[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years

Incheon Airport witnessed a heartfelt reunion on Friday afternoon as Darragh Hannan and Jee Won Ha, sisters separated at birth and raised worlds apart, met face-to-face for the first time. The two, adopted as infants—Hannan in the US and Ha in Belgium—recently discovered their full sibling connection through a MyHeritage DNA test, sparking this life-changing encounter. Hannan, adopted in Minnesota shortly after her birth in 1986, grew up in a loving and supportive home. Ha, on the

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2024

Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying

A 38-year-old civil servant, who died just two months after being hired, was found to have been bullied at the workplace by a superior, according to the findings of a provincial audit Thursday. The North Chungcheong Province audit office concluded that the deceased, identified only by the surname Kim, was subjected to an excessive workload and inappropriate treatment by his immediate superior at the Goesan Country Office. As a result, the provincial office requested the county office to enforce

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2024

Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts

  President Yoon Suk Yeol called for all-out measures to protect Korean nationals amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, the presidential office said Saturday. Earlier in the day, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Iran in return for the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile barrage on Israel earlier in the month. "The top priority is to protect Korean nationals (in Iran and Israel), and all necessary measures should be drawn up to prepare for worsening situations

PoliticsOct. 26, 2024

N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise

North Korea lambasted South Korea and the United States on Saturday for staging a joint air exercise, accusing Washington of driving the Korean Peninsula into an "uncontrollable" situation. The Freedom Flag exercise kicked off this week to run through next Friday, with the air forces of South Korea and the US, as well as Australia, participating. The two-week joint drill, which is taking place for the first time, replaces regular large-scale air exercises between South Korea and the

North KoreaOct. 26, 2024

N. Korea says troop dispatch to Russia, if true, falls in line with int'l law

North Korea's foreign ministry said Friday any alleged deployment of North Korean troops to Russia would align with international law, making the first official comment over the issue. A senior official from North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement issued through the Korean Central News Agency if international media's reports about North Korea's troop dispatch were accurate, such action would "comply with international law and norms." The official respon

North KoreaOct. 25, 2024

Seoul urges Pyongyang to confirm status of S. Korean detainees

The foreign ministry on Friday submitted a questionnaire to the United Nations human rights office, urging North Korea to disclose the whereabouts of South Korean detainees. The document was submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ahead of the Universal Periodic Review on North Korea, scheduled for next month, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UPR is a mechanism requiring each UN member state to undergo a peer review of its human rights

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 25, 2024

Zelenskyy says Ukraine expects N. Korean troops to be deployed in battlefield in few days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday intelligence indicates Russia is expected to deploy the first batch of North Korean soldiers in combat zones within a few days. Zelenskyy shared the assessment on social media platform X, citing a report from Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. "According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as Oct. 27–28," Zelenskyy wrote. "This is a c

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 25, 2024

FT Island's Choi Min-hwan under investigation for allegedly soliciting prostitution

FT Island's Choi Min-hwan is under police investigation following allegations of soliciting prostitution, Friday. The Gangnam Police Station confirmed on Friday that it has launched an internal investigation into Choi on charges related to the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts. The case began after a complaint was filed through the national petition platform. The allegations first came to light when Choi’s ex-wife, Yulhee, a former member of girl group La Bou

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Empowering women is vital to long-lasting peace: UN military adviser

What Tyson Nicholas of the Royal Australian Navy experienced in South Sudan in 2015 as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission changed the course of his career and solidified his commitment to advancing gender equality in armed conflicts. In South Sudan, Nicholas witnessed firsthand the ways conflict disproportionately affects women and girls. “It was a moral injury,” he recalls, describing the emotional and ethical burden of seeing widespread sexual violence exploited during

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

KMA chief demands money in exchange for dropping defamation suit against member

A dispute has emerged surrounding Lim Hyun-taek, chair of South Korea's largest doctors' association, that he had alleged requested to be paid by a member doctor as a settlement for dropping a defamation lawsuit. Local media outlets here reported that Korean Medical Association chief Lim had recently sought to file a defamation suit against the member, who had criticized him online. The member, who is public relations director of the Seoul Medical Association, sent Lim a written lett

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Gangnam real estate scammer sentenced to 20 years after defrauding 100 investors

A man who defrauded 100 investors of about 20 billion won ($14.4 million) by impersonating an investment adviser for the state-run housing developer and selling apartments in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam area was sentenced to 20 years in prison, slightly reduced, on Friday. The defendant, a man in his 40s identified only by his surname Seo, was sentenced to 20 years and 10 months in April, but the Seoul High Court cut the sentence by 10 months. The court noted that the defendant’s meth

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Pyongyang erects blockades along inter-Korean railways

In a latest development in North Korea’s isolationist policy, new blockades were being built along inter-Korean railways running along the east and west sides of the Korean Peninsula to fortify the border areas, South Korea's Unification Ministry confirmed Friday. Kim In-ae, vice spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification in Seoul, said in a briefing that North Korea "had already built barriers at the undermined sections of Donghae lines through additional construction projects.&quo

PoliticsOct. 25, 2024

Opposition slams Yoon's suggestion to send offensive weapons to Ukraine

South Korea's main opposition party lawmakers on Friday rallied in the halls of the National Assembly to condemn President Yoon Suk Yeol for his proposed shift in Ukraine aid policy in response to North Korean troop deployment by Russia. “The Yoon administration is reportedly considering providing ‘offensive weapons’ to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops. This is an incredibly dangerous idea that treats people’s lives like pawns i

PoliticsOct. 25, 2024

Yoon's national security adviser in Washington for three-way talks: Seoul

Shin Won-sik, national security adviser for President Yoon Suk Yeol, is scheduled to attend a trilateral meeting of the top national security aides representing South Korea, the United States and Japan, according to the presidential office on Friday. "Shin is on a trip to the US to attend the meeting there scheduled on Friday," an official of the presidential office said on condition of anonymity. The three-way meeting is meant to discuss "ways to maintain continuity in the cooper

PoliticsOct. 25, 2024

Korea's average salary $29,709, 87% less than top 1%: report

The average pretax annual salary in South Korea came to 41.23 million won ($29,709) last year, with the vast majority of high-paying jobs concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, highlighting the need to solve significant salary disparities between average and top earners, as well as between regions. According to data from the National Tax Service released by Rep. Ahn Do-geol of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Friday, the nation’s total number of salaried workers reach

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Nearly half of residents who resigned now reemployed at lower-tier clinics

Some 44.9 percent of the medical residents who resigned en masse to protest the government's medical school admissions hike have been rehired at other medical institutions, a Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed Thursday. Of the 9,163 residents who have walked of the job in the nationwide medical strike, 4,111 have been reemployed as doctors as of Sunday, according to the ministry data submitted to Rep. Kim Yoon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The data showed that

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Man arrested for vandalism at National Assembly

Police detained a man in his 60s Friday morning after he allegedly smashed a glass door in an apparent attempt to break into the National Assembly’s main building in Seoul. According to Yeongdeungpo Police Station, the man was arrested for alleged intrusion and destruction of property with dangerous objects. The incident occurred at around 5:15 a.m. when the suspect reportedly threw a fire extinguisher at the glass door of the National Assembly. Police identified the suspect as he fled the

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

'Displeased' woman files 2,000 false complaints, petitions

A woman who filed around 2,000 false reports, petitions and complaints against the authorities has been arrested, Busan police said, as her case was forwarded to the prosecutors Thursday. According to the Busan Sasang Police Station, the suspect is accused of filing multiple complaints and petitions against 16 officers at the station from February to April. This included false claims of officers physically abusing or harassing her. She reportedly admitted to filing the false claims in the police

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Bank worker commended for preventing voice phishing scam

Busan police on Thursday presented a certificate of appreciation to a bank employee who prevented a voice phishing scam against an elderly woman. According to the Bukbu Police Station in Busan, the employee of the north Busan branch of Nonghyup Bank received a request from a woman in her 70s to withdraw 8 million won ($5,750) from her account, at around 3:50 p.m. on Oct. 14. She had told the employee that she needed cash to buy home appliances, but the employee grew suspicious and checked to f

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2024

Lulumedic explores digital health collaboration with Russia

Lulumedic, a leading South Korean health care IT company, met with Alexey Sapetko, the Russian Trade Representative in Korea, to discuss promising opportunities for collaboration in digital health, the company said Thursday. The discussion focused on the growing interest among Russian patients in seeking high-quality medical care in South Korea, especially for health checkups, according to the company. Sapetko highlighted that many Russians now prioritize regular checkups, recognizing the import

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 25, 2024