Yoon meets 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae, Netflix CEO

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a luncheon meeting with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae earlier this week, his spokesperson said Sunday. At the meeting held Saturday at his presidential residence, Yoon expressed his appreciation to Sarandos for Netflix's investment in South Korea and called for increased investment in "K-contents." Yoon and Sarandos also discussed the development of the two countries' "cultural alliance" through

Foreign AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Govt. asks doctors to remain by patients amid looming collective action

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday called for doctors to refrain from taking collective action amid their looming strike in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats. Doctors have warned of a massive strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision announced earlier this month to add 2,000 to the country's medical school freshmen quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current 3,058 seats. "If d

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

South Korea, NASA launch air quality research across Asia

South Korea's National Institute of Environmental Research and NASA will conduct joint research in Korean territory to identify sources behind winter air pollution across Asia, the Ministry of Environment in South Korea announced Sunday. The joint research is scheduled to commence in South Korea on Monday and will extend to Malaysia and Thailand until Mar. 25. This year's air quality study, scheduled for February to March, coincides with a period of heightened air pollution levels comp

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

National Assembly mulls revote of special probe bill against first lady

This month’s provisional session of the National Assembly is set to kick off on Monday, but the opposition-led Assembly has yet to decide when to cast a revote on the special probe bill against the first lady. The rival parties in recent weeks have locked horns over the timing of the revote after President Yoon Suk Yeol, on Jan. 5, vetoed a bill that would allow the Assembly to order a special investigation into the stock manipulation allegations surrounding his wife Kim Keon Hee. The bill

PoliticsFeb. 18, 2024

Govt. urges restraint as junior doctors plan joint action

The Korean government on Sunday issued a public plea urging doctors to abstain from joint action that could disrupt nationwide medical services. The statement comes as interns and residents prepare to stage a walkout this week in protest against the government’s decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas by over 60 percent. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged junior doctors to reconsider taking their gowns off, saying that citizens would have to bear the brunt of collective action

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Ex-police officers, teachers selected as school violence investigators in Seoul

Nearly 190 school violence investigators consisting mainly of retired police officers and teachers have been selected to investigate fights and bullying cases that arise between students starting from the upcoming March semester, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Sunday. School violence investigators were first introduced in December 2023 to lessen the burden of teachers who were previously responsible for handling and investigating fights between students while being exposed to co

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Seoul touts economic potential of S. Korea-Cuba ties

The South Korean presidential office said Sunday that the establishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba would create new economic opportunities for Korean companies, though it conceded it would take time. “The establishment of diplomatic relations and the future opening of a permanent mission in each country will lay the groundwork for expanded economic cooperation in a gradual manner," the presidential office touted the anticipated impacts of forging of ties announced on Wednesday. The

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Where does Korea stand on assisted death?

Lee Myung-shik, 63, is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of acute myelitis, a condition he developed after retiring from his public service job in 2019. Unable to perform basic bodily functions independently, he requires the constant use of a urinary catheter and the assistance of his daughter to manually remove stool from his rectum. “Usually, when a person’s lower body is paralyzed, they normally do not have any sensation from the affected parts, but it’s different in

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

G7 foreign ministers strongly condemn N. Korea's arms transfers to Russia

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven countries have condemned North Korea's arms transfers to Russia, calling it a direct violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan and the High Representative of the European Union issued the statement amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Rus

Foreign AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Govt. orders hospitals to submit doctors' work logs amid looming protest

South Korea's health authorities recently ordered trainee doctors to submit their daily work logs amid their looming collective action in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats, officials said Sunday. Doctors have warned of a massive strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision announced earlier this month to add 2,000 to the country's medical school freshmen quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan call for N. Korea to take 'immediate' steps to end 'all' human rights abuses

South Korea, the United States and Japan urged North Korea on Saturday to take "immediate" steps to end "all" human rights violations as they marked the 10th anniversary of the release of a landmark UN report on the reclusive state's rights abuses. The three countries' missions to the United Nations released a joint statement commemorating the anniversary of the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry report that accused the North Korean regime of "systematic, widespread

North KoreaFeb. 18, 2024

S. Korea's air passenger traffic up 57% in Jan.

South Korea's air passenger traffic shot up 57 percent on-year in January on the back of the strong demand for routes connecting to China, data showed Sunday. The number of international travelers to and from South Korea reached 7.28 million, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It represents around 91 percent of the figure tallied in January 2019, indicating international travel has nearly recovered to the pre-pandemic level. By destination,

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Emergency reports for missing persons doubled in 2023

South Korea's 119 emergency service received a total of 53,935 reports last year requesting a search for a missing person, more than double the number of the previous year, the National Fire Agency revealed this week. Some 36 percent of those reports were requests to find people aged 65 or older, with the 119 dispatch service cooperating with local police to seek the missing person in 7,819 cases. This figure also marked a steep increase from 5,137 cases in 2021. "We think this is due

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2024

US envoy vows to work to prevent forced repatriation of NK defectors

The US special envoy for North Korean human rights has vowed to work with the international community to prevent the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, South Korea's unification ministry said Saturday. Ambassador Julie Turner made the remarks Friday as she met with a group of young defectors who expressed concerns over the fate of North Korean defectors in China who could face harsh punishment in their home country. Turner also discussed with officials ways to cooperate with the

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2024

Ruling party warns of stern action against looming strike by doctors over quota hike

The ruling party warned Saturday of strong measures against a planned strike by doctors next week, stressing that an increase in the number of doctors is key to resolving a shortage and boosting medical services. Trainee doctors at major hospitals decided to resign early next week and doctors have warned of a large-scale strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision to add 2,000 to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year. "The country's

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2024

N. Korean leader apparently skips visit to mausoleum on late father's birthday

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have skipped a visit to a mausoleum for his late father, Kim Jong-il, for yet another year on the occasion of the former leader's 82nd birthday. The North's Korean central News Agency reported Saturday that key officials, including Premier Kim Tok-hun and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun the previous day. It did not carry any report on Kim's at

North KoreaFeb. 17, 2024

N. Korea denounces S. Korea, US over aerial surveillance

North Korea on Saturday accused South Korea and the United States of heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula with aerial reconnaissance activities. In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the North said that Seoul and Washington have been stepping up their "spying activities" this month, calling such a move a "stern provocation" against the country. The North claimed the countries attempted to secure information on the North's inner regions by con

North KoreaFeb. 17, 2024

South Korea, Japan hold nonproliferation consultations

South Korea and Japan held disarmament and nonproliferation consultations to discuss ways to address growing military threats from North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Youn Jong-kwon, director-general for nuclear nonproliferation and diplomatic planning at the ministry, met with his Japanese counterpart, Katsuro Kitagawa, in Tokyo, the ministry said. The two sides shared concerns about North Korea's increasingly advanced nuclear and missile threats and illegal arms trade

Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2024

New evidence of North Korean military aid to Russia: Ukrainian police official

In a latest sign of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, a senior Ukrainian police official Sergei Bolvinov said Wednesday that part of a weapon that Russia used to attack Ukraine had Korean writing on it. “Russians continue to use weapons from North Korea in the Kharkiv region,” he said in a Facebook post, alongside a photograph of the wrecked weapon suspected of having been sourced from North Korea. The National Intelligence Service in Seoul believes North Korea beg

DefenseFeb. 16, 2024

Japan-North Korea talks must help denuclearize peninsula, Seoul says

The South Korean government said Friday it is closely communicating with Japan and the US over North Korea extending an invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida a day earlier. An official in Seoul said that any exchanges between Tokyo and Pyongyang “must unfold in a way that aids efforts for denuclearizing North Korea.” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Yo-jong said late Thursday that North Korea is open to “a new future” with Japan, if Kishida is

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2024