N. Korea sets sights on Fourth Industrial Revolution technology

North Korea appears to be setting its sights on Fourth Industrial Revolution technology, such as artificial intelligence, in a bid to explore ways to expand its applications. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, reported Dec. 24 that global competition for science and technology has been intensifying, citing efforts to apply AI to the education sector and the increased use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the

North KoreaFeb. 11, 2024

Unification minister vows to push for reunion of separated families despite N. Korean provocations

South Korea's point man on North Korea said Saturday the government will keep pushing for the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, saying Pyongyang's provocations will not deter Seoul's drive. Kim made the remark after attending an annual gathering of separated families and others who were born in North Korea but ended up south of the border following the war. To mark the Lunar New Year, they came to pay their respects to their ancestors and family members in N

North KoreaFeb. 10, 2024

US envoy for NK human rights to visit S. Korea, Japan this month

The US special envoy for North Korean human rights will visit South Korea and Japan this month to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of a landmark UN report on the North's rights violations, the State Department said Friday. Ambassador Julie Turner's two-nation trip from Monday through Feb. 22 comes as activists and government officials in Seoul and Washington have paid renewed attention to the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report that accused North Korean officials of &quo

North KoreaFeb. 10, 2024

Supreme Court says old name of coffee can be trademarked

South Korea's Supreme Court recently decided to allow an antiquated name for coffee to be used as the name of a coffee shop, officials said Tuesday. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff surnamed Hong, who challenged an earlier decision by the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board that invalidated his 2015 trademark to use "Yangtangguk" as the name of his new cafe. Yangtangguk, which literally translates as "Western soup," was the name used during the Joseon e

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2024

German, Israeli embassies in Seoul commemorate Holocaust victims

Germany and Israel remembered Holocaust victims in a solemn commemorative event hosted by the two embassies in Seoul on Jan. 29. The gathering, held annually on Jan. 27, marks the International Day of Commemoration, observing the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp on that day in 1945. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, this day serves as a reminder of the Shoah and imparts crucial lessons from the Holocaust. The term "Shoah," from Hebrew, means &quo

Foreign AffairsFeb. 10, 2024

Traffic building up on highways as people travel on Lunar New Year

Traffic on major highways began to build up across South Korea on Saturday morning as millions of people hit the road on the Lunar New Year. This year's holiday began Friday, marked by the traditional exodus of people from Seoul and its surrounding areas to their hometowns. On the second day of the long weekend Saturday, more people headed out of the capital region, while others were making their way back to Seoul. According to the state-run Korea Expressway Corp., a drive from Seoul to the

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2024

Smaller political powers agree to merge into new party ahead of general elections

Four political parties and factions led by politicians who have left the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) have agreed to merge into one new party ahead of the April general elections, officials said Friday. The envisioned party, named the Reform Party, will be jointly led by former Prime Minister and DP leader Lee Nak-yon and former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok, according to the officials. Lee, the former DP leader, will lead the new party's election

PoliticsFeb. 9, 2024

Embassy urges support for Indonesians' voting in S. Korea

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul urged support for Indonesians in Korea casting their votes in the Southeast Asian country's general election in an annual media briefing to present its agenda for the year on Wednesday. The Indonesian Embassy’s Charge d'Affaires Zelda Wulan Kartika reviewed milestones of 2023 that marked 50 years of diplomatic ties, high-level exchanges, and economic and cultural forums and events co-hosted with many Indonesian and Korean organizations. She introdu

Foreign AffairsFeb. 9, 2024

Endangered Korean leopard returns to homeland

An endangered Amur leopard from the UK has found a new home at a zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday. The arrival of the female leopard, born in 2014, at Seoul Grand Park is a significant addition to the zoo's existing pair of only male cats, born in 2016. Zoo officials said they plan to initiate a breeding program for these leopards. The public will have the opportunity to meet the new leopard in the second half of the year. The Amur leopard, scientifically known as Panthera par

Social AffairsFeb. 9, 2024

5.2m cars to hit the road on 1st day of Lunar New Year holiday

Some 5.2 million cars were expected to hit the road nationwide Friday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, as people head to their hometowns. Among such cars, some 490,000 vehicles were expected to leave the greater Seoul area for provincial regions, while 370,000 cars were forecast to travel into the city, according to the Korea Expressway Corp. The agency expected traffic congestion on roads heading to provincial regions to have peaked between 11 a.m. and noon and to ease around 8 p.m

Social AffairsFeb. 9, 2024

Yoon meets with street sweepers on Lunar New Year holiday

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a breakfast meeting with sanitation workers of a Seoul ward Friday to wish them a happy Lunar New Year and thank them for their hard work, his office said. During his meeting with street sweepers of Dongjak Ward in southern Seoul, Yoon asked them about their working conditions over bowls of "tteokguk," a soup made with rice cakes, often eaten on the holiday. Yoon thanked them for starting work in the early morning hours, even on holidays, and stressed that

PoliticsFeb. 9, 2024

NK leader calls S. Korea 'primary foe,' vows to protect country with power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has again called South Korea the North's "primary foe" and vowed to guard the country through power rather than negotiations, state media said Friday. Kim's remarks came as the North has recently abandoned its decadeslong policy of seeking reunification with the South and called for codifying the commitment to "completely occupying" the South Korean territory in the event of war. "Defining the South Korean puppets as the most harmful prima

North KoreaFeb. 9, 2024

US expresses deep concern over Russia's reported move to release frozen NK assets

WASHINGTON -- A US State Department spokesperson expressed deep concern Thursday over a media report that Russia has allowed the release of millions of dollars in frozen North Korean assets and may be helping the North with access to international banking networks. The New York Times published the report this week, noting that Moscow's such assistance has come after the North's transfer of weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. "Of course, it is something that we're deeply con

North KoreaFeb. 9, 2024

Seoul opens lounge promoting city's 'Seoul, My Soul' slogan in hanok village

The Seoul city government on Friday opened a welcome lounge promoting the city's new slogan, "Seoul, My Soul," in a popular tourist destination in central Seoul, known for its preservation of traditional Korean houses called hanok. The promotion set up in Bukchon Lounge, a sample hanok house the city government runs in the Bukchon Hanok Village, will receive visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Mondays and Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday, city officials said. T

Social AffairsFeb. 9, 2024

S. Korea to provide $500,000 in humanitarian aid to Chile over massive wildfires

South Korea will provide $500,000 worth of humanitarian assistance to Chile to help people struggling with devastating wildfires, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. More than 120 people have been killed and hundreds of others remained missing as the wildfires have razed thousands of homes in Chile's Valparaiso region since earlier this month, according to foreign media reports. The South Korean government voiced hope that the aid would help with the South American nation's re

Foreign AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

S. Korea voices regret over Russian envoy's remarks blaming allies for possible NK nuclear test

South Korea expressed strong regret Thursday over the remarks by Russia's top envoy to North Korea that the likelihood of another nuclear test by Pyongyang will depend on how far Seoul and Washington will go in taking their deterrence measures against the North. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with the TASS news agency the previous day that North Korea may decide to conduct its seventh nuclear test if Washington continues to take "provocative

Foreign AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

Illegal drug suspect charged with forgery for AI-generated letter

An individual charged with illegal drug possession and use is now facing a another trial for filing what he claimed was a petition containing a character reference letter from the head of a local sports association, but which was allegedly forged by the suspect's friend using ChatGPT, arguing for leniency from the court, state prosecutors said Thursday. He was subsequently indicted for document forgery. The letter, submitted to the prosecution during the man’s first trial on drug char

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

N. Korea scraps inter-Korean economic cooperation laws

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament approved the annulment of laws and agreements related to promoting economic cooperation with South Korea during its plenary meeting Wednesday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday. The Supreme People’s Assembly voted to abolish the law on inter-Korean economic cooperation, the "law on the special zone for international tours of Mount Kumgang" and regulations for its enforcement and agreements on inter-Korean econom

North KoreaFeb. 8, 2024

Yoon's 'irrational force' remark signals inter-Korean turbulence

President Yoon Suk Yeol's public characterization of the nuclear-armed North Korean regime as an "irrational force," coupled with his emphasis on the imperative of bolstering defense readiness against threats posed by the regime, signals a further tumultuous path for inter-Korean relations. The conservative president's prerecorded interview with the state-run Korea Broadcasting System aired Wednesday night amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in the face of North

PoliticsFeb. 8, 2024