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,

December 22, 2025

Lee set to move into Cheong Wa Dae as renovations near completion

SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung is expected to move into Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul soon, as renovations of the sprawling presidential compound are nearly complete. Some staff have already moved in, with the presidential office's daily press briefings resuming there on Monday. Lee's relocation from the current office in Yongsan to Cheong Wa Dae is expected to be completed as early as early as next week. Once moved in, he will have a shared workspa

December 22, 2025

Frontline units told to assume border farther south to avoid clashes

SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - The South Korean military has internally instructed frontline units to consider the more southerly boundary when the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) along the inter-Korean border overlaps or is unclear, to avoid accidental clashes with North Korea. During a regular press briefing at the Ministry of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said the military prioritizes MDL markers set up in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and conducts comprehe

December 22, 2025

Seoul says it held nuclear talks with Russia despite Moscow's denial

SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korea reportedly held talks with Russia to discuss multiple issues including North Korea's nuclear weapons program. According to diplomatic sources, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official handling North Korea-related issues traveled to Moscow and met with Oleg Burmistrov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for North Korea's nuclear issues. Apart from a foreign ministers' meeting in September this year, this was the firs

December 22, 2025

Lee praises badminton star An Se-young's historic win

SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung praised South Korean players for their achievements at the BWF World Tour Finals, which wrapped up over the weekend. Shortly after badminton ace An Se-young's victory late Sunday night, Lee wrote on Facebook that the national anthem was played three times in Hangzhou, China, saying he was "very proud" of her and other players and calling 2025 "the year of South Korean badminton." The world No. 1 in women&

December 22, 2025

DP to push controversial bill for special tribunal on martial law case

SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is expected to push through a bill for a special tribunal to handle insurrection cases related to disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle last year. The DP is set to submit the controversial bill to the plenary session of the National Assembly this week, despite concerns that it may be unconstitutional and could undermine judicial independence and fairness. Amid criticism, the DP earlier made r

December 22, 2025

S. Korea, US to begin talks next year on nuclear submarines, other nuclear issues

SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to begin talks next year on nuclear submarines and other nuclear-related issues to implement agreements reached at summits between the two countries. "From next year, we agreed to begin discussions in all areas, including nuclear submarines, along with the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment," National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Saturday after visiting Canada following a trip to

December 21, 2025

South Korea, U.S. to launch parallel talks on nuclear submarine, fuel cycle issues

SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) -South Korea and the United States plan to begin simultaneous, issue-by-issue consultations next year to implement leaders’ agreements on Seoul’s nuclear-powered submarine program, civilian uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, South Korea’s national security adviser said Sunday. Wi Sung-lac said the two sides agreed to “launch consultations all at once” starting next year as follow-up measures to agr

December 21, 2025

Korean court revisits authoritarian-era anti-communism conviction

SEOUL, December 20 (AJP) -A South Korean court has fully acquitted Anglican Church of Korea priest Yoon Jung-hyeon, overturning his 1975 conviction under the now-abolished Anti-Communism Law after a retrial held nearly five decades later. The Seoul Northern District Court ruled on Dec. 11, 202, that Yoon was not guilty, and the verdict became final last Friday. The court said it could not rule out the possibility that coercive interrogation or mistreatment occurred during t

December 20, 2025

Korea's first private rocket launch put off on technical glitch

SEOUL, December 20 (AJP) -South Korean space launch startup Innospace has called off the launch attempt of the country's first privately-developed rocket, HANBIT-Nano, after engineers identified a technical issue during final countdown procedures in Brazil. The launch was scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Friday local time (9:30 a.m. Saturday in Korea) at the Alcantara Space Center, but was halted about an hour before liftoff when an abnormality was detected in a valve used to fill

December 20, 2025