3 battery factory officials booked over deadly fire

Three officials at lithium battery maker Aricell were booked Wednesday for allegedly violating the industrial safety laws in connection with this week's deadly factory fire that claimed 23 lives, labor authorities said. The labor ministry's special investigation team said the government issued an order for Aricell to completely suspend the entire operations of its gutted plant in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. As many as 23 employees, mostly foreigners,

Social AffairsJune 26, 2024

US condemns N. Korea's missile launch, calls for return to dialogue

The United States on Tuesday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch this week as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and renewed calls for the recalcitrant regime to return to dialogue. The South Korean military said that the North fired an unspecified ballistic missile from a site in or around Pyongyang on Wednesday morning, but its launch is presumed to have failed. The launch appears to have involved a hypersonic missile, according to a source. "The United State

Foreign AffairsJune 26, 2024

N. Korea launches some 250 trash-carrying balloons overnight: JCS

North Korea has launched more than 250 trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea overnight, Seoul's military said Wednesday, marking the sixth launch of such balloons since late last month. Some 100 balloons, mostly carrying scrap paper, landed in Seoul and the northern part of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a notice to reporters. As of 9 a.m., there were no balloons floating in the air, while an analysis of retrieved balloons showed they di

North KoreaJune 26, 2024

Presidential office convenes security assessment meeting following NK missile launch

The presidential office convened a security situation assessment meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch. Yin Sung-hwan, the second deputy national security adviser, presided over the meeting shortly after North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the Pyongyang region toward the East Sea at around 5:30 a.m., according to sources familiar with the matter. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch apparently failed and an in-depth analysis is under way.

North KoreaJune 26, 2024

[Graphic News] Samgyeopsal prices surge in Seoul, breaking 20,000 won mark for first time

Samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly, has long been a beloved staple of South Korean cuisine, cherished by locals for its affordability and pairing with soju. However, this popular after-work favorite is growing increasingly out of reach as average prices in Seoul surpassed 20,000 won ($14.39) per serving for the first time, according to data from the Korea Consumer Agency. This price increase represents a more than 20 percent increase from three years ago, when one serving — 200 grams &md

Social AffairsJune 26, 2024

Live-fire drills return to South Korea’s sea border with North

For the first time since the beginning of the Moon Jae-in administration in August 2017, South Korea’s Marine Corps on Wednesday conducted live-fire drills from islands south of the sea border with the North. The full-scale live-fire drills came after South Korea suspended the 2018 inter-Korean pact for reducing front-line tensions, which had been reached as part of Moon's North Korea appeasement policy. Following an attempted launch of another military reconnaissance satellite by Nor

DefenseJune 26, 2024

Seven former US representatives visit DMZ to commemorate Korean War anniversary

Seven former US representatives visited the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone bisecting the two Koreas on Tuesday to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War. The delegation, part of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, included Dennis A. Ross, Betsy Markey and Greg Walden, who were accompanied by their spouses. Walden, whose father-in-law served as a UN soldier in the Korean War, noted that the visit held special significance for him. The

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024

S. Korea, US hold new round of talks on defense cost sharing

South Korea and the United States held a new round of negotiations Tuesday on sharing the cost for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry officials said. The three-day talks in Seoul came about two weeks after South Korea's chief negotiator Lee Tae-woo and his U.S. counterpart, Linda Specht, held the third round of negotiations on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) in Washington. Tuesday's talks lasted for about seven hours until 5 p.m. "

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024

Descendent of Korean War veteran feels 'pride, responsibility' for grandfather's legacy

Stephanie Arguello Gaona and Valentina Rojas Martinez, both from Colombia, stood before one of the 23 memorial statues at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, Tuesday. It was 74 years ago on that day when the Korean War broke out, marking the beginning of their connection to this distant Asian country. Their grandfathers, who were teenagers at the time, fought as part of the United Nations troops to defend South Korea from communist invaders. “My grandfather’s name is Santiag

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

[From the Scene] Hwaseong factory fire raises concerns over foreign worker safety

HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- The deadly fire that engulfed Aricell, a lithium battery manufacturing factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was finally out by 8:48 a.m., Tuesday, 22 hours after the fire was first reported to authorities. Although the fire was out, the smell of smoke still lingered in the air as fire officials, police officials and forensic services prepared their gear to conduct a joint forensic investigation. Tuesday’s joint forensic investigation began close to noon af

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

City of Miryang apologizes for 2004 gang rape case

Government officials and community leaders in the southeastern city of Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, jointly issued a public apology Tuesday for an infamous gang rape case that occurred two decades ago, saying it was "all of our responsibility." "We all share the responsibility to make a better community, yet we (the people of Miryang) have not apologized or reflected on this tragedy, just because it is not directly related to our family or friends," said Mayor An Bye

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

Probe into Hwaseong fire begins

HWASEONG/SEOUL -- The deadly fire that killed at least 23 people at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, may have been worsened by deficiencies in prevention measures and unsafe working environments, with a report that a fire had broke out two days before the Monday outbreak. While the exact cause of the fire will be determined through further forensics, experts believe that the lack of a proper evacuation route may have worsened the fire's effects. The proximity of the

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

Seoul littered with trash dropped by North Korean balloons

North Korea floated balloons filled with trash toward the South for the fifth time late Monday, on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the Korean War, which was June 25, 1950. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that as of Tuesday morning more than 350 trash balloons from North Korea had been identified, the majority of which fell in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital city. So far, this latest batch of balloons appeared to contain mostly waste paper that was de

PoliticsJune 25, 2024

[ASEAN Plus Korea] S. Korea-ASEAN poised for new heights on 35th anniversary: ASEAN chief

South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are poised to elevate their relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership," marking the highest level that ASEAN's dialogue partners can forge, aiming to cover the most extensive possible range of sectors, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said in his interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. "This year is a very important year in the context that we are commemorating and celebrating the 35th anniversary

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024

Controversy surrounds late transgender soldier’s placement in national cemetery

A transgender soldier, who died by suicide in 2021 following a forcible discharge from the Army, has been laid to rest at a national cemetery in Daejeon this week, but dissenting voices questioning the appropriateness of her burial there persist. The burial of Byun Hee-soo at the cemetery on Monday followed the Defense Ministry’s decision in April to recognize her death as occurring in the line of duty. The ministry said her depression was linked to her forced discharge following her gen

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

6 out of 10 willing to buy hybrid or electric cars: survey

The majority of car owners in South Korea are willing to buy more eco-friendly models for their next vehicle, a survey indicated Tuesday. A local pollster Open Survey recently surveyed 1,500 car owners on what type of car they wish to buy next. Of the 675 who said they plan to buy another car, 39.7 percent said a hybrid vehicle -- powered by both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor -- would be their first choice. Another 26.7 percent who plan to buy another car said they would

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

S. Korea unlikely to grant temporary K-ETA exemption to Thailand

An official from the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday that it would be “difficult” to temporarily waive travelers from Thailand from the requirement to obtain travel authorizations before entering the country. The official’s remarks follow the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s request to the Justice Ministry to temporarily exempt Thailand from the country’s electronic travel authorization system K-ETA, at least until the end of this year, as the number of Th

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

Yoon condemns NK-Russia pact as 'step back in history'

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday denounced a pact signed between North Korea and Russia last week as "an anachronistic act" that goes against the progress of history and Pyongyang's repeated provocations as "despicable and irrational." During his televised speech to mark the 74th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950, Yoon said the pact, which forges stronger military and economic cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, "blatantly violat

PoliticsJune 25, 2024

Experts from Central Asia, S. Korea talk rare minerals

Experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and South Korea discussed the region's mineral resources at the 2024 Korea-Central Asia Next-Generation Dialogue on Monday. The "Korea-Central Asia Next-Generation Dialogue" is part of an annual initiative under the Korea Foundation launched in 2017 to enhance cooperation by inviting emerging leaders from Central Asia to Korea. This year, the dialogue focused on global supply chain cooperation, with "co

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024

[Hello India] India marks International Day of Yoga

The Indian Embassy in Seoul celebrated the 10th International Day of Yoga on Saturday. The United Nations General Assembly designated June 21 as the International Day of Yoga through resolution 69/131, with the support of 175 member states in 2014. This year’s theme, "Yoga for Self and Society," underscored the dual benefits of yoga for individual well-being and community harmony. "Yoga, ancient Indian heritage, has transcended geographical, cultural and temporal boundaries,

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024