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Lee congratulates Korean director on Venice film festival award

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday extended congratulations to Korean film director Lee Chang-dong on winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. "I once again sincerely congratulate the director, all the actors and staff members. I will cheer for the bright journey of Korean cinema down the road," the president wrote on his X account. Lee issued the message after the director's winning of the award at the 83rd edition of the Italian film festival held in Venice on Saturday (local time) with "Possible Love." It is the first Korean film to win a prize at the Venice film fest since Kim Ki-duk clinched the Golden Lion for his crime thriller "Pieta" in 2012. "I hope that on the occasion of this award, our films will be further diversified and many films will reach wider audiences across the world," the president said. The president met with the director and actors of the film on the sidelines of the Lumiere Summit on the future of cinema, which he co-chaired with French President Emmanuel Macron last Monday in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. "During the

Sep 13, 2026By Yonhap
Lee congratulates Korean director on Venice film festival award

Controversial gender minister nominee withdraws candidacy

Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her nomination for minister of gender equality and family Sunday, ending two weeks of mounting controversy over her decision to retain her parliamentary seat alongside the cabinet post. “I decided to step down as the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, relinquishing my personal determination to create a gender-equal society for all under the Lee Jae Myung administration,” Yong said during a press conference at the National Assembly. She cited opposition from within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as the decisive factor. “Cabinet members are meant to bridge the Assembly and government to build consensus. With even the ruling party voicing concern, I concluded that fulfilling the duties in reality would be impossible,” Yong said. “I also determined that stopping here is necessary to carry forward the spirit of solidarity of the DPK, the Basic Income Party and the broader democratic progressive bloc.” Yong also directed criticism at the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), accusing it of ab

Sep 13, 2026By Park Ji-won
Controversial gender minister nominee withdraws candidacy

President Lee reassures public over oil prices amid escalating Middle East tensions

President Lee Jae Myung reassured Koreans on Saturday that the government is taking all necessary measures to stabilize oil prices amid a surge in global crude prices caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East. In a post on the social media platform X, Lee highlighted the government's efforts to diversify crude oil imports to reduce the country's reliance on the Middle East, with the region's share of imports falling from about 70 percent to 50 percent. He also cited measures including oil price caps, export controls and a strategic oil reserve swap system. Lee reaffirmed the government's commitment to cracking down on oil hoarding and price collusion, while compensating local refiners for losses stemming from government price stabilization measures. "You don't have to worry about oil prices at all," Lee wrote. The remarks came as disruptions in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz fueled concerns over global energy supplies, pushing oil prices back above $100 per barrel. Adding to the supply concerns, Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after the key oil conduit came under

Sep 12, 2026By Yonhap
President Lee reassures public over oil prices amid escalating Middle East tensions

Councilor says he 'only had coffee' at hotel with woman, faces disciplinary action

A city councilor in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, is facing formal disciplinary proceedings after he was seen visiting a hotel with a woman during a council session. The Gwangmyeong City Council opened its 302nd regular session on Friday and voted to refer a disciplinary request against the councilor, identified only as A, to its Special Committee on Ethics for review. The council also approved A's resignation from the ethics committee, on which he had been serving. The committee plans to focus on whether the councilor violated his duty as a public official to maintain proper conduct and dignity. The controversy erupted after local media reported that A was seen leaving a hotel in Geumcheon District, Seoul, with a woman Thursday afternoon, while the council's regular session was underway. A said he went to the hotel only after completing all of his council duties for the day and denied that anything inappropriate had happened. "I went to the hotel after finishing all of the council's scheduled business," he said. "I only had coffee at the hotel and left. Nothing else happened." As critic

Sep 12, 2026By Hankookilbo
Councilor says he 'only had coffee' at hotel with woman, faces disciplinary action

Cheong Wa Dae denounces NK missile launch as violation of UNSC resolution

The presidential Office of National Security on Saturday held an emergency meeting following North Korea's ballistic missile launch and called it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang fired multiple ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area at around 5:20 a.m., according to the South Korean military. In the meeting, the presidential office assessed the impact of the launch on the country's security situation and called for a firm readiness posture, it said in a press release. The office also called for an immediate halt of such grave action. The latest launch came after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo concluded their five-day Freedom Edge exercise Friday in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju. The North last fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Aug. 20, as Seoul and Washington staged their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills.

Sep 12, 2026By Yonhap
Cheong Wa Dae denounces NK missile launch as violation of UNSC resolution

Lee stresses need to expand diplomatic landscape amid 'chaos' in international order

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday stressed the importance of expanding the diplomatic landscape and the wisdom of resolving problems through international cooperation, highlighting what he called a tunnel of "extreme chaos" in the international order. The president made the point in a meeting with his key aides, a day after he returned from a four-day trip to France, during which he held a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and agreed to strengthen cooperation in nuclear energy, advanced industries and defense. "The international order is going through a tunnel of extreme chaos," Lee said. "Now is the time for us to build our power, expand the diplomatic landscape and have the wisdom to address various problems through close cooperation with the international community," the president added. The president stressed that the world order is undergoing rapid polarization, adding that in times like these, the country should join hands with other countries and expand its outreach to more regions. Referring to his trip to France, Lee said it helped solidify the countries' partnerships

Sep 11, 2026By Yonhap
Lee stresses need to expand diplomatic landscape amid 'chaos' in international order

PM stresses profitability of $350 bil. US investment pledge, rejects discrimination claims against Coupang

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Friday that Korea’s $350 billion investment commitment to the United States must be commercially viable and deliver tangible benefits to both countries. During a meeting hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) in Seoul, she also said the Korean government does not discriminate against companies based on nationality. “Rather than benefiting only one side, it must bring substantive benefits to both countries while maintaining commercial viability,” Han said during the meeting at The Shilla Seoul hotel. “As this is an investment, discussions are also taking place on how to ensure profitability.” The prime minister added that negotiations were progressing smoothly and that establishing a successful model through the first project could pave the way for broader bilateral cooperation. Her remarks came in response to a question from AMCHAM Chairman James Kim, who said stakeholders he met during a recent visit to Washington repeatedly expressed concern that Korea’s investment pledge had yet to produce concrete results. Han’s co

Sep 11, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
PM stresses profitability of $350 bil. US investment pledge, rejects discrimination claims against Coupang

DPK says it will take controversy over gender minister nominee 'seriously'

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Friday it will take the controversy over the nomination of Rep. Yong Hye-in as gender equality minister "seriously" amid growing criticism over her nomination. DPK senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon made the remarks after a meeting of the party's supreme council, saying the party leadership is "urgently gathering assessments and views from both within and outside the party" about her nomination. "We will take the issue seriously from the perspective of the people," he told reporters. His remarks came a day after Yong reiterated at a press conference her intention to keep her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly even if appointed to the Cabinet post. Under current law, lawmakers can double as members of the Cabinet, though proportional representatives have customarily given up their parliamentary seats to join the Cabinet, passing on the post to the next candidate in line on the proportional representation list. Yong, who is the sole lawmaker of the minor Basic Income Party, earlier noted that her party would become a non

Sep 11, 2026By Yonhap
DPK says it will take controversy over gender minister nominee 'seriously'

Lee's approval rating dips to record low of 38%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since he took office, a poll showed Friday, amid growing criticism over his recent Cabinet reshuffle. In a Gallup Korea survey of 1,000 people aged 18 and older conducted from Tuesday through Thursday, 38 percent positively assessed Lee's handling of state affairs, down 2 percentage points from the previous week, while 51 percent gave a negative assessment. The approval rating marked the lowest level in a Gallup poll since Lee took office in June last year. Among those who negatively assessed Lee's performance, 24 percent cited his real estate policies, followed by personnel appointments at 16 percent and economic and livelihood issues at 10 percent. The pollster said the increase in respondents citing personnel appointments appears to reflect the controversy surrounding Lee's Cabinet picks ahead of their confirmation hearings. On Lee's nomination of Rep. Kim Seung-won as justice minister, 43 percent said the nominee was unfit to serve the post, compared with 22 percent who considered him fit for the job. For Rep. Yon

Sep 11, 2026By Yonhap
Lee's approval rating dips to record low of 38%: poll

PM expresses regret over staffer's sneaky attendance in lawmaker's briefing

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook expressed regret Friday after a member of her staff attended a lawmaker's press briefing at the National Assembly the previous day and asked questions while claiming to be an ordinary citizen. The incident happened Thursday when Rep. Han Dong-hoon, an independent, was holding a press briefing about a lobbying scandal involving the justice minister nominee. Halfway through the session, an unidentified person asked a question about Han's criticism of the prime minister. Following a brief exchange, the lawmaker asked back who the person was affiliated with, and he responded that he was just an ordinary citizen. At that time, he was holding a mobile phone that displayed a Telegram chat room titled "room for the prime minister and key senior officials." That individual was later found to be a director-level official of the Prime Minister's Office. During a parliamentary interpellation session later that day, the lawmaker voiced strong outrage, accusing the Prime Minister's Office of conducting "illicit surveillance" on a lawmaker. On Friday, the prime minister exp

Sep 11, 2026By Yonhap
PM expresses regret over staffer's sneaky attendance in lawmaker's briefing
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