S. Korea, US defense chiefs vow to sternly deal with arms transfers between N. Korea, Russia

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States spoke by phone Wednesday and vowed to sternly deal with North Korea's arms transfers to Russia in coordination with the international community, Seoul's defense ministry said. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, held the phone talks amid rising concerns over North Korea's supplying munitions and missiles to Russia to replenish its weapons stockpile for use in Ukraine. "They shared concerns

DefenseFeb. 28, 2024

S. Korea urges caution in Golden Triangle region amid increasing crimes

The foreign ministry on Wednesday urged caution against increasing cases of employment fraud in the "Golden Triangle" region straddling Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The ministry urged South Koreans to take extra caution in the area as cases involving luring people with the promise of high profits, then kidnapping and forcing them to engage in illegal activities have recently increased there. A total of 55 such cases concerning 140 victims have been reported so far in the region since 20

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2024

White House official says S. Korean firms help form supply chain ecosystem, create decent jobs

A senior White House official on Tuesday portrayed South Korean enterprises operating in the United States as helping foster a robust supply chain ecosystem and create decent jobs, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, made the point during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul at the White House. Cho is in Washington for a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken set for Wednesday. "Director Brainard said

Foreign AffairsFeb. 28, 2024

Health services disrupted as mass walkout by trainee doctors approaches deadline

Medical services at major hospitals have been disrupted as a mass walkout by trainee doctors is nearing a deadline set by the government to return to work, but a small number of junior doctors went back to work. About 9,000 trainee doctors walked off their jobs for the ninth day in a row Wednesday, as the government ordered them to go back to work by Thursday. Unless they return to work, they will face suspension of licenses and even indictment, but both the government and junior doctors showed

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2024

US takes step toward signing defense procurement pact with S. Korea

The US Defense Department has started a process to solicit industry feedback on its pursuit of a defense procurement agreement with South Korea to allow easier access to each other's market amid growing security uncertainties from North Korean threats and other challenges. Last week, the department posted a notice in the Federal Register to request public comments on the pursuit of a new Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement with South Korea through March 25. Seoul and Washington have be

PoliticsFeb. 28, 2024

[Graphic News] 50% more earthquakes hit Korean Peninsula

About 50 percent more earthquakes with a magnitude of 2 or stronger struck the peninsula and its surrounding seas last year than in previous years, a weather agency report showed. The sharp increase is attributable to a series of quakes reported in the East Sea from April to October last year, as well as those in the North Korean county of Kilju, where a nuclear testing site is located, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s annual 2023 earthquake report. The report showed

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2024

Main opposition party grapples with widening internal rift

An existing fissure within the main opposition party has widened as several lawmakers have taken steps in response to conflict over the party’s candidate nomination process for the upcoming general election. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Ko Min-jung on Tuesday announced her resignation as a member of the party’s Supreme Council, saying that she believes the party should openly discuss its election candidate nomination process, which has been criticized as biased towards the pro-Lee

PoliticsFeb. 27, 2024

Ultrafine dust levels this year could be severe: ministry

Ultrafine dust levels in March could be higher than previous years due to high pressure, higher-than-normal temperatures and a stagnant atmosphere, according to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday. As a measure to reduce exposure to higher ultrafine dust levels, the Environment Ministry stated that it recommends workers, especially those who have respiratory symptoms or those who are pregnant, to work flexibly if high fine dust levels persist for more than two days. Flexible work includes spa

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

University ranking hierarchy leads to wage gap later in life: study

Graduates of universities with higher admission requirements make as much as 50 percent more than the graduates of lower-ranked universities, a study by a state-run think-tank showed Tuesday. In the study released by the Korea Development Institute, researchers sorted South Korean universities into five groups based on the grades they required in the state-run college entrance exam Suneung. Schools in group one required the lowest Suneung grades while group five schools required the highest gr

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

S. Korea sees highest-ever levels of self-employed older people

Recent government statistics showed that in 2023, 2.07 million South Koreans aged 60 or above ran small businesses in the country, marking the first time the figure surpassed the 2-million mark. The number of older self-employed people in the country has nearly doubled since 2003, when the figure stood at 1.09 million. The older self-employed population accounted for 36.4 percent of all 5.68 million self-employed people in South Korea, also the highest-ever level. In comparison, 17 percent of a

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Russia sending North Korea food in return for arms: Seoul defense chief

North Korea has provided Russia with 6,700 shipping containers’ worth of artillery shells over the past six months, according to Seoul’s defense chief Shin Won-sik. In return, the North is believed to have received from Russia enough food and other essentials to fill about 10,000 shipping containers over the same period, Shin said. In a press conference on Monday, Shin noted that the North Korean military factories for producing arms for Russia were operating at full capacity. &ldquo

DefenseFeb. 27, 2024

Legality issues linger as nurses fill treatment void Tuesday

As South Korea grapples with a medical service vacuum in hospitals over a week after residents walked out in protest against the government's plan to increase the annual medical enrollment quota, nurses started filling the void Tuesday despite the lingering uncertainties over legality issues. The government launched a pilot project for physician assistant nurses working in general hospitals and training hospitals nationwide. Starting Tuesday, heads of each health care organization can deter

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Drunk man assaults ER staff, because of their tone

South Korean police on Tuesday said it was investigating a 50-something man for assaulting and insulting the emergency medical staff of a hospital, which the suspect said was because the staff spoke to him "in a commanding tone." According to Daejeon Dongbu Police Station, the suspect was taken to an emergency room of a hospital in Dong-gu, Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, to be treated for an injury to his face. He was drunk at the time. He punched the medical staff and cu

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Why Cha Eun-woo’s name keeps popping up in politics

Actor and K-pop singer Cha Eun-woo is undoubtedly one of the most popular Korean celebrities at the moment. It is no surprise that Cha has often generated buzz in the entertainment news section and among fans of Korean music and drama. But in recent days, his name was mentioned multiple times among a most unexpected group of people here: politicians. It started with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s decision last week to nominate its deputy spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong to run

PoliticsFeb. 27, 2024

Plans unveiled to redevelop southwest Seoul

The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled plans to redevelop southwest Seoul into an innovative urban district that combines functions such as work, leisure and housing on Tuesday. During Tuesday’s press briefing, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said that the city government will begin construction in southwest Seoul in 2025 to transform industrial and old residential areas into futuristic, high-tech industrial clusters and residential, leisure and work areas with green spaces. Southwest Seoul con

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

As criticism mounts, med students engage in community service

As negative sentiment continues to build toward the medical sector after junior doctors walked out of hospitals and training programs in protest of the government’s decision to increase the annual medical school enrollment quota, medical students said they would engage in community service while taking time off from their studies. An emergency response committee at Yonsei University College of Medicine on Monday kicked off volunteering activities to provide free meals for the elderly, dist

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Yoon says 2,000 increase in med school quota non-negotiable

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday remained set on his push for an increase in the annual medical school enrollment quota of 2,000, saying the number "is non-negotiable." "No excuses can justify (doctors') collective action of taking people's health hostage and posing a threat to people's lives," Yoon told some 100 participants including mayors and provincial governors at the Central and Local Government Cooperation Council meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential of

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Video of woman catching peeping-tom goes viral

South Korean police confirmed Tuesday they are investigating a man who was caught secretly filming women inside a bathroom, after a video of the incident went viral online. According to police, the male suspect in his 20s is believed to have snuck into the women’s bathroom room at a "jimjilbang" -- a Korean-style bathhouse with saunas, massage tables and unisex areas with heated floors -- in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul last Monday with the intent to film women's bodies. He wa

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Legal protections proposed for bar owners tricked into selling alcohol to minors

Bar owners who are misled into selling alcohol to minors with fake IDs may soon have a way to prove their innocence using surveillance camera footage under a proposed rule change. The Ministry of Government Legislation announced a public notice Tuesday for the amendment of the Enforcement Decree of the Food Sanitation Act, which contains new clauses that exempt those who unknowingly sell alcohol to customers under the age of 19 from punishment if video evidence is provided. For 20 days until Mar

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024

Teachers and native English instructors now required to undergo drug testing

Drug and substance addiction screenings have been added to the recruitment process of all school teachers in South Korea, including native English speakers on short-term contracts, education authorities said Tuesday. According to the Education Ministry, the new rule, effective from the start of this year, mandates that teachers will be disqualified if they fail to submit a “confirmation of drugs, cannabis and psychotropic substances addiction test results” within one year of their

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2024