Lee begins work at Cheong Wa Dae as presidential office moves back SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung worked his first day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday as the presidential office moved back to the sprawling presidential compound in central Seoul. The relocation comes about 1,330 days after the office moved to Yongsan in May 2022 with the inauguration of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law last year. Lee arrived there at about 9 a.m., greeted by supporters who gathered outside chanting his name. Lee will continue commuting from his current residence in Hannam-dong for the time being, as repairs to the official residence are not yet finished. Upon relocation, a symbolic flag representing the country's head of state was raised at Cheong Wa Dae again. The flag features the national flower mugunghwa or rose of Sharon at the center, flanked by two mythical phoenixes facing each other. 2025-12-29 10:37:45

No special amnesty planned for Christmas SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - There will be no special amnesty for next week's Christmas and New Year's holidays. According to sources from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Monday, President Lee Jae Myung has not started reviewing year-end pardons. Such special pardons typically take about a month from the Justice Ministry's review to a final decision. In August, just two months after taking office, Lee granted pardons to a total of 836,687 people including Cho Kuk, leader of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party serving a prison term for corruption related to his children's university admissions, and Yoon Mi-hyang, former head of a charity for wartime sex slavery victims, who received a three-year suspended sentence for embezzling donations. For this reason, Lee appears to see little need for another round of pardons. Nevertheless, parole could be expanded to address overcrowding in correctional facilities. During a briefing from the ministry last week, Lee instructed officials to grant parole when there is no risk of reoffending and victims have been compensated. 2025-12-22 16:43:01

Lee pushes for speedy construction of presidential office in Sejong SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung on Friday expressed hope for the speedy construction of a new presidential office in the administrative city of Sejong, scheduled for completion by 2030, saying he wants to "retire from there." Speaking at a briefing by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Lee expressed hope to expedite its timeline if possible, saying, "Otherwise, I would barely be able to use it." During his election campaign earlier this year, he suggested that he would first move to the current presidential office in Yongsan, then to Cheong Wa Dae, and eventually relocate to Sejong, where most ministerial offices and other government agencies have been moved since 2012 as part of efforts to promote balanced regional development. Kang Ju-yeop, in charge of the construction project, said the current plan requires two years for design and two years for construction, admitting the difficulty of meeting the 2030 target. Lee then clarified that he was simply expressing his wish to expedite the project, cautioning against cutting corners. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-12 18:01:52

Over 100 South Koreans brought home from Cambodia over online scams SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - The government has brought back some 107 South Korean suspects allegedly involved in online scam crimes in Cambodia, the presidential office said on Friday. During a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said a sweeping crackdown has been conducted in cooperation with the Southeast Asian country since October, making it possible to bring them back. The efforts were made following revelations of a series of kidnappings, detentions and brutal tortures involving South Koreans, including the case of a college student who traveled there after being lured by an online employment scam in August and was later found to have been tortured to death. According to Kang, the cumulative number of suspects arrested in Cambodia along with those soon to be deported to here stood at 154 as of the end of November. Cases of South Korean nationals being detained or reported missing in Cambodia also dropped significantly, from 93 in October to 17 in November. In late October, shortly after the student's death was revealed, a special task force consisting of multiple government agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Intelligence Service was formed, leading to joint measures with the Cambodian government. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-12 15:32:20

Peru to buy South Korea's K2 battle tanks, armored vehicles in $1.5 billion deal SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - Peru has agreed to purchase South Korea’s domestically developed K2 main battle tanks, becoming the first Latin American country to acquire the platform, South Korea’s presidential office said on Wednesday. The contract, valued at about 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion), covers the supply of 54 K2 tanks and 141 armored vehicles, for a total of 195 units, and represents South Korea’s largest-ever defense export to Latin America. If implemented, the deal would mark the first deployment of K2 tanks in the Latin American region. President Lee Jae Myung welcomed the signing, saying it would significantly strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries and emphasizing the importance of building a mutually beneficial defense partnership. The signing ceremony was held in Peru on Sunday afternoon local time and was presided over by Peru’s President Jose Harry. Lee Yong-chul, head of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, attended the event on behalf of the Korean government. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-10 11:24:51

Lee to reflect on first year of martial law debacle with special address SEOUL, December 1 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to deliver a special address on Dec. 3, as South Korea marks the first anniversary of disgraced former President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law debacle. His address is expected to focus on the key role of the people and the National Assembly in swiftly ending the martial law, which plunged the nation into political turmoil, according to the presidential office. Lee will honor the efforts of South Koreans who turned chaos into peace in his address, which will be followed by a press conference attended by over 80 international journalists and broadcast live for about an hour. Lee is also likely to highlight the recovery of democracy and deliver a message of national unity, as he has consistently emphasized the resilience of South Korean democracy at recent multilateral gatherings including last month's G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential chief of public relations, said on Sunday, "Wednesday will hold significant meaning as the day citizens and journalists defended national sovereignty against martial law." He added that the president will observe the anniversary with a "calm but meaningful schedule," which includes a luncheon with key officials such as Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik, and the Supreme Court's chief justice Cho Hee-dae. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-01 15:22:25

Lee returns home after 10-day multi-nation tour SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung returned home after his 10-day overseas trip to the Middle East and Africa. He arrived at a military airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province at 8:20 a.m., where he was greeted by key officials including Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik. Starting with a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, Lee traveled to Egypt before attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, and concluded his tour with a brief stop in Turkey. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-26 11:07:35

Lee meets Japanese and Chinese leaders at G20 in South Africa SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung held a marathon round of meetings with global leaders on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) in South Africa over the weekend. According to the presidential office on Monday, Lee on Sunday met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi again after their previous meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju late last month. The two leaders emphasized the importance of their bilateral relationship amid rising global tensions and reaffirmed their commitment to future-oriented cooperation. Lee stressed the shared responsibility to manage bilateral relations in a stable manner and called for tangible progress in key areas of cooperation. The two leaders also agreed to continue their shuttle diplomacy and strengthen communication on major economic and security issues. In his subsequent meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Lee proposed further consolidating the recently restored relations between Seoul and Beijing, building on the momentum from Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea for the APEC summit. Li expressed hope for deeper cooperation and the long-term development of bilateral ties. Lee extended his regards to Xi and expressed his desire to meet him in Beijing soon, with Li promising to pass the message. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 09:06:16

No hostile intention toward North Korea, South Korea says SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - South Korea has "no hostile or confrontational intent toward North Korea," the presidential office said on Tuesday, suggesting that it will continue to pursue rapprochement with the North. "We have no hostile or confrontational intent toward the North," said spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. She added, "We will continue working to ease inter-Korean tensions and restore trust between the two Koreas." The remarks came just hours after North Korea harshly denounced a joint fact sheet detailing trade and security agreements between Seoul and Washington, which was released last week after the two countries finalized a tariff-related deal during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit here late last month. Kang stressed that South Korea's security cooperation with the U.S. is aimed at strengthening peace and security on the Korean Peninsula while protecting national interests. Earlier in the day, the state-run Korean Central News Agency criticized the fact sheet, claiming that it reveals a "confrontational stance" and vowing to take countermeasures. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-18 15:35:46

South Korea, US release details of bilateral trade and security agreements SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. have completed a joint fact sheet detailing the two countries' trade and security agreements, President Lee Jae Myung said during a press briefing on Friday. "Trade negotiations and security consultations, the biggest variables affecting the country's national security and the economy, have finally been concluded," Lee said. It comes about two weeks after Lee reached a tariff-related deal with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju late last month. The agreement includes Seoul's US$350 billion investment plan in the U.S., with $200 billion allocated to strategic industries and $150 billion to shipbuilding, in return for lowering reciprocal tariffs on cars, parts, and other products from 25 percent to 15 percent. To minimize the impact on the foreign exchange market, the annual investment cap is set at $20 billion. The fact sheet includes Washington's approval of South Korea's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines using U.S.-supplied fuel, as well as a U.S. commitment to support for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and enriching uranium. In a statement released by the White House, the U.S. said it "supports the process that will lead to civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses." The fact sheet also includes provisions regarding the continued presence of American forces here and the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea during Lee's term. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-14 14:29:48