North Korea carried out a test of a rocket engine that could be used in an intercontinental ballistic missile, a U.S. official was quoted as saying Thursday.The official told Reuters that the U.S. believes the test could be for the smallest stage of an ICBM rocket engine.No further details were give
South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the need to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table while telling the communist North that denuclearization was the "right path" to ensure its safety in a recent interview published Wednesday.In his interview with The Washington Post, the new Sou
South Korea's spy agency on Monday launched an in-house reform committee to head its efforts to insulate itself from politics and regain public trust.The National Intelligence Service (NIS) committee set up two task forces under its wing each tasked with probing the agency's illegal involvem
South Korea's finance minister met his Chinese counterpart on Friday as Seoul vowed to fully support a China-led infrastructure bank's efforts to build sustainable infrastructure.Kim Dong-yeon held talks with China's Finance Minister Xiao Jie on the sidelines of an annual meeting of a Ch
A comatose American college student released from North Korea this week has severe brain damage and is in a state of "unresponsive wakefulness," a doctor was quoted as saying Thursday.Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old University of Virginia student, returned to his Ohio home in a coma earlier this we
The National Assembly on Thursday adopted reports on the results of confirmation hearings for President Moon Jae-in's picks for the interior and oceans ministers, clearing the way for their official appointments.The adoption of the report is a key part of the parliamentary confirmation process b
The Chinese government has recently asked the South Korean government for a permission to inspect the THAAD (terminal high altitude area defense) installations of the United States deployed in the Seongju area 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul. This was reported by a leading Korean-language daily, C
The head of South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Wednesday that he will do his best to protect social and corporate underdogs in a way to enhance fair market competition."The competition law is aimed at protecting competition in the market, but society is calling on the Fair Trade Commission (
President Moon Jae-in called for swift action by the parliament to create an extra budget Monday, saying the budget may not be enough to solve all the problems facing the nation but the country may soon face a crisis without it."Economy requires (the right measures) at the right time," the preside
Three major parties agreed Monday to deliberate on a 11.2 trillion won (US$9.9 billion) extra budget bill, aimed at creating jobs for youth, party officials said, amid a lingering controversy over its legality.The agreement came during a meeting involving National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun and
Prosecutors were set to question the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend Monday as part of a probe into a massive influence-peddling scandal that led to Park's removal from office.Chung Yoo-ra has been summoned to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors'
South Korea's former foreign ministers have come out in support of Kang Kyung-hwa, a beleaguered diplomat nominated by President Moon Jae-in to be his first foreign minister.Ten former top diplomats, who served as foreign ministers in the preceding conservative and liberal governments, issued a
A former health minister was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail Thursday on charges of abuse of power in connection with a massive corruption scandal that removed former President Park Geun-hye from office.The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence to Moon Hyung-pyo, who served as healt
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has convened a meeting of the National Security Council on Thursday to discuss possible measures against North Korea's repeated rocket and missile launches, the presidential office said.The first NSC meeting to be chaired by the president will be held at 2 p.m.
President Moon Jae-in's top security advisor on Thursday embarked on a two-day trip to the United States for talks with top Washington officials over Moon's upcoming summit with President Donald Trump, North Korean threats and other alliance issues, Seoul's presidential office said.Chung
The National Assembly on Wednesday endorsed President Moon Jae-in's pick for prime minister in a vote that reflected deep controversy over a string of allegations surrounding the nominee's family.The legislature passed the confirmation motion for Lee Nak-yon at a plenary session joined by th
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it confirmed the defense ministry had intentionally omitted the delivery of additional THAAD launchers in a recent briefing.Yoon Young-chan, chief presidential press secretary, said that the finding came after an investigation into several ministr
A parliamentary panel on Wednesday adopted a report on the outcome of its confirmation hearing for Prime Minister-nominee Lee Nak-yon, clearing the way for a vote on his appointment.Key members of the panel in charge of the hearing issued the report despite objection from conservative opposition law
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday asked the media to wait for the results of an investigation into whether his ministry has done something wrong in connection with the deployment here of the U.S. missile defense system called THAAD.Han's ministry has come under fire since th
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo held a series of meetings Monday with visiting U.S. lawmakers, during which they reaffirmed a robust alliance, his ministry said.Han met with Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), head o