45% of unregistered foreigners entered Korea on visa waivers: data

Nearly 45 percent of the over 423,000 unregistered foreign nationals living in South Korea had originally entered the country under its visa waiver program and overstayed their permitted period of stay as of the end of 2023, according to data from the Ministry of Justice released Sunday in a report created by Rep. Song Seog-jun of the ruling People Power Party. The data in the report said 16.9 percent of the more than 2.5 million foreign national residents in Korea were unregistered as of the en

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

Immigration policy must go beyond labor supply: experts

South Korea needs to shift its perspective on immigration beyond merely viewing immigrants as a solution to labor supply issues, experts said at a forum in Seoul last week. Emphasizing that any successful immigration policy must account for cultural, social and legal integration, Moon Jae-wan, president of the Korea Migration Law Association, said that overlooking the wider contributions of immigrants was a flawed approach. "In a rapidly changing global landscape, we must recognize immigr

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

KMA chief under pressure after surveyed doctors refuse to back him

The leader of South Korea's largest doctors association is under pressure after the majority of a group of members surveyed expressed no confidence in him. In a survey of Korean Medical Association members run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 27 by several high ranking KMA officials, more than 77 percent of the participants expressed no confidence in the group's president, Lim Hyun-taek, according to the medical community on Sunday. Figures on the number of members surveyed were not made public

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

S. Korea to showcase Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile on Armed Forces Day ceremony for 1st time

South Korea will show off a new ballistic missile and other key weapons systems on the 76th founding anniversary of its armed forces this week, officials said Sunday, in an apparent warning against North Korea's provocations. The Hyunmoo-5, known to be able to carry a warhead weighing 8-9 tons, will be displayed during both the ceremony at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of the capital, and a military parade in downtown Seoul on Tuesday, according to the officials. "We showcased

DefenseSept. 29, 2024

S. Korea, China FMs signal Yoon-Xi summit during APEC in November

The top diplomats of South Korea and China agreed to continue high-level meetings between the two countries on the margins of multilateral gatherings, the foreign ministry said Sunday, signaling a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, reached the agreement as they met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss bilateral ties and security on the Korean Peninsula, according

Foreign AffairsSept. 29, 2024

Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon's resignation

Thousands of people gathered in the capital city of Seoul to call for Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation on Saturday, as a coalition of left-wing groups blamed the president for tensions on the Korean Peninsula and economic strains. According to police, about 5,000 people are estimated to have flocked to Sejongdaero at 3 p.m. near Namdaemun in central Seoul to protest Yoon's leadership, as the conservative president's five-year term is now about halfway through. The coalition estimated t

PoliticsSept. 28, 2024

Two kids' smartwatch strap products on AliExpress 121 times over lead limit

Two children’s smartwatch straps sold on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress were found to contain lead levels 121 times higher than the national safety limits, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The safety test results were released on 16 products, including smartwatch straps for children, pacifiers and pacifier clips sold on AliExpress and Temu. The city government revealed that two types of smartwatch straps sold on AliExpress exceeded the country’s lead safety le

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2024

Suicide attempts spike among youth in Korea

The suicide rate among individuals under 20 has spiked in recent years in South Korea, with mental health disorders and interpersonal conflicts cited as the main cause. The proportion of those under 20 who had to go to the emergency room after attempting suicide jumped from 35 percent out of a total of 21,545 people in 2019, to 43.3 percent out of 30,665 people in 2023, according to Health Ministry data provided to Rep. Park Hee-seung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. In partic

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2024

FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'

South Korea's foreign minister has made a strong case for multilateralism to address global challenges through international cooperation, stressing that it has undergirded his country's democratic and economic rise. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remarks at the UN General Assembly on Friday (New York time) as skepticism has deepened over the role of a deeply divided United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms in the midst of conflicts and humanitarian crises, including Russ

Foreign AffairsSept. 28, 2024

Blinken redoubles calls for pressing N. Korea, China, Iran to stop aid for Russia's war in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated calls Friday for joint efforts to press North Korea, China and Iran to stop providing support for Russia's war in Ukraine, stressing the need to bring a "just and lasting" peace in the war-torn country. Blinken made the remarks during a press conference, touching on various issues, including heightened tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

North KoreaSept. 28, 2024

4 in 10 illegal aliens entered S. Korea without visas last year: data

Four in 10 foreigners who illegally stayed in South Korea last year entered the country without visas and stayed beyond the visa-free period, data from the justice ministry showed Saturday. The number of illegal aliens in South Korea came to 423,675 as of the end of last year, accounting for 16.9 percent of the total foreigners staying in the nation, according to the data cited by Rep. Song Seong-jun of the ruling People Power Party. Of the illegal aliens, the number of those who arrived in Sout

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2024

S. Korea reiterates N. Korea's denuclearization amid IAEA chief's remarks

The South Korean government reiterated Friday that the denuclearization of North Korea remains a shared goal of the international community amid controversy surrounding the United Nations nuclear chief's remarks suggesting the world should recognize that Pyongyang possesses nuclear weapons. In an interview with the Associated Press, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), emphasized the importance of continuing to press North Korea to cease its

North KoreaSept. 27, 2024

Trade ministers of S. Korea, China hold talks in Beijing

Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo met his Chinese counterpart and agreed to begin talks on services and investment under a bilateral trade deal this year, officials said Friday. The meeting between Cheong and Wang Shouwen, China's international trade representative, was held in Beijing earlier in the day, Seoul's trade ministry said. Seoul and Beijing implemented their bilateral FTA in December 2015 and held their first follow-up meeting in 2018 to broaden cooperation in the investment an

Foreign AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Most teen sex offenders get away with slap on wrist

Out of over 3,000 juvenile offenders who were found guilty of sex offenses and placed under juvenile law protection, only 143 were sent to juvenile detention centers, a report showed Friday. According to the Supreme Court's judicial yearbook, a total of 3,701 juveniles were tried for sex crimes out of the 50,094 juvenile protection cases filed last year. Among them, 2,963 were placed under probation after judges found them guilty. When one under age 19 commits a crime, law enforcement agenc

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

S. Korea to inject W10tr by 2027 to reorganize tertiary hospitals

South Korea will use 10 trillion won ($7.6 billion) of health insurance financial reserves by 2027 to reorganize tertiary hospitals to reduce nonessential medical care functions and enhance their critical care, the government unveiled Friday. Tertiary hospitals operate as general hospitals that provide highly specialized medical services for treating serious diseases under the Medical Services Act. The government will increase the proportion of severe medical treatment in tertiary hospitals from

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Seoul should engage Kim Jong-un’s elites for change, ex-North Korean diplomat says

South Korea should make it easier for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s elites to switch sides and stir change, Lee Il-gyu, who was Pyongyang’s counselor of political affairs in Cuba, said Friday. “South Korea should engage not only North Korea’s general public but also its elites to elicit change from within North Korea,” he said at a forum hosted by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a National Intelligence Service think tank, at the National Assembly i

PoliticsSept. 27, 2024

Panmunjom tours for select Korean nationals may resume in October

Tours to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom might resume for Korean nationals in October, more than a year after former US soldier Travis King's crossing into North Korea suspended tours there. According to a source from the state-run National Institute for Unification Education, which operates the tour programs for Korean nationals, it is working with the United Nations Command on preparations for the tour program, which facilitates visits to the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone a

PoliticsSept. 27, 2024

Four individuals face charges over illegal surrogacy 13 years ago

A surrogate mother, an infertile couple and a broker, have been sent to prosecution for indictment over an illegal surrogacy arrangement involving a payment of 50 million won ($37,890) from 13 years ago. The Gwangju Bukbu Police said Thursday that the surrogate mother, who is in her 30s, the couple in their 50s, and the surrogacy broker were referred to the prosecution without detention. The four are accused of violating South Korea’s Child Welfare Act. According to police, the surrogate m

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Man sentenced to 1 year, 8 months for stealing from elementary school classrooms

A man in his 50s was sentenced on Friday to one year and eight months in prison for breaking into elementary school classrooms and stealing cash and gift cards. The Daejeon District Court found the 56-year-old man guilty of theft, citing two separate incidents. The first occurred on April 17, when the man entered a classroom for first and second graders at an elementary school in Ulsan at approximately 2:15 p.m. He searched through lockers and wallets, stealing about 450,000 won ($340) in cash a

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Sales of ADHD medication disguised as 'smart drugs' skyrocket during test period

Illegal sales of prescription ADHD medication to students have been on the rise in South Korea recently, and government data Friday showed that such distribution soared before the crucial Suneung mock test. The local authorities spotted 669 cases of illegal sales of such medications to students from Aug. 4-14 in a special illegal drug distribution inspection targeting college applicants, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data submitted to Rep. Han Ji-ah of the ruling People Pow

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024