S. Korea, US, Japan align on response to NK escalating provocations

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to coordinate their responses to North Korea's recent escalating provocative steps targeting South Korea, based on a shared assessment of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Wednesday. Campbell said South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano "were able to conduct a deep and sustained review of the situation on the

Foreign AffairsOct. 16, 2024

S. Korea 'closely' monitoring possibility of N. Korea sending troops for Ukraine war

The defense ministry said Wednesday it is "closely" monitoring for signs of North Korea possibly sending troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, following media reports of Russia forming a battalion of North Koreans. Ukrainian media outlets earlier reported that Russia is organizing a special battalion that is expected to include up to 3,000 North Koreans due to manpower shortages amid concerns over deepening military cooperation between the two countries. "As there

North KoreaOct. 16, 2024

Cabbage prices raise alarm bells ahead of kimchi-making season

Cabbage prices alert When the weather starts to cool, one particular product becomes critically significant to South Korea’s price monitoring authorities: cabbages. As the main ingredient in the most widely consumed type of kimchi, napa cabbage prices directly influence the cost of living here, with ripple effects felt in far-reaching areas, from school cafeterias to military barracks. Signs of strain are already visible this week with more than a month to go until the nationwide kimch

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Wegovy launched in Korea, govt. announces crackdown on illegal sales

In the wake of the launch of weight loss drug Wegovy in South Korea, the government said it will crack down on illegal activities surrounding the much sought-after medicine. Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it plans to monitor closely the safety of GLP-1 type drugs like Wegovy, particularly focusing on its side effects and misuse, on Tuesday. The authorities also warned it will crack down on illegal online sales and advertisements. Wegovy, produced by Danish drugmaker Novo Nor

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Trump called Korea a 'money machine.' This is how Korean media translated it.

After former US President Donald Trump called South Korea a "money machine," Korean news outlets on Wednesday grappled with how to best capture the nuance of his words for the Korean audience through translation. Trump made the remarks during an interview with Bloomberg News at the Economic Club of Chicago while discussing the costs of maintaining US troops in South Korea. "If I were there (in the White House) now, they (South Korea)’d be paying us $10 billion a year. And

DefenseOct. 16, 2024

Reports of illegal online gambling triple in four years

Reports of illegal online gambling in South Korea have nearly tripled over the past four years, according to government data on Wednesday. The figure comes amid growing public concern, especially following comedian Lee Jin-ho’s recent admission to illegal online gambling. According to data by the National Gambling Control Commission submitted to Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, reported cases of illegal online gambling surged by threefold from 13,064 in

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Big data shows Korean workers clock out 19 minutes earlier than 5 years ago

In a potential sign of improving work-life balance in Korea, big data reveals that commuters in five office districts in and around Seoul are leaving the workplace 19 minutes earlier than they did five years ago. KB Kookmin Card, the nation’s second-largest card issuer, released the analysis on Wednesday of card usage data collected from January to August each year between 2019 and 2024. The study tracked subway users in Gangnam, Gwanghwamun, Yeouido and Guro in Seoul, and Pangyo in Gyeo

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

National-level AI, digital education to be launched for adults over 30

To enhance the nation's digital skills and competitiveness, South Korea is rolling out a new initiative aimed at improving digital capabilities among adults aged 30 and older. The government will invest over 110 billion won ($80 million) to build a comprehensive digital lifelong learning ecosystem, the Ministry of Education announced on Wednesday. The initiative, dubbed the "AI-Digital (AID) 30+ Project," seeks to provide extensive retraining opportunities and digital education to

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

New multilateral N. Korea sanctions monitoring team debuts in Seoul

South Korea, the United States, Japan and eight other countries on Wednesday unveiled a new mechanism to monitor North Korea’s flouting of sanctions and strengthen sanctions enforcement, filling the void left by the UN Panel of Experts, which was dissolved following Russia's veto of its renewal. South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, joined by ambassadors to South Korea from

Foreign AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Runner struck by car at national sports festival

A car struck a professional runner in his 20s during a national sports competition in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, police said Wednesday. The runner reportedly suffered a broken left shin and is receiving treatment. According to Gimhae Jungbu Police, the incident occurred at 11:34 a.m. Tuesday on a section of the road closed for a half-marathon event at the 2024 Korean National Sports Festival, the largest annual sports competition in the country. The athlete was running in an inner lane o

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Soaring no. of patients dying on organ transplant waitlist

The number of patients dying while waiting for an organ transplant has soared, and average wait times are also rising, data showed Tuesday. According to data from the National Institute of Organ, Tissue and Blood Management provided to Rep. Park Hee-seung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the number of patients who died while on transplant waitlists increased by 1.4-fold, from 2,145 in 2019 to 2,907 last year. In the first half of this year, waitlist deaths had already reached 1,

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

[News Focus] By-election, small yet crucial for Han

In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s by-elections for Seoul’s new education superintendent and four local government heads, ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon has been exceptionally busy. Han has visited Busan six times since Sept. 11, so far, in a bid to sway voters into backing the conservative candidate and tax accountant-turned-politician Yoon Il-hyun for the next Geumjeong district head. Busan has been considered the conservative party’s home turf for decades,

PoliticsOct. 16, 2024

Seoul envisions design giants like Ikea

Seoul city will invest 172.3 billion won ($126 million) over the next five years to support the design industry in the city with an aim to nurture "Korean versions" of overseas design and home furnishing giants Ikea and Muji. The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan prioritizing a stable foundation for Seoul's design industry, strengthening the self-reliance of design companies and fostering connections between companies, as well as promoting Seoul&

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

1 in 4 seniors prefer using assets over leaving them to children

One in four South Korean senior citizens wish to use their assets for themselves and their spouses rather than passing them on to their children, according to government data on Wednesday. The 2023 survey of 10,078 senior citizens by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Gallup Korea and the Health Ministry between Sept. 4 and Nov. 12 last year showed that 24.2 percent of the respondents chose to prioritize using their assets for their own and their spouse during their lifetime inst

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

‘North Korea can’t afford war while sending shells to Russia’: ex-Yoon adviser

Rep. Lim Jong-deuk, former deputy national security adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol and lawmaker on the National Assembly National Defense Committee, on Wednesday allayed concerns of North Korea waging war on account of its arms trade with Russia. “North Korea is in a difficult position to start a war at this point for a number of reasons. One is that North Korea is already sending large quantities of artillery shells and missiles to Russia, and likely to send troops as well,” he

PoliticsOct. 16, 2024

Korea's well-to-do live longer, healthier lives: report

People with higher incomes are likely to live longer and healthier lives than those with lower incomes, government data showed Tuesday. The "healthy life expectancy" -- defined as the period of years one is expected to live with no major health issues -- was 73.4 years in 2021 for South Koreans in the top 20 percent of incomes, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare data submitted to Rep. Kim Nam-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. But for those in the bottom 20

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Court recognizes misogyny as motive for hate crime for 1st time

An appellate court ruled Tuesday that the assault on a female convenience store clerk by a man in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, allegedly motivated by her short haircut, constituted a misogynistic hate crime. The landmark ruling is the first time a Korean court has explicitly recognized misogyny as a condemnable motive in a criminal case. The Changwon District Court upheld the lower court's decision to put the attacker behind bars for three years for aggravated assault, destruction of p

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

'Rapping granny' of Chilgok passes away at age 87

Octogenarian rapper Seo Mu-seok, who inspired many by pursuing her musical dreams into her late 80s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 87. Seo died Tuesday morning at a hospital in Daegu, according to North Gyeongseong Province's Chilgok-gun officials. She had been diagnosed with stage three lymphoma in January, and doctors had told her that she had three months to live. Seo made her musical debut last year as a member of the seven-member musical act, Suni and the Seven Princesses, made up

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Top 0.1% of Koreans make 1.8b won a year; 126 pay no tax

Government data showed Wednesday that the top 0.1 percent of earners in South Korea made an average of 1.8 billion won in 2022, and that 126 of them paid no tax due to various deductions and exemptions. The combined income of a total of 26.2 million South Koreans came to 1.59 quadrillion won ($1.17 trillion) in 2022, while the combined income of the top 0.1 percent -- a group consisting of 26,231 individuals -- amounted to 47.1 trillion won, according to National Tax Service data submitted to Re

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

S. Koreans head to polls in local by-elections

South Koreans voted Wednesday to elect the education chief of Seoul and four local government heads, with the result expected to serve as a litmus test of public sentiment since the April general elections. Up for grabs in Wednesday's by-elections are five local administrative seats — the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as well as the heads of Busan's Geumjeong District, Incheon's Ganghwa County, and the Yeonggwang and Gokseong counties in South

PoliticsOct. 16, 2024