The Korea Times

Korea, Turkey deepen Sinop nuclear plant cooperation at Seoul summit

Korea and Turkey agreed to deepen cooperation on nuclear power plants during a bilateral summit in Seoul on Tuesday, signing a memoradum of understanding (MOU) to support Korean firms’ participation in Turkey’s planned Sinop project. President Lee Jae Myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also agreed to expand joint arms production, explore joint entry into third-country markets, boost trade and investment, broaden future growth cooperation and coordinate for Korean Peninsula peace and international stability. “With this MOU, we will be able to proactively help Korean companies participate in new Turkish nuclear power plant projects,” Lee said at a joint press announcement after the summit at Cheong Wa Dae, referring to the agreement on nuclear project financing cooperation. The MOU between the Export-Import Bank of Korea and Turkey’s nuclear energy corporation provides for project information exchanges, financing feasibility assessments and identification of potential funding opportunities. It builds on a nuclear energy cooperation MOU signed during Lee’s state vi

NowBy Yi Whan-woo

Korea, Turkey deepen Sinop nuclear plant cooperation at Seoul summit

Politics

Lee pitches future-oriented fund as he seeks parliamentary support for record-high budget

President Lee Jae Myung highlighted the need for a proposed 162 trillion won ($120.5 billion) fund to be created to secure momentum for growth and ensure stable fiscal management, during his speech at the National Assembly on Monday. The "future-oriented fund," backed by windfall tax revenue from the semiconductor boom, is part of next year’s record-high 820.9 trillion won budget, for which he sought parliamentary approval. Lee said the new fund would focus on four priorities — support for young people, future growth engines, regional economies, and education and skills development. He outlined related spending plans, including 21.3 trillion won for artificial intelligence (AI) and three megaprojects, along with 13.8 trillion won for 10 next-generation strategic technology fields, while pledging expanded welfare support to ensure the benefits of growth reach more people. “The new fund to respond to future challenges will provide a platform for strategic investment to boost the economy’s growth potential, and also a mechanism to keep public finances stable as tax revenue fluctuate

1d agoBy Yi Whan-woo

Lee pitches future-oriented fund as he seeks parliamentary support for record-high budget

Politics

Overseas trips add to debate over Korea's shifting political standards

President Lee Jae Myung’s overseas trips have again drawn attention to Korea’s shifting political standards, adding to a familiar cycle of disputes over presidential golf and the presidential plane whenever power passes between conservative and liberal administrations. The controversies center on taxpayer money and the public's attitudes toward presidential privilege, with governing parties defending certain activities as necessary for diplomacy or official duties and the opposition calling them wasteful or excessive — arguments that often switch sides under successive administrations. In the latest controversy, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Friday defended the frequency of Lee’s overseas trips accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung. “Korea’s international standing requires its president to attend regular multilateral gatherings and bilateral visits,” Wi said. “Spouses also accompany leaders as an established diplomatic practice.” Wi’s defense followed an Oct. 1 analysis by Rep. Lee Jin-sook of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). It counted 14 tri

2d agoBy Yi Whan-woo

Overseas trips add to debate over Korea's shifting political standards

Politics

Lee's 'migrant workers don't contribute much' remarks fall short of embracing Korea's growing diversity

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that migrant workers “don’t contribute much to the national economy” because they send their earnings home. When criticism followed his remarks at a Cabinet meeting, he focused on a word missing from a newspaper headline — “much.” But restoring that word does little to address the larger question of whether the president sees foreign workers as members of Korea's increasingly diverse society or mainly judges their worth by where they spend their wages. Lee made the remarks while instructing officials to consider wage subsidies to attract Korean workers to agriculture. “For national security reasons, we must sustain agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and fisheries,” he said. “Bringing in foreign workers doesn’t contribute much to the national economy because they send all their earnings home.” After The Hankyoreh, a local daily newspaper, reported on the criticism by migrant rights groups, Lee demanded a correction and apology because its headline omitted the word “much.” The newspaper subsequently added the word. The presi

Oct 28, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Lee's 'migrant workers don't contribute much' remarks fall short of embracing Korea's growing diversity

Politics

EXPLAINER From Kim Young-sam to Lee Jae Myung: golf's enduring political trap

Golf has again become a political flashpoint in Korea after an opposition lawmaker’s allegation against first lady Kim Hea Kyung prompted an explicit denial from LPGA star Lydia Ko and a sharp rebuttal from Cheong Wa Dae. This episode drew fresh attention to why the sport remains so politically sensitive in Korea despite becoming more accessible to the public. Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) claimed that Kim received an exclusive golf lesson from Ko on Oct. 20 and released a video that featured a woman who Joo claimed is the golfer. Ko, a Korean-born New Zealand LPGA Hall of Fame member, denied any involvement, saying she attended an official sponsor event that day. She warned of legal action over false information and defamatory coverage. Cheong Wa Dae also dismissed Joo’s account as false and warned that media outlets could be held responsible for repeating his assertions without verifying the facts. Joo subsequently removed Ko’s photograph from the video and acknowledged “some errors” but offered no apology. Golf and power “The controversy ref

Oct 27, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

[EXPLAINER] From Kim Young-sam to Lee Jae Myung: golf's enduring political trap

Politics

Korea unlikely to join CPTPP by 2030

President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that Korea is unlikely to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) during his term, but stressed the need to lay the groundwork despite political criticism, while protecting farmers and fishers from losses. Speaking at a meeting with representatives from the farming, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said joining the mega trade bloc requires approval from every member country, making negotiations potentially lengthy. The CPTPP comprises 12 countries, including major economies such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. It accounts for about 15 percent of global gross domestic product, making it one of the world’s largest free trade blocs. “Even if we pursue CPTPP membership, it is far more likely that a final agreement will not be reached during my term,” Lee said, referring to his single five-year presidency, which ends in June 2030. “Nevertheless, for the country as a whole, we have to do the groundwork despite some criticism so we can move to the next sta

Oct 26, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Foreign Affairs

Korea to sell idle Argentine farm from Park Chung-hee era after nearly 50 years

Korea plans to sell a farm in Argentina nearly 50 years after purchasing it during President Park Chung-hee’s rule to support agricultural immigration, following decades of the land sitting idle and requiring costly maintenance. The plan, outlined by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was submitted to Rep. Han Jeoung-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and made public on Monday. Korea purchased the Yatamauca farm in Santiago del Estero, about 1,050 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires, for $2.12 million in August 1978, toward the end of Park's term. Park served as Korea's president from 1961 until his assassination in 1979. Spanning 20,882 hectares (208.82 square kilometers), roughly one-third of Seoul’s area or 72 times the size of Yeouido, the farm was purchased to help Korean immigrants settle in Argentina and make a living through farming. The vision never materialized. Multiple surveys found the land unsuitable for development, while its upkeep has cost taxpayers billions of won. KOICA, the country’s

Oct 26, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Korea to sell idle Argentine farm from Park Chung-hee era after nearly 50 years

Defense

North Korea's diversifying missile arsenal complicates South's defense

North Korea is displaying an increasingly diverse missile arsenal this year, firing from different platforms — on land, aboard warships and, according to Pyongyang, underwater from a submarine — while testing weapons designed to carry heavier warheads, maneuver to evade interception and inflict damage over wider areas. The frequency of missile tests has also increased, with 16 ballistic missile launches recorded through Oct. 12, which exceeds the six recorded in all of 2025 and 12 in 2024. But what's more threatening than the frequency of ballistic missiles is diversification, with cruise missile tests added on seven occasions through Oct. 14, involving land-based launchers, destroyers and, purportedly, a submarine. The expanding arsenal gives North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s military more options to approach targets from different directions and coordinate strikes, placing greater demands on South Korean and U.S. defenses even as questions remain over Pyongyang's technological claims. Widening range of weapons This year's ballistic launches began near Pyongyang on Jan. 4 with susp

Oct 24, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

North Korea's diversifying missile arsenal complicates South's defense

Politics

Why Gemini is at the center of Korean politics

Gemini, the generative artificial intelligence (AI) by Google, has become the center of Korean politics in recent days, as President Lee Jae Myung and opposition politicians used the tool to defend their logic in the debate over investigative body chiefs’ attendance at Cabinet meetings. The debate turned a dispute over investigative independence into a political contest over AI-generated responses, with high-profile opposition lawmakers citing Gemini on issues ranging from Cabinet attendance to whether Lee’s suspended criminal trials should resume. The AI use battle began when Lee posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday under the heading, “I asked Gemini,” posting the AI assistant's answers to reject criticism of his decision to have the heads of the newly launched Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecution Service attend Cabinet meetings. His posting came after SCIA’s inaugural chief Kim Ji-yong took part in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, presided over by Lee. The opposition bloc criticized Kim's attendance, saying it would undermine the investigative bo

Oct 23, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Why Gemini is at the center of Korean politics

Defense

Seoul offers no response to US Eighth Army commander remarks on broader USFK role

The Seoul government held off on responding Thursday to remarks by the U.S. Eighth Army commander suggesting that American troops stationed here should be prepared for missions beyond countering North Korean threats. Cheong Wa Dae, the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) did not comment when asked about Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert’s email interview with the South China Morning Post on the Eighth Army’s readiness for broader regional operations. According to sources familiar with the South Korean military, the lack of comment reflected a reluctance to publicly interpret Hilbert’s remarks, rather than an articulated government position on a broader U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) role. The sources noted whether deployments beyond the Korean Peninsula would require prior consultation between Seoul and Washington has yet to be clarified. In an email interview published by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, Hilbert said it would be “irresponsible to focus myopically” on threats within the Korean Peninsula or assume that being stationed in South Korea preven

Oct 22, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Yi Whan-woo

Read more

Korea, Turkey deepen Sinop nuclear plant cooperation at Seoul summit

Lee pitches future-oriented fund as he seeks parliamentary support for record-high budget

Overseas trips add to debate over Korea's shifting political standards

Lee's 'migrant workers don't contribute much' remarks fall short of embracing Korea's growing diversity

EXPLAINER From Kim Young-sam to Lee Jae Myung: golf's enduring political trap

Korea unlikely to join CPTPP by 2030

Korea to sell idle Argentine farm from Park Chung-hee era after nearly 50 years

North Korea's diversifying missile arsenal complicates South's defense

Why Gemini is at the center of Korean politics

Seoul offers no response to US Eighth Army commander remarks on broader USFK role

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