South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon vowed on Dec. 16, 2018 that his country will further expand trade and exchanges with Algeria on the basis of a 12-year-old bilateral strategic partnership.Lee made the remarks after arriving in this northwestern African country on the first leg of his three-na

President Moon Jae-in on Dec. 17, 2018 indicated that his government may slow down the pace of legal minimum wage hikes given the strong backlash from businesses amid a sluggish economy."It is important that new economic policies such as the minimum wage hike and workweek cut are pursued under a ge

President Moon Jae-in was set to lead an extended meeting of economy-related ministers Monday to discuss ways to boost the local economy in the face of a slowdown, his office said.The meeting, slated for 10 a.m., will be attended by new Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, w

A government civil rights watchdog said Thursday it has asked the Ministry of Justice to allow foreigners staying in South Korea to use their credit cards to pay immigration fees.According to the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, foreigners are currently required to pay fees related to immi

South Korea's new finance minister, Hong Nam-ki, met with leaders of the nation's ruling and opposition parties on Thursday in a bid to drum up parliamentary support for efforts to boost economic growth.Hong took office on Tuesday with the urgent task of propping up the economy amid sluggish

A government civil rights watchdog said on Dec. 13, 2018 it has asked the Ministry of Justice to allow foreigners staying in South Korea to use their credit cards to pay immigration fees.According to the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, foreigners are currently required to pay fees related

South and North Korea held working-level talks on Dec. 13, 2018 to set up a groundbreaking ceremony for their project to modernize North Korean railways and roads and connect them to the South.President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed at their third summit in Pyongyang in Sept

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called on the Japanese government Wednesday to be prudent in responding to recent court rulings in Seoul against its wartime slave labor program.Kang delivered the message to her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, in phone talks, according to her ministry.

U.S. magazine Time has shortlisted South Korean President Moon Jae-in as 2018 Person of the Year in recognition of his diplomacy with North Korea.Time has identified the Person of the Year since 1927 to recognize people or groups who have "most influenced the news and the world -- for better or for

South Korea will lead the healthcare industry by making full use of cutting-edge technologies, such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI), that are shaping the fourth industrial revolution, the health ministry said on Dec. 10, 2018.The Ministry of Health and Welfare mapped out a blueprint wit

A KTX bullet train service linking Seoul and the eastern city of Gangneung resumed operations on Dec. 10, 2018, two days after a derailment accident, its operator said.The Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) said that the first train, carrying around 100 passengers, departed Gangneung, about 240 kilometer

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- Woo Byung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs to ousted President Park Geun-hye, was sentenced to 18 months in jail on Friday for illegally surveilling public officials and private citizens through the state spy agency.The verdict by the Seoul Centra

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Friday announced a set of measures to remove the fundamental causes cited for drop in country's birthrate, including the high cost of child-rearing and increasing number of people opting not to have children.The roadmap was finalized as Kim Sang-hee, vice

A parliamentary committee on Dec. 5, 2018 failed to adopt a report on the finance minister nominee, a move that could cast a pall over the nomination process.The main opposition Liberal Korea Party boycotted the parliamentary finance committee as the rival parties were at odds over how to handle nex

A Seoul court was set to hold hearings on Dec. 6, 2018 to decide whether to issue arrest warrants for two former Supreme Court justices on abuse of power and other charges in a scandal involving the previous top court leadership.The hearings of retired Justices Ko Young-han and Park Byong-dae will t

The government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) agreed Wednesday to lift the designation of some restricted zones that host military facilities to help ease residents' inconvenience.After a consultative meeting, they decided to lift the classification of zones in 21 places with a total area

President Moon Jae-in has ordered a senior aide to draw up measures to strengthen presidential officials' discipline following allegations of irregularities against some officials, his spokesman said on Dec. 5, 2018.Moon on Dec. 4, 2018 instructed Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil

South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed to New Zealand on Saturday, ending his three-day trip to Argentina for the annual Group of 20 summit, which also provided the venue for a possibly crucial meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.At the annual meeting of the leaders of the world's 20 lar

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reaffirmed his commitment to a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while apparently offering his blessing to Kim's scheduled trip to Seoul.In a bilateral summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the U.S. president noted Kim's Seoul

Former Chief Secretary Moon Jae-in for the late President Roh Moo-hyun (2003-8), now President of the Republic of Korea, campaigned in 2017 for President following the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, vowing not to build any new nuclear power generation reactors.At the time, five react