SEOUL– The National Assembly was set to vote Sunday on a motion calling for the dismissal of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min over the bungled government response to the deadly Itaewon crowd crush. The motion, introduced last week by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was reported to the National Assembly on Thursday and was … Read more
SEOUL– South Korea reported more than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, the largest for a Sunday in more than three months, amid concerns of another surge as the government mulls easing the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 54,319 new COVID-19 infections, including 52 from overseas, bringing the total to 27,728,482, the Korea Disease … Read more
SEOUL– A special police investigation team questioned a former chief of the Yongsan Police Station on Sunday as part of its investigation into the bungled response to the deadly crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood. The questioning of Lee Im-jae comes about a week after a court denied the investigation team’s request for a … Read more
SEOUL– Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon left for Washington on Sunday for talks on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other economic issues. Lee plans to hold a session of the Senior Economic Dialogue (SED) with his U.S. counterpart, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Jose Fernandez, and meet with other U.S. … Read more
SEOUL– South Korea’s antitrust regulator said Sunday it has decided to impose fines of 918 million won (US$697,000) on two local units of Pernod Ricard, a French distiller, for handing out illegal rebates to bars. The penalty on Pernod Ricard Korea and Pernod Ricard Korea Imperial came as the two companies gave rebates totaling … Read more
SEOUL– Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, left for Indonesia on Sunday for meetings on North Korean nuclear issues with his counterparts from the United States and Japan. In Jakarta, Kim is scheduled to meet with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, on Monday, and a meeting … Read more
SEOUL/WASHINGTON– U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will visit South Korea this week for consultations on a range of regional and bilateral issues, the State Department said. Kritenbrink will travel together with National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger on the three-nation trip … Read more
SEOUL– Presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki began a four-day visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday in his capacity as a special envoy of President Yoon Suk-yeol, the office said. Kim will hold discussions with key UAE officials about ways to strengthen the special strategic partnership between the two countries, the office … Read more