The South Korean government will take steps to extend visas for foreign laborers as part of measures to address issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday. Speaking at a disaster management meeting, Chung said that such measures will be introduced to alleviate labor shortages in rural areas. “Measures to extend the duration of stay for foreign laborers, and temporarily providing opportunities to work in areas such as agricultural communities w

Seoul’s presidential office on Wednesday denied the existence of a secret agreement with North Korea to provide $3 billion in return for holding an inter-Korean summit Seoul’s presidential office on Wednesday denied the existence of a secret agreement with North Korea to provide $3 billion in return for holding an inter-Korean summit in 2000. “Having verified the information with concerned organizations including the Ministry of Unification and the National Intelligence Serv

South Korean government, military and private organizations are now able to develop solid-fuel launch vehicles following the latest revision to South Korea-US missile guidelines, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. According to Kim Hyun-chong, national security adviser to the president, the revised missile guidelines take effect immediately. “As of July 28, 2020, limits on the use of solid fuel in space launch vehicles are completely removed,” Kim said. He said the revision allows all S

National Intelligence Service Director nominee Park Jie-won on Monday pledged to be “reborn” as a civil servant, while drawing heavy fire from the main opposition party over his involvement in illegal transfer of funds to North Korea in 2000. Park is a former lawmaker who served four terms in the National Assembly between 1992 and 2020. Park has also served as a culture minister and was chief of staff to the president during the 1998 to 2003 Kim Dae-jung administration. At Park&

The long process of opening to the public the site of the US Forces Korea’s Seoul base, known as Yongsan Garrison and which stretches from the foot of Namsan nearly down to the Han River, seems to finally be coming to its end.  The area occupied by the US military base has been off-limits for Koreans for 116 years, having been occupied by the Japanese and US militaries since 1904.  On Aug. 1, part of the area, which will ultimately amount to some 3.3 million square meters of

The government will revise regulations to prevent foreign nationals abusing South Korea’s medical system to be treated for COVID-19 at no cost, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday. Speaking at the National Assembly’s interpellation session, Chung said that he is aware of concerns that the government providing free treatment for COVID-19 to foreigners and that related regulations will be revised. “The state treating patients with infectious diseases regardless of nati

The ruling Democratic Party on Friday adopted the confirmed hearing report on Rep. Lee In-young, the unification minister nominee. The report was adopted by the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee in the absence of lawmakers of the main opposition United Future Party. The main opposition had demanded Lee to provide documents regarding his son’s health and other items regarding is son, but Lee declined, prompting the United Future Party lawmakers to exit the committe

A civil servant working at the central government complex in Seoul was confirmed to have COVID-19 for the first time on Friday. According to the government, the civil servant with the personal information protection committee was confirmed to have the novel coronavirus on Friday, after the individual’s mother tested positive for the virus. The individual, however, was not at the complex on Friday, having been on sick leave since Thursday. Following the positive result, about 50 civil

Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young said Thursday that he will focus on having Seoul take the lead on North Korean issues, ushering in the “time of the South and North.” Lee, a fourth-term lawmaker with the ruling Democratic Party, also mentioned the Seoul-Washington working group on North Korean issues and US Forces Korea, saying the working group has a role in resolving the issues on the Korean Peninsula. 　 Speaking at his confirmation hearing, Lee said that while inter-Ko

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is rapidly rising as a potential presidential contender for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, buoyed by his actions in the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Supreme Court ruling that effectively acquit him on a charge that could have crippled his career. According to Gallup Korea surveys, support for Lee as a potential future president has grown rapidly in recent months. In a survey conducted in the second week of January, Lee ranked fourth among pote

Aug. 17 has been designated as a temporary holiday, creating a one-off long weekend from Aug. 15 through Aug. 17, the government said Tuesday. The Cabinet approved the holiday plan in light of Liberation Day falling on Saturday and a growing public fatigue from the drawn-out fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. “We hope to give a short, but precious rest time to people tired from battling the coronavirus,” President Moon Jae-in said at the weekly meeting. Under the Regulations

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is reengaging the drive to establish an administrative capital, as it seeks a breakthrough in real estate issues. The issue, which was put to rest in 2004, was revived following Democratic Party Floor Leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon’s address to the parliament on Monday. In 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that the plans were unconstitutional, saying that Seoul being Korea’s capital is an established fact under “customary constitution.&rdqu

President Moon Jae-in and seven other heads of state on Wednesday called for equal access to an eventual vaccine against the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Post, the leaders said ensuring equal access to any potential vaccine was just as important as developing an effective vaccine. “What happens next is equally important. This cannot be a race with one winner. When one or more vaccines are successful, it must be a win for a

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday urged the National Assembly to realize “politics of cooperation” and called on political parties to support his administration’s social and economic reforms, and peace drive. The 21st National Assembly held a ceremony officially marking the start of parliamentary proceedings, 48 days after its term began on May 30, due to discord between the ruling and main opposition parties. Addressing the parliament at the opening ceremony, Moon said th

The 21st National Assembly is set to begin its official proceedings Thursday, 48 days after the newly elected lawmakers’ terms began on May 30. President Moon Jae-in will address the parliament at the opening ceremony. “President Moon Jae-in will address the parliament at the opening ceremony that will be held at 2 p.m.,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said, adding that Moon’s original schedule for Thursday concerned the Korean New Deal. The Korean New Deal is t

The political life of yet another progressive heavyweight will be decided Thursday, with the Supreme Court set to make the final ruling on Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s case. Lee is on trial on charges of abuse of power and violating the Public Official Election Act for spreading false information. The charge of abuse of power concerns allegations that he used his authority as the mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to institutionalize his brother against his will in 2012.

The number of COVID-19 cases entering the country shot up, pushing the number of new cases in South Korea to 62 on Sunday. According to the country’s quarantine authorities, 62 new cases were confirmed as of midnight Monday, pushing up the total to 13,479. Of the new cases, 43 were individuals who entered the country, and 19 were locally transmitted cases. The latest figure for imported cases is the highest seen since March 25, when 51 individuals who entered the country were found pos

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s apparent suicide on Thursday is once again highlighting Korea’s suicide problem. Park is the latest in a growing list of high-profile figures to take their own life here. The list of public figures includes progressive icons such as President Roh Moo-hyun and Justice Party leader Roh Heo-chan. High-profile suicides occur on an almost routine basis in Korea, with suspected motivations ranging from a damaged political reputation to depression brought on

The ruling Democratic Party is leaning towards raising the highest gross real estate tax rate to 6 percent. According to reports citing ruling party officials, the new top tax rate will be included in the party’s latest real estate tax reform measures that could be announced as early as Friday. At present, the gross real estate tax is levied at rates ranging from 0.5 percent to 3.2 percent, depending on the number, value and location of properties. The government has proposed raising th

The government and ruling Dmocratic Party of Korea are taking unprecedented steps to douse the controversy over multiple homeownership among their ranks faced with mounting criticism from both conservative and progressive blocs. On Wednesday, Noh Young-min, President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff, announced that he will sell his southern Seoul home within the month, saying that he has failed to meet public expectations. Noh’s Seoul home became a focal point in the growing controv