How Korea's laws block adoptees' descendants from finding their families

Korean-Dutch Marrit Kim van der Staaij teared up as she read a long-awaited email confirming that there were records of her mother’s adoption that she had never seen. South Korean adoption agency Korea Social Service disclosed that they had verified her mother’s birth date and Korean name, and had even uncovered information about her biological grandfather. “All her life, my mother thought that her name and birth date were made up by the adoption agency, and that bothered her

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2024

Govt. borrows record W91.6 tr in temporary loans from BOK in H1

The government borrowed over 91 trillion won ($65.8 billion) from the Bank of Korea in temporary loans in the first half of the year to fill its fiscal shortfall, data showed Sunday. According to the BOK data submitted to Rep. Yang Boo-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party, the total amount of the government's temporary loans from the central bank during the January-June period came to 91.6 trillion won. Compared with the same period in previous years, it marked the largest amount of

PoliticsJuly 7, 2024

Govt. expected to announce measures against defiant trainee doctors this week

The government is expected to announce measures to deal with trainee doctors who refuse to return to hospitals in protest of medical reform as early as this week, officials said Sunday. The government is set to announce its measures on the junior doctors, who have left their worksites since late February, as early as Monday, according to government officials. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong earlier pledged to introduce such measures in early July, as hospitals need to prepare for the recruitment o

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2024

N. Korea call for loyalty to leader ahead of late founder's death anniversary

North Korea's state media on Sunday called for loyalty to its leader Kim Jong-un ahead of the death anniversary of the founder of the country, Kim Il-sung, later this week, amid tensions over the North's weapons testing and defense pact with Russia. The North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, made the call as the nation is set to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, who ruled the country from 1948 to 1994 and is the grandfather of the current ruler, Kim Jong-un, o

North KoreaJuly 7, 2024

PM orders containment measures against African swine fever

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday instructed officials to take emergency containment measures as authorities confirmed more cases of African swine fever at a pig farm in a southeastern county. The instruction came after the sixth case of the virus, which is deadly to pigs but not harmful to humans, was confirmed at the farm in Yecheon County, 161 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Han ordered authorities to take relevant measures, including culling, a standstill order and an epidemiological anal

PoliticsJuly 7, 2024

U-turning car hits pedestrians near Seoul Station; 2 injured

A car driven by a man in his 80s hit pedestrians while U-turning on a road in central Seoul on Saturday, injuring two people, police said. The accident occurred as the vehicle drove left into a pedestrian crossing in front of a gas station near Seoul Station, the police said. The car was supposed to turn the course in the opposite direction as it was making a U-turn, the police said. The car hit one pedestrian and moved about 20 meters before hitting another person. It stopped after crashing int

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2024

4% of teenagers asked to send sexual images: survey

Amid growing concerns over digital sex crimes in South Korea, 3.9 percent of middle and high school students nationwide have experienced being asked to send or share sexual images, a state survey showed. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the results of the 2023 survey on awareness and experience of child and youth concerning sexual exploitation on Thursday. The survey is conducted every three years in accordance with Article 53 of the Youth Sexual Protection Act. Conducted wit

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2024

South Korea sees hottest June temperatures in 52 years: KMA

South Korea’s average June temperatures were recorded as the highest since weather records were first taken 52 years ago, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Thursday. According to an official report issued by the KMA, Korea saw average temperatures reaching up to 22.7 degrees Celsius, making it 1.3 C higher than in previous years. Korea also saw up to 2.8 heat wave days in June, which was 2.1 days more than the number of heat wave days in June recorded on average. Heat w

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2024

Expectations grow for S. Korea-US cooperation in military logistics, MRO

Beyond their trade in flashy weapons, South Korea and the United States appear to be headed for close cooperation in a lesser-known, yet crucial defense area: military logistics and maintenance particularly in the event of a regional crisis. Seoul and Washington signed an arrangement in November to prioritize the supply of defense materials and goods to each other. They have also been seeking to ink a reciprocal defense procurement agreement designed to curtail trade barriers. The efforts on suc

Foreign AffairsJuly 6, 2024

Fire breaks out at Korail headquarter; traffic controlled near Seoul Station

A fire broke out at 9:40 a.m. at the Korail's Seoul headquarter in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul on Saturday, and multiple firefighters have been dispatched to the scene. The fire has been extinguished as of Saturday morning, and no casualties have been reported. Parts of the road from the intersection above the Sookmyung Women's University Station to the intersection at the western part of the Seoul Station were temporarily blocked due to the accident.

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2024

NATO summit to discuss with Indo-Pacific partners resilience, cybersecurity, disinformation: U.S. official

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its Indo-Pacific partners, including South Korea, plan to discuss resilience, support for Ukraine, disinformation, cybersecurity and emerging technologies during their summit in Washington next week, a senior U.S. administration official said Friday. The NATO summit is set to take place in the US capital from Tuesday through Thursday. The leaders of the alliance's four Indo-Pacific partners (IP4) -- South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Japan --

Foreign AffairsJuly 6, 2024

FM highlights importance of 'mutually considerate' attitude in bilateral ties with Japan

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stressed the importance of a mutually considerate attitude in bilateral ties with Japan as he met with the country's new ambassador to South Korea, Koichi Mizushima, on Friday, Cho's office said. In their meeting, Cho said the two countries should wisely manage pending issues by putting themselves in each other's shoes to bolster the positive flow in bilateral ties as Seoul and Tokyo are set to mark the 60th anniversary of normalizing their ties next y

Foreign AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Sejong University ranks 3rd among Korean college in world ranking

Sejong University ranked third in Korea in the US News 2024-2025 World University Rankings released by US News. Globally, it secured the 241st position. The university's domestic ranking has shown rapid improvement, moving from 15th in 2020 to third this year. Globally, Sejong climbed from 629th in 2021 to 241st in 2024, an impressive jump of 156 places from last year. This growth is largely due to the excellent research capabilities of Sejong University's faculty members, who are reco

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Just 1 in 4 Korean teens 'content with life'

Among the 15-year-olds in South Korea, 26.1 percent said they were satisfied with their lives, 7.7 percentage points lower than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a recent study showed. According to the report released by the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC), 22.3 percent of children reported low life satisfaction, 4.4 percentage points higher than the OECD average of 17.9 percent. The OECD used a 10-point scale for life satisfaction and looked at the pr

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

[Exclusive] US troops in S. Korea could be reduced, but not withdrawn, Trump allies tell Seoul lawmaker

Rep. Wi Sung-lac, Seoul’s former ambassador to Russia and a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, said Thursday some key Donald Trump allies have told him they think US troops in South Korea could be reduced -- although not completely withdrawn -- if the former president wins in November. The first-time lawmaker, who visited the US from June 23 to 29 as part of the Democratic Party delegation, said he spoke with Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign officials and allies -- including Newt G

PoliticsJuly 5, 2024

Yoon to attend NATO summit in Washington, visit Indo-Pacific Command

President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington next week and visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, the presidential office announced Friday. Principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo informed reporters that President Yoon would arrive in Washington on Wednesday to meet leaders of NATO member countries and the NATO leadership. The discussions will focus on the war in Ukraine and the cooperation between the transatlantic secu

PoliticsJuly 5, 2024

Man turns self in over offensive comment about car crash victims

A man who left an insulting message about the victims of Monday night's car crash in central Seoul, which left nine dead or four injured, has turned himself in to the police. Seoul Namdaemun Police Station said Friday it was investigating a man in his 20s, who turned himself in for leaving a memo mocking the victims at the make-shift altar for the victims near the Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, central Seoul. He told police at around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday that he wished to turn himself in, s

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

90% of Gen Z says they won't keep quiet over problems at work

An overwhelming majority of young job seekers in South Korea say they will pursue some type of action when they are discontent with the company, a survey showed Friday. A local job-search platform Catch revealed the results of the survey it conducted on 1,699 of the people belonging to Generation Z -- adults born after the mid-1990s. When asked what they would do if they are dissatisfied with the company they work for, only 10 percent of the respondents said that they would just hold it in. Ab

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Xi, Putin-led Eurasian club pledges new global order, stronger security

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – In a display of unity, leaders of Eurasian countries pledged Thursday to strengthen the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's goal of shaping a new world order and to enhance security cooperation amid global geopolitical turbulence. At the SCO summit in Astana, chaired by Kazakhstan, leaders from the 10 member countries, including Russia and China, agreed that the organization was imperative in shaping a new multipolar world to move away from the current Western-led

Foreign AffairsJuly 5, 2024

Opposition leader's attacker sentenced to 15 years in prison

A Busan court sentenced the 67-year-old man who attacked main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung with a knife in January to 15 years in prison Friday. The court found the defendant surnamed Kim guilty of attempted murder and violation of the Public Official Election Act, for his Jan. 2 attack against Lee during his visit to the city. Kim had posed as a supporter to approach Lee, but then stabbed him in the neck. He told investigators that the attack was to prevent Lee from becomi

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2024