Lee's policy chief bows out and joins reshuffle SEOUL, September 01 (AJP) -President Lee Jae Myung's outspoken policy chief Kim Yong-beom bowed out Tuesday, just two days after surviving a broad reshuffle of the economic team amid mounting pressure over housing policy and controversial single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds. Lee accepted Kim's resignation as the president's approval rating sank to a record-low 38.9 percent in the latest Realmeter survey, extending its decline to a seventh consecutive week. September 1, 2026

South Korea to trial selective volunteer military recruitment next year SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - South Korea will recruit about 3,000 technology-focused noncommissioned officers (NCOs) next year on a voluntary basis, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Thursday. The move is part of efforts to attract more skilled personnel through voluntary-based, selective recruitment. During a parliamentary hearing in Seoul, Ahn said the government plans to begin selective recruitment in 2027, with about 3,000 volunteers to be trained as technology-focused NCOs capable August 20, 2026

Chief justice faces mounting pressure for impeachment amid political rift SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The nomination of two Supreme Court justices by chief justice Cho Hee-dae earlier this week has escalated into a broader political confrontation, with ruling Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers calling for his resignation and some raising the possibility of impeachment. The controversy is intensifying on Thursday after newly-elected DP leader Kim Min-seok said the previous day that he had ordered the party to put up banners nationwide calling for Cho's resig August 20, 2026

PPP lawmaker hosts forum with group downplaying May 18 massacre SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Days after police raided Starbucks Korea over a marketing campaign accused of insulting the memory of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook is set to co-host a forum with a right-wing group that disputes describing the 1980 bloodshed as a massacre planned by state authorities. Lee will hold the forum, titled “Reexamining the May 18 Democratization Movement,” with the New History National Movement August 12, 2026

Rival parties vie to woo younger voters SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) showed a sharp generational split among young voters, plunging among those in their 20s while gaining ground among voters in their 30s, according to a survey by pollster Realmeter released on Monday. The survey showed the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leading the DP 53.8 percent to 22.7 percent among voters aged 18 to 29, while the DP led the PPP 38.4 percent to 33.3 percent among those in their 30s, hi August 10, 2026

Lee commands Seoul to continue Pyongyang outreach SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - South Korea will keep pursuing peaceful coexistence with North Korea even if Pyongyang refuses to respond, President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday, likening the government's engagement efforts to "shouting with no echo." Speaking at an expanded government briefing on security, diplomacy, and North Korean issues, Lee acknowledged that officials responsible for inter-Korean affairs had little to show for more than a year of outreach since he too August 5, 2026

Japan calls South Korea partner, claims Dokdo again SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Japan's annual defense white paper describes South Korea as an important neighbor and a partner it should work with on shared international challenges. The same document, published Tuesday, again calls Dokdo, an islet located in the East Sea, Japanese territory. The government lodged a formal protest and demanded immediate withdrawal of the claim, which has appeared in the white paper every year since 2005, now 22 years running. Dokdo consists of tw August 4, 2026

US Ambassador Steel presents credentials, formally begins mission in Seoul SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - The United States Embassy in Seoul has a full ambassador again for the first time in a year and a half after the new envoy Michelle Steel submitted a copy of her credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday afternoon and paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. The post had run on a chargé d'affaires since last ambassador Philip Goldberg appointed under President Joe Biden, left Seoul in January 2025. Steel is the first am August 4, 2026

Song Young-gil vows to stay in ruling party race despite regional setback SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - Six-term lawmaker Song Young-gil vowed to stay in the South Korean ruling Democratic Party leadership race until the end despite finishing a distant third in the opening weekend of regional voting, rejecting speculation that he would join forces with rival Kim Min-seok and arguing that his experience makes him the strongest candidate to lead the party. Although the Aug. 17 leadership contest is increasingly shaping up as a two-way race between former party August 3, 2026

South Koreans warmer toward Japan than ever SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - South Koreans have never viewed Japan more favorably, while Japanese attitudes toward South Korea also improved sharply, with public sentiment between the two neighbors reaching its warmest level on record despite unresolved historical disputes, a joint annual survey showed Monday. South Koreans' favorable view of Japan rose to a record 54.3 percent, up from 52.4 percent a year earlier, according to the 13th annual survey jointly conducted by th August 3, 2026