Consumer, Politics, Technology
437 storiesRuling party presses chief justice to testify at audit; opposition protests
South Korea's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held its Supreme Court audit on Oct. 6, where ruling and opposition lawmakers clashed over whether Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae should take the witness stand. Cho submitted an opinion letter on…
Ruling party says hearing for first major crimes agency chief set for Oct 14
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party said the confirmation hearing for Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the new Major Crimes Investigation Agency, is scheduled for Oct 14. Party floor spokesperson Kim Sung-hoe told reporters the National A…
Hyogo prefecture bars freelance journalist Kan Kanno from governor’s press conference
Hyogo Prefecture said on Oct. 6 that it will not allow freelance journalist and writer Kan Kanno to attend Governor Motohiko Saito’s regular press conference on Oct. 7. Kanno was banned by the prefectural press club after telling Saito at a…
S. Korea Assembly audit clashes over chief justice's exit after greeting
The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee opened its Supreme Court audit on 6 October with a clash over whether Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae should leave the chamber after his greeting. Cho read his prepared remarks but did n…
AMD CEO Lisa Su to visit Korea Oct. 7 for Gamer Day; AI chip talks expected
AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su will visit Korea on Oct. 7, about seven months after her March trip, to attend an “AMD Gamer Day” event at 2 p.m. at Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, AMD said. Su and senior vice president Jack Huynh will attend, …
Seoul mayor cites housing, prosecution reform for Lee's falling approval
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Oct 7 that President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating is falling sharply, calling it “an appeal close to a desperate cry from citizens”, and blamed housing costs, the stock market and prosecution reform. Speaki…
Obama to campaign in Detroit with El-Sayed on Oct. 24
Former President Barack Obama will campaign in Detroit on Oct. 24 with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other Michigan candidates, the state party announced. The Hill and The Guardian report…
South Korea's PPP pushes Singapore film festival to drop “Assassins” opening slot
South Korea's main opposition People Power Party said it will send a letter in the name of all its lawmakers asking the Singapore International Film Festival to withdraw “Assassins,” a film about the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-so…
Kremlin says Putin will mark 74th birthday with series of international calls
President Vladimir Putin turns 74 on 7 October and will spend the day on a series of international phone calls, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov said other events are also planned and would be announced the next day, and aide Yuri U…
Kremlin: Putin to hold series of international calls on his birthday
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a series of international telephone calls on October 7, his birthday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov said other events are planned and the Kremlin will give details later. Kremlin aid…
Korea announces senior appointments across ministries and agencies
Hankook Ilbo and Kyunghyang Shinmun published lists of senior appointments at the economy and finance, foreign, education, industry, labour and climate ministries, the Fair Trade Commission, the Planning and Budget Ministry, the food and dr…
Gyeonggi governor's 100-day press conference postponed amid budget impasse
Gyeonggi Province has postponed a press conference marking Governor Choo Mi-ae's 100th day in office, which had been set for 10:30 a.m. on Oct 7, until after the provincial council passes a second supplementary budget. A provincial spokesma…
Leaked audio: Paxton says DC controls his Texas Senate campaign
Audio obtained by Politico captured Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for a Texas U.S. Senate seat, telling a September fundraiser in Washington that he had little control over his campaign and that its messaging cam…
Tokushima assembly LDP faction moves to censure Governor Gotōda over remarks
The Liberal Democratic Party faction in the Tokushima prefectural assembly, the chamber’s largest, has moved to submit a censure motion against Governor Naozumi Gotōda, saying his remarks and conduct are a problem, and plans to put it to th…
South Korea Posts Personnel Appointments Across Government Bodies
South Korea's Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Prime Minister's Secretariat published personnel appointments on October 6, 2026, with Yonhap reporting the posts at that office were at director level. Hankook Ilbo carried a …
MBK's Kim skips Homeplus audit; assembly weighs compulsory attendance
MBK Partners chairman Kim Byung-ju did not appear at the National Assembly's industry committee audit on Oct 7, where he had been summoned as a witness over the Homeplus situation, and instead submitted a written statement of reasons. The c…
Park Jin-young says he did not know of 2 million won monthly payment; president apologizes
Park Jin-young, co-chair of the presidential Public Culture Exchange Committee and executive producer at JYP Entertainment, said he did not know he was receiving about 2 million won a month in duty expenses for a post described as unpaid. A…
South Korea's president delays naming new chief of staff as audit nears
President Lee Jae-myung has not named a successor to chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik two weeks after Kang offered to resign on Sept 21 over falling approval ratings and two failed ministerial nominations. The Blue House says the president is s…
Collins and Jackson clash in first Maine Senate debate as race stays tight
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson met Tuesday night in Portland for the first of four scheduled Maine Senate debates. Jackson repeatedly tied Collins to President Donald Trump, saying she votes with him 96…
Japan's Diet opens 69-day session with food tax cut, seat reduction in focus
Japan's 222nd extraordinary Diet session was convened on 5 October and is set to run 69 days to 12 December, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivering a policy speech the same day. The government's priority is a bill cutting the consump…