Seoul’s North Korean policies will shift to give military issues more weight as President Moon Jae-in seeks punitive measures “of the highest order” following Sunday’s nuclear test, it was revealed Monday. Speaking to the parliamentary defense committee, Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo said that the shift was decided at Sunday’s National Security Council meeting. “At yesterday’s NSC meeting, the consensus was that the direction the government should take is strengthening (readiness i

North Korea on Sunday conducted its sixth nuclear test, claiming that it was now capable of producing intercontinental ballistic missiles fitted with thermonuclear warheads.Pyongyang’s latest provocation came amid international condemnation and sanctions, applied even by its ally China. North Korea’s nuclear test was detected by South Korean, Chinese and other authorities, at about 12:29 p.m.President Moon Jae-in (left) presides over the National Security Council meeting at the presidential offi

North Korea on Sunday conducted its sixth nuclear test, claiming that it was now capable of producing intercontinental ballistic missiles fitted with thermonuclear warheads.Pyongyang’s latest provocation came in the face of international condemnation and sanctions, applied even by its traditional ally China. South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in convened the National Security Council meeting at 1:30 p.m. Moon’s top national security adviser Chung Eui-yong also held a telephone conversation with hi

President Moon Jae-in will hold summit talks with leaders of Japan, Mongolia and Russia during the his two-day visit to Vladivostok, Russia, Seoul’s presidential office revealed Friday. Moon is set to attend the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday and Friday. It will be his first visit to Russia since taking office on May 10.According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a summit meeting and an extended summit with top presidential aides in attendance on Wednesday

Deployment of four more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers may begin as early as next week, local media reported Friday citing unnamed South Korean and US military sources. According to reports, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense and US Forces Korea are likely to transport four additional THAAD launchers, and materials required for their temporary deployment to the site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, next week.  A THAAD launcher stationed in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Provinc

The leader of the conservative Bareun Party became mired in allegations of illegal funding Thursday, following reports that cited an unnamed businessman. According to reports, Rep. Lee Hye-hoon received 60 million won ($53,000) and a number of designer brand items from the businessman in the run-up to last year’s general election. The businessman also claimed that Lee promised him favors once the elections were over.  Bareun Party chairwoman Rep. Lee Hye-hoon. YonhapLee, who is in her third parl

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for sweeping military reforms, saying South Korea must become capable of matching the North’s asymmetric threats. Speaking in front of the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Veterans and Patriots Affairs, Moon said South Korea’s military capabilities do not match its economic scale and investment over the years. Pointing out that South Korea’s gross domestic product is 45 times larger than that of North Korea, Moon said the country’s defense capab

South Korea and China marked 25 years of diplomatic ties on Thursday with celebrations being toned down by strained relations. According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory remarks.“(Korea-China relations) have been developed into a more mature relationship from the foundation of trust and understanding built by the people and governments of the two countries through communication, exchange and cooperation,” Moon

South Korea has undergone dramatic development since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The country prides itself in its fast pace of life and change that took root as the country rose out of poverty.Looking ahead to 2030, the country is expected to continue to change rapidly, facing many difficult challenges -- some familiar but others unprecedented. The biggest of all will be those brought on by an aging population, something unimagined only a few decades ago.The process, observed in many indu

Creditors of Kumho Tire Co. have decided to accept the offer by the tiremaker's parent group in a brand dispute with the Chinese buyer, clearing the final hurdle in the sale of South Korea's No. 2 tiremaker, an official the main creditor said Friday.In March, China's Qingdao Doublestar Co. signed a 955 billion won ($852 million) deal to acquire a 42 percent stake in Kumho Tire, but the process of acquisition hit a snag over how much Kumho Tire should pay for the use of the Kumho brand name.Kumho

The previous administration appears to have looked closely into the Samsung Group’s succession, and may have taken steps to help Lee Jay-yong’s gain control of the group, documents revealed by Cheong Wa Dae showed Friday. According to Cheong Wa Dae, about 300 documents were found in an unused cabinet in the office used by President Moon Jae-in’s civil affairs aides, and that the documents contain potentially incriminating information about Park Geun-hye administration’s interest in Samsung Group

Ahn Cheol-soo, former presidential candidate of the opposition People’s Party, on Wednesday apologized for the scandal revolving around fabricated smear campaign against President Moon Jae-in. “(Fabricating information) cannot be countenanced under any circumstance. I was shocked when I was first informed, and feel responsible as the presidential candidate of the People’s Party,” Ahn said.“I bow in apology to the people who supported me, and to the party members and fellow politicians. I also ap

President Moon Jae-in returned home Monday after a five-day trip to Germany that largely sought to win international support for his efforts to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table and rid the communist state of its nuclear ambitions.The main purpose of his trip to the European nation was to take part in the Group of 20 summit held Friday and Saturday, but his main objective clearly was to rally international support for fresh sanctions against the North for its latest missile provocatio

President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged lawmakers to approve supplementary budget plans, stressing the government’s role in job creation in his first parliamentary address. 　 “Today, I stand here to explain the reasons for drawing up the supplementary budget plans and its content, to ask for the understanding and cooperation of lawmakers,” Moon said at the National Assembly’s main chamber in Yeouido, Seoul. Cheong Wa Dae said he was the nation’s first president to address the legislature over an e

MOSCOW (AFP) - Moscow on Friday said it will not veto a UN resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea, despite Kremlin ire over fresh US punitive measures that hit Russian firms.  The United States has presented a draft UN Security Council resolution Thursday that would hit North Korea over with new sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, diplomats said.The text -- drafted in agreement with China, traditionally Pyongyang's sole diplomatic and military ally -- was expected to

BRUSSELS (AFP) - The EU and China moved Friday to fill the leadership void on the Paris climate pact after President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal, triggering a furious global backlash.Trump announced Thursday at the White House his administration would immediately stop implementing the "bad" 195-nation accord brokered by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015 in tandem with Chinese leaders.In what could turn into a global diplomatic realignment, the European Union and China held summ

Korean prosecutors on Sunday applied for an arrest warrant for former presidential aide Woo Byung-woo in connection with the scandal surrounding former President Park Geun-hye.Charges against Woo, a former public prosecutor who served Park as presidential secretary for civil affairs in 2015 and 2016, include abuse of authority leading to obstructing another of exercising lawful rights.(Yonhap)Woo has been accused of a host of wrongdoings ranging from abetting or condoning Choi Soon-sil’s alleged

[THE INVESTOR] The merger of POSCO and Hyundai Steel could be possible should the global steel industry continue its sluggish growth, a POSCO official said on Oct. 26.Speaking at the investor relations event, a POSCO official said that the trend in the global industry is to bulk up, and that Chinese and Japanese firms are already making moves. However, the official said that there has been no official discussions on the issue, and that whether a merger would improve the company’s competitiveness

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor said on Oct. 26 that output at its South Korean plants will be increased to compensate for production lost due to recent strikes.The company’s labor union staged 24 strikes in this year’s wages negotiations, costing the company more than 140,000 units in lost production.At an investor relations event the company said that overtime will be introduced at its local facilities to boost output. Hyundai Motor officials also said that it will push up domestic sales with the