Yoon vows to focus on living standards in 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol reiterated his policy focus on Tuesday, saying that the new year should be a year to achieve a "recovery of ordinary people's livelihoods," during the first Cabinet meeting of the year he presided. According to Yoon, measures are being undertaken to help ordinary people refinance their mortgages via mobile apps, effective Tuesday, aimed potentially at offering a new term with a lower interest rate. In addition, a greater portion of the vulnerable will recei

PoliticsJan. 9, 2024

Heavy snow advisory issued across greater Seoul; more snow expected through evening rush hours

Snow began coating parts of the country early Tuesday, with up to 3 centimeters of snow per hour forecast to hit the greater Seoul area during the evening rush hour, the state weather agency said. A heavy snow advisory was issued across the greater Seoul area as of 9 a.m., with up to 10 cm of snow expected to accumulate in the region. The advisory is given when the snowfall is expected to reach 5 centimeters or more within 24 hours. As of 10 a.m., the interior ministry had upgraded its snow aler

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2024

Belarusian Embassy marks Orthodox Christmas

The Belarusian Embassy in Seoul marked Orthodox Christmas Day on Friday, celebrating a unique tradition. According to the embassy, Belarus observes both Christmas on Dec. 25 and Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7. "Christmas is a holiday that makes the old feel like children again. Because from the very beginning, Christmas was full of joy and magic," said Belarusian Ambassador to Korea Andrew Chernetsky, delivering remarks at the embassy event. Chernetsky recalled the enchantment of Christm

Diplomatic CircuitJan. 9, 2024

North Korea makes no mention of leader's 40th birthday

North Korean state media outlets remained silent on the presumed 40th birthday of their leader Kim Jong-un on Monday. The Korean Central News Agency, Rodong Sinmun, Korean Central Television and Korean Central Broadcasting Station have yet to make any report on Kim's birthday. Kim is known to have been born on Jan. 8, 1984, though the North has not officially confirmed the date. Earlier in the day, state media outlets carried reports on Kim's visit to a newly built chicken factory wh

North KoreaJan. 8, 2024

Parliamentary committee passes bill to end dog meat distribution, consumption

The parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee passed a bill Monday banning the butchering and distribution of dog meat in a step to end the traditional practice that has fallen out of favor in recent decades. Under the bill, raising or slaughtering dogs for meat consumption and distributing or selling dog meat will be banned, with those butchering dogs facing a maximum prison term of three years or a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,768). Those who raise dogs for meat or distribute them

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Selling Kim Jong-un T-shirt isn't national security crime: police

Seoul police on Monday said that they have decided not to press criminal charges against those accused of violating the National Security Act by selling T-shirts bearing a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "The T-shirts (with Kim's smiling face) cannot be regarded as an expression that benefits the enemy, or that threatens the safety and existence of the state... We (the police) determined the distributors were merely selling them for profit," the Seoul Metropolitan Police

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Police seek to arrest college students for forcing entry into presidential office grounds

South Korean police said Monday it has requested an arrest warrant for 16 college students for attempting to enter the presidential office grounds while demanding a special investigation into allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee. The National Office of Investigation chief Woo Jong-soo told reporters that officials are conducting investigation on 20 college students on charges of breaking and entering and violating law on demonstration, seeking arrest warrants for 16 of them. He said warra

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

9 out 10 S. Koreans say they won't eat dog meat: survey

Over 90 percent of South Korean respondents said they would not eat dog meat, the results of a survey showed Monday, as the government seeks to pass a bill prohibiting dog meat consumption in the country. In a Dec.12-17 survey on 2,000 adults across the country conducted by local animal rights group Aware, 93.4 percent of respondents answered that they have no intention of eating dog meat in the future, up from 88.6 percent in a survey conducted by the same group the year before. The survey al

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

2 people who drove politician's stabber unrelated to attack: police

South Korean police on Monday confirmed that two people who drove the 67-year-old man charged with stabbing the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's leader Lee Jae-myung were unrelated to the attack. The suspect, surnamed Kim, arrived at the Busan island of Gadeokdo on Jan. 1, a day before he attacked the liberal politician. The police investigation discovered that in addition to public transportation, he rode in cars of two individuals while going to the island off the country'

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Space aviation agency bill gets subcommittee nod

A special bill aimed at establishing an independent space and aerospace agency is set for a vote in the National Assembly on Tuesday after receiving approval at the committee stage Monday. The National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee has approved the bill necessary for the government to establish a new space agency, tentatively named the Korea Aerospace Administration. If approved by the Assembly, the new agency will function as the Korean counterpart to

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

North Korea broke now-defunct military pact with South 3,600 times: JCS

North Korea breached the recently scrapped 2018 inter-Korean military accord approximately 3,600 times, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. The number of violations by North Korea, counted from the time the deal was reached six years ago, was announced following three consecutive days of North Korean provocations along the sea boundary. The JCS in Seoul told the press that due to North Korea’s firing of artillery shells near South Korean border islands over the past thre

DefenseJan. 8, 2024

China trust needed but priority remains on US: FM nominee

Cho Tae-yul, the nominee for South Korean foreign minister, said Monday that the country should manage its relations with China in a way that does not compromise the Korea-US alliance. Cho said the core of South Korea's approach to China is to "define its position amid the strategic competition between the US and China." "During our response to it, the focus should be on the Korea-US alliance," Cho said during his parliamentary confirmation hearing at the National Assemb

Foreign AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Half of women find return to work short-lived

Many of the women residing in Seoul whose careers have been interrupted by family-related issues tend to sustain a job for less than two years after returning to work, a report by a city-run foundation found Monday. The Seoul Foundation of Women & Family recently surveyed 1,200 women whose careers were interrupted between the ages of 25 and 54 currently living in South Korea's capital. A goal of the study was to figure out the average length of time women whose post-interruption caree

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Medical, education access higher in rich neighborhoods

Wealthy and impoverished neighborhoods in Seoul suffer significant disparities in medical treatment, education and other facilities, a report has shown. According to research on different living environments conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, the number of hospitals and doctors per capita was significantly higher in areas where house prices were higher. The number of hospitals was higher in expensive neighborhoods. High-priced neighborhoods had 25.5 hospitals per 10

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Rift within main opposition party widens

An existing fissure within the main opposition party is projected to widen ahead of the April general election, with several current and former heavyweight members parting ways from the party. Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Monday that he would officially announce his departure from the main opposition party through a press conference at the National Assembly scheduled for Thursday. The former premier had hinted on Sunday that the announceme

PoliticsJan. 8, 2024

One in 7 Korean women in 20s underweight: study

One in nearly six or seven Korean women in their 20s are underweight, and almost half of these young women weighing less than average or classified as normal weight attempt to lose more weight to cater to Korea’s strict beauty standards idealizing thin bodies, a report showed Monday. According to a study published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the percent of South Korean adults who attempt to lose weight and related factors using the Body Mass Index classification,

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

600,000 salaried workers report extra income exceeding W20m

Over 600,000 salaried workers in South Korea reported an annual additional income surpassing 20 million won ($15,200), aside from their regular salaries, according to data released by the National Health Insurance Service on Monday. According to NHIS data released by Rep. Choi Hye-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the extra income of salaried workers came from bank interest, stock dividends and rental revenue. The number of salaried workers getting extra income consisted of

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Heavy snow expected nationwide until Wednesday

Heavy snow is expected across South Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. According to the KMA, snowfall will begin Tuesday morning in northern areas of the country, including Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, inland and mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, and the northern parts of South Chungcheong Province. Snow clouds will then expand to the central region, into North and South Jeolla provinces and across western parts of North a

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2024

Presidential office weighs erasing small business owners' late payment records

South Korea is considering removing late payments from the credit history of individuals or vendors who fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic's economic fallout, possibly before the Lunar New Year's holiday in mid-February. President Yoon Suk Yeol's office "is in talks with the financial authorities to map out the timing of (the removal of delinquency on the credit reports) and the scope of its beneficiaries," said a source from the presidential office on Monday. In Korea, individuals f

PoliticsJan. 8, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Bills to promote climate action, corporate restructuring

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Sung-joo (Democratic Party of Korea) ● As climate change responsiveness increasingly becomes an essential part of business operations, this amendment requires companies to disclose climate-related information, including risks related to climate change and corresponding response plans, greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global warming and goals for reduction, and the implementa

PoliticsJan. 8, 2024