US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea as a show of force against nuclear-armed North Korea

A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived Saturday in South Korea for a three-way exercise involving Japan as they step up military training to cope with North Korean threats, which have escalated following a security pact with Russia. The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group in Busan came a day after South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest a major deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week. The agreement pledges m

DefenseJune 23, 2024

US expert calls for S. Korea's inclusion into G7, touts its 'trustworthiness'

A prominent US expert has made an emphatic call for the Group of Seven to consider its membership expansion to include South Korea, touting the Asian democracy's "trustworthiness," performance and potential role to add diversity to the club of the world's leading industrialized nations. Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the case, stressing the need for G7 leaders to pursue "serious" reforms t

Foreign AffairsJune 23, 2024

Leakage suspected after water released from spent fuel storage at Wolseong No. 4 nuclear power plant

The authorities are looking into a possible leakage after some 2.3 tons of stored water was released from spent fuel storage at the Wolseong No. 4 nuclear power plant in southern South Korea, officials said Saturday. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) said it received the report on the discharge of the water into the sea from the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the operator of the Wolseong plant, at 7:53 a.m. KHNP discovered a decrease in the water level of the spent f

Social AffairsJune 22, 2024

[Weekender] Meet my green friends: Home gardening for healing, companionship

Lee Won-young, a 26-year-old graduate school student, has recently added a new routine to her busy life -- taking care of a potted plant that she called “Chris.” Chris sits by Lee’s desk in her room. Lee’s routine every Monday is to water her potted plant to make sure it survives another week. Throughout the rest of the week, Lee spends time moving her plant in different locations around the house to make sure it gets enough sunlight and putting it under an LED light to b

Social AffairsJune 22, 2024

Canine custody clash: Does dog belong to buyer or guardian?

  A messy canine custody battle broke out recently after a woman sued her son's former girlfriend, claiming ownership of a golden retriever who had lived with her for years but is legally owned by the ex-girlfriend. Seoul High Court recently ruled in favor of the ex-girlfriend, overturning an earlier ruling that granted the mother ownership of the animal. "There is no evidence to believe that (the ex-girlfriend) explicitly expressed her will to give the dog to the plaintiff," the

Social AffairsJune 22, 2024

Koreans' favorite YouTubers: Tzuyang and Kwaktube

Eating and travel shows are a big hit among Koreans on YouTube, with "mukbang" YouTuber Tzuyang being the most popular, followed by travel YouTuber Kawktube, a survey showed Thursday. In a poll conducted by Gallup Korea from March to April, involving 1,777 respondents aged 13 and older, Tzuyang topped the list with 5.2 percent choosing her as their favorite YouTuber. Kwaktube of the eponymous travel YouTube channel secured second place with 4 percent. All YouTubers in the top five of t

Social AffairsJune 22, 2024

Heavy rain hits southern S. Korea; gov't activates counter-disaster team

Heavy rains pounded southern regions in South Korea on Saturday, including the southernmost resort island of Jeju, with the government initiating anti-disaster operations to brace for emergencies. Heavy rainfall of up to 150 millimeters was expected in Jeju over the weekend, and as much as 50-100 mm in the southwestern Gwangju city and the surrounding South Jeolla Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The Gwangju regional weather agency said it issued the heavy ra

Social AffairsJune 22, 2024

Row brews over Italian city's plan to modify inscription on 'comfort women' statue

A potential row is brewing in Italy over erecting a girl statue symbolizing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, after a city chief signaled a possible modification to the structure to add Japan's position on the issue. A South Korean civic group announced earlier this week that the statue will be erected in Stintino, a city on the Italian island of Sardinia, on Saturday (local time), and an official unveiling ceremony will take place on the same day. That would be the first

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2024

S. Korea requests Japan provide passenger list of deadly Ukishima Maru ship sinking: report

South Korea has requested Japan provide it with the passenger list from a controversial 1945 deadly explosion and sinking of a Japanese vessel known to have killed thousands of Koreans aboard, a news report said Saturday. South Korea's Ministry of Interior and Safety, responsible for the case, made the request for the relevant materials through its foreign ministry, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported. The Ukishima Maru, which had belonged to the Japanese Navy, was transporting Koreans, ma

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan agree on close cooperation through 'timely' dialogue after Kim-Putin summit: Seoul minister

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed on close security cooperation through "timely" consultation, after Russia and North Korea signed a new security treaty during a summit in Pyongyang this week, Seoul's top diplomat said Friday. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remarks, commenting on his back-to-back phone calls with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean lea

DefenseJune 22, 2024

Medical professors at Seoul Nat'l Univ. hospitals to end indefinite walkout

Medical professors serving as senior doctors at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) and its affiliates decided Friday to end an indefinite walkout, saying they could not put patients at risk any more, officials said. On Monday, senior doctors at SNUH in Seoul and its three affiliates began an indefinite walkout in protest against the government's increase of the medical school admissions quota. Around 530 senior doctors there, or 54.8 percent of the total, have joined the collective a

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Former land, justice ministers to run for ruling party chief

Former Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong will announce his candidacy for the chairmanship of the ruling People Power Party on Sunday, Won's camp said Friday. "I have concluded that the party and the government must now work together in unison to bring about changes and reforms that fully support the public sentiment expressed through the general election," said Won. Earlier, Han Dong-hoon, who led the ruling People Power Party through the April election fo

PoliticsJune 21, 2024

Man puts plastic bag over face of comfort women statue

Seoul Seobu Police Station said Friday it has sought charges against a man for placing a plastic bag over a statue symbolizing comfort women, the euphemism for the tens of thousands of women coerced into sexual slavery by imperial Japan during World War II. The man surnamed Kim, who is a leader of a controversial civic group calling for the abolishment of the act on supporting former comfort women, has been accused of violating Article 3 of the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act for placing the

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Over 10m people flew between S. Korea, Japan in Jan-May, most in history

A total of 10.15 million took international flights between South Korea and Japan from January to May of this year to mark an all-time high, government data showed Friday. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of passengers who flew between South Korea and Japan in that period increased by 46.2 percent compared to the same period the year before, which was 6.94 million. The previous high in this category was marked in the Jan.-May of 2019, which was 9.38 m

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

North Korean soldiers briefly cross border with South again

North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line that divides the Koreas on Thursday, according to the South Korean military. The soldiers retreated to their side of the border after the South fired warning shots. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that “several North Korean soldiers crossed the border into our side of the Demilitarized Zone” at around 11 a.m. Thursday. According to the JCS, the North Korean soldiers made it about 20 meters south of the

DefenseJune 21, 2024

Gyeongju likely to host 2025 APEC summit

Gyeongju in South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province has been recommended to host the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government's host city selection committee voted to recommend Gyeongju as the candidate city for next year's APEC Summit at its fourth meeting. The upcoming APEC summit is to be hosted in South Korea for the first time in 20 years since its previous one was

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Seoul says weapon aid to Ukraine 'depends on Russia's reaction'

South Korea will map out plans to send weapons to Ukraine, depending on how Russia would react to Seoul's statement which hinted at a review of arms support in response to the development of Russia-North Korea relations on Thursday, according to the presidential office Friday. The office added that many options concerning the weapons aid to Ukraine could be taken into consideration and that South Korea will continue its "comprehensive support" to Ukraine. Seoul, however, denied th

PoliticsJune 21, 2024

Jeju taps Indonesian influencer as new ambassador to boost tourism

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is set to expand its reach into the Southeast Asian tourism market by appointing a popular Indonesian influencer as its new promotional ambassador. Jeju’s provincial government said Friday it officially designated Anang Hermansyah, an Indonesian influencer with 6.56 million YouTube subscribers and 2.58 million Facebook followers, as its promotional ambassador. On the day, Governor Oh Young-hun met with Anang Hermansyah and his wife, Ashanty Ash, along

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Seoul summons Russian ambassador over Kim-Putin talks

Seoul on Friday summoned Georgy Zinoviev, ambassador of Russia to South Korea, to express its discontent over the elevated ties between North Korea and Russia that would commit each other to provide military assistance in the event of armed aggression to the other. First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun summoned Zinoviev to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Seoul and explained Seoul's stance on the bilateral pact of North Korea and Russia signed Wednesday, according to the

PoliticsJune 21, 2024

Passengers come to rescue of bus driver who fell ill while driving

Passengers recently aided an Incheon bus driver who fell ill while driving, helping him to safety and making sure he received medical care, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said Thursday. In a video posted on the National Police Agency’s official YouTube page, the driver of an Incheon bus was seen swaying in his seat while driving in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. After he stopped the bus, concerned passengers came up to him and asked how he was, He replied, "I'm fine. I just need t

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024