News

[Weather] Summer heat across the country, high UV rays

2025/06/11 20:00

Summer heat of around 30 degrees Celsius warmed up most parts of the country. The daytime temperature moved up to 29 degrees in Seoul. Tomorrow, temperatures will rise up to 31 degrees. Under the clear skies, strong UV rays continue during the day. The ultraviolet index will rise to a very high level from the morning. Then, UV rays will be at their peak in the afternoon. Make sure to protect yourself from the strong rays. Tomorrow morning, Seoul, Daejeon, and Gyeongju will start off at 17 degrees, Busan at 20 degrees. Highs will move up to 30 degrees in Chuncheon, Daejeon and Daegu, 23 degrees in Jeju. It will start to rain on Jeju Island tomorrow and spread to southern parts of Chungcheong-do Province by Friday. Rain is forecast all over the country on Saturday. That's all for Korea. Here are the weather conditions around the world.

2025 Global Green Hub Korea to foster overseas expansion of local green tech companies

2025/06/11 20:00

Representatives from multilateral development banks, local companies, and the Korean government gathered in Seoul for talks on ways to foster cooperation in the environmental and green technology industry. Moon Ji-young tells us more. "Strengthening cooperation between domestic companies and global partners, and promoting local companies' eco-friendly technologies" is what the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy aim to achieve at the 18th Global Green Hub Korea forum, currently being held in Seoul. "We hope that this year's forum serves as a platform to enable participants to see new business opportunities by sharing each country's policies and efforts for carbon reduction, as well as the success stories of international development banks." The forum, which opened on Wednesday, seeks to provide a robust platform for eco-friendly and energy industry businesses, in alignment with the global trend of carbon reduction, to support the overseas expansion of domestic companies and the securing of crucial growth engines. This key event provides networking opportunities, project briefings, and matchmaking for Korean and international businesses. "Korea's leadership in environmental technology is an example that we admire where leaders are eager for cooperation that benefits both our people." The scale of the projects presented by the overseas clients and buyers at this year's event amounts to a total of 8 billion dollars. Key projects include the Bangladesh Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Water Treatment Project. Over the course of three days, domestic companies will have the opportunity to actively promote the excellence of a variety of environmental and green technologies to potential overseas clients and buyers. Moon Ji-young, Arirang News.

BTS's Jungkook and Jimin officially discharged from military; full band reunion nears

2025/06/11 20:00

Two more BTS members, Jungkook and Jimin, returned from their mandatory military service on Wednesday. Now, it's just Suga that the ARMY are awaiting, to see all seven members on one stage. Our Park Hyo-been fills us in with more. As they stepped out of the car, Jungkook and Jimin were greeted with loud cheers—bouquets in hand, smiling at their fans. The pair enlisted together back in December 2023, served in the Army, and were officially discharged from mandatory military service on Wednesday morning. After a short salute, Jungkook thanked those he served with. "To our seniors and the officers who spent time with us — thank you so much for taking good care of us." Jimin expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the fans who waited for them. "With our service now behind us, I believe it's time to keep building the vision we've been working on. We'll do our best to come back with something even better." Fans from across the globe gathered near the base from early morning to welcome the two stars. Banners reading "Purple is Back" and "Jungkook's Moment Begins Now" lined the area, along with giant balloons. With Jin and J-Hope already discharged last year, and RM and V returning on Tuesday, only one member remains before a full reunion. SUGA, currently serving as a social service worker, is set to complete his duty later this month. As BTS celebrates the 12th anniversary of its debut this Friday, excitement is building for a long-awaited full-group comeback — possibly just around the corner. Park Hyo-been, Arirang News.

LG leads in OLED TV market share in N. America with 51% for Q1 of 2025

2025/06/11 20:00

More than half of OLED TVs sold in North America during the first quarter of this year were made by LG Electronics. This is according to market research firm Statista on Wednesday with the specific market share at 51-percent. This also means that LG has maintained the market lead for 13 straight years. LG's OLED TVs have recently been touted by the IT media, such as Consumer Reports and Mashable. The reasons why LG OLED TVs are popular in the North American market include outstanding picture quality and differentiated AI features, among others. Other OLED-making competitors for LG include Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony.

Curfew imposed in LA amid protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown

2025/06/11 20:00

Starting Tuesday, parts of downtown LA have been under an 8 PM to 6 AM curfew, as protests against Trump's immigration crackdown continue. LA police reportedly began mass arrests on the first night of the curfew. Shin Ha-young reports. Protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have continued for several days in Los Angeles. In response, the city imposed a nighttime curfew on Tuesday in parts of downtown. Mayor Karen Bass said the curfew covers a one-square-mile area in downtown LA, where most of the protests are taking place. It runs from 8 PM on Tuesday to 6 AM the next morning. She explained that 23 businesses were looted and there was widespread vandalism that occurred the night before, saying the city had reached a "tipping point." Bass said it could be in effect for a few days, but the city will decide later whether to extend it. According to CNN, the Los Angeles Police Department said that several groups were still gathering in areas under curfew and noted that it had begun making mass arrests. The demonstrations against the crackdown and deportation of illegal immigrants are spreading to other major cities, including San Francisco, San Francisco, New York and Chicago. Amid the further outbreaks, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas National Guard will be deployed across the state to maintain "peace and order." Abbott said peaceful protests would be allowed, but anyone harming people or property would be arrested, adding that the National Guard will do everything it can to help the police maintain order. The decision came after President Donald Trump sent the National Guard to the protests in Los Angeles. With concerns lingering over the current state of the Los Angeles area, hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived, also on Tuesday, under orders from President Trump. Along with the recent deployment of Marines, some 4-thousand National Guard members have been sent to LA to control the protests. Meanwhile, progressive groups say that they'll be holding more than 15-hundred "No Kings" protests across the country on Saturday, which is the same day a military parade is set to take place in the U.S. capital, marking the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary. The organizers believe that Trump is using the anniversary to celebrate his birthday, which is also on June 14th. Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.

Speaker Woo urges careful timing on constitutional reform, calls for swift supplementary budget

2025/06/11 20:00

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik has said that while President Lee remains committed to constitutional reform, changes could take time. Marking his first year in office on Wednesday, Woo stressed that reform must be carefully timed as the new government is starting without a transition team, and talks will need to be held. He floated the idea of a constitutional referendum alongside the presidential election back in April in order to address calls for decentralization of power following the martial law declaration, but withdrew the idea after a backlash. Woo also called for the swift passage of a supplementary budget to address urgent economic and diplomatic challenges.

S. Korean military halts loudspeaker broadcasts against the North

2025/06/11 20:00

The South Korean military has, from today, halted loudspeaker broadcasts against the North in border areas, just one week after President Lee's inauguration. This, following the President's orders made earlier this afternoon aiming to ease military tensions between the two Koreas, paving the way for restored mutual trust. President Lee is said to have made the decision in light of the recent absence of any major provocations from North Korea, but clarified that there was no prior consultation with Pyongyang regarding this measure. The halt comes for the first time in a year, since the President Yoon administration resumed the broadcasts last June for the first time in six years, in response to North Korea's trash balloon campaigns.

U.S. finally confirms Lee-Trump phone call took place last Friday; first meeting at G7 this month?

2025/06/11 20:00

The U.S. has finally confirmed a top-level call took place last week between new President Lee Jae-myung and President Donald Trump. This comes amid growing anticipation that the two leaders will engage in a face-to-face meeting, at the G7 Summit which will kick off in a matter days. Oh Soo-young has more. Washington says it's "confident" that the South Korea-U.S. will continue to "thrive" under new President Lee Jae-myung, confirming that the new leader held a phone call with President Donald Trump last week. On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a press briefing that the U.S. congratulates Lee on his election win, expressing optimism, in response to a question about Lee's, quote, "pragmatic" approach to bilateral ties. She acknowledged that Lee had spoken with Trump last Friday in a 20-minute phone call, marking the first time a U.S. official confirmed the call had taken place. The conversation itself happened later than expected, on the third day of the Lee administration, bearing contrast with former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk Yeol, who spoke on the phone with their American counterparts within hours of taking office. Following the belated call, President Lee's office immediately almost announced it had taken place, elaborating how the two leaders exchanged pleasantries, and agreed on making efforts to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement on tariffs, before the Trump administration begins imposing its delayed reciprocal duties on imports. The Lee administration is reportedly aiming to postpone the July 8th deadline. However, no readouts or messages emerged from Washington regarding the top-level conversation. Experts have speculated the delay may have been intentional on Washington's side, as a means of passively pressuring Seoul amid negotiations. "We need to understand Trump's world view different from predecessors. He considers the weakening of America. It is not because mainly because of like enemy country hostile country like a Soviet Union Russia, China and things like that, rather than this enemy country but because the weakness comes from airlines and partners who exploited U.S. market unfairly and free riding on security." The two leaders also reportedly agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting soon, with the U.S. President extending an invitation to visit America. But first, Lee and Trump are likely to hold a brief summit on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada starting June 15th. Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.

Pres. Lee, Czech PM Fiala call Dukovany nuclear plant deal a "milestone"

2025/06/11 20:00

President Lee Jae-myung held a 20-minute phone call with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Wednesday afternoon. According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, the two leaders described the recent 18 billion dollar contract for South Korea to build two nuclear reactors at the Dukovany power plant as a "milestone" for expanding economic cooperation, and agreed to broaden cooperation beyond nuclear energy to include advanced industries, infrastructure, and energy. The leaders also noted that this year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Czech Republic. President Lee invited Prime Minister Fiala to South Korea at a convenient time, to which Fiala responded with his appreciation.

245,000 jobs added on-year for S. Korea while service sector employment struggles at COVID-19 levels

2025/06/11 20:00

For the first time in over a year, employment expanded in South Korea by over 200-thousand in May. But the expansion was uneven depending on the sector. Our Kim Do-yeon has this report. South Korea saw the largest increase in employment in 13 months, rising for a fifth consecutive month in May. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of employed people aged 15 or older in May reached 29-point-1-6 million, up 245 thousand compared to the same period last year. Though the trend had been an incline recently, it's also the first time in over a year the figure went past 200-thousand mark. The same sectors continue to lead the incline, with the same sectors also seeing declines. "By industry, employment increased in sectors such as healthcare and social welfare services, professional, scientific and technical services, and finance and insurance. However, it declined year-on-year in sectors including agriculture, forestry and fisheries, construction, and manufacturing." In fact, the manufacturing sector saw a decline of 67-thousand jobs on-year a smaller decline compared to past months, attributing to overall growth. On the other hand, the accommodation and restaurant industry saw for the first time a decline in employment in over a year. The number of employees in the industry dropped by 67-thousand compared to a year ago, marking the first decline in 15 months. The decrease is the largest since November 2021, when COVID-19 was in full swing, with a drop of 86-thousand. However, there's hope as a supplementary budget is expected with the new Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling Democratic Party holding majority to support President Lee's motivation. Local currencies or universal cash distribution seem to be the options. "Providing payments in the form of local currency can help boost the regional economy, so we could see a temporary increase in spending—particularly in sectors like services, lodging, and dining—which may lead to a slight uptick in employment." In the meantime for the first time ever, South Korea's workforce aged 60 and over has surpassed 7 million. This comes as younger age groups—except those in their 30s—saw employment declines. With more seniors staying in the labor market amid a rapidly aging population, the overall employment rate for those 15 and older rose to 63-point-8 percent, up point-3 percentage points from a year ago. Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.

Benchmark KOSPI breaks 2,900, hits highest level in 41 months

2025/06/11 17:00

We start with news about the rally in the local stock market. The benchmark KOSPI soared to its highest in over three years breaking past the 2-thousand-900 mark today. Our correspondent Park Jun-han has the closing numbers. South Korea's benchmark KOSPI surpassed 2,900 on Wednesday, for the first time in 3 years and 5 months. The KOSPI, which closed below 2,300 on April 9th, has sharply rebounded — gaining over 25 percent to close at just above 2,907. Among stocks showing strong momentum were those in the financial and semiconductor sectors. Globally, easing uncertainties — especially from the de-escalation of U.S.-China tariff tensions following high-level talks — boosted the rise of Korean semiconductor stocks. "Financial groups and such have risen relatively a bit. I think it's fair to say that the semiconductor industry is also taking part in the uptrend due to the improvement in external conditions." President Lee Jae-myung while he was running for the presidency said he was committed to achieving "KOSPI 5,000" by improving corporate governance and eradicating abuses of management control. Now that Lee has taken office, expectations for his administration's economic policies are fueling investor expectations, which is driving the market rally. "Although these policies have not yet been implemented, the administration is considering measures such as a large-scale supplementary budget to stimulate the domestic economy. Also, expectations that amendments to the Korean Commercial Act will strengthen shareholder protections have generally driven an inflow of foreign funds." On Wednesday, President Lee visited the Korea Exchange to discuss how to revitalize the stock market by observing operations. At the exchange, Lee said his administration was reviewing the introduction of systems to detect unfair transactions early. Lee also said he plans to introduce a zero-tolerance policy on stock price manipulation. Such a policy would include clawing back any ill-gotten gains. Park Jun-han, Arirang News.

[Weather] Summer heat continues with high UV rays

2025/06/11 17:00

Today, heat of around 30 degrees Celsius appeared in most parts of the country. The daytime temperature rose up to 29 degrees in Seoul. Daegu was as high as 30 degrees. Temperatures will stay as hot as today at 31 degrees in Seoul tomorrow. The UV rays are strong during the day under the clear skies. The ultraviolet index will rise to a very high level from the morning. UV rays will be at their peak in the afternoon. Be sure to protect yourself from the strong rays. Tomorrow morning, Seoul, Daejeon, and Gyeongju will start off at 17 degrees, Daegu at 18 degrees. Highs will move up to 30 degrees in Chuncheon, Daejeon and Daegu, 25 degrees in Busan. Rain will begin in Jeju Island tomorrow and expand to southern parts of Chungcheong-do Province by Friday. It will rain all over the country on Saturday. That's all for Korea. Here are the weather conditions around the world.

World News: Austria school shooting death toll rises to 11

2025/06/11 17:00

This is the World Now, bringing you the latest stories from around the globe. In Austria, at least 11 people, including the suspect, have been killed in a high school shooting and many others were injured. The mass shooting happened shortly after 10 AM local time on Tuesday at a secondary school in the southern Austrian city of Graz. Police confirmed the suspect, a 21-year-old former student of the school, brought both a legally owned pistol and a shotgun into the school building. While no definitive motive has been confirmed, officials are looking into reports that he may have experienced bullying while attending the school. Austria has declared a three-day mourning period, and schools across Graz have been temporarily closed. Chancellor Christian Stocker condemned the violence, calling it a "black day for Austria." The United Kingdom and four other countries announced sanctions against two Israeli cabinet ministers, for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The sanctions, announced on Tuesday by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, include asset freezes and travel bans. They target Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom are both prominent West Bank settlers. A joint statement by the five nations stated that the targeted ministers "have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights," emphasizing that the measures are personal, and don't affect official ministry functions. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the sanctions as "outrageous." And the United States warned the sanctions could hinder efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations. In Colombia, a coordinated series of bombings and shootings targeting police stations and roads in the southwest of the country left at least seven people dead and dozens injured on Tuesday morning. More than 20 "terrorist attacks" were reported throughout the day, with assailants detonating bombs using cars and motorcycles, while opening fire on police stations in the city of Cali and nearby towns. Police and military officials have blamed a guerrilla faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday's attacks will be investigated for potential connections with a recent attack on a presidential candidate, who remains in intensive care after being shot in the head. Finally, in Northern India, which is experiencing a heatwave with temperatures reaching as high as 45 degrees Celsius, the capital's New Delhi Zoo launched a special summer action plan for its animals on Tuesday to cope with the scorching heat. As the heatwave has been harsh on not just humans but also animals, the zoo has provided the animals with water sprinklers, a special diet, and ponds to help them combat the heat and stay cool. India's weather office warned of a heatwave for several northern states in the coming days, with light showers expected in some areas starting Thursday. with light showers expected in some areas starting Thursday. Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.

2025 Global Green Hub Korea to foster overseas expansion of local green tech companies

2025/06/11 17:00

Seoul is hosting an annual forum that brings together foreign clients and domestic companies in the green technology industry. Our Moon Ji-young was there. "Strengthening cooperation between domestic companies and global partners, and promoting local companies' eco-friendly technologies" is what the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy aim to achieve at the 18th Global Green Hub Korea forum, currently being held in Seoul. "We hope that this year's forum serves as a platform to enable participants to see new business opportunities by sharing each country's policies and efforts for carbon reduction, as well as the success stories of international development banks." The forum, which opened on Wednesday, seeks to provide a robust platform for eco-friendly and energy industry businesses, in alignment with the global trend of carbon reduction, to support the overseas expansion of domestic companies and the securing of crucial growth engines. This key event provides networking opportunities, project briefings, and matchmaking for Korean and international businesses. "Korea's leadership in environmental technology is an example that we admire where leaders are eager for cooperation that benefits both our people." The scale of the projects presented by the overseas clients and buyers at this year's event amounts to a total of 8 billion dollars. Key projects include the Bangladesh Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Water Treatment Project. Over the course of three days, domestic companies will have the opportunity to actively promote the excellence of a variety of environmental and green technologies to potential overseas clients and buyers. Moon Ji-young, Arirang News.

BTS members Jungkook and Jimin officially discharged; full BTS reunion nears

2025/06/11 17:00

On the K-pop front. The wait is nearing an end for BTS fans worldwide as all seven members are soon set to re-unite as a group. Earlier today two more members Jungkook and Jimin were discharged from their mandatory service while Suga ends his duty next weekend. Park Hyo-been reports. As they stepped out of the car, Jungkook and Jimin were greeted with loud cheers—bouquets in hand, smiling at their fans. The pair enlisted together back in December 2023, served in the Army, and were officially discharged from mandatory military service on Wednesday morning. After a short salute, Jungkook thanked those he served with. "To our seniors and the officers who spent time with us—thank you so much for taking good care of us." Jimin expressed heartfelt appreciation for the fans who had waited for them. "With our service now behind us, I believe it's time to keep building the vision we've been working on. We'll do our best to come back with something even better." Fans from across the globe gathered near the base from early morning to welcome the two stars. Banners reading "Purple is Back" and "Jungkook's Moment Begins Now" lined the area, along with giant balloons. With Jin and J-Hope already discharged last year, and RM and V returning on Tuesday, only one member remains before a full reunion. SUGA, currently serving as a social service worker, is set to complete his duty later this month. As BTS celebrates the 12th anniversary of its debut this Friday, excitement is building for a long-awaited full-group comeback—possibly just around the corner. Park Hyo-been, Arirang News.

S. Korean fighter jet damaged during Red Flag Alaska; pilots safe: ROK Air Force

2025/06/11 17:00

A South Korean KF-16 fighter jet was damaged Wednesday during a multinational drill led by the U.S. in Alaska. According to authorities the two pilots were forced to eject in response to an emergency situation during take-off. The pilots were transferred to a nearby hospital and are said to be in stable condition. A separate team from the South Korean Air Force will head an investigation into the incident.

Protest against Trump's immigration policy spreads to other cities

2025/06/11 17:00

A curfew is in place in some parts of Los Angeles as of eight in the evening on Tuesday until six in the morning on Wednesday local time. It was announced by the city's mayor following days of anti-ICE protests that our Lee Seung-jae says have spread to other cities in the U.S. Do take a listen. The LA protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies continued for the fifth day on Tuesday. According to the police, rioting, arson, and violence have somewhat subsided. However, the demonstrations against the crackdown and deportation of illegal immigrants are spreading to other major cities, including San Francisco, San Francisco, New York and Chicago. With concerns lingering over the current state of the Los Angeles area, hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived on Tuesday, under orders from President Trump. Around 700 Marines were seen awaiting deployment to specific locations, however, they do not have the authority to arrest anyone. Instead,.. the troops are said to be deployed to protect federal property and personnel. California Governor Gavin Newsom filed an emergency request at a federal court on Tuesday, to stop the Trump administration from using both the National Guard and the Marines. Along with the recent deployment of Marines, some 4-thousand National Guard members have been sent to LA to control the protests. Trump has also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy the military and to federalize the National Guard units of the individual states if he determines the LA street protests to be an insurrection. "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well, see, but I can tell you last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible. We have, as you've seen, it was on most of your networks, people with big, heavy hammers pounding the concrete and pounding curbs, pounding and breaking up and handing these big chunks of concrete to people." Trump added that the National Guard will leave, once it's deemed that the Los Angeles area is no longer considered dangerous. Meanwhile, progressive groups say that they'll be holding more than 15-hundred "No Kings" protests across the country on Saturday, which is the same day a military parade is set to take place in the U.S. capital, marking the U.S. Army's 250th birthday. The organizers believe that Trump is using the military's birthday to celebrate his own birthday, which is also on June 14th. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.

U.S.-China agree on trade framework to implement Geneva Consensus

2025/06/11 17:00

In London. Senior trade officials from the U.S. and China have hammered out a framework to put into practice the trade deal sealed in Geneva. Our Lee Soo-jin has details. The United States and China have agreed on a trade framework that would allow them to implement an agreement reached at the trade talks held in Geneva last month. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday that the U.S. and China have reached a framework to implement the Geneva Consensus, which each negotiating team will present for approval by the leaders of both countries before it is put into effect. This comes after two full days of talks that began on Monday in London. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Lutnick had already expressed optimism about the negotiations. "I have to go back to Washington to testify before Congress tomorrow. We have had two days of productive talks." "I think we're working on all sorts of change, and I think the talks are going really, really well. The high-level talks between the world's largest economies follow discussions held in Geneva on May 10th and 11th, where the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily slash tariffs. But since those talks, sentiment has soured with both sides accusing the other of breaching the agreement. As tensions escalated, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a 90-minute phone call last week, during which they agreed to move forward with a new round of trade talks. The U.S. announced strict export controls on advanced semiconductor chip technology and visa cancellations for Chinese students, while China has been slow to lift blocks on shipments of rare earth minerals, a key focus of this second round of talks. Lutnick expressed hope that the framework will help resolve China's rare earth export restrictions. Wall Street's three major indices closed higher on Tuesday, buoyed by optimism from senior U.S. administration officials. The blue-chip focused Dow ended up zero-point-two-five percent, the S&P 500 rose zero-point-five-five percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained zero-point-six-three percent. Lee Soo-jin, Arirang News.

U.S. State Department "confident" S. Korea-U.S. ties will "thrive" under Lee Jae-myung administration

2025/06/11 17:00

The U.S. is "confident" that ties between Seoul and Washington will continue to "thrive" under the Lee Jae-myung administration. Remarks to this end were made by U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce during a press briefing on Tuesday in response to a question about President Lee's approach to the alliance between the two countries. The new South Korean president for his part has pledged "pragmatic" diplomacy while highlighting the importance of bilateral relations. Following talks on the phone last week President Lee and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump are expected to meet on the margins of the G7 meeting in Canada starting June 15th.

New deputy ministers for foreign affairs take office

2025/06/11 17:00

Newly appointed deputy foreign ministers began their duty on this Wednesday one day after being tapped by President Lee Jae-myung . The appointments of First Deputy Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and Second Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jina come just a few days ahead of the president's attendance at the Group of Seven summit in Canada scheduled to start on Sunday local time. Park previously served as the minister of South Korea's mission to the ASEAN while Kim was a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The Lee administration has yet to name a foreign minister a post which UNLIKE the deputy positions REQUIRES parliamentary approval.