US military personnel booked for beating taxi driver over fare dispute

A US soldier has been booked for assaulting a taxi driver in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, local media reported Thursday. The US soldier -- a man in his 20s -- is being investigated for causing injuries to the driver while they were arguing about the taxi fare on Sept. 1, Dongducheon Police Station told local media Thursday. The soldier was charged 77,000 won ($58) for traveling from Seoul's Hongdae neighborhood to the city at around 8 a.m. He attacked the driver in his 70s on a sidewalk,

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Formation of four-way consultative body to discuss quota hike faces tough road

Eyes are on whether the much-anticipated four-way consultative body comprising the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, opposition parties and the medical circle will convene as the health care standoff continues following the Chuseok holiday. Amid the medical stalemate, Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Friday's government response meeting that the door to talks is open. He stressed that the government is "ready to engage in discussions with an open mind" if the medic

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Allies urge NK to free detainees as S. Korean missionary marks 4,000 days in captivity

Seoul and Washington issued concurrent statements condemning North Korea’s unlawful detention of six South Korean nationals and demanding their immediate, unconditional release, timed to mark missionary Kim Jung-wook's 4,000th day in captivity. South Korea released the statement from Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Friday, while the US simultaneously issued the press statement Thursday from State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. In his statement, Kim decried, "North Korea

North KoreaSept. 20, 2024

3 suspects apprehended for selling celebrity deepfake porn: police

Three suspects are accused of selling sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of over 20 South Korean celebrities, including minors, through Telegram, according to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency on Friday. Police officials announced two suspects were arrested and one was apprehended without arrest Thursday in violation of the Juvenile Protection Act and the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The police said the three suspects were in their 20s and were

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Car crashes into restaurant; 1 dead, 5 injured

One person died and five others were injured after a car sped into a restaurant in eastern Seoul. The vehicle, driven by a 70-something driver, sped into the restaurant on the first floor of a building in Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu, at 10:32 a.m. Friday. The car reportedly ran over a metal fence near a bus station and hit a tree on a sidewalk before crashing into the restaurant and coming to a stop. A pedestrian was found in cardiac arrest at the scene and moved to a hospital but was later pronounced

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Busan police scrap 281 blades amid full-on sword inspection

A monthlong inspection, prompted by a murder by a sword-wielding man two months ago in Seoul, has led to the scrapping of over 280 swords in Busan. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, a review was completed of 85 percent, or 2,979, of the 3,482 swords registered for individual possession in Busan as of earlier this month. Of the inspected swords, permits for 549 items were revoked. Among these, 281 swords were retrieved and disposed of due to abandonment of ownership and

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Nearly half of Koreans working abroad opt to return home: report

Nearly half of South Koreans who secured employment abroad through government programs have chosen to return home, with low job security and insufficient wages cited as the top two factors for their dissatisfaction. Of the 6,715 Koreans who secured overseas jobs with government assistance between 2018 and 2023, 46.6 percent -- totaling 3,129 individuals -- have since returned to South Korea, according to data released Friday by Representative Kang Deuk-gu of the Democratic Party of Korea, based

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Woman collecting cardboard killed in traffic accident

An elderly recycling collector was killed in a car accident in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. According to the police, the victim – a woman in her 60s – was hit by a vehicle while she was pulling a cart of cardboard along the road at about 4:55 a.m. Paramedics took the victim to the hospital, but she did not survive. The driver – a man in his 70s – has been booked for manslaughter. The driver tested negative for alcohol, and the police plan to investigate the incid

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2024

Ex-President Moon accuses Yoon govt. of creating 'most dangerous' state since Korean War

Former President Moon Jae-in lambasted the North Korea policies of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration on Friday, saying they have led to the "most dangerous" state on the Korean Peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean War. Moon, a liberal whose North Korea policies centered on bringing lasting peace through diplomacy, attacked the policies of his conservative successor at a conference held in the southwestern county of Yeongam to mark the sixth anniversary of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration h

PoliticsSept. 20, 2024

Unification minister urges N. Korea to immediately return detained S. Koreans home

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Friday called on North Korea to "immediately and unconditionally" send a detained South Korean missionary and five other nationals back home, condemning the North's yearslong arbitrary detention as grave human rights violations. South Korea's top point man on North Korea issued a rare statement marking 4,000 days after missionary Kim Jung-wook was arrested in Pyongyang in 2013. He was sentenced to hard labor for life on charges of spying fo

PoliticsSept. 20, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold regular defense talks to discuss deterrence against NK threats

South Korea and the United States will hold regular defense talks next week to discuss ways to strengthen security cooperation against North Korean nuclear and missile threats, the South's defense ministry said Friday. The 25th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) is set to be held in Seoul on Monday and Tuesday for discussions on an array of security alliance issues ahead of the annual Security Consultative Meeting, which takes place annually in the fall. South Korea's Deputy M

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 20, 2024

Yoon's office rejects ex-president's call for reconsidering unification policy

The presidential office on Thursday rejected former President Moon Jae-in's call for reviewing its approach to unification with North Korea, saying the previous government's dialogue-focused peace initiative is "unrealistic." A senior presidential official who accompanied President Yoon Suk Yeol on a trip to the Czech Republic made the remark after Moon criticized the Yoon administration's hard-line policy on North Korea and called for efforts to ease inter-Korean tensio

PoliticsSept. 20, 2024

Seoul chastises predatory pricing claims over Czech nuclear export deal

PRAGUE -- The presidential office denounced claims by opposition parties that the South Korean consortium, which became a preferred bidder to build at least two nuclear power units in the Czech Republic in July, had proposed an extremely low bidding price that could waste taxpayers' money following a rise in construction costs. The administration instead claimed that the pricing of the South Korean consortium, led by the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, was made at a reasonable level. It

PoliticsSept. 20, 2024

Presidential office rejects liberal agenda of peaceful existence of two Koreas

PRAGUE -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's office on Thursday denounced liberal politicians' emphasis on the peaceful coexistence of two Koreas, reiterating the conservative administration's goal of achieving ultimate peace through reunification as enshrined in the "Unification Doctrine" in August. Contrasting reunification of the separated nations with coexistence, an official of the South Korean presidential office said in Prague on condition of anonymity that the peaceful reunification of

PoliticsSept. 20, 2024

Leaders of S. Korea, Czech Republic agree to discuss nuclear energy push

PRAGUE -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and Czech President Petr Pavel agreed to strengthen diplomatic, economic and security ties between the two countries, at a time when South Korea is working to finalize the contract with Czech authorities over its 24 trillion won ($18 billion) nuclear export deal. "(To jointly counter global crisis and threats of authoritarianism), our two countries have decided to bolster cooperation in key areas including politics, economy, culture, technology, diplomacy a

PoliticsSept. 20, 2024

3.9 magnitude earthquake hits northwestern N. Korea: KMA

A 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck North Korea's northwestern province bordering China on Thursday, which is believed to be a natural one, the South Korean weather agency said. The quake struck an area 7 kilometers northeast-east of Ryongrim in Jagang Province, at 7:41 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 40.54 degrees north and a longitude of 126.75 degrees east, the KMA said. The quake is believed to have occurred naturally, it adde

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2024

Parliamentary subcommittee passes bill to toughen punishment for digital sex crimes against teens

A parliamentary subcommittee passed a bill Thursday that calls for tougher punishment for digital sex crimes using deepfake technologies against children and teenagers. During a subcommittee legislative review session, the National Assembly's gender equality and family committee made the bipartisan decision to pass the revision of the act on the protection of children against sex crimes. The proposed bill calls for sentencing of at least three years imprisonment for blackmailing young people usi

PoliticsSept. 19, 2024

Number of ER patients drops 32% during Chuseok holiday

The number of patients who visited hospital emergency rooms dropped 32 percent during the Chuseok holiday, the health ministry said Thursday, assessing that there were no major disruptions in emergency care. A prolonged walkout by trainee doctors had fueled concerns about potential disruptions at hospital emergency rooms during the holiday, prompting the government to ask patients with mild illnesses to visit community hospitals. The average number of patients who visited emergency rooms stood a

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2024

Yoo Ah-in cleared of sexual assault allegation due to lack of evidence

Charges have been dropped and the case closed against actor Yoo Ah-in for alleged sexual assault, due to insufficient evidence, local police said Thursday. Seoul Yongsan Police Station decided not to transfer the case to the prosecution. The police had begun an investigation on July 15 after the 38-year-old actor was accused of sexually assaulting a man in his 30s in an officetel flat in the district. The police had questioned the plaintiff and Yoo, but stated they could not find sufficient evid

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2024

FM Cho to attend UN General Assembly in New York next week

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will fly to New York next week to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to discuss key international issues and highlight South Korea's efforts toward sustainable peace, his office said Thursday. During the six-day visit starting Monday, Cho will deliver a keynote speech at the general debate of the high-level gathering to reaffirm South Korea's commitment to ensuring global peace and prosperity, foreign ministry spokespers

Foreign AffairsSept. 19, 2024