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1. According to South Korea’s military, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Monday, following a long-range ballistic missile on Saturday. 2. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin said he urged Japan’s top diplomat, Yoshimasa Hayashi, to make a political decision during a bilateral meeting between two countries in Munich on the sidelines of the Munich Securit...

1. South Korea and Japan’s Foreign Ministers Park Jin and Hayashi Yoshimasa are expected to attend the Munich Security Conference which will be held from Feb 17 to 19. The two top diplomats will hold a bilateral talk on the sidelines of the Conference. 2. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance on Friday, South Korea’s economy slowed against the backdrop of high inflation and pe...

1. South Korean prosecutors on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, over the Daejang-dong real estate corruption. 2. According to the Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho on Thursday, South Korea will continue its endeavors to diversify the country’s export portfolio and improve its trade balance. 3. The South Korean government decided...

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol said on Wednesday that the government will slow down the increase of public utility bills, and urged telecommunication companies and banks to join the efforts to curb skyrocketing costs for the nation’s most vulnerable people. 2. The National Assembly agreed on Tuesday to endorse a government reorganization scheme under which the Ministry of Patriots and Vet...

1. Vice foreign ministers of South Korea, United States, and Japan reaffirmed their joint objective to completely denuclearize North Korea and enhance communication and cooperation between allies. 2. South Korea’s National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution to fast forward support measures for Turkiye and Syria which were hit by a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake. 3. South Korean Preside...

1. VIce Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong said Sunday that South Korea and Japan are both continuing to discuss ways to resolve their differences over how to deal with the issue of Japan’s wartime forced labor. 2. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pfizer vaccines made specifically for children aged 6 months to 4 years old will be offered from today. The vaccines will...

1. HYBE, the entertainment agency behind global K-pop phenomenon BTS on Friday, officially confirmed that it’ll be acquiring a 14-point-8 percent stake in its rival K-pop agency SM Entertainment, by signing a deal with SM's founder Lee Soo-man. 2. Starting Saturday, the South Korean government has decided to resume issuing short-term visas to travelers from China. The announcement comes after Sout...

1. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a display of a new, solid-fuel Intercontinental ballistic missile during a nighttime military parade on Wednesday which marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army. 2. A motion to Minister Lee Sang-min passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, with 179 lawmakers voting in favor. Lee is now susp...

1. The National Assembly voted on Wednesday to impeach Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min for his mishandling of the Itaewon crowd crush. 2. According to the Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the barracks of Pyongyang’s military to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army. 3. A team of 118 South Koreans arrived in Turkiye...

1. According to the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission to discuss ways to boost readiness posture for war. 2. South Korean top diplomat Park Jin said Tuesday that the country will dispatch a 60-person search and rescue team and medical supplies to Turkey. A 7.8 magnitude earthquak...

1. After holding a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said yesterday that there will be a stronger alliance between the two countries this year based on the achievements of the recent trip to the US. 2. The main opposition Democratic Party decided on Monday to introduce an impeachment motion against the Interior Minister Lee Sang...

1. Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk was sentenced to 2 years in prison and a fine of 6 million won on charges related to document forges of his children among others. 2. The Korea Economic Research Institute revised down its economic outlook for South Korea from 1.9% to 1.5%, lower than the outlook report released by the International Monetary Fund at 1.7%. 3. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin...

1. The Federal reserve delivered a small rate hike of 25 basis points on Wednesday, implying that its combat against inflation is showing effect. Meanwhile, according to Statistics Korea, South Korea’s consumer prices grew 5.2% in January compared to the same period last year. 2. The White House on Wednesday has rejected North Korea’s claim that conducting joint military exercises on the Korean Pe...

1. South Korea posted the worst on-year decline in January with exports falling for 4 consecutive months, triggered by weak demand in semiconductors and other flagship items. 2. The South Korean government announced measures on Wednesday to reduce the burden of heating bills on underprivileged or lower-income households. About 2.1 million households, therefore, will receive a heating bill subsidy...

1. South Korean defense minister Lee Jong-sup and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met on Tuesday to discuss means to reinforce the U.S. extended deterrence. 2. The International Monetary Fund revised its 2023 economic growth forecast for South Korea down from 2.0% to 1.7%. This was according to the agency’s World Economic Outlook Update released on Tuesday. 3. South Korean President Yoon Su...

1. South Korea lifted its indoor mask mandate for most of its facilities after more than 2 years on Monday. Meanwhile, the country reported 7,416 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. 2. A working level meeting between Director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at South Korea’s foreign ministry, Seo Min-jung and her Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, was held on Monday to discuss ways to compens...

1. South Korea’s human rights record was put under the microscope on Thursday as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review. While welcoming South Korea’s improvements on human rights, the member states requested the nation to resolve issues such as the abolition of the death penalty. 2. According to Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Friday, South Korea will reduce...

1. South Korea’s gross domestic product for the fourth quarter of last year shrank by 0.4% from the previous quarter due to weak exports. The nation’s economy grew 2.6% in 2022 which still exceeded the Bank of Korea’s annual growth outlook. 2. The U.N. Command led by the United States has concluded on Wednesday that both South and North Korea breached armistice by flying drones into each other’s t...

1. A cold spell from Siberia has hit South Korea since yesterday, the last day of the Seollal holiday, leading to cold alerts being issued almost everywhere across the country. 2. Former South Korean lawmaker Na Kyung-won, said on Wednesday that she will not run for leader of the ruling People Power Party because she does not want her party to be divided. 3. According to the Korea Internet & S...

1. According to the White House on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Julie Turner to serve as a new special envoy for North Korean human rights. 2. Cold wave alert has been issued on Tuesday as Seoul saw the coldest weather of this season. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration the morning low tomorrow in Seoul is predicted to hit -18. 3. A gunman took the lives of 11 people...

1. According to South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the country’s indoor mask mandate will be lifted from January 30th with the exception of hospitals and public transportations. 2. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up his overseas tour on Friday after visiting the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland. He is returning on Saturday morning which is the f...

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gave a special speech on cooperation in crises to business leaders of Korean and global companies Wednesday during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 2. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Thursday raided a dozen construction union offices, including those affiliated with South Korea’s two largest umbrella labor unions, to carry out a probe int...

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee attended a meeting with South Korean residents in Switzerland on Tuesday. During the meeting Yoon said South Korea will cooperate with advanced technology powerhouses like Switzerland. 2. According to South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the nation’s homegrown KF-21 fighter prototype achieved supersonic speeds...

1. South Korean companies and the United Arab Emirates signed a 6.1 billion U.S. dollar contract to reinforce cooperation on energy and new industry sectors. 2. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting began on Monday without U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, accompanied by a large number of business leaders, attended the forum. 3. Sout...

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his state visit to the United Arab Emirates. The UAE announced its decision to invest 30 billion U.S. dollars in South Korea's industries, the largest investment ever by the UAE in a single nation. 2. The director-general for Asia and Pacific Affairs at Seoul's Foreign Ministry, Seo Min-j...