S. Korea to permit development in conservation area

South Korea is poised to ease regulations on greenfields protected by the government and permit land development projects in such conservation areas in provincial areas. President Yoon Suk Yeol said the eased rules related to protected areas designated as "greenbelt" could create economic value during the 13th session of the policy debate held in Ulsan on Wednesday. "The one-size-fits-all land regulations concerning the greenbelt designation will be addressed for the first time in

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2024

S. Korea to designate July 14 as day for N. Korean defectors

The Yoon Suk Yeol government will officially designate July 14 as a day to commemorate North Korean defectors, symbolically coinciding with the day when the law ensuring support for their resettlement in South Korean society took effect in 1997. South Korean Unification Minister Kim Young-ho announced the official designation on Wednesday while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Special Committee for Accompanying Residents with Backgrounds from North Korea established under the auspices

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2024

Number of surgeries halved as hospitals suffer from strike

The number of surgeries being performed at Seoul’s “Big Five” hospitals was reduced by 30 to 50 percent due to a staff shortage over junior doctors’ resignation en masse on Wednesday, putting patients’ health at risk amid escalating confrontation between doctors and the government. Severance Hospital reduced its operations by 50 percent, while Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital said they had canceled around 30 percent of

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Ruling party proposes new security council against NK threats

The ruling party's floor leader on Wednesday called for the establishment of a trilateral security council formed of members of the Cabinet and the two major parties to counter threats from North Korea. “North Korea is projected to step up its provocations ahead of our general election (scheduled for April 10) and the US presidential election (in November),” People Power Party Floor Leader Yun Jae-ok said in a keynote speech at a meeting of the National Assembly’s floor ne

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2024

Past successes behind doctors' confidence

Despite the public's negative response and the government's stern warning against doctors leaving hospitals in protest of a drastic medical school quota expansion that would add 2,000 new spots per year, Korean doctors have remained adamant, expressing confidence that they would not back down until the plan is withdrawn. Among the doctors remaining steadfast over the government's threats of legal action is Noh Hwan-kyu, the former chair of the Korea Medical Association, an interes

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Yoon calls German, Danish leaders over postponed trip

President Yoon Suk Yeol called by phone his counterparts in Germany and Denmark Tuesday to provide an explanation for postponing his trip to the two European countries, according to his office on Wednesday. Yoon asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for understanding for delaying his previously scheduled visit. Yoon had been set to depart Seoul this Sunday for a weeklong trip including a state visit to Germany. Yoon told Steinmeier and Frederi

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2024

Teacher wears stab vest to class 'out of fear for life'

A South Korean teacher has been making headlines for wearing a stab-resistant vest to classes, which he relayed to local media on Wednesday as intended to defend himself from a student's threats. The teacher, working at a high school in North Jeolla Province, started wearing the protective vest after he was threatened by a student he had reprimanded in 2022. He got into an argument while disciplining a student for smoking at school, leading to a feud that has lasted for nearly two years. Th

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Soccer star's sister-in-law apologizes for sex video blackmail

South Korean soccer star Hwang Ui-jo's sister-in-law, currently on trial accused of blackmailing Hwang and distributing his private videos, recently submitted a letter of apology to the court admitting that she did intentionally reveal the videos. The defendant surnamed Lee said that she committed the crime so she could punish her brother-in-law "for being ungrateful" to her and her husband. "We gave up everything in South Korea and looked after (Hwang) for five years as he

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Airline reservations for Japan nearly full on March 1st Movement Day

Many Koreans are planning to travel to Japan during the three-day holiday starting on March 1, a national holiday commemorating the independence movement against Japanese rule, according to the aviation industry on Wednesday. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said among the international routes departing from Incheon Airport from March 1 to March 3, the route to Matsuyama, Japan, has the highest reservation rate. As of Wednesday, the reservation rate is in the high 90 percent range. The overall averag

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Concerns over public health heighten as trainee doctors walk off job for 2nd day

Surgeries have been canceled and some patients were forced to be transferred to other hospitals as trainee doctors stopped working for the second day in a row Wednesday in protest of the government's plan to boost the number of medical students. More than 6,400 trainee doctors nationwide, about 55 percent of the junior doctors, have submitted their resignations en masse so far, with about 1,600 of them walking off the job, according to the health ministry. Medical services at the five bigge

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

US restates its goal of 'full' Korean Peninsula denuclearization

The State Department on Tuesday reiterated the United States' goal to achieve the "full" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, after North Korea signaled openness to improving ties with Japan as long as Tokyo does not take issue with its "right to self-defense." Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might be able to visit Pyongyang if Tokyo "drops its bad habit" of taking issue

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2024

N. Korean missile used against Ukraine contained US, European parts: CNN

A North Korean ballistic missile that Russia fired against Ukraine last month contained many parts traced to companies in the United States and Europe, CNN reported Tuesday, citing a research report. The Britain-based organization, Conflict Armament Research, produced the report that examined 290 components from remnants of a North Korean missile retrieved from Kharkiv in Ukraine, and discovered that 75 percent of the components were designed and sold by companies incorporated in the US, accordi

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2024

[Graphic News] 53% of Gen Z workers want 4-day workweek

Although the implementation of a four-day workweek is slowly on the rise globally, with new studies showing it to have overall positive effects on both the company and the workforce, it still remains a hot topic in South Korea where many businesses are hesitant to accept a change in the norm. According to a survey done by online employment platform Catch, 1,076 Generation Z job seekers were asked how they would feel about the four-day workweek system with pay cuts. Fifty-three percent of respond

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Yoon accepts resignation of gender equality minister

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook, officials said, six months after she offered to step down over the failed Scout jamboree. Kim offered to resign in September to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree the previous month but was retained pending a replacement. Yoon had tapped Kim Haeng, a former member of the ruling People Power Party's interim leadership panel, as the new gender minister

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2024

Yoon seeks German president's understanding on postponed state visit

President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke by phone with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday and asked for his understanding regarding his decision to postpone his state visit to the European country, Yoon's office said. Yoon was planning to visit Germany and Denmark this week but postponed the trip four days before his scheduled departure. The presidential office did not give an official reason, though there was speculation the decision reflected his need to focus on domestic issues and

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2024

Yoon to soon accept resignation of gender equality minister: officials

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to soon accept the resignation offer of Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook, officials said Tuesday. Kim offered to resign in September to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree the previous month but was retained pending a replacement. Yoon had tapped Kim Haeng, a former member of the ruling People Power Party's interim leadership panel, as the new gender minister, but she withdrew herself from consideration during

PoliticsFeb. 20, 2024

Korean victim receives first compensation for forced labor from Japanese company

The bereaved family of a forced labor victim under Japan's 1910-1945 colonization received 60 million won ($44,850) in recompense in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling, marking the first case in which funds from a Japanese company were transferred to a forced labor victim. The family of the late victim surnamed Lee, who worked at the firm's shipyard starting in September 1944, withdrew 60 million won on Tuesday from the Seoul Central District Court, which Osaka-based industrial and

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2024

Busan police on hunt for unidentified Haeundae skyscraper jumpers

Busan police are looking after two unidentified individuals who allegedly parachuted from the 99th floor of a 104-story high-rise in Haeundae, Busan, last week. According to investigators at Haeundae Police Station on Tuesday, the duo, suspected to be extreme jumpers, likely jumped from an observation deck located on the 99th floor of the Haeundae LCT The Sharp, after sneaking into the mixed-use building. Charges of illegal trespassing are being considered by the authorities. The police wa

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2024

Brother of hiking trail murder victim laments sister's death

The brother of the woman who was murdered along a Sillim-dong hiking trail has shared the story of what the bereaved family has been through in a recent online post, since the brutal attempted rape and death of the 35-year-old teacher in August 2023. In a crime that shocked the nation, a then-30-year-old man named Choi Yoon-jong followed the victim, surnamed Gong, to a remote area along a hiking trail in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, before attacking her with the intent to rape her. He then fatal

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2024

Nurses urge trainee doctors to return

A group of nurses in Korea urged doctors to come back to their duties, stressing that its their duty to protect patients. “We also believe that the government’s sudden announcement to increase medical school enrollment quota is excessive. We also doubt that the quality of education from medical schools following the quota increase will be as good as the government claims it will be,” wrote the Korean Young Nurses Association on Instagram. “Nevertheless, we request for you

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2024