Residents of border regions feel anxious over inter-Korean tensions

North Korea's latest provocations on Friday have worsened tensions in the already-stressed inter-Korean relations, heightening worries for residents of the northwestern border islands. Residents of the islands of Baekryeong and Yeonpyeong were ordered to evacuate after North Korea on Friday morning fired some 200 artillery shells into the sea off its western coast. The shells fell in the maritime buffer zones just north of the de facto maritime border between the two nations, with no injuri

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2024

Public alcohol consumption faces fines starting in New Year

"Chimaek," a beloved combination of fried "chicken" and "maekju" (beer), could no longer be allowed in public parks across South Korea. Local governments in South Korea have started banning the consumption of alcohol in public spaces, and fines of up to 100,000 won ($76) could now be imposed. The measures were announced in 2023, with municipalities providing a grace period for a ban on public drinking. However, starting from the New Year, drinking alcohol in most

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2024

Tensions rise as North Korea fires some 200 artillery shells near sea border

Tensions escalated on the Korean Peninsula on Friday morning as North Korea fired some 200 artillery shells into the sea north of the border. Immediately after the North fired the shells off its western coast, South Korean authorities issued evacuation orders on Yeonpyeong Island and Baekryeong Island. North Korea continued to fire shells for two hours until 11 a.m., the South Korean military said. The South’s military said no South Korean citizens or members of the armed forces were harme

DefenseJan. 5, 2024

Stabbed opposition leader hit by favoritism allegations

Liberal politician Lee Jae-myung is facing accusations of favoritism over his treatment after he was stabbed in the neck Tuesday in Busan, with the focal point being why he was transferred to Seoul for an emergency operation. Lee, the 60-year-old leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was stabbed in the neck by a 67-year-old man who initially posed as a supporter. Lee is currently recovering at Seoul National University Hospital. The medical staff of Pusan National University H

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2024

Seohyeon killer claims to have been mentally ill during rampage

The lawyer of Choi Won-jong, the 23-year-old South Korean man on trial for a fatal stabbing rampage last year near Seohyeon Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, claimed in court Thursday that his client had been suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the crime, citing a recent psychiatric evaluation. Suwon District Court revealed the results of the National Forensic Hospital's evaluation of Choi, in which the hospital suggested that "the defendant's ability to distinguish o

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2024

Korean tourist shot dead in Guam

A South Korean national was killed in a gun attack in the US territory of Guam on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. According to the ministry, a South Korean tourist visiting Guam was taken to a hospital, where he died, after being shot in a robbery. Local media outlets reported the shooting happened at Gun Beach in Tumon at around 8 p.m. Thursday. The victim, assumed to be in his 50s, was promptly taken to a hospital in the area. The beach is located at the northern end of

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2024

Yoon vetoes bill to investigate his wife

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday exercised his veto power to strike down a bill that would let the opposition-controlled National Assembly order a special investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged involvement in stock manipulation. "(We) express a deep regret over the opposition bloc's unilateral move (to pass the bill to investigate the first lady) without bipartisan consent," presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup told reporters. "Yoon has the obligation

PoliticsJan. 5, 2024

N. Korea rebuilds destroyed guard posts inside DMZ with concrete

North Korea appears to have rebuilt some of its destroyed guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas with concrete structures, a military source said Friday. Last November, the North began rebuilding the guard posts with wooden material after scrapping a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement designed to reduce tensions along the border, according to Seoul's defense officials. "We have detected that North Korea has built concrete guard posts at the destroyed guar

North KoreaJan. 5, 2024

N. Korea recently sent several dozen ballistic missiles to Russia: US official

North Korea recently provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles as well as ballistic missile launchers, a US official said Thursday, as Moscow seeks to replenish its weapons stockpiles amid its protracted war in Ukraine. The shipment came in defiance of repeated warnings by Washington, Seoul and other governments that such arms transactions between Pyongyang and Moscow would run afoul of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. "Due in part to our sanctions and export controls,

North KoreaJan. 5, 2024

Bereaved family files damages suit over prisoner's death amid mass COVID-19 infections

The bereaved family of a late prisoner who died of COVID-19 when a mass infection hit a detention center in Seoul has filed a damages suit, accusing the state of failing to protect high-risk inmates like him and neglecting the problem of overcrowding at the facility. The deceased, who was in his 70s at the time and was suffering from diabetes, died in December 2020, when nearly 800 new cases of COVID-19 infections were reported at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center. His family filed a lawsuit sui

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2024

Court issues arrest warrant for suspect in stabbing attack against opposition leader

The suspect in the stabbing attack against opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was formally arrested Thursday on charges of attempted murder. The Busan District Court issued an arrest warrant for the 67-year-old assailant, surnamed Kim, citing the risk of him fleeing. The warrant, which was issued just two hours after the court's arraignment of him, allows the police to continue holding the suspect, who was detained at the scene. Lee, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), w

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2024

S. Korea to disband foundation for Kaesong industrial park

South Korea has decided to disband the sole government-run foundation tasked with handling matters concerning the now-shuttered Kaesong industrial park, once a pivotal inter-Korean cooperation project, amid simmering tensions between the two Koreas. The Unification Ministry issued a public announcement on Thursday regarding the dissolution of the Gaeseong Industrial District Foundation, which was first established in 2007 under the auspices of the ministry, announcing the decision nearly eight y

North KoreaJan. 4, 2024

Lee Sun-kyun's alleged blackmailer also may have threatened another blackmailer

A woman suspected of blackmailing the late Lee Sun-kyun was found to have had threatened a 29-year-old bar worker who also coerced money from the late actor, police said Thursday. Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency recently discovered the complicated relationship between the two suspects while investigating Lee's claims that he had been blackmailed by the two women. The bar host, who worked at a high-end bar in Gangnam, southern Seoul, that Lee frequently visited, reportedly received 300 mi

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2024

Unification Ministry's NK election interference warning raises concerns

A statement by the Unification Ministry on Thursday has raised concerns as it urged South Korean voters to remain vigilant against North Korea's attempts to interfere in the upcoming April legislative elections. This remark seems inappropriate for the ministry, the primary role of which is to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, and is supposed to maintain political neutrality, according to political commentators here. Stressing that North Korea has consistently sought to interfere in So

North KoreaJan. 4, 2024

Nearly half of S. Koreans live alone: report

The percentage of single-person households in South Korea reached a new all-time high last year to account for 42 percent of all households in the country, government data showed Thursday. As of December 2023, the number of single-person households increased to 9.93 million from 9.72 million the year before, according to the resident registration service of the Ministry of Interior and Safety. In the span of just one year, the number of households consisting of one person jumped by 211,344. The

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2024

Late Chun’s 5.5 billion won in assets to be confiscated, overdue fines down to 86.7 billion won

The unpaid fines of former President Chun Doo-hwan, who died in November 2021, are likely to be set at 86.7 billion won ($66.2 million), following a lawsuit that enabled authorities to confiscate an additional 5.5 billion won, marking the final indemnity payment from the former dictator. This would bring the total collected fines to 132.72 billion won out of the 220.5 billion won imposed in relation to his 1997 conviction for rebellion and bribery. Local media outlets and legal sources reporte

PoliticsJan. 4, 2024

Justice Ministry notification system backfires, leaving crime victims vulnerable

A female victim of dating violence recently requested to be added to a state service that notified victims of violence about when their assailant will be released after serving time, but the authorities only notified her after her perpetrator had already been freed, local media outlets reported Thursday. According to reports, the unnamed victim received a call from legal authorities on Dec. 1 that her ex-boyfriend had been released from prison. The culprit, surname Jeong, assaulted her in Octobe

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2024

Namsan toll fees to be charged for northbound traffic only

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that it will charge the 2,000 won ($1.53) congestion toll fee at Namsan Tunnel Nos. 1 and 3 for northbound traffic only, beginning Jan. 15. The city government stopped collecting toll fees for the first time in 27 years from March 17 to May 16 last year as a temporary pricing model to decide whether to scrap the toll collection system. For the first month, toll fees were exempted for southbound traffic only, while for the second month toll fees wer

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2024

S. Korea plans W11tr inflation relief, picks immigration boost as key goal

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday reiterated his pledge to support the livelihoods of South Korean citizens, including 11 trillion-won ($8.4 billion) in funding to curb consumer inflation. Yoon's office expressed its intention to slow inflation, as measured by the monthly consumer price index, to less than 3 percent by June. The consumer price index in December jumped to 3.6 percent in 2023, compared with 5.1 percent in 2022. "We anticipate the price stability with the consumer price inde

PoliticsJan. 4, 2024

Birth rate-boosting bills should be passed: Assembly Speaker

South Korea’s National Assembly speaker on Thursday called for solutions to the nation’s low birth rate and declining population to be legislated, highlighting the need for more long-term policies. “The government and the political circles should see the ongoing population decline as a serious national crisis,” Kim Jin-pyo said in a New Year’s briefing held at the National Assembly. “The issue should be dealt with as a long-term agenda and solutions tied t

PoliticsJan. 4, 2024