1,700 killed for their religion during Korean War: panel

About 1,700 religious people in South Korea were massacred by the North Korean military, pro-North groups, and other hostile forces around the time of the 1950-53 Korean War, the state-run independent investigative committee on past endeavors said Wednesday. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea have verified the complete list of religious people that had been killed across the country, based on records including the 1952 report by the now-defunct Bureau of Public Informatio

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

Man nabbed for protest on top of Han River bridge

Yongsan Police Station in Seoul took into custody a man in his 50s for hanging an illegal banner and staging a five-hour protest on top of a Han River bridge on Wednesday morning. The man demanded that President Yoon Suk Yeol be granted emergency powers. The suspect climbed to the top of the metal structure of the Hangangdaegyo bridge in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul at around 5:40 a.m., hanging a banner saying, "I demand the government and the ruling party grant emergency powers (to the pr

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

Ministry to hire retired doctors to fill medical void

The Health Ministry on Wednesday started recruiting retired or soon-to-retire physicians to address rural healthcare deserts and essential medical fields as the junior doctors’ mass resignation entered its ninth week. The ministry on Tuesday afternoon opened a center for senior doctors at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, central Seoul, to entice senior doctors nearing retirement or inactive physicians with experience working in university hospitals to extend their years of service i

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

Man files missing person's case after girlfriend won't return his calls

The South Korean police are investigating a man in his 60s who falsely reported that his girlfriend was missing after she didn't return his calls. Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul is questioning the man on a charge of violating the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act, Article 3 of which states that falsely reporting a missing person's case is punishable by a fine of up to 600,000 won ($432) or 29 days in a detention center. At around 9:19 p.m. on April 13, the suspect reported to the p

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] Rwanda, financial gateway to Africa

Rwandan Ambassador to Korea Bakuramutsa Nkubito Manzi said the African country can serve as a swift and safe financial gateway for Korean companies to enter Africa. Noting similarities between Korea and his country's history, systems and culture, Manzi underscored Rwanda's transformation from a war-torn country to a potential economic powerhouse. “We've gone from chaos; it was the Korean War here in Korea, it was the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda that leveled the cou

Foreign AffairsApril 17, 2024

13,000 medical students to seek injunction against medical school quota hike

Some 13,000 medical students plan to collectively seek court injunctions to halt their schools' expansion of admission quotas, a lawyer said Wednesday, as the walkout by protesting trainee doctors continued for nearly two months. The injunction requests will be filed next Monday by students from 32 medical schools outside Seoul against the presidents of their universities, asking the court to halt the schools' revision of admission plans to reflect increased medical school seats, said

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

ReWorld Forum to urge business collaboration for carbon neutrality

South Korean firms will be urged to come up with effective green energy strategies and to work together on building a decarbonization ecosystem, according to the SDX Foundation on Wednesday. Also known as the ReWorld Forum 2024, the non-profit organization’s forum aims to persuade participating firms -- regardless of their size and capacity -- to work with one another in responding to the strengthening of net-zero regulations around the world. The forum will be held on April 24 at the HW C

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

UAE highlights unity, tolerance in Seoul

United Arab Emirates Embassy in Seoul said it hosted an event under the theme of unity and tolerance on March 31. "In the United Arab Emirates, we celebrate not only the breaking of the fast but also the breaking down of barriers -- barriers of race, color and ethnicity," said UAE Ambassador to Korea Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi. "Here, amidst our diverse cultures, languages and traditions, we embrace the essence of tolerance that defines our nation," Al Nuaimi added. According to

Foreign AffairsApril 17, 2024

Bangladesh marks 53rd Independence Day

Bangladesh commemorated its 53rd Independence Day in Seoul on Monday. The day serves as a reminder of a nine-month-long liberation war, a period etched in the annals of Bangladesh's history. Paying homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi Ambassador to South Korea Delwar Hossain thanked countries across the globe for their solidarity during the nation's liberation struggle. "I pay tribute to the brilliant freedom fighters and three million martyrs who made the supr

Foreign AffairsApril 17, 2024

US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties

The United States is "incredibly concerned" about long-suspected military cooperation between North Korea and Iran, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, made the remarks in response to a question about whether America has concerns about Iran working with Pyongyang on nuclear and ballistic missile programs. "Certainly, that's something we've been incredibly concerned about," Miller told a press briefing. Having established diplomatic

Foreign AffairsApril 17, 2024

Police in standoff with man threatening to jump off bridge

Police on Wednesday morning were talking to a man standing atop a Han River bridge, trying to persuade him to come down. As of 10:00 a.m., the unidentified man is standing on the upper structure of the Hangangdaegyo bridge in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, apparently threatening to jump. Local police said he is protesting against the government, and has been on the bridge since 5:50 a.m. Police and rescue authorities are attempting to persuade him to come down, but the man is refusing to coopera

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

NK leader celebrates completion of 10,000 new homes in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony marking the completion of building another 10,000 new homes in Pyongyang, state media said Wednesday. Kim attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for the completion of new apartments in the Hwasong district of Pyongyang as part of a housing project to build a combined 50,000 new homes in the capital by 2025, the Korean Central News Agency said. Kim called for workers to attain the remaining goals for the five-year project to "turn

North KoreaApril 17, 2024

[Graphic News] Users of high-speed trains KTX, SRT hit record Q1 figures

The number of passengers on South Korea’s bullet trains, the KTX and SRT, hit a record high during the first quarter this year, the trains’ operators said. From January to March, the number of KTX users jumped to 19.26 million from 17.91 million during the same period last year, according to Korea Railroad Corp. SR Inc. said the number of SRT users rose to 6.43 million from 6.3 million during the same period. The operators said pent-up travel demand after years of the COVID-19 pand

Social AffairsApril 17, 2024

Vice FM, ICAO chief share concerns over N. Korean missile launches

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun held talks with the chief of a United Nations agency on international civil aviation to discuss ways to strengthen their partnership, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Kang met with Juan Carlos Salazar, secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organization, to share concerns over North Korea's missile launches and explore ways to enhance cooperation. During the meeting, Kang said North Korea's missile and spy satellite launches pos

Foreign AffairsApril 16, 2024

Govt., doctors differ widely on how to resolve medical reform stalemate amid prolonged walkout

Despite ongoing efforts to find a breakthrough regarding the prolonged walkout by doctors, the government and doctors differ widely on how to discuss medical reform plans, as doctors have demanded one-on-one talks rather than discussions within a consultative body for public consensus. More than 90 percent of South Korea's 13,000 trainee doctors have walked off the job in protest since Feb. 20 in protest of the government's push to increase the number of medical school seats by 2,000 s

Social AffairsApril 16, 2024

S. Korea, Australia hold vice-ministerial talks on Indo-Pacific strategy, bilateral ties

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Australia held talks in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss joint efforts to boost bilateral cooperation in their Indo-Pacific strategies and a wide range of issues, the foreign ministry said. Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won met with his Australian counterpart, Elly Lawson, deputy secretary of the Strategic Planning and Coordination Group at the Australian foreign ministry, Seoul's ministry said. The two sides shared the view that their bilateral ties a

Foreign AffairsApril 16, 2024

US envoy to UN warns China, Russia not to hide NK's 'bad behavior'

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, on Tuesday delivered a concise yet stern message to China and Russia not to hide and reward North Korea's bad behavior. She also urged Pyongyang to "say yes" to Washington's repeated calls for dialogue without preconditions. "Hiding the truth does not change it. Rewarding bad behavior only encourages it," Thomas-Greenfield conveyed pointed admonition to China and Russia during her visit to

Foreign AffairsApril 16, 2024

Sewol victims commemorated on tragedy's 10th anniversary

A series of memorial events were held across the country Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry tragedy, in remembrance of the 304 lives lost in Korea's worst maritime disaster. At a ceremony held at the Hwarang Public Garden in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon vowed to remember the 304 victims forever. Kim also lamented that no senior officials were held accountable for the failed disaster response. "Another tragedy followed this tragedy. It is

Social AffairsApril 16, 2024

Detention of foreigners ordered deportation to be limited to 3 yrs

Foreigners who are ordered to leave South Korea because they have been in the country illegally or have committed a crime will have to be deported within 36 months starting next year. The Justice Ministry has proposed an amendment to the Immigration Act that would limit the maximum period of accommodating foreigners ordered with compulsory evacuation to 36 months. This follows the Constitutional Court's decision in March of last year that the indefinite detention of foreigners subject to de

Social AffairsApril 16, 2024

Conservative bloc divided over Han’s role in election defeat

Several members of the conservative bloc have exchanged blows among themselves in recent days, locking horns over whether the ruling party’s former interim leader is to blame for the devastating defeat in last week’s general election. Daegu Mayor and five-term conservative lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo kicked off a round of intense debate Friday by blaming Han for the People Power Party’s latest loss through a Facebook post. “(The People Power Party), which has survived the rive

PoliticsApril 16, 2024