Ministry warns of admissions freeze if it halts expansion plan

The Ministry of Education warned Wednesday of punitive measures, including the suspension of student admissions, as a potential consequence for Pusan National University if it persists in halting its medical school enrollment expansion plan. Expressing regret over the school's decision on Tuesday to suspend the increase of medical seats, the ministry emphasized that each university must adhere to the allocation of medical school seats as determined by the education minister in accordance wi

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Homosexuality neither sin nor heresy: UMC

The US-based United Methodist Church said it does not see homosexuality as a sin or heresy, countering the accusations leveled at the global denomination by a coalition of Korean Protestant churches. “The Bible says homosexuality is a sin and consecrating gay clergy amounts to heresy,” President Jung Seo-young of the Christian Council of Korea said in a statement Saturday, made in response to the UMC decision to lift its 40-year-old ban on ordaining gay clergy Wednesday. “The U

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas

Amid an intensifying medical standoff between the government and the medical community over a plan to increase the medical student quota starting next year, some young Korean medical residents are contemplating switching their tracks to cosmetic dermatology or pursuing their careers overseas. A junior doctor majoring in the essential medical field, who wished to be unnamed, told The Korea Herald that he recently attended a conference on skin care and plastic surgery hosted by the Korean Academy

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Alert of 70 'fierce dogs' on loose in Daejeon turns out to be just 2

An emergency text message warning that 70 fierce dogs were on the loose in Daejeon on Wednesday morning turned out to be an overstatement, as only two small dogs had escaped from a local breeding facility. At around 10:00 a.m., the city's Dong-gu District Office sent out an emergency alert message to residents, stating that 70 “fierce dogs” had escaped from a nearby dog breeding farm at 9:44 a.m. The message urged residents to "avoid approaching the affected area and evacua

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

School turns snack bar into screen golf zone, used by students only 3 times

A Seoul high school recently set up a screen golf facility inside its premises which is mostly used by the staff, sparking complaints from students and their teachers over whether it was a proper use of school funds. According to a report by local broadcaster MBC, the school based in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul shut down the school's snack bar after the government enforced social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The area was turned into a screen golf zone that is not regularly open to st

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

DP urges Yoon to accept proposal on cash handouts, special counsel probe over Marine's death

The main opposition Democratic Party demanded Wednesday that President Yoon Suk Yeol agree to its proposal to provide cash handouts to the entire population and a special counsel probe into suspicions over a Marine's death when he holds a press conference this week. Rep. Park Chan-dae made the calls during a meeting of the party's Supreme Council at the National Assembly, a day before Yoon holds the press conference Thursday to mark the second anniversary of his presidency. The press conference

PoliticsMay 8, 2024

Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend

Police said late Tuesday they plan to seek an arrest warrant for a medical school student in his 20s accused of killing his girlfriend on a building rooftop near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul. The Seoul Seocho Police Station said the suspect, whom the authorities only identified as a student at one of the top medical schools here, was detained after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend multiple times and murdering her on the rooftop around 5 p.m. on Monday. The suspect later admitted to his cri

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Top S. Korean envoy to Russia attends Putin's inauguration ceremony: Seoul official

South Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Do-hoon attended the inauguration ceremony of its leader Vladimir Putin, who began his fifth term as president on Tuesday (local time), Seoul officials said. Lee's attendance at the event held at the Kremlin came in contrast to counterparts from South Korea's ally, the United States, and many Western countries that boycotted the event over its war in Ukraine. European Union nations were also divided over sending delegations to the inauguration, a

Foreign AffairsMay 7, 2024

Man stabs woman and her son amid financial dispute, killing 1

A man in his 80s has been apprehended for stabbing a woman and her son at an apartment complex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul on Tuesday. According to Seoul Suseo Police Station, the suspect allegedly stabbed a woman in her 50s and her son after raiding their home in Gaepo-dong at 8 a.m., Tuesday morning. The woman was quickly transferred to the nearest hospital in a state of cardiac arrest, but was later pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. The son is currently being treated at the ho

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin

A high-profile probe zeroing in on first lady Kim Keon Hee is set to begin as the top prosecutor pledged Tuesday to carry out a "speedy and strict" investigation into accusations that she illegally received a luxury Christian Dior bag as a gift from a Korean American pastor in 2022. “The prosecution plans to conduct a speedy and strict investigation (into the allegations against the first lady) based solely on existing evidence and legal principles,” Prosecutor General Lee

PoliticsMay 7, 2024

S. Korean envoy to Russia attends Putin’s inauguration

South Korea's Ambassador to Russia Lee Do-hoon on Tuesday attended the swearing-in ceremony of Russian President Vladimir Putin for his fifth term, while the United States and most European Union countries boycotted the ceremony at the Kremlin. Lim Soo-suk, the spokesperson for Seoul's Foreign Ministry said that South Korea's decision was based on "conducting a comprehensive review of all matters" when asked about sending a government representative to the ceremony durin

Foreign AffairsMay 7, 2024

Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?

Indonesia’s latest proposal to slash its share of the costs for the joint project to develop the South Korean KF-21 fighter jet appears to have left South Korea with no option but to cover the remainder. According to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Tuesday, the Indonesian side has proposed to pay one-third of its agreed share -- which is about 600 billion won ($441 million) -- by the deadline about two years from now. The proposal came after Indonesia ha

DefenseMay 7, 2024

Dead man's confession of gang rape rejected as evidence

The Supreme Court recently overturned a lower court ruling that found three men guilty of group rape, based on the written confession left by another man before his death. South Korea's highest court said the note left by the deceased cannot be used as evidence of the sexual crime in a criminal case, saying its credibility has not sufficiently been verified. The deceased, who died at his apartment in Seoul in 2021, had apologized in what is thought to be a suicide note that he and three oth

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

Seoul mayor proposes mutual economic cooperation with Dubai

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon proposed to forge mutual financial and economic cooperation with Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, during the Dubai Fintech Summit held there on Monday. In his keynote speech, “Seoul - A Global Economic Innovation Hub,” Oh highlighted the city’s strengths as a global financial center, a leader in innovative finance and a digital financial hub. He also outlined Seoul's strategic direction to become one of the top five global cities

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

Younger Koreans can't get enough of short-form video, survey shows

Half of South Korean workers in their 20s said they are "addicted to watching short videos" on mobile or online platforms, according to a recent survey by job search platform Incruit. In the survey conducted of 870 employees across the country between April 29 and May 1, 27.4 percent of all respondents said they are "addicted" to watching short-form videos. Per age group, 49.8 percent of the respondents in their 20s and 30.8 percent of those in their 30s said they were addict

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

Yoon revives civil affairs office as first lady faces investigation

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday named former prosecutor Kim Joo-hyun as the new senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, a position he abolished two years ago to curb accusations that it meddles in probes by the prosecution and the police. The revival of the senior presidential secretary immediately prompted speculation that Yoon's office might use the new senior secretary position to deal with legal issues potentially involving him and his family, given that the position traditionall

PoliticsMay 7, 2024

Seoul city aims to halve carbon emissions by 2033

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that the city aims to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2033 from the 2005 levels, and reach complete carbon neutrality by 2050. With the ambition of building a city safe from climate crises, the city has announced its new 10-year plan, named the Basic Plan for Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth in Seoul, which includes carbon-neutral and eco-friendly energy transition policies to cut carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2033 compared to 20

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

S. Korean police to suit up with new body armor, shields in June

The National Police Agency said Tuesday it will supply police officers with advanced protective gear starting in June, responding to the 1,000-plus injuries of officers that have occurred in the last few years. The new gear that will be provided for police officers are four types of stab-proof body armor and mid-sized tactical shields, which will be provided to 17 divisions of the police force including the detective, rapid response team, traffic and other branches of regional police forces. The

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations

The top prosecutor on Tuesday pledged to speedily and strictly conduct an investigation into allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee illegally received a luxury bag as a gift in 2022. Prosecutor General Lee One-seok made the pledge after he ordered last week the creation of an investigation team dedicated to the allegations involving the first lady. "The prosecution will conduct the investigation speedily and strictly only in accordance with evidence and the legal principles and take appro

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024

Govt. to offer more funds for emergency care amid protracted walkouts by doctors

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Tuesday that the government will extend its financial support for emergency care services by another month, as massive walkouts by junior doctors have disrupted health services at major hospitals for nearly three months. The government has injected 190 billion won ($140 million) per month from the national health insurance system since February to support operations at emergency rooms and increase compensation for emergency doctors. Cho told a response meeting

Social AffairsMay 7, 2024