Seoul

South Korea's presidential campaigns kick off with focus on ailing economy

Asia's fourth-largest economy will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to choose Yoon Suk Yeol's successor after the conservative leader was ousted over his shock martial law order

South Korea's conservative party names Kim Moon Soo as presidential pick

Former Labour Minister Kim Moon Soo won the presidential nomination of South Korea's main conservative party, facing an uphill battle against liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung for the June 3 election. Observers say Kim will likely try to align with other conservative forces, such as former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, to prevent a split in conservative votes in a bid to boost prospects for a conservative win against Lee. In a party primary that ended Saturday, Kim won 56.5 per cent of the votes cast, beating his sole competitor, Han Dong-hun, the party said in a televised announcement. Other contenders have been eliminated in earlier rounds. I'll form a strong alliance with anyone to prevent a rule by Lee Jae-myung and his Democratic Party forces. I'll push for that in a procedure and method that our people and members accept, and I'll ultimately win, Kim said in his victory speech. Kim, 73, served as a governor of South Korea's most populous Gyeonggi province and a member of the

S Korea's court to rule Friday on dismissal of impeached President Yoon

South Korea's Constitutional Court said it will rule on whether to formally dismiss or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol this Friday. It has been deliberating on Yoon's political fate over his ill-fated imposition of martial law that triggered a massive political crisis. Whatever decision is, it will likely deepen domestic divisions. Millions of people have rallied in Seoul and elsewhere to support or denounce Yoon in the past few months. Police said they'll mobilize all available personnel to preserve order and respond to acts of vandalism, arson and assault. The Constitutional Court said in a statement Tuesday that it would issue the ruling Friday. The opposition-controlled liberal National Assembly in December voted to impeach Yoon, a conservative, leaving his political fate in the hands of the Constitutional Court. Yoon is facing a separate criminal trial after he was arrested and indicted by prosecutors in January on rebellion charges in connection with his Dec. 3 ...

North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia, says Seoul

North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia in January and February in continued support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine, South Korea's military said Thursday in its latest assessment. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea has also been sending more missiles, artillery equipment and ammunition to help Russia and that North Korea could increase its weapons supplies further depending on the war situation. Russia and Ukraine recently agreed on a limited ceasefire, though both sides have accused each other of violations. The military equipment North Korea has sent to Russia includes a considerable amount of short-range ballistic missiles, 170 millimetre self-propelled howitzers and around 220 units of 240 millimetre multiple rocket launchers. North Korea has sent approximately 11,000 military personnel to fight in the war against Ukraine in its first involvement in a large-scale conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War, and the Joint Chiefs

South Korean court says impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol can leave prison

The initial decision to release Yoon from detention in his criminal case comes as a verdict approaches in his impeachment trial

N Korea razing facility that hosted war-separated families' reunion: Seoul

North Korea is demolishing a South Korea-built property that had been used to host reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War, the South's government said Thursday, as it continues to eliminate symbols of engagement between the war-divided rivals. Relations between the Koreas are at their worst in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continuing to flaunt his expanding nuclear weapons program and declaring to abandon long-standing goals of inter-Korean reconciliation, while describing the South as a permanent enemy. The 12-story building at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, which has 206 rooms and banquet facilities for hosting meetings, had been used for family reunions since 2009. The Koreas last held a family reunion in 2018, after Kim initiated diplomacy with Seoul and Washington in an effort to leverage his nuclear program for economic benefits. Negotiations derailed in 2019 after a failed summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump, who w

Himanta on visit to Seoul to invite investors for Advantage Assam Summit

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma embarked on a trip to South Korea and Japan on Sunday to invite prospective investors and entrepreneurs for the Advantage Assam Summit 2.0, a business conclave to be hosted by the state government here next month. He will attend roadshows presenting the summit during the visits, with such events being held in a total of eight countries. "Namaste South Korea. Look forward to having engaging discussions with industry leaders and agencies during my 3-day visit starting today to showcase Assam's potential ahead of the #AdvantageAssam2 Summit and to take forward the warm Indo-Korea ties," Sarma posted on X as he flew to Seoul. In another post, the CM said the visit to the two Asian countries will be over a period of five days. "I am shortly leaving for Seoul and Tokyo on a 5 day visit to present our vision of #AdvantageAssam2 to prospective investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders," he said in the post just after midnight on Sunday. "During

Another Jeju Air plane suffers landing gear issue day after Muan tragedy

Jeju Air flight 7C101 experienced a landing gear failure shortly after takeoff from Gimpo Airport, prompting its return to Seoul

Experts question bird strike as cause of fatal Jeju air crash in S Korea

South Korean officials said they were investigating the cause of the crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, including a possible bird strike

All you need to know about martial law, effort to impeach S Korea's prez

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing possible impeachment for sending heavily armed soldiers into Seoul's streets with a baffling declaration of martial law that reminded many of the country's past military-backed dictatorships. Lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against Yoon just hours after parliament unanimously voted to cancel martial law, forcing the president to lift his order about six hours after it began. Opposition parties are pushing for a vote on Saturday on the impeachment motion, which needs support from two-thirds of the National Assembly to advance to the Constitutional Court, which would decide whether to remove Yoon from office. In a surprising turnaround, the head of Yoon's governing party expressed support for suspending the president's powers, making Yoon's impeachment more likely. Here's what to know about the situation: Will Yoon be impeached? Opposition parties are pushing for a parliamentary vote on Yoon's impeachment on Saturday, calling hi

Lonely deaths rise in South Korea: Can a $327 mn plan end the isolation?

Seoul's new initiative offers 24x7 access to loneliness counsellors via hotline, online platform, and follow-up visits for those needing extra support

N Korea prepares to destroy northern sides of roads no longer in use: Seoul

South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un's push to cut off ties with South Korea and formally cement it as his country's principal enemy. South Korea's military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens. They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads, Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolitions could be carried out as early as Monday. Lee said that the South Korean military believes that the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by th

South Korea's central bank raises interest rates to strengthen economy

South Korea's central bank on Friday cut its policy rate for the first time in more than four years as pressure to revive a sluggish economy outweighed concerns about the country's level of household debt. The Bank of Korea lowered its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.25% following a meeting of its monetary policy committee, in its first move to lower borrowing costs since May 2020, when the economy was weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. The bank raised the rate by a quarter percentage point in August 2021 over concerns about inflation and soaring household debt, driven in part by skyrocketing house prices, and then froze rates for over three years. The bank said in a statement that domestic demand is making a slow recovery, bogging down the pace of economic growth. It said there was room for a rate cut because inflation is showing signs of stabilizing and household debt is also increasing more slowly as the housing market in the greater Seoul area cools down. So

South Korea summit to target 'blueprint' for use of AI in military

At the first summit was held in Amsterdam last year, where the United States, China and other nations endorsed a modest "call to action" without legal commitment

North Korea again launched trash-carrying balloons across border: S Korea

North Korea is flying more trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea, officials said Thursday, in the latest round of Cold War-style psychological warfare between the rivals. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected more balloons launched from North Korea on Thursday morning following launches the previous evening. The joint chiefs said North Korea launched around 420 balloons from Wednesday evening to early Thursday and about 20 of them had been discovered so far in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and nearby Gyeonggi province. It said the balloons that landed were filled with paper waste, plastic bottles and other trash but contained no hazardous materials. The joint chiefs said North Korea was launching another set of balloons as of 9 a.m. It advised people to report to the police or military if they see any fallen balloons and not to touch them. Seoul's city government issued text alerts Wednesday evening as the North Korean balloons began appearing over South Kore

Uber CEO says growth in South Korea promising despite 'underdog' status

Uber first entered the South Korean market in 2013, but pulled out due to regulations that only allow companies with taxi licenses to offer ride services

N Korea shows new drone attack as Seoul, US hold military exercises

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a demonstration of new exploding drones designed to crash into targets and pledged to spur development of such weapons to boost his military's war readiness, state media said Monday. Kim has been flaunting his growing military capabilities amid tensions with Washington and Seoul. North Korean photos of the test showed a white drone with X-shaped tails and wings supposedly crashing into and destroying a target resembling South Korea's main K-2 battle tank. Most combat drones stand off from targets and fire missiles. The test, which state media said took place Saturday, came as the U.S. and South Korean militaries are conducting a large-scale exercise aimed at enhancing their combined capabilities to defend against growing North Korean nuclear threats. The allies said the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which continue through Thursday, are focused on enhancing their readiness against North Korean threats and will also reflect lessons learned fro

South Korea police blames quality failure for fatal fire at battery maker

The Labour Ministry and police had sought arrest warrants for several executives including the CEO for alleged safety violations and negligence, officials said at a news conference

S Korean hotel fire kills 7, matters made worse by lack of sprinklers

A fire that killed seven people in a South Korean hotel was possibly made worse by the lack of sprinklers, fire officials said Friday, as they investigated the cause of the blaze. At least 12 people were being treated for injuries related to the fire that broke out Thursday evening at the nine-story property in the city of Bucheon, just west of the capital, Seoul. Officials say the fire didn't spread broadly after starting in an unoccupied room on the 8th floor. But with the room was unprotected by sprinklers and toxic smoke quickly filled the upper floors. Most of the victims were found in the rooms and hallways of the eighth and ninth floors. Lee Sang-don, an official with the Bucheon Fire Station, said the hotel, which was built in 2003, wasn't mandated to have a sprinkler system. While South Korea began requiring sprinklers on all buildings with more than six floors starting in 2017, the requirement wasn't retroactively applied to most older buildings, except for some medical ..

S Korea unveils housing supply measures in an attempt to curb price rises

The government plans to loosen regulations on reconstruction projects and simplify the process, to release "green belt" areas near Seoul for new projects, and raise the limit on loan guarantees