150 new K2 tanks to feature domestically produced power packs

The state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Monday announced its bid to make 150 new K2 tanks' power packs -- which comprise a 1,500-horsepower engine and transmission -- fully homegrown. The tanks with South Korean-made 1,500-horsepower engines and gear shifts will be manufactured by 2028, according to the plan. A notable change in the manufacturing plan, according to DAPA, is the adoption of a transmission system produced by a South Korean company SNT Dynamics. Currently,

PoliticsOct. 30, 2024

Authorities shoot dead wild boar in subway station, 1 person bitten

A wild boar wrought havoc at a metro station in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province Tuesday afternoon, leaving one person injured and forcing an evacuation, local authorities said Wednesday. The incident began around 4:45 p.m. when the wild boar was first spotted near a local restaurant in Dong-myeon, Yangsan. By 5:10 p.m., it had crossed the street and made its way into Hopo Station on Busan Metro Line 2, officials said. The boar, estimated at 1.5 meters in length and weighing approximately 100

Social AffairsOct. 30, 2024

N. Korea, Russia hold joint IT exhibition in Pyongyang for 1st time in 18 yrs

A joint exhibition aimed at promoting information technology exchanges between North Korea and Russia has opened in Pyongyang, the North's state media said Wednesday, marking their first such event in 18 years. The exhibition, held at the People's Palace of Culture, opened Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency, as international attention has focused on North Korea's troop deployment in Russia in apparent support for Moscow in its war with Ukraine. With no mention of

North KoreaOct. 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Lottery sales on constant increase to hit all-time high in 2024: data

Lottery sales in South Korea rose 7 percent on-year during the first half of this year to reach an all-time high, data showed. Sales of lottery tickets stood at 3.62 trillion won ($2.67 billion) in the January-June period of 2024, compared with 3.38 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from the Finance Ministry. The figure has been on a constant increase, surging 38 percent in four years. Sales came to 2.62 trillion won in the first half of 2020, 2.94 trillion won in the same

Social AffairsOct. 30, 2024

China confirms detention of S. Korean national on suspected espionage charges

China confirmed Tuesday that it has detained a South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating the country's anti-espionage law, marking the first case where a South Korean national has been arrested in China since the revised law took effect last year. "A South Korean national was arrested by Chinese authorities on charges of espionage," Lin Jian, a spokesperson at China's foreign ministry, told a press briefing, without disclosing other details. He said China has notified th

Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2024

Top diplomats of S. Korea, EU to hold talks next week amid NK troop deployment

Top diplomats of South Korea and the European Union will hold talks next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday, with discussions likely to cover North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, will meet in Seoul next Monday at the inaugural South Korea-EU strategic dialogue. The strategic dialogue platform was established following a bilateral summit held in May

Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2024

Top security adviser meets Danish parliament delegation

National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik met with a visiting Danish parliament delegation Tuesday, and discussed the bilateral partnership and other issues, including North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, the presidential office said. In the meeting with the delegation, which included Michael Aastrup Jensen, head of the foreign affairs policy committee of the Danish parliament, Shin stressed that South Korea is urging North Korean troops to withdraw from Russia immediately and end its ill

DefenseOct. 29, 2024

Yoon's foreign policy adviser visits Australia to discuss security, frigate project

Chang Ho-jin, foreign policy adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol, has visited Australia to discuss cooperation in the security and defense industry, including Canberra's frigate project, the presidential office said Tuesday. Chang visited Australia from Monday to Tuesday for meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Vice Minister of Defense Greg Moriarty to exchange opinions on regional security issues and Australia's military acquisition program. During the meetings, Cha

Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2024

Ukraine envoy to travel to S. Korea as Yoon, Zelenskyy vow strategic cooperation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will appoint a special envoy to South Korea following talks held with President Yoon Suk Yeol over the phone pledging strategic cooperation in a bid to counter North Korean troops in Russia, according to the presidential office Tuesday. Yoon and Zelenskyy "denounced the illicit military cooperation between North Korea and Russia with the strongest language possible," as the two countries agreed to seek strategic countermeasures, Yoon's offic

PoliticsOct. 29, 2024

Flexibility granted to medical schools on student leave

In response to pressing demands from national medical schools, the government has decided to allow universities to individually authorize leaves of absence for medical students, reversing its previous stance. The Ministry of Education announced Tuesday afternoon that the government and presidents of 40 medical universities reached a consensus that students return by the 2025 academic year at the latest. In order to pave the way to accelerate the return of students and normalize studies in medica

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2024

NIS says North Korean leader’s daughter clearly in line to rule

The South Korean intelligence agency said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter Kim Ju-ae appears to be on a rising path to power. Citing the National Intelligence Service, Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea told reporters there are growing signs suggesting a “clear elevation of Ju-ae’s status.” He was briefed on North Korea affairs by the NIS as vice chair of the National Assembly intelligence committee. The NIS said Kim&

PoliticsOct. 29, 2024

Selected NK troops, generals may be deployed to front lines: NIS

A contingent of North Korean troops, including high-ranking generals, deployed to Russia may now be positioned on the front lines of the Ukraine war, South Korea’s spy agency reported Tuesday, adding that the Kim Jong-un regime appears to be clamping down on information about the troop dispatch internationally. "Troop movements between Russia and North Korea have been assessed as underway, with the agency examining the potential relocation of certain personnel, including high-ranking

Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2024

Government mulls over allowing unis to approve medical students' leave

In response to increasing demands from national medical schools, the government is reportedly reconsidering its stance on granting universities the autonomy to approve medical students' leave of absence requests. This comes as a potential solution to the monthslong standoff over medical school enrollments following protests against the government's plan to expand the medical school quota. Sources within the education sector revealed Tuesday that the presidents of national universities

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2024

'Pongpongnam' row exposes South Korea's gender divide

While expressing disparagement of the opposite sex in a show of hatred has long ailed South Korea, the severe gender conflict took a turn for the worse after a cartoon recently came under fire for misogyny. The three-story webtoon, "Pong Pong Man From Another World," uploaded to Naver Webtoon last month, is a story that revolves around a 39-year-old man named Park Dong-soo who faces a series of hardships after witnessing his wife's affair, which later leads him to question his pla

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2024

S. Korea marks 2nd anniversary of Itaewon tragedy

President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his condolences as South Korea on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of the Itaewon crowd crush that claimed 159 lives in October 2022. "Today marks the second anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy," Yoon said at a Cabinet meeting he presided over at his office. "I feel sorry for those who tragically lost their lives and I express my condolences for the bereaved families who live in sorrow." Yoon said that making people feel safe in everyday

PoliticsOct. 29, 2024

Fitness center rejecting senior citizen is age discrimination: rights commission

A fitness center’s rejection of the annual membership application of a 68-year-old senior citizen is an act of age discrimination, the state human rights commission stated Tuesday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced that it had recommended the fitness center, which was not named, to revise its internal policies that prevent seniors aged 65 and older from obtaining annual gym memberships. The complainant had been using the club for the past 5 years by purchasing one-tim

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2024

Seoul City to spend W6.7tr to encourage couples to have kids

The Seoul city government will spend 6.7 trillion won ($4.9 billion) from 2025 to 2026 to financially help residents raise children, city officials said Tuesday. The city government said it was expanding an existing childbirth encouragement project launched in February as part of efforts to increase the country's low birth rate. The earlier version of the project took a comprehensive approach to supporting caregivers by providing financial assistance for infertility treatments across all in

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2024

6 in 10 college seniors, grads not actively job hunting: survey

Over 60 percent of young Korean job candidates are not actively pursuing careers amid intensified negative sentiments surrounding the job market, data showed Tuesday. Some 60.5 percent of 1,235 Korean university seniors and recent graduates — 748 individuals — identified their job-seeking status as passive or dormant, according to a survey conducted this year by The Federation of Korean Industries. This figure combines three groups: 30.9 percent who described their job hunting as per

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2024

Yoon says N. Korea's troop deployment in Russia constitutes security threats to S. Korea, world

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that North Korea's troop deployment in Russia constituted security threats to both South Korea and the world, denouncing what he calls "illegal" military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting amid North Korea's deployment of its troops in western Russia, with all signs suggesting that the North's troops may soon be ready for battlefield deployment against Ukraine forces. "This ill

PoliticsOct. 29, 2024

N. Korean foreign minister departs for Russia amid troop dispatch

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has departed for Russia for an official visit, the North's state media reported Tuesday, in a visit that comes as the United States said the North sent about 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia. The visit by Choe to Russia is expected to include discussions about a potential visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Moscow amid deepening military ties between the two countries. Choe left Pyongyang International Airport on Monday, the Korea

North KoreaOct. 29, 2024