Delegations from 48 African countries and 25 state leaders are coming to Seoul next week on South Korea's invitation to its first-ever multilateral summit organized in hopes of strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with the continent, the presidential office said Thursday. At the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place from June 4-5, President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to hold formal talks with 25 leaders of African countries, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the p

South Korea will send the first lunar rover by 2032 and plant the first Korean flag on Mars by 2045, according to a blueprint for space exploration that President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled Thursday. At the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)'s temporary headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoon said these goals would be part of the so-called "Space Gwanggaeto Project" unveiled Thursday, named after King Gwanggaeto the Great who ruled the Goguryeo empire on the Korean Peni

North Korea on Thursday fired at least 10 projectiles believed by South Korea to be short-range ballistic missiles, as Pyongyang continued military provocations following the three-way talks between the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China earlier on Monday. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea's military, the projectiles, fired at around 6:14 a.m., flew 350 kilometers from the Sunan district in northwestern Pyongyang, before falling into the East Sea. Seoul and other po

Leaders of South Korea, Japan and China reaffirmed Monday that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula serves their common interest and is their responsibility, amid continued provocations from North Korea that have undermined regional peace in Northeast Asia. In the first trilateral summit in 4 1/2 years hosted in Seoul, the three countries represented by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated their stan

President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted an official dinner with reporters covering his office for the first time on Friday, serving kimchi stew by himself, at an event held in an apparent effort to mend ties with the media. "As soon as I took office, I promised to invite you to a dinner with gyeran mari and kimchi jjigae, as seen in a TV show 'All the Butlers' as a presidential candidate, and I haven't been able to in the past two years," Yoon told some 200 reporters who attended

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office rejected Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung's proposal to hold formal talks with Yoon to narrow differences on a pension reform bill that would require people to contribute more while employed and benefit them more after retirement, Lee's aide told reporters Friday. Yoon's aide on political affairs Hong Chul-ho turned down Lee's proposal for either two-way talks between Yoon and Lee, or three-way talks between Yoon, Lee an

President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to resume his diplomatic activity with Seoul ready to host a forthcoming three-way summit with Japan and China on Monday, according to Yoon's office Thursday. Before the trilateral summit, Yoon and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will sit down for bilateral talks Sunday, followed by in-person talks between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the same day. Monday's trilateral meeting will be the first dialogue between the leaders of the three Eas

Bipartisan tensions are poised to reignite over the bill for a special investigation into allegations of government interference surrounding a young Marine's death last July, as it heads back to the National Assembly after a presidential veto. President Yoon Suk Yeol blocked the bill Tuesday, rejecting the opposition parties' calls for an independent counsel's investigation of the alleged influence-peddling case, his Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk told reporters. It became the 10th

The AI Seoul Summit may serve as a platform to discuss ways to make artificial intelligence technology equitable in marginalized countries in the so-called "Global South," according to the presidential office on Monday. From the perspective of AI's inclusivity -- one of the three pillars of the global AI governance suggested in the upcoming event along with safety and innovation -- developed countries taking part in the AI Seoul Summit are to discuss AI's expansion in the Global South,

President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing calls from multiple opposition leaders to stop vetoing bills, as the fate of a bill mandating a special counsel to probe alleged state interference in an investigation into the death of a young Marine is to be determined later this week. Yoon, who has just passed two years in office, has already used the presidential power to veto nine times, only the second-most of all South Korean presidents since President Syngman Rhee took office in 1948. The main opposition

South Korea on Sunday withdrew its plan to ban foreign businesses from selling goods for cross-border shopping without South Korea's safety certifications just three days after the government mapped out the plan to protect its consumers. Lee Jeong-won, second vice minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said in a briefing in Seoul on Sunday that it is not true that the government was seeking a "preemptive all-out ban on cross-border shopping of 80 items," adding the

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday unveiled plans to open a detached, private lodging facility on a bridge of Han River that will offer guests stunning views of the river and city skyline through its windows. According to the municipal government, the planned structure, referred to as a "scenic hotel," is slated to open in July and will claim the title of the world's first lodging facility built on a river bridge. Inside the self-contained structure, which used to be a co

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee on Sunday celebrated the return of 14th-century Buddhist relics that Seoul believes were illegally removed from the country about a century ago during the Japanese colonial era. In his opening remarks, Yoon praised the relics as a "precious national heritage symbolizing the authenticity and spiritual lineage of Korean Buddhism," emphasizing that the improving ties between the allies were instrumental in achieving their return. "I

South Korea and Cambodia officially elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership on Thursday at a summit of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet in Seoul. The announcement came "with full confidence in the future of the bilateral partnership" as the two countries acknowledged that their diplomatic ties have grown stronger over the past few decades, according to a joint statement released Thursday. "Since the reestablishment of relations in 1997

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday his government has proposed a law to protect the rights of what he called "underprivileged workers" in South Korea. Yoon referred to gig workers, independent contractors and freelancers who are often temporarily employed and do not have the job security, standard four basic insurances, paid annual leave or severance guaranteed to regular employees under the country's Labor Standards Act. The proposed legislation will protect the rights of such

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office vowed Monday to pull out all the stops to address the cybersecurity problems surrounding internet giant Naver, which jointly controls the Japanese firm operating messenger app Line and web portal Yahoo. The remark from the presidential office came amid mounting pressure on Naver by Japanese authorities to divest its stake in the company that exercises control over leading internet services in Japan. "The interests of South Korean citizens and companies

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office is working to set up a new office and hire a new senior secretary to address the matter of South Korea's low birth rate, doubling down on the president's pledge to prioritize his policy focus on the potential population crisis. Yoon ordered his aides in a closed-door meeting Monday in his office in Seoul to establish a new senior secretary office dedicated to low birth rate, Yoon's spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung told reporters in a briefing. According to Yoon's offic

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday interacted directly with the public for the first time in a month since the ruling bloc's general election defeat in April. Yoon visited a Korean restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, with his aides to interact with the South Korean citizens during lunchtime. The president had lunch there and discussed the soaring price of dining out, according to spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung. After lunch, Yoon spent time at the Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs through central Seoul. Th

  Just as President Yoon Suk Yeol entered the briefing room filled with some 150 reporters in his office in Seoul on Thursday, for the first time in 631 days, one of the reporters asked Yoon to hold more frequent news conferences and boost communication with the public. "I will," Yoon replied. After this, Yoon took 20 questions during the 73-minute press conference. The questions centered around politics, foreign policy, the economy and social affairs. He took more questions than

President Yoon Suk Yeol spent his first two years in office facing persistent and intense political confrontations, public censure over his unilateral approach to communication, and controversies surrounding his wife that have cast a shadow over his policy initiatives and foreign affairs activities. Having been elected to South Korea's most powerful office only six months after entering politics, the 63-year-old former prosecutor has remained unpopular domestically for the past two years, w