President Lee Jae Myung is poised to receive Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta in the coming week. Lee is set to meet Erdogan Tuesday for a bilateral meeting, an MOU signing ceremony and a state lunch hosted by Lee. Erdogan will be in South Korea from Monday to Wednesday on a state visit, Cheong Wa Dae chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Sunday. This will mark Erdogan's first visit to South Korea in eight years. Lee and Erdogan last held a bilate

The spat over President Lee Jae Myung’s social media activities continues, intensifying over the weekend with the president defending against criticisms as well as using online platforms to go on the offensive. On Saturday, Lee again took to X to refute criticisms about his activities, specifically against his overseas trips, which critics have attacked for lacking substance while incurring unnecessary spending. In the post, Lee said that the trips have “a high work intensity where intravenous t

Repeated difficulties for ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers in obtaining US visas are sparking debate over the state of the Seoul-Washington alliance, and questions over US immigration's treatment of South Korean politicians carrying out official duties. On Wednesday, Rep. Jin Sung-joon, chair of the parliamentary National Defense Committee, revealed that his US visa application has been put on hold. Jin is the second Democratic Party lawmaker to experience such an issue recently, follo

Shin Jong-soo, editor and chief editorial writer for South Korean daily Kukmin Ilbo, was elected president of the Korea News Editors' Association on Wednesday. Shin will take over from Lee Tae-gyu of Hankook Ilbo, who has been leading the association since 2024. Shin said in his inaugural speech that the KNEA will play a lead role in restoring public trust toward legacy media and fostering a healthy public sphere. He also pledged to fulfill the public responsibilities of the press through KNEA a

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday maintained pressure on the judicial branch, vowing to launch a parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de in December. On Wednesday, Democratic Party senior spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said the party will submit the motion to launch a parliamentary investigation on Nov. 5, pass the motion in a plenary session on Nov. 12 or Nov. 19, and summon witnesses. This followed the party's decision Tuesday to launch a parlia

South Korea's politicians are once again butting heads over golf — this time with the focus on first lady Kim Hea Kyung. Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party has accused the presidential couple of enjoying special privileges, including reserving consecutive tee time slots to play golf at a military-owned golf course, Taereung Country Club in eastern Seoul. Joo has claimed that Lee was spotted playing golf there with his family on Oct. 10 and first lady Kim went again on Oct

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent China trip signals confidence and a readiness to break his silence on the diplomatic stage, a Democratic Party lawmaker said Monday. Kim's trip, made Saturday by crossing the Yalu River, appears to signal that the leader will no longer remain quiet diplomatically and may be ready for more active engagement, Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said in a radio interview with MBC. Youn worked as an aide to former President Moon Jae-in

Left-leaning politicians on Friday vowed renewed efforts to overhaul the judicial branch following a high court's acquittal of Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon of his charges of violating the Political Funds Act. "This ruling is difficult to accept, both from a legal perspective and from common sense," Rep. Kim Min-seok, chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, told reporters. "I believe it has fueled significant public suspicion (toward the judicial branch). It is deeply concerning that this should

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday urged government agencies to confront serious crime with the resolve of “declaring war” and called for stronger measures to prevent random attacks and protect victims of intimate partner abuse. Lee convened a government-wide meeting at Cheong Wa Dae amid growing public fears over a series of attacks, including an Oct. 13 stabbing in Incheon that injured eight people and an arson attack on two office buildings in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu that injured 19. “Public anxiet

Finding the truth and justice for families of the 2022 Itaewon disaster victims remain a far off goal, Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party said Friday, adding that those responsible still needed to be held accountable. "Although four years have passed, we are still in the process of revealing the truth behind the (Itaewon) disaster and hold people accountable for their wrongdoings," Nam said in a meeting she presided over as the chief of the ruling party's special committee investiga

The country's conservative opposition is raising the heat on the Lee Jae Myung administration’s security and diplomatic policies as inter-Korean tensions continue to escalate. “North Korea’s last line of defense is not land mines nor nuclear weapons. The weapon of last defense North Korea has hidden is President Lee,” People Power Party Chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok said Thursday, honing in on President Lee Jae Myung’s earlier remarks on North Korean nuclear weapons. During a meeting with the press

Moon Chung-in, a former special adviser to former President Moon Jae-in, said that maintaining the status quo in the decades-long alliance between Seoul and Washington could eventually put South Korea between a rock and a hard place. "Looking ahead 20 to 30 years, (the alliance) could prove to be a curse, not a blessing," Moon said during a panel discussion with foreign policy experts held at Seoul National University in Gwanak-gu on Wednesday. Moon's remarks stem from his view that the United S

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Wednesday that Pyongyang will resume loudspeaker broadcasts along the inter-Korean border this month. Kim's remarks were the latest from Pyongyang to up the pressure on Seoul, which has sought to make conciliatory gestures toward Pyongyang in an attempt to deescalate tensions. Kim, director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement released Wednesday evening that propaganda loudspeakers d

President Lee Jae Myung turned to Google's artificial intelligence assistant Gemini to defend his plans to invite the chiefs of two newly established agencies to attend Cabinet meetings, a move that would flip a decadeslong convention. In a post on X on Wednesday titled "I asked Gemini," Lee wrote that calls to exclude the heads of the newly established Public Prosecution Office and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency from Cabinet meetings are "a sophistry that directly denies the president’s ad

A stranded shark nicknamed Bukang-i made her way out of an artificial waterway and into the open sea on Wednesday after more than a month in South Korea's port city of Busan. The female dusky shark, about 3.5 meters long, was guided out to sea after being found stranded in the artificial canal at Busan's North Port Waterfront Park on Sept. 18. Authorities launched the third attempt to lead her out of the canal on Wednesday morning. The operation ended in success about eight hours later at 5:50 p