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Lee to receive leaders from Turkey, East Timor this week
President Lee Jae Myung is poised to receive Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta in the coming week. Lee is set to meet Erdogan Tuesday for a bilateral meeting, an MOU signing ceremony and a state lunch hosted by Lee. Erdogan will be in South Korea from Monday to Wednesday on a state visit, Cheong Wa Dae chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Sunday. This will mark Erdogan's first visit to South Korea in eight years. Lee and Erdogan last held a bilate
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Spat over president's social media activities intensifies
The spat over President Lee Jae Myung’s social media activities continues, intensifying over the weekend with the president defending against criticisms as well as using online platforms to go on the offensive. On Saturday, Lee again took to X to refute criticisms about his activities, specifically against his overseas trips, which critics have attacked for lacking substance while incurring unnecessary spending. In the post, Lee said that the trips have “a high work intensity where intravenous t
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Lee visits southeastern province to inspect pilot basic income scheme
President Lee Jae Myung visited a southeastern province Saturday to inspect a government pilot program providing a monthly basic income to residents in depopulated rural towns. Lee shared details of his unannounced trip to North Gyeongsang Province in a social media post, extending greetings to residents in Yeongyang and Cheongsong counties, located in the same province. The Lee government has introduced the basic income scheme to provide local residents with 150,000 won ($112) per month in gift
Oct. 31, 2026 -
Ruling party lawmaker issued US visa, days after refusal
Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party said Saturday he has been issued a US visa for a trip to the US Pacific Command, days after he said his application was rejected. Jin, who serves as chairman of the parliamentary defense committee, said in a Facebook post that he received the visa from the US Embassy in Seoul and that it was fortunate the US State Department has issued the official A-2 visa, albeit belatedly. The lawmaker said he will depart Sunday afternoon and hold discussions
Oct. 31, 2026 -
Lee confers certificates of appointment on presidential inspector, others
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday conferred certificates of appointment on the presidential special inspector and others. Lee presented the documents at a ceremony to 10 high-level officials and leaders of government bodies, including Choi Kil-su, who took office a week earlier as a special inspector tasked with inspecting irregularities involving the president's spouse, close relatives and senior presidential officials, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The recipients included Ha Jun
Oct. 30, 2026 -
Lee's approval rating falls back to 39%: poll
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has slipped to below 40 percent following a brief rebound last week, a poll showed Friday. The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older, showed that positive assessments of Lee's performance fell 1 percentage point from a week earlier to 39 percent. Negative assessments also fell 1 percentage point to 49 percent. Lee's approval rating had remained below 40 percent in Gallup polls since early Septem
Oct. 30, 2026 -
Spy chief upholds Seoul's controversial repatriation of North Korean fishermen
National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok said Thursday that two North Korean fishermen accused of killing 16 fellow crew members should have been returned to North Korea, offering his personal assessment of the 2019 forced-repatriation case that remains politically and legally contentious. Lee made the remarks during a closed-door parliamentary audit of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee at the NIS headquarters in Seoul, according to Reps. Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Parties clash over stalled N. Korean human rights foundation
Rival parties clashed Thursday over the decadelong delay in establishing a foundation tasked with addressing North Korean human rights abuses. During a parliamentary audit of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party of Korea for failing to nominate board members to the North Korean Human Rights Foundation, and thus preventing its launch. The foundation mandated under the North Korean Human Rights Act, whi
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Prosecutors again seek death penalty for former President Yoon
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol again faced a demand for the death penalty Thursday as special prosecutors argued that his life sentence for leading an insurrection was too lenient. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team had also sought the death penalty at his first trial, but the court sentenced him to life imprisonment in February. At the Seoul High Court, the team said there was “no reason to hesitate to impose the death penalty” over Yoon’s Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration. Special prosecut
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Back-to-back failures of ruling party lawmakers' US entry sparks debate
Repeated difficulties for ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers in obtaining US visas are sparking debate over the state of the Seoul-Washington alliance, and questions over US immigration's treatment of South Korean politicians carrying out official duties. Rep. Jin Sung-joon, chair of the parliamentary National Defense Committee, revealed Wednesday that his US visa application has been put on hold. Jin is the second Democratic Party lawmaker to experience such an issue recently, following
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Cheong Wa Dae seeks fairer priority system for postpartum care centers
Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday it will consider revising the law to ensure greater fairness and rationality in prioritizing access to postpartum care centers. Postpartum care centers, where new mothers stay and recover after childbirth, are popular in South Korea. Those subsidized by local governments, in particular, face intense competition for reservations because they charge relatively low fees. The issue drew media attention after President Lee Jae Myung shared an online community post on his X
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Lee's approval rating rises to 46%: poll
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose to 46 percent this week, surpassing his disapproval rating for the first time in nearly two months, a biweekly poll showed Thursday. In a survey of 1,000 adults conducted Monday through Wednesday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance rose 2 percentage points from two weeks earlier, according to the National Barometer Survey. Negative assessments fell 5 percentage points to 44 percent. Lee's approval rating last exceeded his disapproval rati
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Lee vows to leave no suspicions unresolved on 4th anniv. of Itaewon crowd crush
President Lee Jae Myung vowed Thursday to leave no suspicions unresolved regarding the deadly 2022 Itaewon crowd crush as he marked its fourth anniversary. Lee made the promise during a memorial event at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square, which brought together some 1,000 people, including victims, bereaved family members and lawmakers. "I will make sure the people are never again sacrificed unjustly due to the state's absence and negligence," he said, alluding to the preceding administration of Presid
Oct. 29, 2026 -
PM pledges S. Korea will take lead in climate crisis response
South Korea will be at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Wednesday as she opened an international conference on climate crisis. "There is a saying that this summer has been the hottest one yet, but it will be the coolest summer we will ever experience," Han said in an opening address at the Global Cooperation Conference on Climate Crisis Response. "Climate crisis is no longer a warning for the future but has become a disaster that threatens our
Oct. 28, 2026 -
DP vows state investigation into Supreme Court chief in December
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday maintained pressure on the judicial branch, vowing to launch a parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de in December. On Wednesday, Democratic Party senior spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said the party will submit the motion to launch a parliamentary investigation on Nov. 5, pass the motion in a plenary session on Nov. 12 or Nov. 19, and summon witnesses. This followed the party's decision Tuesday to launch a parlia
Oct. 28, 2026