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Ex-spy chief attends arrest hearing over alleged martial law involvement
Cho Tae-yong, a former chief of the National Intelligence Service, attended a court hearing Tuesday ahead of its decision on whether to issue a warrant to arrest him on multiple charges, including alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition. The hearing was held at the Seoul Central District Court after special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team sought the warrant last week on charges of NIS law violations, dereliction of duty, perjury, destruction of evidence, creatio
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Still no sign of Korea-US trade deal documents
As progress on finalizing a trade deal between South Korea and the United States continues to stall, discrepancies between the two sides over where South Korea’s nuclear submarines should be built have drawn media attention. Amid the deadlock over which country’s shipyard should handle construction, experts say Washington’s proposal appears unrealistic without major investments and workforce training, citing limited shipbuilding capacity and manpower at US yards. "Facility investment would be a
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Yoon indicted over Pyongyang drone operation
South Korea’s special counsel on Monday indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and two of his aides on charges of “benefiting the enemy,” accusing them of ordering an unauthorized drone operation over Pyongyang in October 2024 to create grounds for declaring martial law. The operation, prosecutors said, heightened inter-Korean tensions and undermined national security. The investigation team, led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, concluded that Yoon directed the drone missions to fabricate a p
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Lee’s approval rating rises for 2nd week after APEC: poll
President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating rose for a second consecutive week to 56.7 percent following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held Oct. 31-Nov. 1, according to a survey released Monday. The poll, conducted by local pollster Realmeter from Nov. 3-7, showed Lee’s rating climbed 3.7 percentage points to 56.7 percent. The survey was conducted among 2,528 respondents aged 18 and older nationwide. Negative assessments of Lee stood at 38.7 percent, down 4.6 percentage points from
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Former PM Han backs IPU candidate Jun Sang-soo’s global vision
Former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo met this week with Jun Sang-soo, a candidate for secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and former deputy secretary-general of South Korea’s National Assembly. During the meeting, Han presented Jun with his English-language speech collection, titled "Here for Global Good," and offered words of encouragement, according to Jun's office. Drawing on his experience as president of the UN General Assembly and South Korea’s ambassador to US, Han urged tha
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Lee's chief of staff to visit UAE this week
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates to discuss cooperation with South Korea in the field of defense later this week, according to the presidential office Monday. Kang will meet with high-ranking UAE officials, the presidential office said, but the itinerary of his trip has yet to be disclosed. Kang previously traveled to Poland, Romania and Norway in October, as South Korea's defense industry seeks more contracts abroad in line with President
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Ruling party, govt. reach consensus on 2035 greenhouse gas reduction at 53-61%
The government and the ruling Democratic Party on Sunday reached a consensus on setting the nation's greenhouse gas emission reduction goal for 2035 at between 53 percent and 61 percent. "The two sides reached a general agreement on the national target for greenhouse gas emission reduction, taking into account opinions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Constitutional Court' ruling, potential burdens on future generations and industrial conditions," DP spokesperson Park Soo-
Nov. 9, 2025 -
Prosecution's failure to appeal Seongnam land corruption case stirs controversy
Controversy has erupted over alleged government interference in the prosecution’s decision not to appeal a high-profile corruption case involving a housing development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The case had drawn public attention due to suspicions of President Lee Jae Myung's involvement. A recent lower court ruling suggested otherwise. The prosecution’s failure to file an appeal before Friday’s deadline has since fueled accusations of political meddling, prompting fierce criticism
Nov. 9, 2025 -
Seoul chief prosecutor offers to resign following decision not to appeal development scandal case
Jung Jin-woo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, offered to resign Saturday, the office said, a day after prosecutors decided not to appeal a ruling in a high-profile development scandal case. His offer came just four months after taking office, in what is seen as a protest against the prosecution's decision not to file an appeal, reportedly in line with the justice ministry's opinion that the case did not warrant one. Last Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenc
Nov. 8, 2025 -
Ex-President Yoon refuses to appear for questioning by special counsel
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol did not appear on Saturday for questioning by a special counsel team over his alleged interference in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine. Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team summoned Yoon on Monday, ordering him to appear for questioning at 10 a.m. Saturday. The special counsel team previously demanded his appearance on Oct. 23, but the former president did not comply, citing the trial schedules of his lawyers. Yoon, who is in custody over h
Nov. 8, 2025 -
S. Korea calls for efforts to strengthen positive cycle of bilateral progress with Japan
A senior South Korean diplomat on Friday called on Japan to work together to strengthen the positive cycle of bilateral relations between the two countries, as they held their first strategic talks in more than a year. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo made the remark during the 16th strategic dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, stressing the need for the cooperation in a way that would benefit the peoples of the two countries. Park said the two governments should
Nov. 7, 2025 -
Nuclear sub being built in Korea has been discussed: official
South Korea’s presidential office said Friday that it discussed with Washington plans for nuclear-powered submarines to be built domestically — including the hull and the reactor — while enriched uranium would be procured from the US. This follows reports suggesting the vessels could be constructed in US shipyards. An Oct. 29 social media post by US President Donald Trump said he had given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine at a Philadelphia shipyard run by South Korea's H
Nov. 7, 2025 -
Seoul, Asian partners launch new council to advance regional legal cooperation
South Korea’s Ministry of Government Legislation on Friday launched the Council of Asian Legislative Institutions — a new multilateral platform established with Mongolia, Thailand and Uzbekistan to foster legal cooperation and joint legislative development across Asia. The launch ceremony, held in Seoul, was attended by officials from South Korea and abroad, including Pakorn Nillprapunt, secretary-general of the Thai Cabinet Secretariat, and Ikramov Muzraf, vice minister of justice of Uzbekistan
Nov. 7, 2025 -
Lawmakers meet face-to-face — literally
The parliamentary audit of the Presidential Office halted after just one hour on Thursday, following a physical altercation between ruling Democratic Party Rep. Lee Ki-heon and main opposition People Power Party floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seok. The incident occurred as lawmakers were leaving the chamber after the audit was temporarily halted amid heated exchanges over allegations against Kim Hyun-ji, a close aide to President Lee Jae Myung. Kim, appointed as the president’s personal secretary in
Nov. 6, 2025 -
US trade deal has 'commercial rationality' clause, Lee's aide says
A clause on “commercial rationality” has been included in Article 1 of the memorandum of understanding to be signed between South Korea and the United States, a senior presidential aide told parliament on Thursday, amid delays in releasing both the fact sheet and the memorandum. Speaking at a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly’s Steering Committee, Kim Yong-beom, chief presidential secretary for national policy, made the remarks in response to Rep. Kim Nam-geun of the Democratic Party
Nov. 6, 2025