China has recently appointed Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to double as the top envoy on North Korean issues, diplomatic sources here said Friday.Under the decision, Kong will replace Wu Dawei, former special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, who retired from foreign service, ac
The government plans to increase policy loans to further help low-income people buy homes, despite recent measures aimed at cooling down the real estate market, officials said Friday.The plan is designed to step up support for low-income earners who seek to buy a home they will live in, although the
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating continued to remain high at over 70 percent with a majority of people here also endorsing the president's move to deploy a U.S. missile shield as soon as possible despite his earlier objections, a survey showed Friday.In a survey conducted by Gallup Ko
Former Co-chairman Ahn Cheol-soo of the splinter opposition People's Party declared in Seoul this afternoon that he will run for its upcoming leadership election. The party is scheduled to elect its new leader on Aug. 27. He said, “If I had in mind my candidacy for the next Presid
South Korea and the United States are closely coordinating their approach toward North Korea based on a mutual sense of urgency against its nuclear and missile threats, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid worries that Seoul could be bypassed in relevant discussions."The governments of South Kor
South Korea and the United States have agreed to open negotiations to revise a bilateral ballistic missile guideline to allow the former to develop a more powerful missile amid North Korea's continued provocations, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday.President Moon Jae-in
President Moon Jae-in was set to meet with the country's top business leaders Thursday for beer and frank discussions that may help fine-tune his economic policies, officials at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with what the officials called a 20-minute
For the first time in 76 days of his election as Korea’s new head of government, President Moon Jae-in finished formation of his cabinet filled all with officials of his own choice.Speaking at a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Mansion of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul today, President Moon said, “Now we
President Yang Seung-tae of the Supreme Court disclosed that the supreme judges had a meeting today and decided to revise the regulations governing the attendance and media coverage of the proceedings at the Supreme Court in favor of allowing such a coverage.This allows the citizens to view live the
A popular Korean-language newspaper recently called Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Planning and Finance Kim Dong-yeon ‘a man born with an earthen spoon in the mouth.’ It meant that Kim was born to a very poor family, worked hard and made his way to the high position in the government he now has.
The local organizers of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games to be held in South Korea's PyeongChang found a new and possibly the strongest ally Monday as President Moon Jae-in himself agreed to help promote and host the world's largest winter sporting event.The South Korean president accepted the
Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), apologized Monday over the temporary lack of a quorum last week that led to a disconcerting delay in a parliamentary vote on an extra budget bill.On Saturday, the long-awaited vote on the 11.03 trillion-won (US$9.8 billion) extra budget bil
South Korea's defense ministry has been making a push to adjust the functions of its cyber security and anti-espionage units, each criticized for getting involved in politics and undue monitoring of individual soldiers, a military source said Sunday."Since Defense Minister Song Young-moo took o
South Korea's parliament on Saturday passed an 11.03 trillion won (US$9.8 billion) extra budget bill after marathon negotiations over what President Moon Jae-in has promoted as a vital tool to create jobs and prop up economic growth. The National Assembly held a floor vote to endo
President Moon Jae-in welcomed five new foreign envoys to Seoul at a ceremony held at Cheong Wa Dae on July 18, 2017.The President was presented with the credentials of each of the foreign diplomats. They were Uzbekistani Ambassador Vitaly Fen, Mexican Ambassador Bruno Figueroa Fischer, Indonesian A
Rival parties agreed Thursday to pass a bill on government reorganization after an intense tug of war, giving a much-needed boost to President Moon Jae-in's efforts to complete his nascent administration.The National Assembly is set to hold a plenary session later in the day to put the bill to a
South Korea and the United States have the same goal of denuclearizing North Korea, the State Department said Tuesday amid speculation the allies disagree on inter-Korean talks proposed by Seoul.South Korea wants to hold military talks with the North on Friday to discuss ways to ease tensions on the
Maj. Gen. Scott Mcqueen (L), the new commander of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division, and his predecessor, Maj. Gen. Theodore Martin, pose for a photo during a ceremony at Camp Casey in the city of Dongducheon, north of Seoul, on July 18, 2017, to mark the division chief's inauguration and Martin
By Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım of TurkeyIt has been a year since we thwarted the bloodiest terrorist attack in the history of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey has proven its resilience, ability to recover and strength in the course of last year. It is essential to make an evaluation of the past yea
The White House expressed veiled opposition to South Korea's proposal for rare inter-Korean talks Monday, saying current conditions are "far away" from those needed to reopen dialogue with the recalcitrant state.Seoul proposed military talks for this coming Friday and Red Cross talks on Aug. 1