[Exclusive] US troops in S. Korea could be reduced, but not withdrawn, Trump allies tell Seoul lawmaker

Rep. Wi Sung-lac, Seoul’s former ambassador to Russia and a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, said Thursday some key Donald Trump allies have told him they think US troops in South Korea could be reduced -- although not completely withdrawn -- if the former president wins in November. The first-time lawmaker, who visited the US from June 23 to 29 as part of the Democratic Party delegation, said he spoke with Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign officials and allies -- including Newt G

July 5, 2024

Yoon to attend NATO summit in Washington, visit Indo-Pacific Command

President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington next week and visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, the presidential office announced Friday. Principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo informed reporters that President Yoon would arrive in Washington on Wednesday to meet leaders of NATO member countries and the NATO leadership. The discussions will focus on the war in Ukraine and the cooperation between the transatlantic secu

July 5, 2024

Top prosecutor condemns DP's impeachment motion as illegal act

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok on Friday denounced the main opposition party's push to impeach four prosecutors, mostly involved in corruption investigations into former party leader Lee Jae-myung, as an illegal act. The Democratic Party submitted the controversial impeachment motion to the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee earlier this week, triggering criticism from many senior prosecutors. The top prosecutor, who has already criticized the motion as unconstitutional

July 5, 2024

Assembly passes special probe bill on Marine’s death

The opposition-led National Assembly on Thursday passed a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the military’s response to a young Marine’s death last year. Of the total 190 lawmakers that participated in the vote, 189 voted in favor of the bill while one was against it. All ruling People Power Party, except two, boycotted and left the premises before plenary voting took place. The contentious bill, which calls for the fo

July 4, 2024

Among Seoul’s conservatives, calls for going nuclear grow

More conservative leaders in Seoul are joining the hitherto fringe club of politicians calling for South Korea to get its own nuclear weapons to counter growing North Korean and other security threats facing the country. The recurring debate, which used to take place on the peripheries of South Korean politics, is gaining traction this time in the wake of the high-profile meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In a summit in Pyongyang last month, Putin s

July 4, 2024

Yoon replaces 3 minister-level officials in partial reshuffle

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday carried out his first Cabinet shake-up following the general election in April, replacing three ministerial posts, including the head of the state broadcasting watchdog. Yoon named Lee Jin-sook, a former journalist at public broadcaster MBC and the nation’s first female war correspondent, as the new Korea Communications Commission chairperson, chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said in a press briefing. “Lee is the country’s first female war corres

July 4, 2024

Ex-TV journalist nominated as new broadcasting regulator chief

Lee Jin-sook, former president of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation’s Daejeon unit, has been nominated as the new chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, the presidential office announced Thursday. The 63-year-old started her career at Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, also known as MBC, as a news reporter in 1987. Lee was South Korea's first female war correspondent, covering the Gulf War in 1991 and the Iraq War in 2003. In recognition of her contributions, she received the

July 4, 2024

Policy veteran tapped as forest service minister

Lim Sang-seop, former deputy minister of the Korea Forest Service, has been nominated as the new minister of the agency, the presidential office announced Thursday. The 54-year-old is a seasoned forest expert with extensive experience in both policy and fieldwork. He joined the forestry agency in 1998 after passing the higher technical civil service examination and has held various positions within the organization. The presidential office praised Lim as an expert who has contributed to enhancin

July 4, 2024

DP seeks to pass controversial special probe bill on Marine's death at plenary session

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday was poised to push for the passage of a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death amid fierce protest from the ruling party. The ruling People Power Party has been staging a filibuster since Wednesday afternoon to block the passage of the bill after it was tabled during the National Assembly's plenary session. The special probe bill calls for a special counsel to look into allega

July 4, 2024

Assembly debates ways to shield state agencies from North Korean cyberattacks

Cybersecurity compliance should be made mandatory for constitutional institutions like governmental agencies in South Korea, lawmakers and experts said Wednesday. At a National Assembly forum held on the day, ruling People Power Party Rep. Park Choong-kwon said constitutional institutions should be required to observe security practices in light of the recent North Korean cyberattacks against South Korean courts. According to findings by the Korean National Police Agency in May, hackers for Nort

July 3, 2024

Main opposition tables special probe bill into Marine’s death

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea submitted a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the death of a young Marine last year, to a parliamentary plenary session held Wednesday. National Assembly Speaker and Democratic Party Rep. Woo Won-shik officially introduced the bill drafted by his party at the start of the plenary meeting that began at around 3 p.m. The move came a day after the Democrat

July 3, 2024

Main opposition floats 10-year mandatory service for junior doctors

South Korea’s main opposition party has proposed a bill that would mandate the establishment of state-run public medical schools, where students would be required to provide 10 years of compulsory medical service upon graduation, lawmakers said Wednesday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's move comes amid the ongoing mass walkout by some 12,000 trainee doctors since late February, in protest of the government's plan to increase the country’s medical school enro

July 3, 2024

Online petitioners calling for Yoon's impeachment reach 1m

The number of people demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol surpassed the 1 million mark Wednesday on the National Assembly's petition website. The petition, calling on the National Assembly to propose a bill on Yoon's impeachment, gained a daily average of 100,000 signatures over a period of 10 days after it was posted on June 24. Lawmakers of the Democratic Party backed the petition, saying the number of petition approvals rightfully reflects the public's views of

July 3, 2024

Democratic Party pushes multiple impeachment bills

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday motioned a set of bills to impeach a high-level Yoon Suk Yeol government official and four prosecutors who investigated cases affecting party figures, including former party Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung. The Democratic Party, which holds the majority of seats in the Assembly, put the impeachment bills to the floor without the ruling People Power Party’s support. The series of impeachments pushed by the Democratic Party leads to impeachin

July 2, 2024

Vietnam PM voices support for denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s stance backing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, stressing its consistent support for peace and stability. “It is Vietnam’s consistent stance to support the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, alongside peace, stability and cooperation,” Chinh said in an opening speech ahead of a closed-door meeting with his counterpart, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, at the Government Complex Se

July 2, 2024

Yoon orders 'scientific safety measures' after battery plant fire

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday ordered his administration to come up with "scientific safety measures," in a follow-up to the deadly blaze in a lithium battery factory last week in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. At a Cabinet meeting he presided over Tuesday in his office, Yoon ordered the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Science and ICT to strengthen their collaboration to develop relevant risk detection technologies and firefi

July 2, 2024

Ruling party to launch filibuster to block special probe bill on Marine's death

The ruling People Power Party threatened to launch a filibuster Tuesday if the opposition seeks to pass a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year. The move comes as the main opposition Democratic Party is pushing to pass the bill and three broadcasting law revisions during this week's parliamentary plenary session despite objections from the PPP. The special probe bill calls for a special counsel to look

July 2, 2024

Yoon approves resignation of broadcasting watchdog chief ahead of impeachment vote

President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted the resignation of Korea Communications Commission Chairman Kim Hong-il on Tuesday, his office said, before a National Assembly vote on his impeachment. Kim offered to voluntarily step down earlier in the day, a move designed to have a successor continue the duties because impeachment would suspend the job. The position holds the key to decisions on broadcasting stations, including the appointment of a new president at MBC TV. The resignation came just hours befo

July 2, 2024

Head of broadcasting regulator voluntarily resigns as opposition parties seek impeachment

The head of the broadcasting regulator voluntarily stepped down Tuesday, as opposition parties are set to vote on an impeachment motion against him. Kim Hong-il, chair of the Korea Communications Commission, offered his resignation and skipped a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. His voluntary stepping down came hours before the main opposition Democratic Party is set to report an impeachment motion against him to a plenary session of the National Assembly, citing "abuse of power." Th

July 2, 2024

Rival parties lock horns over Marine's death at committee meeting

Rival parties clashed Monday over a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year. The parliamentary House Steering Committee held a plenary meeting and questioned Chung Jin-suk, the presidential chief of staff, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo and other officials about the Marine's death. Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party reiterated their calls for a special probe bill surrounding

July 1, 2024