Forty-five South Koreans, including one with US nationality, have escaped Israel and safely arrived in neighboring Egypt, amid heightening tensions from the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. They passed through the border via a land route on Monday afternoon (local time) by a government-chartered bus and were on their way to Cairo, the ministry said in a press release. The latest evacuation follows the escape of nearly 50 South Korean nationals and the

President Lee Jae Myung's decision not to attend the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization risks South Korea missing out on diplomatic and security opportunities, lawmakers with the opposition People Power Party said Monday. "This NATO summit would be a crucial opportunity to address the security and economic uncertainties caused by the recent Middle East crisis and to explore ways to coordinate joint efforts," People Power Party lawmakers said in a joint statement, asking th

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee defied prosecutors' summons Monday over allegations of stock price manipulation and interference with the election nomination process, officials said. A special investigation unit under the prosecution had requested Kim, the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, to appear for questioning as a suspect, but Kim did not comply with the summons, according to judicial officials. It marked the third summons by the prosecution team investigating allegations of Kim's inf

President Lee Jae Myung and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto agreed Monday to deepen cooperation in trade, technology and the defense and arms industries, the presidential office said. In their first phone call since Lee's inauguration earlier this month, the two leaders discussed ways to further advance the Special Strategic Partnership established between the two countries in 2017. "The two leaders agreed to continue strengthening strategic cooperation across a range of sectors, including

President Lee Jae Myung nominated Democratic Party lawmaker Rep. Kang Sun-woo Monday as the first minister of gender equality and family in his incoming administration. Born in Buk-gu, Daegu, Kang earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ewha Womans University and later obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, specializing in social welfare with a focus on child welfare and care policy. A two-term lawmaker in the 21st and 22nd National Assembly, Kang served as the ruling party's

President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Kim Young-hoon, a former head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, as minister of employment and labor. Born in 1968 in Busan, Kim currently works as a locomotive engineer at Korea Railroad Corporation and serves as a public member of the Busan Regional Labor Relations Commission. He previously led the Korean Railway Workers’ Union and the Justice Party’s labor division. He is expected to play a central role in advancing workers’ rights, including re

Rep. Kim Sung-whan of the Democratic Party of Korea has been nominated as the next Minister of Environment, the presidential office announced Monday. Kim, a three-term lawmaker who has been a prominent advocate of green policies in the National Assembly, played a central role in shaping President Lee Jae Myung’s climate and energy policies during the recent presidential elections. In Lee’s campaign team, Kim worked as the co-head of the Democratic Party’s policy committee to form policies and pl

Yoon Chang-yul, former first deputy director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, was named by President Lee Jae Myung as the agency’s minister. The OPC is a government agency of South Korea consisting of the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister's Secretariat. Yoon is a bureaucrat who spent most of his career at the OPC after passing the administrative exam in 1990. He also served as the head of the LG Global Strategy Center from 2023 until recently. He was a visiting prof

Kwon Oh-eul, a former three-term lawmaker from South Korea’s conservative bloc, was nominated Monday as the new minister of patriots and veterans affairs by President Lee Jae Myung, the presidential office said. The appointment is seen as part of Lee’s push for national unity, as he seeks to form his first Cabinet with figures from across the political spectrum. Kwon, 68, served in the National Assembly under the now-defunct Grand National Party, a predecessor of the main opposition People Power

A man who has been jailed seven times in the past three decades was sentenced to another prison term by the local court, this time committing theft just a month after being released from incarceration. The Jeonju District Court said Monday it has ruled against the 60-year-old suspect's appeal and upheld a lower court ruling to sentence him to two years in prison. He was indicted for stealing cash, a wallet, slippers and other items from offices and employee living quarters of various businesses

US President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities has been widely seen as reinforcing North Korea’s long-held belief: That nuclear weapons are essential for regime survival. The strikes are likely to have furhter dimmed the prospects for nuclear dialogue with Washington and accelerate Pyongyang’s push for deeper military cooperation with Russia. Still, analysts in Seoul stressed that North Korea’s case is fundamentally different from Iran’s. Not onl

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday nominated 11 ministers for Cabinet posts, including South Korea's first civilian chief of the Ministry of National Defense in more than six decades, while the incumbent agriculture minister from the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration will remain in her post. Among the nominees are five lawmakers of the National Assembly — all members of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea — while three have experience working at South Korea's business conglomerates.

The US Embassy in Seoul resumed accepting applications for student and exchange visas but requested that applicants make any private social media accounts public, prompting some South Korean students pursuing studies in the US to seek the help of "digital undertakers." On June 20, the US Embassy in Seoul announced that it will resume taking in applications for its F, M and J nonimmigrant visas, saying it will conduct “thorough vetting” of applicants’ presence on social media. In a notice posted

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Chan-dae, who recently stepped down as floor leader, announced his bid for the leadership of the ruling party, vowing to “protect Lee Jae Myung.” The three-term lawmaker and a close aide of President Lee pledged close cooperation with the new liberal government for their success, if elected as party leader, during a press conference held around noon. “I, Park Chan-dae, have decided to protect Lee Jae Myung by his side. … We are already a certified team and wil

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday nominated five-time Rep. Chung Dong-young of the Democratic Party of Korea to serve as unification minister, the top post responsible for inter-Korean affairs. If his appointment is confirmed through a parliamentary confirmation process, he will return to the post he held two decades ago. Chung served as unification minister from 2004-2005 under the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, during which he doubled as chair of the National Security Council’s standing c