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) -- Moon Jae-in, a potential liberal presidential contender, on Thursday defended his pledge to create more than a million jobs against conservatives' criticism about its fiscal viability.The former chief of the opposition Democratic Party said the government can afford to
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday urged policymakers to pursue stable growth in tourism amid growing industry concerns about the impact of diplomatic rows with neighboring China and a recent outbreak of avian influenza."We hav
By Kim Deok-hyunSEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- A sigh of relief was let out by Samsung Group officials Thursday after a Seoul court rejected a warrant to arrest the group's de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, amid a snowballing corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.Lee
By Kang Yoon-seungRep. Choung Byoung-gug of the planned Bareun Party (Yonhap)SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- The Bareun Party, a splinter group of the ruling Saenuri Party, on Thursday dismissed liberal presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in's pledge to create 1.31 million jobs as populist "sweet tal
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a military unit, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday, marking his first inspection of the country's defense establishment in the new year.The North's leader toured the Korean People Army's Unit 233, stressing the ne
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,
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - A close aide to President Park Geun-hye admitted Wednesday that he leaked classified information to a woman at the center of a South Korean presidential scandal, but claimed he only intended to help the president. Jeong Ho-seong, a former presidential secretary, mad
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - South Korea's top financial regulator on Wednesday stressed the need for all-out efforts to secure financial stability this year, citing a host of risk factors including rises in the U.S. interest rate."It's the time when solidifying the stability of the financial
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - Labor Minister Lee Ki-kweon urged big businesses on Wednesday to employ more youth in the first half of the year as the sluggish economy is expected to further worsen youth unemployment.Lee made the call during a meeting with leaders of the country's top 30 conglomerate
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) - Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's aide on Wednesday denied reports that Ban's brother had inappropriately used the international organization's name to engage in mining projects in Myanmar.The aide called the reports groundless and warned that Ban woul
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap)-A Seoul court held a hearing Wednesday to decide whether to issue a writ to formally arrest Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Group's de facto leader, over allegations he bribed President Park Geun-hye's close friend in return for business favors.A team of special investigators l
Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Business Group arrived at the Office of the Special Prosecutors in Daechi-dong, Seoul this morning (Jan. 18, 2017) in advance of issuance of an arrest warrant against him.Reporters asked him: “Do you still think that simply you are a victim of President Park Geu