[Election Battlefield] ‘Mini presidential election’ unfolds in Incheon

INCHEON -- In a district in Incheon, two potential presidential candidates are in a neck-and-neck race to secure a National Assembly seat on April 10. The ruling People Power Party candidate is Won Hee-ryong, previously the minister of land and transport under President Yoon Suk Yeol. The 60-year-old was a candidate in the party’s presidential primary in 2021, and boasts a winning track record against Democratic Party of Korea rivals so far in all of the five elections he has run in. He is

PoliticsApril 1, 2024

Korea unveils next-generation bullet train

South Korea on Monday unveiled the KTX Cheong-ryong, a new class of bullet train that boasts a maximum speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The new high-speed train is the first domestically designed and manufactured one with a peak speed surpassing 300 kilometers per hour. South Korea launched its homegrown bullet train, the KTX-Sancheon, in 2008 for the first time. Beginning in May, the KTX Cheong-ryong will operate four times a day between Seoul and Busan in southeastern Korea, and twice a day b

PoliticsApril 1, 2024

Seoul education office to support same-sex schools to turn coed

Seoul plans to boost fiscal support to encourage single-sex schools in the city to transition to coeducational schools, which refers to schools where male and female students are taught together, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Monday. Same-sex schools that register to change to coed will receive 600 million won ($445,000) for six years. Schools can use the funds for educational programs and activities suitable for each school. Schools will also receive 90 million won

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Yoon says 'open to talks' but doctors express disappointment

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that he is open to talks with doctors if they can suggest a more plausible option than his administration's plan of adding 2,000 more medical students a year, seeking a breakthrough in a prolonged medical standoff that has apparently been affecting the ruling party's election campaign. Pointing to doctors' failure to refute his administration's plan to increase the school quota by 2,000 to 5,058 per year starting in 2025, Yoon said in a tel

PoliticsApril 1, 2024

Police vow to take strict action against false reports

The Korean National Police Agency stated Monday that it will begin to strictly respond to false police reports that waste police resources by increasing fines. Currently under the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act, making a false police report through the 112 hotline is punishable by a fine of up to 600,000 won ($445), imprisonment or both. False police reports are also punishable as obstruction of justice under the criminal code. Additionally, if a false police report results in a significant wa

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Private physicians, med professors start reducing work hours

Patient anxiety over health care disruptions is growing as medical professors and private physicians started reducing their work hours to protest against the medical school quota expansion plan on Monday, shrugging off the government’s efforts to facilitate talks. The Medical Professors Association of Korea said medical professors, who are senior doctors at major hospitals, began shortening their work time to 52 hours a week to cope with fatigue from trainee doctors’ walkouts. They p

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Seoul City uses rabies vaccine bait to protect wildlife

Seoul City has started disseminating vaccine-laced fish cakes to wildlife as a measure to curb the spread of rabies, the city government said on Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said 37,000 square pieces of fishmeal-based bait containing rabies vaccine, each measuring 2-3 centimeters, will be distributed near mountains and rivers from Monday until May 15. This initiative aims to enhance the immunity of wild animals, such as raccoons, badgers and wild dogs, against the viral disease. T

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Herald Corp. partners with National Hangeul Museum to spread Hangeul culture

Herald Corp. has set out to promote globalizing and spreading the value of the Korean language in partnership with the National Hangeul Museum. Herald Corp. CEO Choi Jin-young signed a business agreement with Kim Il-hwan, the director of the National Hangeul Museum, to spread the culture of the Korean language at the media firm’s headquarters in Seoul on March 28. Under the agreement, the two organizations have agreed to collaborate in nurturing cultural projects based on Hangeul. Specif

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Man refuses tax on brother's inheritance, claims it was a loan paid back by sick sibling

A South Korean man and his wife lost an administrative case related to their refusal to pay inheritance tax on money given to them by the man's now-deceased brother, with the court overruling their claim that the money was in exchange for the financial help they provided him. According to officials, the Seoul Administrative court ruled against the plaintiffs, saying the state's tax authorities are justified in taxing 65 million won ($47,500) for the 260 million won the deceased transfe

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Adult products company owner arrested on suspicion of sexually exploiting employees

The head of an adult products company in South Korea was recently arrested on charges related to the alleged sexual exploitation of employees at the company, according to local media outlets. JTBC reported Sunday that the suspect, surnamed Yang, had been detained by police after complaints were lodged against him for fraud, sexual misconduct and filming sexual content without consent. Police arrested the suspect as part of the ongoing investigation into these charges. Some of the claims made by

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Shaman cleared of fraud after charging W100m for 'exorcism'

A South Korean shaman who charged two people over 100 million won ($74,000) combined for exorcisms has been cleared of fraud charges by a local court, which said the defendant's action was a "religious action of some type" that does not necessarily warrant a desired result. In March last year, the 50-year-old defendant surnamed Kim told a person surnamed Hong that Hong's illness was due to a ghost possession. Kim was paid around 79.3 million won to perform exorcism rituals ov

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Game user protection, fostering AI industry

Proposed Bills: Partial Amendment to the Game Industry Promotion Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Seung-su (People Power Party) ●This amendment ensures users can receive compensation for damages caused by intentional indication of misinformation for probabilistic game items by introducing a punitive damages system that mandates a compensation of twice the maximum damages. Game companies must prove that there was no intention or negligence in not displaying or falsely displaying probabilistic game item i

PoliticsApril 1, 2024

S. Korea launches research center in defense artificial intelligence

The defense ministry on Monday established a research center aimed at overseeing artificial intelligence development in the defense sector as part of efforts to introduce advanced technologies to the military. A founding ceremony for the Defense AI Center took place at the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, attended by Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and Science Minister Lee Jong-ho, according to Shin's office. The launch came as part of South

DefenseApril 1, 2024

Health minister vows to accomplish medical reform

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday the government will accomplish medical reform, despite a prolonged walkout by junior doctors that have crippled public health services at major hospitals for nearly six weeks. "The government will accomplish medical reform by only looking at the people," Cho told a government response meeting, repeating his appeal for junior doctors to return to work. Cho urged "medical professors to withdraw their collective resignations and trainee docto

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

Yoon to address nation on medical reform Monday amid attention to possible change to 2,000 quota hike

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to address the nation Monday on the government's push for medical reform, his office said Sunday, amid keen attention to whether he may show a flexible attitude toward the state plan to boost the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 seats. "As there are many opinions saying that the people still want to know about the progress on the government's plan for medical reform and the medical school quota hike, Yoon plans to explain them in detail tomorrow,"

Social AffairsApril 1, 2024

N. Korea reaffirms plan to launch multiple spy satellites this year

North Korea vowed Monday to push for space development and reaffirmed its plan to launch multiple reconnaissance satellites this year after putting its first spy satellite into orbit in November. Following the launch of the Malligyong-1 last year after two failed attempts in May and August, respectively, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced during a year-end meeting the country plans to place three more spy satellites into orbit this year. "The successful launch of the reconnaissance s

North KoreaApril 1, 2024

Court issues warrant to arrest man suspected of installing spy cameras at voting stations

A local court on Sunday issued a warrant to arrest a YouTuber suspected of installing spy cameras at some 40 early voting stations ahead of the April 10 general elections. The Incheon District Court issued the arrest warrant for the man in his 40s on charges of trespassing in a structure without permission and violating the law on the protection of communication secrets. The court cited the risk of him fleeing and destroying evidence. The suspect allegedly placed hidden cameras at about 40 early

Social AffairsMarch 31, 2024

US seeking trilateral summit with S. Korea, Japan in July: report

The United States is in talks with South Korea and Japan to arrange a trilateral summit on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to be held in Washington in July, a report said Sunday. According to Japan's Kyodo News, which quoted diplomatic sources, U.S. President Joe Biden is considering inviting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the NATO event and holding the trilateral summit on the margins. The three leaders

PoliticsMarch 31, 2024

Yoon attends Easter service at church

President Yoon Suk Yeol attended an Easter service at church Sunday and stressed the need to practice love and solidarity in the spirit of the Christian celebration, according to his office. In his remarks during the service at Myungsung Presbyterian Church in eastern Seoul, Yoon said that at a time when the country is faced with serious challenges within and outside, everyone should reflect on and practice the true meaning of Easter. Noting that Jesus showed the infinite love of freeing humanit

PoliticsMarch 31, 2024

Police to crack down on crimes by foreign nationals

The Korean National Police Agency will crack down on the main crimes committed by foreign nationals from Monday until June 30, the agency said Sunday. According to the police agency, the main crimes include fraud, gambling, drug-related crimes and crimes involving foreign national workers based at construction sites. In addition, according to the agency's statistics, the number of criminals that are of foreign nationality that have committed what are deemed the four major crimes here -- mur

Social AffairsMarch 31, 2024