affairs to reflect people&...

1. South Korean voters on Wednesday headed to the polls for the country's 22nd parliamentary elections. Voter turnout for this election was higher than the last general election. 2. A senior U.S. official said Tuesday that the United States is considering including South Korea as a partner in Pillar Two advanced military technology development projects under the AUKUS security partnership, whi...

1. On the eve of the 22nd general elections Tuesday, both ruling and opposition parties headed to key battleground areas in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan regions to make their final pitch to voters. 2. South Korea's foreign ministry on Monday said that 11 citizens from Haiti evacuated via helicopter due to deteriorating security. The ministry said the citizens were airlifted to the neighbo...

1. According to the National Election Commission, a record 31-point-28 percent of voters cast their ballots during the two days of early voting for the upcoming 22nd general elections, marking the first time early-voting turnout for general elections exceeded 30 percent. 2. South Korea's defense ministry said Monday that the nation successfully launched its second indigenous spy satellite on a...

1. Early voting began Friday ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, with turnout reaching a record high just three hours after the polls opened. Leaders of rival parties visited polling stations, urging voters to exercise their rights. 2. According to the Bank of Korea on Friday, South Korea logged a current account surplus for the 10th straight month in February on the back of an incre...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday vowed to support people’s livelihoods by completing as many revisions to lower-level laws as he can within the year, while speaking at a government meeting reviewing the 24 government-public debate sessions held so far this year. 2. South Korean security sources said Wednesday that the government had seized a stateless vessel allegedly involved in violating U...

1. A memorial service marking the 76th anniversary of the Jeju April 3rd Incident was held Wednesday morning at the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park. Around 15-thousand people attended the ceremony. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivered a commemorative address on behalf of the government. 2. According to data by Statistics Korea released Wednesday, the inflation rate for dining out in March was 3.4%, surpassin...

1. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that North Korea fired what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile, possibly equipped with a hypersonic warhead, at 6:53 a.m. The South Korean military said the missile flew about 600 kilometers before landing in the East Sea. 2. The National Election Commission said Tuesday that overseas voting turnout for the April 10 general elections wa...

1. During an address to the nation on Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol said a hike of 2-thousand in medical school admissions is the minimum needed to reform the healthcare system, and apologized to the public for failing to resolve the ongoing standoff between the government and the medical community. 2. According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Monday, South Kore...

1. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Friday a yellow dust storm blanketed South Korea with fine dust advisories issued across many regions. Most central regions recorded fine dust levels exceeding the "very bad" level of over 151 micrograms per cubic meter in the morning. 2. Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup stepped down Friday, less than a month after he was named for the...

1. With official campaigning for the April 10 general elections starting on Thursday, South Korea's government issued a statement vowing to punish all illegal acts related to the elections under a zero tolerance principle. 2. Unionized bus drivers in Seoul returned to work 11 hours after going on a general strike Thursday for the first time in 12 years to demand a wage hike, causing delays for...

1. North Korea's state-run KCNA reported on Tuesday that Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, said North Korea will refuse all contact with Japan, after Tokyo took issue with the problem of Japanese abductees and the North's nuclear program. 2. According to the Bank of Korea on Wednesday, business sentiment slightly improved in Mar...

1. South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance said Tuesday that the government will focus next year's fiscal policy on better promoting next-generation research and development projects, boosting the country's low birthrate, and bolstering necessary medical services. 2. The National Election Commission said Tuesday that overseas voting for the April 10th general elections is set to...

1. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday relevant ministries have begun work to hold talks with the medical community, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday called for a "flexible" measure over the government's move to suspend licenses of defiant trainee doctors. 2. Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party's Central Committe...

1. Candidate registration for the 22nd general election, which will be held on April 10th, closes on Friday at 6 PM. The order number on ballots for parties and candidates will be determined as of the deadline. 2. South Korean poet {김혜순}Kim Hye-soon on Thursday became the first Korean ever to win the National Book Critics Circle Award for her work "Phantom Pain Wings." The National Bo...

1. The Third Summit for Democracy hosted by South Korea closed in Seoul on Wednesday. The U.S.-led annual summit was held for three days starting on March 18th. In his closing remarks, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the "journey for democracy" will continue. 2. Candidate registration for the April 10 parliamentary elections opened on Thursday. The ruling People Power Party called for voter...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and the leaders of Denmark and Kenya will jointly open the leaders' plenary during the third Summit for Democracy, which is scheduled to be held virtually on Wednesday. President Yoon will host the second session on "Technology, Elections, and Fake News." 2. South Korea's Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Wednesday the government allocated an additional...

1. The second day of the third Summit of Democracy hosted by South Korea opened on Tuesday with a civil society and youth event. A North Korean defector called for more global attention on the North's human rights situation during the opening ceremony. 2. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday reaffirmed his determination to push ahead with medical reform, calling it the demand of the people and a...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday called for participants in the Summit of Democracy to share their experiences and pool their wisdom to ensure artificial intelligence and new digital technologies protect the safety of individuals and society while promoting democracy. 2. South Korea’s Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo on Monday told reporters that the government plans to revamp a scheme...

1. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Friday said health authorities will have top-tier medical emergency centers to prioritize patients in critical condition, while addressing concerns over delays in emergency treatment amid the prolonged walkout by junior doctors. 2. South Korea's finance ministry announced Friday that the economy has been recovering on the solid growth of exports, but dispari...