Opposition victory upends ruling party's plans

The South Korean opposition's landslide victory in the latest parliamentary elections is likely to upend the conservative ruling party's push for key proposals and initiatives, observers said Sunday. One of the ideas that the ruling People Power Party had vowed to pursue, administratively merging Gyeonggi Province's Gimpo city into Seoul, otherwise known as the so-called “Megacity Seoul" project, could be scrapped, an expert said. “Discussion on the Megacity proje

PoliticsApril 14, 2024

N. Korea elevates high-level exchanges with China, Russia

North Korea has been intensifying high-level diplomatic exchanges with China and Russia, as evidenced by the visit of China's third-highest-ranking official to Pyongyang and the dispatch of ministers to Russia this week. China's No. 3 official, Zhao Leji, who arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a three-day visit to the neighboring country, met for a luncheon with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. Th

North KoreaApril 14, 2024

Why don’t trainee doctors, medical professors see eye to eye?

An obstacle lies between the medical circle moving towards talks with the government with a unified proposal, after the head of the junior doctors’ group shed light on the hierarchical dynamics between medical professors and trainee doctors in hospitals. The disclosure shed light on the friction among doctors, the Korean Medical Association’s emergency committee and the KMA's newly-elected president, as they each hold different opinions on how to respond to the government’

Social AffairsApril 14, 2024

Prosecutors increase rewards for reporting drug crimes to W100m

Prosecutors will raise rewards up to 100 million won ($72,200) for reporting drug crimes and assisting in apprehending offenders, according to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday. The significant increase, rising from the previous range of 1 million to 50 million, was announced in response to the recent surge in drug crimes with the aim to block and prevent further criminal activities. According to the Prosecutors' Office, the compensation given may be higher than 100 million wo

Social AffairsApril 14, 2024

Seoul public schools to honor victims of 2014 Sewol ferry disaster

Public elementary, middle and high schools in Seoul will voluntarily observe "Educational Community Safety Week" in memory of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, marking a decade since the tragic event, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Sunday. The Seoul Education Office will distribute educational materials related to the Sewol ferry tragedy to all public schools in the city during this year’s “National Safety Day” week from April 1

Social AffairsApril 14, 2024

US ambassador to UN set to arrive in S. Korea

The top US envoy to the United Nations will visit South Korea on Sunday for engagements to advance bilateral and trilateral cooperation on North Korean threats and other issues. During her four-day stay in South Korea, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield plans to meet senior Seoul officials to discuss ways to step up cooperation in the UN Security Council. The ambassador's visit comes after Russia last month vetoed the UN's annual renewal of an expert panel monitoring the North's c

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2024

Presidential office says it will take time to name new PM, chief of staff after election defeat

A senior official at the presidential office said Sunday it will take time to name candidates for a new prime minister and chief of staff, after the resounding defeat of the ruling party in last week's parliamentary elections. The official told Yonhap News Agency that some media outlets have reported that the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol may announce a personnel reshuffle as early as Sunday, but "it is not physically possible." "It needs a minimum amount of time to find

PoliticsApril 14, 2024

N. Korea's Kim vows to further develop ties with China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with China's top legislator, Zhao Leji, in Pyongyang and discussed ways to further deepen bilateral ties, the North's state media said Sunday. During the luncheon meeting held Saturday, Kim said Zhao's visit to Pyongyang is "of very weighty significance in demonstrating the invincibility of the DPRK-China friendship and further developing the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries as required by the times,&

North KoreaApril 14, 2024

China's top legislator meets N. Korean leader to deepen ties

China's top legislator Zhao Leji met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Saturday as they move to further strengthen bilateral ties, according to foreign news media. Zhao is the first high-ranking Chinese official to visit the North since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. In his meeting with the No. 3 official in the Chinese Communist Party, Kim said Pyongyang is "unwaveringly" committed to cementing and further developing its cooperative ties with B

North KoreaApril 13, 2024

[Photo News] Already summer?

Social AffairsApril 13, 2024

Ignorance is bliss when it comes to romantic partners' ex: survey

About 52.3 percent of South Koreans do not want to know about the past romantic relationships of their current partner, a recent survey indicated. Local matchmaking company Duo surveyed 300 unmarried men and women across the country from March 15-18 to see what they thought of the past relationships of their current romantic partner. On why they chose not to know about their boyfriend or girlfriend's past relationship, 56.1 percent said "they were not interested," 17.2 percent sai

Social AffairsApril 13, 2024

Yoon likely to soon name new chief of staff after election defeat

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to name a new presidential chief of staff Sunday at the earliest in what would be his first move to overhaul state affairs after a resounding defeat in this week's parliamentary elections, sources at the presidential office said Saturday. After his party's crushing defeat in Wednesday's parliamentary elections, Yoon has delivered a message through his chief of staff that he will "humbly uphold the people's will" shown in the opposition's landslide vi

PoliticsApril 13, 2024

Pyongyang, Beijing vow strong friendly ties: KCNA

High-ranking officials from North Korea and China attended the opening ceremony of the "year of DPRK-China friendship" in Pyongyang to bolster their ongoing relations, Pyongyang's state media said Saturday. Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress of China, attended the ceremony at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre on Friday to mark the 75th anniversary of the

North KoreaApril 13, 2024

S. Korea, U.S. agree to hold trilateral industry ministers' talks with Japan in H1: Seoul official

South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold bilateral talks on supply chain and commercial issues and a trilateral industry ministers' meeting with Japan in the first half of the year, a senior Seoul official said Friday. Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun announced the agreement, wrapping up his dayslong trip in Washington, during which he met U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, lawmakers and experts for talks on trade, energy and industrial issues. The plan for the meetings com

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2024

S. Korea reelected to executive boards of WFP, UNICEF

South Korea has been reelected to the respective executive boards of the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund for the 2025-27 period, the foreign ministry said Friday. South Korea retained its seats at the election held during a session of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The executive boards, run by 36 member states, are the top governing body responsible for deciding policy directions and the supervision of overall activities. South Korea was among the six countr

Foreign AffairsApril 12, 2024

Seoul, London to co-host summit to discuss potential of AI in innovation, inclusion

South Korea and the United Kingdom will jointly host a summit in Seoul in May to discuss artificial intelligence technology's potential to achieve innovation and inclusion at an international level, and its safe development, the presidential office said Friday. The hybrid event "AI Seoul Summit" is scheduled to take place from May 21-22. On day one, leaders will hold virtual discussion sessions co-chaired by President Yoon Suk Yeol and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The next day,

PoliticsApril 12, 2024

Medical standoff enters 2nd stage after election, failed dialogue

The two-month medical standoff between the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and medical circles will likely enter its second stage, amid no signs of initiating talks over the government's medical school admission plan and the looming medical crisis following defiant doctors' mass resignations. The ruling bloc's crushing defeat in Wednesday's general election was a testament that voters "had brought judgment" to the ruling bloc, which pushed to increase the medical school admission quota be

PoliticsApril 12, 2024

2 women found dead in hotel room appear to be victims of premeditated murder: police

South Korean police have found evidence suggesting that two men, who died after jumping from a hotel room, had planned and carried out the murder of two women whose bodies were found inside the same hotel. Local media recently reported details of the case which happened in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Police looking for a missing woman traced her to a hotel room, which had been occupied by the two men. The men jumped to their deaths shortly after the visit from police. The missing woman and anothe

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

3% of adults, 2% of teens have used drugs: survey

A government survey showed Friday that 3.1 percent of adults and 2.6 percent of teenagers in South Korea have used illegal drugs at least once. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted the survey on 3,000 adults and 2,000 teenagers across the country to study drug awareness among local residents. In the survey, illegal drugs refer to substances defined as such by the Narcotics Control Act, which includes marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and prescribed opioids. The survey a

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

South Korea, US plan exercises against North Korea nuclear use scenario

South Korea and the US have agreed to hold tabletop exercises that simulate North Korea’s nuclear weapons use to strengthen a joint response. According to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Friday, the two countries confirmed the plans at the 24th Korea-US Integrated Defense Consultative Group held in Washington on Thursday. The meeting in Washington was attended by a South Korean delegation led by Cho Chang-rae, the deputy minister of national defense. The US delegation was led

DefenseApril 12, 2024