N. Korea says to deploy new multiple rocket launcher starting this year

North Korea said Saturday it will deploy a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher to its military starting this year, voicing expectations that the weapon system will strengthen the country's artillery combat capabilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a test-firing of controllable shells for "the technically updated version" of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The weapon system is believed to tar

North KoreaMay 11, 2024

Buddha's birthday lantern parade to light up Seoul

A lantern parade marking the upcoming Buddha's birthday will take place in Seoul on Saturday, drawing an expected 50,000 people and leading to road closures. The parade and related festivities are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, before Buddha's birthday that falls on Wednesday, according to a Buddhist committee preserving the lotus lantern festival. A procession of lantern holders will leave Dongdaemun gate at 7 p.m. Saturday and walk across the Jonggak intersection before reaching

Social AffairsMay 11, 2024

State-led adoption system to be established to ensure adoptees' well-being, minimize overseas adoption

The government plans to establish a state-led adoption system to better ensure the well-being of adoptees and reduce the number of children adopted overseas, health ministry officials said Friday. The announcement of the adoption system reform comes ahead of the scheduled implementation of laws on overseas and domestic adoption in July next year, aimed at enhancing the rights and well-being of adoptees and adoptive families. In the envisioned system, the central and the regional government will

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Gov't to make efforts to ensure S. Korean firms do not face 'unfair treatment' overseas: FM

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Friday that the government will actively make efforts to help South Korean firms not receive "unfair treatment" in overseas markets. He made the remark during his meeting with Science Minister Lee Jong-ho as the foreign and science ministries newly created a consultative body to promptly discuss and share relevant policies in the artificial intelligence and digital sectors. The meeting was held ahead of the upcoming AI summit, which Seoul is set to co-

Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2024

Yoon interacts with public for 1st time since election defeat

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday interacted directly with the public for the first time in a month since the ruling bloc's general election defeat in April. Yoon visited a Korean restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, with his aides to interact with the South Korean citizens during lunchtime. The president had lunch there and discussed the soaring price of dining out, according to spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung. After lunch, Yoon spent time at the Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs through central Seoul. Th

PoliticsMay 10, 2024

Travel fair showcases global tourism in Seoul

Seoul International Travel Fair kicked off Thursday at COEX, Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, to show the tourism potential of countries, cities, and provinces around the globe. Organizers and participants of the event said the exhibition was held to address the need to diversify tourist demographics beyond their traditional strongholds, noting the growing interest from travelers. Hafsa H. Mbamba, CEO of the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism said the Tanzania has pristine beaches with mountaineering

Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2024

Foreign ministers of South Korea, China to meet in Beijing

Cho Tae-yul, the South Korean minister of foreign affairs, will visit Beijing on May 13-14 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Seoul said Friday that a meeting between Cho and Wang is expected to take place May 13. According to the ministry, the two ministers will exchange views on South Korea-China bilateral relations, issues affecting the region, and other “matters of mutual interest.” At the meeting, they may also discuss the deta

PoliticsMay 10, 2024

Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse

The Busan police on Friday requested an arrest warrant for a YouTuber in his 50s, accused of stabbing to death another YouTuber whom he was quarreling with in front of a local court. The suspect surnamed Hong is accused of murdering the victim surnamed Jo, also in his 50s, in front of the Busan District Court in Yeonje-gu, Busan, at around 9:52 a.m. on Thursday. The suspect fled the scene afterward but was captured by police at around 11:35 a.m. in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, some 70 ki

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Leader of doctors' group continues to spark controversy after 'racism' dispute

Lim Hyun-taek, the chief of the Korean Medical Association, made yet another controversial comment at a press conference Friday, during which he seemingly disparaged medical schools in other countries. The recently-elected leader of the doctors' group launched harsh criticism against the South Korean government's plan to allow foreign doctors to practice medicine in the country, in a bid to fill the health care void from the mass walkout of trainee doctors here. "There are (medica

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM

After strong defiance from Korean doctors on the government’s plan to allow those holding foreign medical licenses to practice medicine in the country, a scheme to let such doctors practice medicine here is unlikely to take effect anytime soon. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday that there are no immediate plans to bring in foreign license holders to fill the current medical void, emphasizing that if such a situation were to arise, sufficient safety measures would be put in place. Ear

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man

The National Police Agency on Thursday posted a video of a South Korean police officer who plowed through the cold waters inside the drain system to save a drunken man who fell and injured himself. According to the NPA, emergency rescue services in Nam-gu, Ulsan, received reports that a man was lying inside a drainage tunnel at around 9 p.m., May 4. Police officers and emergency workers were dispatched to the scene and found a man in his 50s, who while walking intoxicated lost his footing and fe

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Tattooists call for legalization of nonmedical tattoos ahead of jury trial

South Korean tattooists held a protest in Daegu on Thursday calling for the legalization of nonmedical tattoos, ahead of the country's first-ever jury trial case involving the legal basis for a tattoo performed by a person without a medical license. Several members of the Korea Tattoo Federation gathered in front of the Daegu District Court in Suseong-gu and demanded a not-guilty verdict for a practitioner charged with giving a person an eyebrow tattoo without a medical license. The 20-som

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Korea to crack down on pseudo-casino acts at 'hold'em pubs'

The South Korean government said Friday that it has devised a guideline to clamp down on businesses that run "pseudo-casino operations," addressing the legal loophole that has allowed de facto gambling at drinking establishments such as the poker-themed bars commonly called "hold'em pubs." The guideline on bans of pseudo-casino operations was jointly developed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Police Agency and the National Gambling Control Com

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Gun holders no longer need plastic cards; online verification begins

The police announced Friday that they will begin a service to verify gun permit licenses online in cooperation with Naver, the nation's largest search engine, starting this month. The service enables the online verification of licenses certified by the police for the possession of guns, swords, gas sprayers and electric shock devices, allowing for easy checks on Naver. Previously, license holders were required to carry plastic card-type licenses issued by the police station when possess

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, China discuss Korean Peninsula issues in Tokyo

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and China discussed issues related to the Korean Peninsula on the margins of a multilateral security dialogue in Japan earlier this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The talks between Lee Jun-il, director general for North Korean nuclear affairs, and Liu Xiaoming, China's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, took place Thursday in Tokyo on the sidelines of the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, an annual public-private se

Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2024

Yoon names new senior secretary for civil and social agenda

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday named a new senior presidential secretary for civil and social agenda following the previous secretary's resignation over intimidating remarks to reporters. Jeon Kwang-sam, who until recently served as presidential secretary for civil society and communication, was promoted to the position left vacant by the resignation of Hwang Sang-moo in March. "He is someone whose political acuteness and communication skills have been recognized based on the rich e

PoliticsMay 10, 2024

Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors

Medical professors at major hospitals took a day off Friday, the third of its kind in two weeks, as they expressed fatigue from filling the void of trainee doctors who left their worksites in protest of the government's medical reform. While fatigued medical professors take a leave of absence, treatment of critically ill patients and inpatient services at their hospitals are provided, according to the hospitals. Medical professors took a day off on April 30 and May 3, but no major disruptio

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

[Graphic News] Beer the most favored alcoholic drink by Koreans

The most preferred alcoholic drink among South Koreans was beer, receiving more than double the support of the runner-up, soju, according to a recent survey by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. The 2022 General Information Report of the Korean Alcohol and Liquor Industry indicated that 43.7 percent of respondents chose beer as their most preferred alcoholic beverage, while diluted soju came in second place with 20.2 percent. Third place went to traditional alcohol, with 18.6 p

Social AffairsMay 10, 2024

Yoon rebuffs opposition's call for special probe into wife

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday rejected the main opposition's proposal to pass a bill that mandates a special independent counsel investigation into stock manipulation allegations and anti-graft law violation suspicions surrounding his wife. While apologizing for first lady Kim Keon Hee’s “unwise conduct” in accepting a luxury bag from a Korean American pastor in 2022, Yoon stressed that such in-depth probes should only be launched when the outcome of an official prosecuto

PoliticsMay 9, 2024

[From the Scene] At 1st press conference in 631 days, Yoon seeks to mend media ties

  Just as President Yoon Suk Yeol entered the briefing room filled with some 150 reporters in his office in Seoul on Thursday, for the first time in 631 days, one of the reporters asked Yoon to hold more frequent news conferences and boost communication with the public. "I will," Yoon replied. After this, Yoon took 20 questions during the 73-minute press conference. The questions centered around politics, foreign policy, the economy and social affairs. He took more questions than

PoliticsMay 9, 2024