South Korea's consul general in New York has offered to step down amid growing criticism from the opposition party in Seoul over his personal ties to first lady Kim Keon Hee. In a statement released to media on Wednesday (New York time), Kim Euy-whan said he had already submitted his resignation to the foreign ministry on Oct. 26, following the parliamentary audit where he came under intense scrutiny from opposition party lawmakers. Kim denied that his connection to the first lady was the r

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

Delivery platforms and their partnered restaurants reached an agreement Thursday on reducing controversial commission fees to 2 to 7.8 percent from the current 9.8 percent starting next year, officials said. The decision came in the 12th round of a meeting held by a government consultative body overseeing the discussions, attended by representatives from Baedal Minjok, or Baemin, as well as smaller competitors Coupang Eats and Yogiyo, along with small business owners registered with these platfo

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

The annual college entrance exam kicked off nationwide Thursday with a record number of retakers driven in part by an increase in medical school admissions. A total of 522,670 students, including high school seniors and graduates, were registered to take the state-administered College Scholastic Ability Test, up 18,082 from last year. High school seniors numbered 340,777, accounting for 65.2 percent of the total, while graduates numbered 161,784, the largest figure since 2003. Many of the gradua

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's suspended prison sentence for former lawmaker Youn Mee-hyang convicted of embezzling funds donated to help support women who were forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan during World War II. The top court confirmed the Seoul High Court's 1 1/2-year prison term, suspended for three years, delivered to Youn in September last year, saying the verdict did not contain any errors or misunderstanding of the legal principles. The top cou

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

South Korea's fiscal deficit grew markedly during the first nine months of 2024, the finance ministry said Thursday, partly due to increased expenditure. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on stricter terms, posted a deficit of 91.5 trillion won ($65.1 billion) in the January-September period, up 20.9 trillion won from the same period last year, according to the finance ministry. This year's tally was the third-largest figure for the cited period, the m

Economy Nov. 14, 2024

The government unveiled a package of measures aimed at addressing long-standing consumer complaints in the wedding industry Thursday, which has often been cited as a significant factor driving up the high costs of marriage. The measures were introduced at an economic ministers' meeting in Seoul, led by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs. "The high costs of wedding services have become a financial burden for young people, an

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Thursday the government will take active steps, if necessary, to address excessive volatility in the foreign exchange (FX) market. Since Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election last week, the local currency has been fluctuating around the psychologically significant level of 1,400 won against the US dollar. In a meeting with other economic policymakers in Seoul, Choi said that if there is excessive volatility in the financial and FX markets

Economy Nov. 14, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to depart for Peru on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, with an eye on a possible meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump during the South America trip. Yoon will travel to Peru from Thursday to Friday for the APEC summit and head to Brazil on Sunday for the Group of 20 (G20) summit slated for the next two days. He plans to use the diplomatic stage to pledge South Korea's active role in global issues and call for internation

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

Another Korean American won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a news report said Wednesday, an election that will add to a steadily growing list of Korean American lawmakers in Congress. State Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, has defeated his Republican rival, Scott Baugh, by a slim margin in the race in California's 47th Congressional District, according to NBC News. It marks his first election to the lower chamber of Congress. "I know many of us are anxious about the future of o

Foreign Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

US President-elect Donald Trump officially nominated Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state on Wednesday, calling him a "strong advocate for our nation" and a "true friend to our allies." Trump issued a statement on the nomination of Rubio, known for his hawkish stance on China and Iran, as America's next top diplomat is to face a full plate of foreign policy challenges, including an intensifying rivalry with China, Russia's war in Ukraine and North Kore

Foreign Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump met at the White House on Wednesday for the first time since last week's presidential election, with both calling for a smooth transition of power. In the Oval Office, Biden shook hands with Trump and congratulated him on his victory -- a resumption of a post-election tradition that paused in 2020 when Trump refused to concede the election results and did not invite Biden to the presidential office. "Congratulations," Biden said

Foreign Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

US President Joe Biden is expected to express "deep concern" over North Korea's troop deployment to Russia during a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping set to take place on the margins of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru this week, a senior US administration official said Wednesday. Biden and Xi are set to meet in Lima on Saturday for what could be their last in-person summit as presidents. The meeting will come as both Seoul and Washington have confirmed

Foreign Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru this week, according to Yoon's office and the White House. Yoon is set to depart for Lima on Thursday with the trilateral meeting scheduled for Friday, his office said. The three countries have pushed for the leaders' meeting to build on the progress in three-way cooperation sinc

Politics Nov. 14, 2024

China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dai Bing has been nominated as the country's new ambassador to South Korea, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. Beijing is conducting its final review of Dai for the ambassador post, with the official announcement expected as early as this week, followed by the procedure to seek consent, or "agrement," from South Korea, the diplomatic sources said. The post has been vacant since former Chinese Ambassador to South Ko

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

North Korean troops dispatched to Russia have moved to the frontline region of Kursk and are "already engaging in combat" against Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday. "North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia have moved to the Kursk region over the past two weeks and their deployment to battlefields has been completed," the National Intelligence Service said. It said work is underway to gather and analyze additional intelligence, without providing further

North Korea Nov. 13, 2024