Putin 'highly appreciates' S. Korea's position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he highly appreciates South Korea's position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine, and that Moscow is ready to restore relations with Seoul. Putin made the remark during a meeting with representatives of leading international news agencies, including Yonhap News Agency, which was held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The remark drew attention in that Putin, who began his fifth term as president last mon

Foreign AffairsJune 6, 2024

Hybrid threats, economic coercion, other challenges drive NATO-S. Korea engagement: expert

A security expert on Wednesday cited "hybrid" threats, economic coercion and other common challenges as a driver of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's engagement with South Korea and other Asia-Pacific partners, as a NATO summit is set to take place in Washington next month. Kristine Berzina, managing director of GMF Geostrategy North, an institute analyzing various security issues, made the remarks, anticipating that the NATO summit, set for July 9-11, will bring together t

Foreign AffairsJune 6, 2024

Global temperatures likely to rise above 1.5 C mark in next 5 years: WMO

There is an 80 percent chance for global temperatures to rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels within the next five years, according to the World Meteorological Organization on Wednesday. According to the WMO’s Global Annual to Decadal Update report, the global temperatures for each year between 2024 and 2028 are predicted to range between 1.1 and 1.9 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report, which is issued annually by the WMO, provides an explanati

Social AffairsJune 6, 2024

Yoon pledges to enhance critical mineral partnership with Africa

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that South Korea will establish a critical mineral partnership with major African nations to develop resources on the continent in a "mutually beneficial" way. Yoon made the remark during a business summit attended by industry leaders from Korea and Africa, an event on the second day of the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit. On the first day of the summit, Korea and delegates from 48 African countries adopted a joint declaration to boost trade and in

PoliticsJune 5, 2024

US B-1B bomber holds bombing drills in S. Korea for 1st time in 7 years

The United States on Wednesday deployed one B-1B bomber for joint bombing drills in South Korea for the first time in seven years amid heightened tensions over North Korea's trash balloon campaign and GPS jamming attacks. The US heavy bomber from Andersen Air Base in Guam and two South Korean F-15K fighters released live GBU-38, 500-pound joint direct attack munitions, to strike multiple simulated targets at Pilsung Range in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, according to the US 7th Air Force in So

DefenseJune 5, 2024

Late transgender soldier to be laid to rest at natl. cemetery

A transgender soldier who died in an apparent suicide in 2021 after forcible discharge will be laid to rest at a national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon, a veterans ministry official said Wednesday, after a state panel recently recognized her as having died in the line of duty. In March, the state review committee affiliated with the defense ministry recognized Sergeant Byun Hee-soo's death as an on-duty one, overturning a previous classification and allowing her remains to be inte

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

Mandatory or voluntary? Korea's dilemma over regulating disposables

Amid global efforts to curb disposable plastic consumption, South Korea has been stuck in a dilemma about whether to regulate disposable cups and straws for food services out of fear of financially burdening smaller businesses. The country has backtracked on previously implemented disposable plastic regulations, with the Environment Ministry lifting its ban on disposable cups, plastic straws and plastic bags at cafes and restaurants, while also giving provisional approval to bring plastic bags b

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

2004 gang rape resurfaces in crusade to reveal alleged criminals' identities

The Miryang gang rape case of 2004 is widely remembered as one of the worst sex crime cases in South Korean history, sparking nationwide furor for not only its brutality, but also for victim blaming by the local community and what has been seen as a lack of proper punishment for those responsible. Forty-four high school boys in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, were found to have taken part in the brutal physical and sexual assault of multiple underage victims over the course of a year. The

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

Controversy reemerges over former first lady’s India trip

A controversy surrounding accusations that former first lady Kim Jung-sook spent an “excessive” amount of taxpayers’ money to fund her 2018 trip to India has resurfaced in recent days, with the ruling party proposing a special counsel investigation. Ruling People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun on Monday floated a bill that mandates a special counsel investigation into allegations that the former first lady wrongfully used her position and public funds to take a personal trip t

PoliticsJune 5, 2024

Assembly speaker elected without a single ruling party vote

The speaker to lead the first half of the National Assembly through its new term was elected Wednesday in a vote that was held in the absence of the ruling People Power Party. The first plenary session of the new Assembly term was convened on this day before a bipartisan agreement could be reached over appointment of committee chairs. The Democratic Party of Korea -- which outnumbers the People Power Party by 171 to 108 -- is pushing to chair all of the 17 committees of the Assembly. The ruling

PoliticsJune 5, 2024

US bill seeks to close loophole that has denied citizenship to Korean adoptees

A legislative bill that would finally close a loophole that has denied US citizenship to tens of thousands of adult adoptees, including around 20,000 from South Korea, was introduced in the US Congress, the Korean American Grassroots Conference said Wednesday. According to officials from the US-based non-profit organization for Korean American voters, the proposed Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2024 was brought forth on Tuesday, local time, by bipartisan leaders Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sen. Su

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

Cuba's high-level diplomat to make first-ever official visit to S. Korea

A high-level Cuban diplomat will make a first-ever official visit to South Korea to participate in an annual Seoul-hosted forum focused on enhancing cooperation between South Korea and Latin America, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Wednesday. Carlos Miguel Pereira, Director-General of the General Division of Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, will deliver his presentation at the 2024 Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum, scheduled for June 10 in Seoul. Pereira is re

Foreign AffairsJune 5, 2024

Man with IQ of 65 acknowledged as having disability

A South Korean court on Wednesday ruled in favor of a man in his 40s who had challenged a recent decision by the government not to acknowledge him as having an intellectual disability. In the recent administrative litigation, the Incheon District Court ruled that the man should be considered to have an IQ of 65, as he claims. The plaintiff in 2021 applied to be registered as disabled with the Incheon Metropolitan Government, but the city declined his request, based on an examination by the Natio

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

Man lies to police about committing crimes, gets prison term

A 46-year-old man who filed 112 fake reports to the police in the span of about 10 months was sentenced to 10 months in prison, Jeonju District Court said Wednesday. The defendant filed the fake reports between November of 2022 and September of 2023, falsely claiming that he killed a man, or that he stabbed an acquaintance with a knife. An appellate court of the case found the defendant guilty of obstruction of performance of official duties by fraudulent means, stipulated by Article 137 of the

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] S. Korea's assistance to Africa is an investment, says Rwandan president

Rwandan President Paul Kagame expressed high hopes to forge mutually beneficial ties with South Korea, stressing that the support from Asia's fourth-largest economy to the continent, particularly Rwanda, is an investment for mutual gains. “Korea should, in fact, say that the support they give to countries in Africa or to Rwanda in particular is a sort of investment," the president said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday. "It's investing your money

Foreign AffairsJune 5, 2024

Education minister seeks to foster cooperation with Uganda

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho met with Uganda's Vice President Jessica Epel Alupo on Wednesday during the South Korea-Africa summit, which kicked off Tuesday. During the meeting, the two discussed ways to invigorate cooperation and exchanges in the education sector between South Korea and Uganda, including international student exchanges and promoting official development assistance, according to the Education Ministry. They also addressed education in the digital t

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

Police officer suspended for illegally obtaining trot singer's address

A police officer was recently suspended after she illegally obtained the address of a popular trot singer and went to his home, local media outlets reported Wednesday, The Chungnam Provincial Police Agency officer in her 30s obtained the singer's address through an internal police database without permission from her supervisor in April. The singer was startled by her unannounced visit and reported her to the police. The police confirmed the officer had accessed the singer's address fo

Social AffairsJune 5, 2024

Chat records show pastor sent photo of gift to first lady ahead of meeting

Choi Jae-young, a Korean American pastor who secretly filmed himself handing over a luxury Dior handbag to first lady Kim Keon Hee in 2022, persistently demanded a meeting with Kim by sending a photo of the gift to her via a chat app, according to records of messenger dialogue obtained by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday. Choi sent a photo of the Dior handbag and a gift box to Kim via the messaging app KakaoTalk on Sept. 7, 2022, saying he wants to give Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) greetings to

PoliticsJune 5, 2024

Military to resume border area artillery drills following suspension of pact with N. Korea

South Korea is set to restart artillery drills near the Military Demarcation Line and the northwestern border islands as early as this month, military sources said Wednesday, after the country effectively suspended a 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction pact. On Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol endorsed a motion calling for the full suspension of the Comprehensive Military Agreement in response to the North's trash-carrying balloon campaign and GPS jamming attacks in recent days. The move en

DefenseJune 5, 2024

Signs detected of N. Korea demolishing part of Donghae inter-Korean railway: NIS

South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday it has detected signs that North Korea has recently been demolishing some sections on the northern side of the inter-Korean railway on the east coast in an apparent move to erase the legacy of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. South and North Korea agreed to restore two railways -- the Gyeongui and Donghae -- in 2000, when the divided countries held the first summit of their leaders. The Donghae railway linked eastern coastal cities across the he

North KoreaJune 5, 2024