​Series of torrential rain takes lives of 43 people in S. Korea over one week period

SEOUL -- A series of torrential rain took the lives of 43 people across South Korea where river banks have collapsed and landslides engulfed small villages due to heavy rain that soaked the country for more than one week, according to South Korea’s main disaster control tower. South Korea is normally soaked by dense rain clouds during “Jangma” (the rainy season in Korean) in July and August. According to data released by the Korea Meteorological Administration, the

July 16, 2023

President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister to hold sixth summit meeting in Lithuania

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold their sixth summit meeting in Lithuania where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's "2023 Vilnius Summit" is currently being held. President Yoon is attending the NATO summit as part of his visit to the Baltic region of Europe. According to the South Korean presidential office, Yoon and Kishida will meet on July 12. Although a presidential office official told reporters at

July 12, 2023

President Yoon embarks on three-day visit to Lithuania for NATO summit meeting

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has embarked on his three-day visit schedule in Lithuania on July 10. The leader will attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit meeting to promote the hosting of the World Expo 2030 in South Korea's southern port city of Busan, cooperate with other leaders to strengthen international security cooperation, and expand supply chain collaboration. An aircraft carrying Yoon and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrived at Vilnius, the capital o

July 11, 2023

President Yoon to visit Lithuania for NATO summit meeting and Poland for state visit

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will depart for a six-day visit to two European nations -- Lithuania and Poland. After attending a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit meeting in Lithuania, the South Korean leader will move to Poland where he would discuss cooperation methods in defense and nuclear power sectors with Polish President Andrzej Duda. According to the presidential office, Yoon and First Lady Kim Geon-hee will depart for Lithuania on July 10 to attend t

July 10, 2023

S. Korea to restrict foreign workers' rights to change workplaces

SEOUL -- Starting on July 9, foreign labor workers in South Korea with the non-professional employment visa "E9" will only be allowed to change their workplaces within the same regional area where their previous workplace was located, except for very few special cases. The country aims to help South Korean employers in rural areas struggling with labor shortages due to the frequent turnover of migrant workers. E9 visa is mainly provided for those in the manufacturing sector.

July 6, 2023

S. Korean foreign minister to meet Japanese counterpart to discuss Fukushima water discharge

SEOUL -- Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will meet his South Korean counterpart Park Jin at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related foreign ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in Indonesia in mid-July to seek understanding of the discharge of contaminated water, referred to as "treated water" by Japan, into the sea of Fukushima, according to Japanese daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. Hayashi will also meet his Chinese counterpart through an individua

July 5, 2023