Biden nominates Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson as new US Forces Korea commander

US President Joe Biden has nominated Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of I Corps, to lead the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, the Pentagon said Wednesday, a nomination ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. If confirmed, Brunson would replace Gen. Paul LaCamera who has led CFC, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea since July 2021. His Senate confirmation hearing is slated for Tuesday next week. The position for the top US general in South Korea leads the three commands

Foreign AffairsSept. 12, 2024

N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, the South Korean military said, a week after Pyongyang warned that South Korea and the United States will have to pay a "dear price" for their joint drills. "The North Korean missiles flew about 360 kilometers and landed in the East Sea," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said it detected the missiles launched from the Pyongyang area at 7:10 a.m., but it did not provide any further det

North KoreaSept. 12, 2024

[Graphic News] Recent S. Korean wins in LPGA

South Korea’s Yoo Hae-ran claimed her first LPGA Tour win in nearly a year at the FM Championship in the United States. On Sept. 2, Yoo shot an impressive 8-under-par 64 in the final round at TPC Boston, closing with nine birdies and one bogey. Yoo finished tied with fellow South Korean Ko Jin-young at 15-under-par 273, but won in a playoff by making par on the first extra hole while Ko bogeyed. This marks Yoo’s first LPGA victory in 11 months. The victory breaks South Korea’

GolfSept. 12, 2024

[팟캐스트] (618) 한국 덮친 '딥페이크 성범죄' 공포

진행자: 박준희, Elise Youn Stigma, criticism follow deepfake victims 기사 요약: 딥페이크 심각성 커지면서 가해자에 대한 처벌 강화하고, 피해자를 보호해야 한다는 목소리가 많아지고 있다 [1] As hundreds of reports have been recently made to police regarding the distribution and creation of sexually explicit deepfake images and videos, calls for increased protection and stronger punishment of perpetrators are being raised in South Korea. * Distribution: 분배 (방식), 분포 * Explicit: 명백한, 노골적인 * Call for something: ~을 필요로 하다; (공식적으로) 요구하다 * Perpetrators: (범행

PodcastSept. 12, 2024

[Stephanie Pincetl] A summer of extreme heat, wildfire

As Greece attempts to recover from the recent destructive wildfires around Athens, Southern Californians facing our own heat wave should take note of the pattern that enabled them. It should be well-known by now: sprawl into the urban-wildland interface where development collides with nature, the corresponding replacement of grass, shrubs and other plants native to the area with many more trees for shade, then strain on the land thanks to drought, record high heat and wind, intensified by climat

ViewpointsSept. 12, 2024

[Wang Son-taek] Arrogance is poison

Traditionally, Koreans have respected polite and considerate speech, but recently, we have seen many people speaking arrogantly and presumptuously. A recent case involves Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, whose remarks have ignited controversy. He made unusually frank comments on US elections and foreign policy during a seminar at a private research institute in Seoul. Here are a few of his statements: “If former President Trump wins the US election in

ViewpointsSept. 12, 2024

Key takeaways from a debate that featured tense clashes and closed with a Taylor Swift endorsement

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage for the first — and possibly the last — time. The Democratic vice president opened Tuesday night's faceoff with a power move, marching across the stage to Trump’s lectern to shake his hand. “Kamala Harris,” she said, introducing herself as the pair met for the first time ever. “Let’s have a good debate.” “Nice to see you. Have fun,” the former Republican president

World NewsSept. 11, 2024

Yoon urges Cambodia to iron out measures to protect S. Koreans

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with head of Cambodian Senate, Hun Sen, on Wednesday and called for measures to stem crimes targeting South Korean nationals in the Southeast Asian country, the presidential office said. Yoon met with the former Cambodian prime minister at the presidential office in Seoul to discuss improving bilateral ties, according to his office. In particular, Yoon asked Sen to pay attention to responding to and preventing increasing crimes targeting South Koreans residing in Camb

Foreign AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Defense chief discusses cooperation with counterparts from 7 nations, NATO

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun held bilateral talks with his counterparts from seven nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Wednesday to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, and ways to broaden defense and arms industry cooperation, his office said. Kim held back-to-back meetings with the defense ministers of Cameroon, Canada, Finland, Malaysia and Mongolia, as well as Japan's state minister of defense, the chair of the NATO Military Committee and the minis

DefenseSept. 11, 2024

Blinken and Lammy arrive in Kyiv as Ukraine pushes for long-range strikes against Russia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Kyiv on a joint visit Wednesday, as Ukraine presses the West to allow it to use long-range missiles against Russia. The top diplomats reached the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland hours after the US presidential debate during which Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump sparred over the 2 1/2-year war in Ukraine. Blinken traveled from London, where he accused Iran of providing Russia w

World NewsSept. 11, 2024

Police investigating 513 deepfake sex crime cases; up 73% in 40 days

Police are investigating 513 cases of deepfake sex crimes, a more than 70 percent jump in about 40 days, the National Police Agency said Wednesday. The number, tallied as of Tuesday, compares with only 297 cases at the end of July. Should the current trend hold, the annual number of deepfake crime cases reported to police is expected to reach a record high. The number of such cases has been on a steady rise from 156 cases in 2021, to 160 cases in 2022 and 180 cases in 2023. From January to Septe

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Hit with lifetime ban, football player Son Jun-ho claims innocence, says China forced him to admit fake charges

South Korean football player Son Jun-ho on Wednesday denied match-fixing and bribery charges levied on him by China, claiming that Chinese authorities coerced him into admitting bogus accusations in exchange for an early release that never came. Son, currently midfielder for the South Korean side Suwon FC, held an emotional press conference a day after the Chinese Football Association (CFA) slapped him with a lifetime ban for manipulating matches for illegal gains. Son, who played for Shandong T

Foreign AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Bentley Flying Spur hybrid makes global premiere in Korea

Bentley Motors Korea has just unveiled the fourth-generation Flying Spur in South Korea, marking the global debut of this luxury sedan with an all-new plug-in hybrid system. After announcing the new Flying Spur on Tuesday, Bentley Motors Korea held an in-person media reveal on Wednesday at the Bentley Tower in Dongdaemun, Seoul. “South Korea is incredibly important to Bentley, and the Flying Spur has really resonated with customers here. Last year, it became the first luxury sedan in its p

MobilitySept. 11, 2024

Number of deaths at emergency rooms falls despite doctors' walkout: gov't

The number of deaths at hospital emergency rooms declined during the first seven months of this year as fewer patients with mild cases visited ERs for treatment amid the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, the health ministry said Wednesday. A total of 27,176 people died while receiving treatments at emergency care centers during the January-July period, down 3.4 percent from the previous year's 28,123, ministry official Jung Yoon-soon said in a press briefing. The decline was due to the

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

N. Korea appears to have discharged border dam water: environment ministry

North Korea appears to have discharged a "considerable" amount of water from the upstream of its dam near the inter-Korean border, Seoul's environment ministry said Wednesday. Satellite imagery taken at 3 p.m. showed the downstream of the Imjin River had significantly broadened in width, according to the ministry. The water level of South Korea's northernmost Pilseung Bridge on the Imjin River had reached 1 meter as of 5 p.m., up from 0.3 meter recorded three hours before. Th

North KoreaSept. 11, 2024

Paramedic scolded a patient for delaying ambulance with a shower. Here's what happened next.

A court on Wednesday overturned a reprimand issued to an Incheon firefighter paramedic for being “impolite” to a patient who kept an ambulance waiting to take a shower. The Incheon District Court ruled in favor of the firefighter, citing procedural irregularities in the disciplinary process. The court found that the employer had not given adequate notice or allowed the firefighter a proper opportunity to present his case. "Given the procedural irregularities, we are overturning

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Multiethnic Katseye begins Asia promo tour dreaming of inspiring girls everywhere

Katseye, a multinational and multiethnic K-pop girl group formed by Hybe in collaboration with Geffen Records, kicked off its ambitious Asia promotion to broaden its reach. The six-member group consists of: Daniela, whose father is Venezuelan, mother is Cuban and grew up in Los Angeles; Megan, whose father is white American, mother is Chinese Singaporean and grew up in Hawaii; Lara, who was born in India and grew up in LA; Manon, whose father is Ghanaian, mother is Swiss-Italian and grew up in Z

K-popSept. 11, 2024

Nexon to split off Mintrocket, developer of 'Dave the Diver'

Nexon on Wednesday announced its decision to split off Mintrocket, the South Korean game company's sub-brand known for its hit title, "Dave the Diver," in the effort to bolster its autonomy and create a more innovative environment for developing games. Mintrocket, which began as Nexon's sub-brand in 2022 under the motto of "creative and speedy development," came up with "Dave the Diver" -- a single-player, action-adventure game that requires players to con

CompaniesSept. 11, 2024

Online retail continues rapid growth

South Korea's consumer market increased by 33.3 percent from 2014 to 2023, with the annual growth in non-store retailing such as online markets outstripping that of large stores by tenfold. The consumer market for the country was 509.5 trillion won ($380.4 billion) in 2023, up from 382.3 trillion won in 2014, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's analysis based on Statistic Korea data showed Wednesday. The report looked at the total growth in the time period over various secto

EconomySept. 11, 2024