South Korea on Tuesday named a combined-cycle gas power plant in Texas as its first US investment under a $350 billion package signed last year. Backed by South Korea's investment commitment, the new plant in Encinal, Texas, will supply power to nearby artificial intelligence data centers and semiconductor plants. The plans were reported to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Ministry of Finance and Economy. If the decision is confirmed, it will be the

Pressure is mounting on President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling bloc as criticism over Lee's most recent Cabinet picks continues despite two nominees stepping aside. Lee's chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign Monday to take responsibility for controversies over the reshuffle. According to Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications, Kang extended his offer to the president on Monday morning, holding himself broadly accountable for the situation.

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, has offered to step down from his post, according to Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications, on Monday. Kang extended his offer to the president Monday morning, according to Seong. The news comes weeks after Kim Yong-beom, chief secretary for policy at Cheong Wa Dae, stepped down amid controversies surrounding South Korea's launch of single-stock exchange-traded fund products. Two out of thr

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday departed South Korea for his seven-day overseas trip with his wife Kim Hea Kyung, as he is expected to visit the United States and Mexico. Lee will deliver Seoul's blueprint for maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula and call for global cooperation on shared issues in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. Lee's national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae that Lee will visit New York for th

North Korea launched missiles from Wonsan, Kangwon Province, to the East Sea on Sunday afternoon, repeating missile provocations in less than two weeks since its last launch. The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea's military confirmed that a short-range ballistic missile was launched from Wonsan and flew 450 kilometers toward the East Sea at around 3 p.m. A joint analysis between Seoul and Washington was underway as of Sunday afternoon. Another projectile was later fired from North Korea towar

North Korea has launched a missile toward the East Sea, according to Seoul on Sunday. The authorities did not immediately reveal details about the launch, such as the number of missiles and the type of projectile. Solely this year before Sunday's one, North Korea fired missiles through 13 occasions, including one on Sept. 12 where multiple short-range ballistic missiles were launched from Wonsan to the East Sea, flying some 250 kilometers.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday launched a constitutional amendment task force after President Lee Jae Myung stated Friday that he had no intention of seeking a second term, regardless of changes to the Constitution. In launching the task force, the Democratic Party called on the opposition to swiftly reach a consensus with it on the matter. The ruling party also set out a timeline for amending the constitution, under which a referendum would be held in the first half of next year

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday adopted the confirmation report on the embattled justice minister nominee despite resistance from the main opposition. The Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly confirmed Democratic Party Rep. Kim Seung-won to be justice minister by adopting a confirmation report. Along with Kim, reports were also adopted for Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister nominee Lee Hyoung-il. Minutes

South Korea has made significant strides towards meeting the conditions for wartime operational control from the US, Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul said Wednesday. "I believe that the fulfillment of the conditions for OPCON transfer has been significantly reinforced, and the necessary groundwork has been laid," Kang told lawmakers of the National Defense Committee during his confirmation hearing. His remarks were in line with the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration's push to complete O

Justice Minister nominee Rep. Kim Seung-won on Tuesday rejected allegations connecting him to an alleged stock manipulation scheme, citing that very controversy as a reason to back the ruling bloc's push for a criminal justice overhaul. "Based on my belief that the investigative power is the most potent form of state power and should not be abused as such, I will do my best to ensure that such state power is fairly exercised, while upholding political neutrality," Kim said at Tuesday's confirmat

The National Assembly's "superweek" of seven Cabinet confirmation hearings kicked off Monday, with the main opposition People Power Party vowing to push out embattled nominees. This comes as President Lee Jae Myung's picks continue to add pressure on the administration despite beleaguered Gender Equality Minister nominee Rep. Yong Hye-in's resignation on Sunday. In announcing her resignation, Yong claimed that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea had asked her to "make a decision," citing lack o

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Friday that developing the former site of Yongsan Garrison, which was occupied by US Forces Korea, into a residential complex required public consensus. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Bok Ki-wang proposed during an interpellation session that the site in central Seoul — now known as Yongsan Park — should be used to supply housing and abate the capital's housing affordability crisis. In response, Han said he believes "we should remain open to proposing and discu

Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol, who also serves as minister of finance and economy, stressed the need to move away from a system that incentivizes owning a single house when the property can later be rented out. During an interpellation session of the National Assembly held Friday, Koo said, "Regarding housing policy, we cannot transition to a market that encourages residency if we continue to incentivize house ownership (alone). This has to change." "It is a matter of the incentive scheme.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Friday that the advent of artificial intelligence technology and companies' tendency to hire experienced workers rather than young novices has led those companies to reduce their hiring of young graduates. "The decline in youth employment is driven by factors such as the changing environment with the advent of AI and a corporate environment that prioritizes hiring experienced professionals," Han said during an interpellation session at the National Assembly on

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating dipped to a new all-time low, weighed down by controversies surrounding minister nominees. Of 1,000 respondents, 38 percent approved of Lee's job performance, according to an opinion poll conducted by Gallup Korea, released Friday. It was the first time Lee's popularity measured below 40 percent since his inauguration in June 2025. Those who disapproved of Lee's performance came to 51 percent, which remained flat from the previous week when it hit the hi