Latest South Korea government News

North Korean leader Kim supervises latest test of new multiple rocket launcher

May. 10, 2024 22:21 PM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test firing of a new multiple rocket launch system the country plans to deploy to its forces starting this year, state media said Saturday, part of its move to bolster its lineup of weapons targeting South Korean...

South Korea stresses need for fair treatment for Line chat app operator Naver

May. 10, 2024 05:52 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea vowed Friday to protect its companies operating in other markets after Japanese regulators told LY Corp., which runs the popular chat app Line, to reduce its dependence on Naver, the Korean partner in the venture. Friction over Naver’s 50%...

Yoon rejects South Korean opposition's calls for special investigation of his wife and top officials

May. 09, 2024 10:57 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president on Thursday dismissed calls for independent investigations into allegations involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals. After his conservative ruling party suffered a heavy loss...

South Korea's parliament approves independent investigation of the devastating 2022 Halloween crush

May. 02, 2024 05:54 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Thursday approved special legislation mandating a new, independent investigation into the 2022 Halloween crush in Seoul that killed 159 people. The single-chamber National Assembly passed the bill by a 256-0 vote. It will...

AP PHOTOS: Workers rule the streets on May Day

May. 01, 2024 17:46 PM EDT

For one day, workers ruled the world’s biggest streets. Thousands strong marched Wednesday to mark May Day, the first day of the month when workers’ rights are celebrated in demonstrations around the globe. From Seoul to Paris, Istanbul to Berlin, they drew...

South Korea considers joining alliance for sharing military technology with Australia, US and UK

May. 01, 2024 02:29 AM EDT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — South Korea is considering sharing advanced military technology with the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia through the so-called AUKUS partnership, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said. Shin said the possibility was discussed...

South Korea's opposition leader urges the president to accept investigation of wife, top officials

Apr. 29, 2024 09:53 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Emboldened by his party’s recent election win, South Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-myung pressured President Yoon Suk Yeol to accept special investigations into allegations involving top officials and his wife, as they met Monday for talks on bipartisan...

North Korean leader Kim leads rocket drills that simulate a nuclear counterattack against enemies

Apr. 22, 2024 22:29 PM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised salvo launches of the country’s “super-large” multiple rocket launchers that simulated a nuclear counterattack against enemy targets, state media said Tuesday, adding to tests and threats that have raised tensions in the...

US envoy to UN visits Nagasaki A-bomb museum, pays tribute to victims

Apr. 19, 2024 08:20 AM EDT

TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki,...

Envoy says US is determined to monitor North Korean nukes, through UN or otherwise

Apr. 19, 2024 05:14 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and its allies are discussing options “both inside and outside the U.N. system” to create a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, the American ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday. ...