Top prosecutor condemns DP's impeachment motion as illegal act

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok on Friday denounced the main opposition party's push to impeach four prosecutors, mostly involved in corruption investigations into former party leader Lee Jae-myung, as an illegal act. The Democratic Party submitted the controversial impeachment motion to the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee earlier this week, triggering criticism from many senior prosecutors. The top prosecutor, who has already criticized the motion as unconstitutional

PoliticsJuly 5, 2024

Fire breaks out at Hwaseong ink factory; no casualties reported

A fire broke out Friday at an ink factory in the industrial district in Hwaseong, some 62 kilometers south of Seoul. No casualties have yet been reported. The fire broke out at around 7:15 a.m. at the 1,700-square-meter factory and forced the evacuation of three workers from the site, according to the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters. The authorities issued a level-one emergency response and dispatched 31 fire engines and 78 emergency personnel to the site. The flames were extinguished

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Gold bars found at Seoul recycling center returned to owner

Gold bars found at a recycling site in Seoul have been safely returned to their owner, according to a local news report. The discovery gained attention through a post titled "The Prestige of Banpo Xi Recycling Center" on an online community forum on Wednesday. The post included an image of an apartment complex notice stating, "An employee found gold bars in a case for a CD player. The resident who discarded the CD player, please contact the resident support center to verify owners

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Parents at academy of Son Heung-min's father claims no abuse; civic groups bash parents

The parents of the players attending a soccer academy run by Son Woong-jung, the father of soccer superstar Son Heung-min, released a joint statement Thursday dismissing the recent allegations that he and two coaches at the institute abused the children there. Despite the statement, civic groups said later in the day that the parents making such claims of no abuse can be in itself a form of secondary abuse against the victim. In the joint statement, the parents said, "after years at the a

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Govt. weighing measures to deal with trainee doctors who refuse to return to hospitals

The government has been weighing measures on how to deal with trainee doctors who refuse to return to hospitals in protest of medical reform, according to officials Friday. With most trainee doctors still remaining unresponsive to the government's appeasement measures to help them return to hospitals, officials said the government will soon come up with measures on how to respond to the junior doctors who have left their worksites since late February. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong earlier p

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Driver in deadly Seoul car crash argues sudden acceleration in police questioning

The driver involved in a recent car crash that killed nine pedestrians in central Seoul argued a sudden unintended acceleration caused the accident in the first police interrogation. The questioning comes three days after the 68-year-old man's Genesis G80 sedan plowed through a sidewalk guardrail and hit pedestrians while traveling against traffic on a one-way road near Seoul City Hall on Monday night. A total of nine people were killed, including six who died at the scene, most of them off

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Civic group files complaint with anti-corruption agency again over luxury bag scandal

A civic group filed a complaint with the state anti-corruption agency Thursday for the second time over a luxury bag scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee after the case was dropped last month. The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed the complaint, which included additional evidence of the first lady receiving high-end perfumes and expensive liquors from a Korean American pastor, with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. "Since the complaint last year,

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Seoul city to reinforce traffic signs on one-way roads following deadly car crash

The Seoul city government said Thursday it will reinforce traffic signs and road markings on one-way roads as part of safety measures following a deadly car crash that left nine people dead earlier this week. "Although a no-entry traffic sign and a road marking are put up (at the accident site), we plan to reinforce them and install more to make them more noticeable to drivers throughout the day and night," a city official said. On Monday night, a sedan driven by a 68-year-old darted i

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

No. of elementary school students per class could fall to single-digit levels in decade: teachers' group

The average number of students per elementary school class could fall to single-digit levels in 10 years due to ultralow birth rates, a teachers' group said Thursday. The Good Teachers Movement announced the estimate during a forum held to discuss low birth rates and education reforms, saying the forecast is based on school-age population data that Statistics Korea released in June last year. According to the worst-case scenario, the average number of elementary school students per class co

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Parents reject abuse allegations against Son Heung-min's father at football academy

Parents of players training at the football academy run by the father of South Korean football star Son Heung-min on Thursday dismissed child abuse allegations against him. Son Woong-jung, a former player and director of Son Football Academy, and two of his coaches are under investigation over charges that they had physically and verbally abused a young player. In a joint statement issued Thursday, parents of other players said they had never once heard of or seen any corporal punishment at the

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Assembly passes special probe bill on Marine’s death

The opposition-led National Assembly on Thursday passed a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the military’s response to a young Marine’s death last year. Of the total 190 lawmakers that participated in the vote, 189 voted in favor of the bill while one was against it. All ruling People Power Party, except two, boycotted and left the premises before plenary voting took place. The contentious bill, which calls for the fo

PoliticsJuly 4, 2024

Among Seoul’s conservatives, calls for going nuclear grow

More conservative leaders in Seoul are joining the hitherto fringe club of politicians calling for South Korea to get its own nuclear weapons to counter growing North Korean and other security threats facing the country. The recurring debate, which used to take place on the peripheries of South Korean politics, is gaining traction this time in the wake of the high-profile meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In a summit in Pyongyang last month, Putin s

PoliticsJuly 4, 2024

[From the Scene] Eurasian titans gather in Astana for growing regional summit led by Putin, Xi

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- The leaders of Eurasian titans convened in Astana on Thursday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, spearheaded by China and Russia as they aim for a multipolar world order, while ceremoniously welcoming Belarus as the newest member of the SCO. Hosted by Kazakhstan, the summit spotlighted a growing alignment among members of the economic, defense-oriented and security bloc — many of which oppose a West-led global order — amid escalating geopolitical

Foreign AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Weather agency plans to forecast further into future

South Korea's national weather agency said Thursday it plans to forecast the weather further into the future, starting with expanding its mid-term forecast from the current 10-day outlook to 14 within this year. The Korea Meteorological Administration said it will review its numerical weather prediction to see if it can provide specific weather data for up to 14 days. The KMA currently has a three-level weather forecast system: the short-term forecast of up to three days predicts the specif

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Seoul's safety income initiative paves way for future Korean welfare: mayor

The Seoul Safety Income Project, initiated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will set an example for South Korea's welfare policy in the future, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Thursday, marking the project's second anniversary. The initiative launched as a pilot project by the city government in 2022, is an income guarantee model that partially compensates the household income gap for families earning less than 85 percent of the median income. A key feature of this initiative is that

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Yoon replaces 3 minister-level officials in partial reshuffle

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday carried out his first Cabinet shake-up following the general election in April, replacing three ministerial posts, including the head of the state broadcasting watchdog. Yoon named Lee Jin-sook, a former journalist at public broadcaster MBC and the nation’s first female war correspondent, as the new Korea Communications Commission chairperson, chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said in a press briefing. “Lee is the country’s first female war corres

PoliticsJuly 4, 2024

Ex-vice finance minister to lead environment ministry

Kim Wan-sup, the Environment Minister nominee, is a bureaucrat who served as the second vice minister of the Finance Ministry last year. On nominating Kim, Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk said that Kim has a “better understanding of the Yoon administration’s state philosophy than anyone else.” “The current administration expects Kim will be able to carry out balanced policies, especially given the growing impact of environmental issues on the economy, such as co

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Ex-TV journalist nominated as new broadcasting regulator chief

Lee Jin-sook, former president of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation’s Daejeon unit, has been nominated as the new chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, the presidential office announced Thursday. The 63-year-old started her career at Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, also known as MBC, as a news reporter in 1987. Lee was South Korea's first female war correspondent, covering the Gulf War in 1991 and the Iraq War in 2003. In recognition of her contributions, she received the

PoliticsJuly 4, 2024

Policy veteran tapped as forest service minister

Lim Sang-seop, former deputy minister of the Korea Forest Service, has been nominated as the new minister of the agency, the presidential office announced Thursday. The 54-year-old is a seasoned forest expert with extensive experience in both policy and fieldwork. He joined the forestry agency in 1998 after passing the higher technical civil service examination and has held various positions within the organization. The presidential office praised Lim as an expert who has contributed to enhancin

PoliticsJuly 4, 2024

Court rejects arrest warrant for driver of fatal crash

A district court on Thursday turned down police's request for an arrest warrant against the driver of the deadly car accident in central Seoul late Monday that killed nine people and left seven injured. Namdaemun Police Station investigating the car crash said Thursday that the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the request to arrest the 68-year-old driver surnamed Cha, citing the low risk for the man not appearing for police questioning. It was also difficult to assert the necessity of

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024