It has been disclosed that in January 2015 President Park Geun-hye personally called the then Minister of Culture & Sports Kim Jong to the Presidential Mansion of Cheong Wa Dae and gave him the following instructions: “Miss Chung Yu-ra (daughter of controversial Mrs. Choi Soon-sil) is very highly ta

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top financial regulator on Monday asked the nation's public financial firms to hire more young job seekers, saying the government's top priority this year is job creation.A dozen state-funded financial organizations here plan to increase the numbe

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday vowed to push for seamless policy coordination with the newly launched U.S. administration on a set of key issues, including the nuclear standoff with North Korea.During the New Year's meeting with local repor

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a funeral altar for the head of the country's aviation agency, expressing condolences over his death, Pyongyang's state media said Monday.On Sunday, the North's leader paid his respects to Kang Ki-sop, director-general of

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Flynn on Sunday held a phone conversation with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, expressing hope over the development of the Seoul-Washington alliance.South Korea's presidential office said Flynn suggested that the two count

By Chang Jae-soonWASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- The two missiles that North Korea is believed to have readied for possible test-firing could be either part of the KN series intercontinental ballistic missiles or the Rodong medium-range missile, a U.S. expert said.Officials in Seoul said last week t

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he will soon hold bilateral meetings with the Canadian and Mexican leaders to talk about renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)."We're meeting with the prime minister of Canada, and we will be meeting

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- The ethics committee of the ruling Saenuri Party on Friday suspended the membership of key loyalists to President Park Geun-hye as part of a sweeping reform drive led by its new chief.Rep. Suh Chung-won and Rep. Choi kyoung-hwan had their memberships put on hold for three

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Friday repeated its threat to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at any time and place ahead of the imminent launch of the Donald Trump administration.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed in his New Year's address that his country

PAJU, South Korea, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday pledged to increase daycare centers to support working mothers as part of efforts to tackle the nation's low fertility rate.During a visit to a joint daycare center in the Paju Book City, some 30 k

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday visited parliamentary leaders as he revved up a politically-tinged campaign to build public support and chart his path towards the country's top elected office.A day after his courtesy call to former President Lee Myung-bak, Ban

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) --A South Korean court held a hearing on Friday to decide whether to issue warrants to arrest the country's culture minister and a former presidential chief of staff over their suspected involvement in the blacklisting of cultural figures deemed critical of the conservati

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- Rep. Yoo Seong-min, a potential presidential contender from the conservative Bareun Party, said South Korea should adopt a law to maintain the present the service period for conscripts on Friday, as liberal rivals are calling to reduce it to win votes.As South Korea is sti

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday said it will push for a motion to demand the dismissal of Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun amid suspicions that she played a key role in blacklisting cultural figures critical of the conservative government.Cho and former preside

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) - South Korea's producer prices rose slightly last month from a year earlier due to hikes in the prices of manufactured goods and agricultural and fisheries products, the central bank said Thursday.The producer price index came to 100.79 in December, up from 99.02 a year

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) - A Seoul court on Thursday rejected an arrest warrant sought for Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Group's de facto leader, dealing a blow to investigators who have been accelerating the probe into an influence-peddling scandal centered on President Park Geun-hye and her friend.On M

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Group's de facto leader, on Wednesday attended a court hearing that would decide the legality of his arrest over allegations he bribed President Park Geun-hye's close friend in return for business favors.After a nearly four-hour review at the S

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Party, on Wednesday vowed to create 1.31 million jobs when he becomes South Korea's president, claiming the goal is viable if employers keep working hours."The government will first create more jobs in the public sector," Moo

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party on Wednesday summoned key loyalists to President Park Geun-hye, amid its interim head's vow to purge them to regain the public's support after her impeachment. The party's ethics committee summoned Rep. Suh Chung-wo

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se asked Iraq to step up efforts to better protect South Korean companies and nationals residing in the Middle East country, his ministry said Wednesday.During a meeting with Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari held on Tuesday in Seoul,