Investigators fail once again to question Yoon over martial law debacle

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on Wednesday failed once again to question President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle last month. They visited a remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, where Yoon is confined, in an attempt to either bring him to the CIO headquarters in Gwacheon in the same province or question him at a separate facility there, but to no avail. They were forced to

January 22, 2025

South Korea discusses defense industry collaboration with Saudi prince

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - South Korea discussed ways to strengthen defense ties with Saudi Arabia, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) here said on Wednesday. According to the arms procurement agency, Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdullah Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz, also the Minister of National Guard, met with DAPA chief Seok Jong-geon during Seok's three-day visit to the Middle Eastern country, which began on Jan. 19. He also talked with executives from top So

January 22, 2025

New US Secretary of State vows to prioritize American interests

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - With the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Marco Rubio began his first day as Secretary of State on Tuesday, vowing to prioritize American interests in his diplomatic agenda. The Senate unanimously confirmed the former Florida senator the previous day as the first Cabinet member to join Trump's non-consecutive second term. Trump's primary promise "when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department

January 22, 2025

Over 30 million people expected to travel during Lunar New Year holiday

SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - More than 30 million people are expected to travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, which begins this weekend. According to a survey from the Korea Transport Institute, about 34.84 million people plan to visit their ancestral hometowns or travel overseas for the weeklong holiday, up 29 percent from last year. The annual Lunar New Year exodus is forecast to peak on next Tuesday with some 6 million hitting the road to their hometowns, but their

January 21, 2025

Far-right YouTubers blamed for last week's violent court intrusion in Seoul

SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - Rising speculations suggest that far-right YouTubers were the main culprits behind last Sunday's chaotic intrusion into a court in Seoul by die-hard supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who resorted to violence in protest of the president's arrest over last month's botched martial law debacle. Some extreme YouTubers, who use their channels as their primary source of income, often rely on a slew of fake or provocative news to attract attention.

January 21, 2025

Trump calls North Korea 'nuclear power'

SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - Donald Trump, who was just sworn in as the 45th U.S. President in Washington, D.C. on Monday, referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power" and recalled his "good relationship" with the renegade country's leader Kim Jong-un during his first presidency in 2017. "I was very friendly with him. He liked me. I liked him. We got along very well. I think he will be happy to see me coming back," Trump said while signing a raft of ex

January 21, 2025

Yoon denies impeachment allegations during trial

SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) -South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied allegations linked to his impeachment during his testimony at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, saying he neither ordered lawmakers to be forcibly removed from parliament nor intended to implement martial law despite issuing an emergency decree in December. Yoon, detained in a solitary cell on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, appeared for a hearing in his impeachment trial which started at 2:00 p.m.

January 21, 2025

As Trump takes office, uncertainty looms for South Korea amid power vacuum

SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - As U.S. President Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the U.S. in Washington, D.C. on Monday, as South Korea is bracing for potential shifts in its diplomatic relations with its key ally. Trump's inauguration inside the Capitol, the first indoor ceremony since 1985 due to bitterly cold weather, comes just a day after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and incarcerated over his botched martial law debacle last month, making a

January 20, 2025

Season's first fine dust advisory issued for Seoul

SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - This winter's first ultra-fine dust advisory was issued for the Seoul metropolitan area on Monday. The advisory was issued by the Seoul Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment as Seoul's average ultra-fine dust concentration or PM 2.5 density was 97 ㎍/㎥ as of noon and remained at very harmful levels throughout the day. Such advisories are issued when the hourly average concentration of PM 2.5 exceeds 75 ㎍/㎥ for more tha

January 20, 2025

Police in another attempt to search for evidence in martial law debacle

SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - Police on Monday raided President Yoon Suk Yeol's personal quarters in Samcheong-dong as well as an office for his security officials at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul. In another attempt to search for evidence related to his botched martial law debacle last month including CCTV footage, investigators from the National Office of Investigation arrived each site around 1:30 p.m. Monday's raid came just a few weeks after their previous at

January 20, 2025