Seoul

South Korea, US reach agreement over foreign exchange deal, says Seoul

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in New York that the Asian country needs a foreign exchange swap in order to make the $350 bn investment

Uni Seoul, LiteStore plan 25 stores in one year, 500 across India in 5 yrs

Korean-inspired lifestyle brand Uni Seoul has partnered with LiteStore to open 25 new offline stores in a year and 500 nationwide in five years, targeting high streets and premium malls

North Korea sent over 12 million artillery shells to Russia, says Seoul

South Korea's DIA reports that Pyongyang has sent 28,000 containers of munitions missiles, troops, and workers to aid Russia's war and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine

Lee Jae Myung elected as South Korea's President, ending 6 months of chaos

Lee, a former labor activist, won Tuesday's election with 49.4 per cent of the vote, a comfortable win over Kim Moon-soo of the incumbent People Power Party

World needs to mindful of how Pak harbouring terrorism: Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is part of an all-party parliamentary delegation visiting South Korea, on Monday warned that the world needs to be very careful and mindful of how Pakistan has been harbouring terrorism. At a high-level dialogue with Korean think tanks in Seoul, Banerjee said, "Breeding a snake in your backyard and expecting it to bite only your neighbour is the last thing one should think of." "Once that snake is unleashed, it will end up biting whoever it can. A snake remains a snake. So we need to be very careful and mindful of how Pakistan has been harbouring terrorism and terrorists from 9/11, 26/11 to Uri, Pahalgam - repeatedly, one after another terror attacks. Osama Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad, a place in Pakistan," he said. "We want to tell this with all humility and grace that any support extended to Pakistan is a support to terror organisations. Anyone endorsing or defending Pakistan's actions is, in essence, backing terrorism," he ...

'We are not putting an end to Operation Sindoor': Salman Khurshid in Seoul

Speaking about India's commitment to become 'Vishwa Guru', Khurshid said, "We want to be Vishwa Guru and Vishwa Mitra. That comes with a big responsibility and therefore, restraint."

Indian delegation led by Sanjay Kumar Jha in Seoul for anti-terror talks

An all-party parliamentary delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha arrived in Seoul on Saturday as part of the government's outreach with the international community on the fight against terror and on the significance of Operation Sindoor. The scheduled visit from May 24-26 will strengthen ongoing efforts to further India's principled and resolute stance of zero tolerance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the Indian Embassy here said in a press release. During the course of the visit, the delegation will engage with senior officials of the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dignitaries from the National Assembly and senior representatives from prominent think tanks and media. The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror. Besides Jha, the delegation comprises of MPs Aparajita Sarangi,

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