Han Seong-sook heads for confirmation as Korea's second female PM SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) -Technocrat and SMEs Minister Han Seong-sook cleared a key parliamentary hurdle Tuesday to become South Korea's second female prime minister, as the ruling party pushed ahead with her confirmation despite a boycott by the main opposition. The National Assembly's special committee on Han's confirmation adopted a report endorsing President Lee Jae Myung's nominee, with support from lawmakers largely from the ruling Democratic Party (DP). The June 30, 2026

The trillion-dollar chip project revives Korea's old Jeolla-Yeongnam rivalry SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Pork-barrel projects are always political. The debate becomes even hotter when the prize is the world's most coveted commodity — AI memory chips — and nearly $1 trillion in investment. A government-backed plan to steer hundreds of trillions of won in new semiconductor investment toward South Korea's southwestern Honam region has erupted into one of the first major political battles of President Lee Jae Myung's administration. The c June 29, 2026

South Korea backs AI with $130B R&D plan SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - South Korea adopted a new five-year national science and technology blueprint on Friday, pledging to invest more than 200 trillion won ($130 billion) in government-funded research and development through 2030 as the Lee Jae Myung administration seeks to make artificial intelligence the centerpiece of future economic growth. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the National Science and Technology Advisory Council approved the Sixth Basic Plan for Science and June 26, 2026

Lee calls for dialogue with North Korea in message to Washington advocates SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung has called for the resumption of dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea as well as between the two Koreas, saying that rebuilding trust is essential to achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula, in a message to a conference held in the U.S. earlier this week. In a written congratulatory message to a conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday hosted by the Korean American Public Action Committee (KAPAC), Lee said his administration has June 26, 2026

Korean PM reaffirms limiting prosecutors to indictment SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) -The South Korean government remains firm to its reform outline to keep prosecutorial role strictly to indictment, said Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Thursday. Speaking at a policy briefing at the Government Complex Seoul, Kim said the Lee Jae Myung administration’s core principle for prosecution reform is the separation of investigation and indictment functions. “The basic principle of prosecution reform pursued by the Lee Jae Myung governm June 25, 2026

Military reform plans could weaken defense capabilities, critics warn SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - Critics on Monday warned that plans to merge South Korea's military academies and dismantle the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) could weaken the military readiness at a time of growing security challenges in the region. The criticism came at a forum on international security and changing patterns of warfare held at the National Assembly in Seoul and hosted by Rep. Han Ki-ho, a four-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) who June 22, 2026

Lee's senior aide pick deepens ruling party divide amid sinking ratings SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's appointment of a conservative-leaning former prosecutor as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs is exposing growing fissures within the ruling camp at a time when both the president and his party are facing slipping public support. Lee on Sunday named Han Chan-sik, a lawyer at Kim & Chang and a former senior prosecutor, to the powerful post overseeing public officials and legal affairs. The presid June 22, 2026

Lee pitches phased North Korean nuclear plan to Trump SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - Aiming to lower immediate geopolitical pressure on Pyongyang and prevent Washington from enforcing a rigid, all-or-nothing diplomatic denuclearization campaign, President Lee Jae Myung proposed a flexible, phased diplomatic framework to United States President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit to manage the North Korean nuclear threat, the South Korean president said during a press briefing on Friday. The proposal comes as North Korea continues to pr June 19, 2026

Lee pledges greater role in global development at G7 summit SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for broader access to artificial intelligence (AI)-related technologies for developing countries during a session of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France on Tuesday. He also urged a new model of international development cooperation that combines aid, private investment and technology-sharing. Speaking at the first expanded session of the summit in Évian-les-Bains, Lee said many developing countries remain June 17, 2026

Lee invites Pope Leo XIV to Seoul in hopes for Vatican peace diplomacy SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Seoul for the 2027 World Youth Day gathering, raising hopes that the trip could become a stepping stone toward the first papal visit to North Korea as Seoul revives its push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. The invitation came during Lee's 30-minute one-on-one meeting with the pope at the Vatican, where the two leaders discussed dialogue, reconciliation and ways to improve rel June 16, 2026