Hacking of public organizations rises: data

Amid a recent surge in spam messages, hacking has emerged as the leading cause of personal information leaks. Notably, data revealed Friday that information leaks resulting from public organization hacks have significantly increased. According to data released by Rep. Park Chung-kwon from the People Power Party, obtained from the Korea Internet & Security Agency, information leaks through hacking stood at 151 cases, accounting for nearly half of the total 318 cases last year. Work mishap

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Abandoned golden retriever recovering well: group

A golden retriever that was recently found severely injured after being abandoned is recovering well, a local animal protection center said Thursday. The Gangreung-based shelter Miso-Sarang posted a picture update of the dog now named Daru, saying the shelter is wrapping up the fundraiser it held to cover the dog's medical costs. According to the group, Daru was found abandoned near a freeway rest area in Gangreung, Gangwon Province, last week. The dog was lying on its back and its body w

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Putin warns S. Korea's potential arms supply to Ukraine would be 'very big mistake'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned it would be a "very big mistake" if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine after Seoul suggested such a possibility in response to Russia's commitment to military cooperation with North Korea. The South Korean government said Thursday it will reconsider its stance on its arms supply to Ukraine after North Korea and Russia signed a treaty that involves military assistance without delay if one of them is attacked. "As for the

Foreign AffairsJune 21, 2024

N. Korean defectors send anti-Pyongyang leaflets again to N. Korea

A North Korean defectors' group said Friday it has sent more balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea the previous day, after the North warned of counteractions against such a leaflet campaign and Seoul's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts. The Fighters for a Free North Koreasaid it sent 20 balloons carrying some 300,000 leaflets, USB sticks and US dollars across the border on Thursday night in the border city of Paju. The group said the USB sticks contained hit K-drama

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

S. Korea to call in top Russian envoy to protest new treaty with N. Korea

South Korea is expected to call in the top Russian envoy in Seoul on Friday to lodge a protest over a new treaty signed with North Korea calling for immediate military assistance if either is attacked. First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun will call in Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev later in the day to deliver Seoul's position on the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty inked between Moscow and Pyongyang at their leaders' summit Wednesday, diplomatic sources s

North KoreaJune 21, 2024

US official voices concern over NK-Russia security treaty, vows to evaluate Indo-Pacific posture

A White House official on Thursday expressed concern over a new security treaty between Russia and North Korea, and vowed to continue to evaluate America's defense posture throughout the Indo-Pacific "as needed." National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby made the remarks after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during a summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday. The treaty stipulates that in cas

Foreign AffairsJune 21, 2024

S. Korea excluded from US 'monitoring list' for FX policy for 2nd straight time

The United States took South Korea off its list of countries to monitor for their foreign exchange policies for the second consecutive time while adding Japan to the list, a Treasury Department report showed Thursday. The department released the semiannual "Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States" following its November report, where South Korea was excluded from the list for the first time since April 2016. The l

Foreign AffairsJune 21, 2024

Arrest warrants issued for 2 accused of defaming Yoon in media interview

Two men were arrested Friday on charges of defaming President Yoon Suk Yeol in a media interview engineered to discredit him as a presidential candidate, following a Seoul court's issuance of arrest warrants. Kim Man-bae, a journalist-turned-property developer, and journalist Shin Hak-lim are accused of engineering a media interview that falsely suggested Yoon's involvement in a high-profile development corruption scandal. The interview, conducted in September 2021, was published by Sh

Social AffairsJune 21, 2024

Gyeongju recommended as host city candidate for 2025 APEC summit in S. Korea

The city of Gyeongju in South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province has been recommended as the host city candidate for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The government's APEC summit host city recommendation committee held a meeting earlier in the day and selected Gyeongju, about 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the candidate city to host the summit scheduled to be held next year, the ministry said. The upcomin

Foreign AffairsJune 20, 2024

US Supreme Court dismisses British firm's appeal case over F-35 jet sales to S. Korea

The top US court has dismissed an appeal case by a British company claiming it was wrongfully excluded during South Korea's purchase of advanced US-made F-35 fighters, Seoul's arms procurement agency said Thursday. The US Supreme Court dismissed the appeal Monday in a case that South Korea has argued is beyond the jurisdiction of US courts as the transaction was one between governments, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). In December 2020, Blenheim C

DefenseJune 20, 2024

Doctors launch pan-alliance committee

South Korean doctors launched a pan-alliance committee comprised of medical professors, junior doctors, students, and community doctors Thursday, seeking to take unified action against the government's plan to expand medical school quotas. "The medical circle's demands, including rediscussing the quota hike, remain unchanged. If the government dismisses such, the committee will collect the opinions of hospitals and clinics nationwide on staging walkouts and discuss them during its

Social AffairsJune 20, 2024

Korean universities seek to lure more foreign students

YEONGJONGDO, Incheon -- As more and more universities in South Korea face financial crises due to a shrinking student population, four-year colleges are eyeing attracting and educating international students to secure successful operations of their institutes. A survey result conducted with some 130 presidents of universities showed such a trend, where 52.7 percent of respondents were interested in securing foreign students, which came as the third on the agenda of their interests, following fin

Social AffairsJune 20, 2024

S. Korea to expand visa, job options for foreign students

South Korea seeks to adopt plans that will make it easier for its some 163,000 international students to live and work here, including expanding the visa types and job options offered to them, officials said Thursday. In a bid to plug job vacancies across key industries here, the government plans to allow foreign students who graduate in Korea to apply for E-9 nonprofessional employment visas, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination and Prime Minister’s Secretariat. The

Social AffairsJune 20, 2024

Scorching heat to continue, but rain expected over weekend

Hot temperatures from Wednesday continued into Thursday, and are expected to continue into the weekend, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Thursday. Heat wave advisory warnings that had been issued in 92 regions across South Korea consinued through Thursday. Four cities in Gyeonggi Province -- Gapyeong, Goyang, Yongin and Anseong -- raised their heat warning level to the second-highest level in the four-tier system. While the first-level heat wave alert is issued when th

Social AffairsJune 20, 2024

Seoul mulls 'arms support' for Ukraine after Russia-NK pact

South Korea on Thursday said it would review its arms support to Ukraine, while expressing serious concern over a summit between the leaders of North Korea and Russia where the two agreed to provide military assistance if either country is under attack. While unveiling plans to impose additional sanctions on North Korean and Russian individuals and institutions, National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin told reporters in a briefing in Seoul that the office will "reconsider the issue of providi

Foreign AffairsJune 20, 2024

Innovation, cooperation key to Korea's export strategy: Industry vice minister

Exports are vital for South Korea to generate national wealth, and boosting them requires a collaborative effort between the government and businesses, First Vice Industry Minister Kang Kyung-sung said at the Global Business Forum in Seoul on Wednesday. “As Korea remains one of the world's most export-dependent industrialized nations, more exports mean more people living well. Therefore, the raison d'etre of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is to increase exports,"

Social AffairsJune 20, 2024

Woman indicted for filming judges, police with camera hidden in glasses

A woman in her 30s, who is undergoing criminal trial for firing a gas-powered self-defense weapon at a doctor, is now facing additional charges for secretly filming her interrogations and court proceedings According to the prosecution in Daegu on Wednesday, the suspect, detained and prosecuted in the assault case, has been indicted for violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act by filming the hearing using glasses fitted with a hidden camera. The woman was apprehended at a Daegu cl

Social AffairsJune 20, 2024

N. Korea, Russia agree to offer military assistance 'without delay' if either is attacked: KCNA

North Korea and Russia have agreed to offer military assistance "without delay" if either is attacked under a new partnership treaty signed after this week's summit, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. The Korean Central News Agency disclosed the Korean-language full text of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Wednesday after their talks in Pyongyang. Article 4 of the 23-point t

North KoreaJune 20, 2024

US restates NK-Russia cooperation is trend of 'great concern' after Kim-Putin summit

The United States reiterated Wednesday that growing cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a trend of "great concern," after Pyongyang and Moscow signed a pact calling for mutual aid if either side comes under attack. A State Department spokesperson made the point after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inked a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty at a summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday amid concerns about security implications

North KoreaJune 20, 2024

Romania to buy S. Korean K-9 howitzers for US$920 mln

Romania has confirmed its plan to buy South Korean K-9 self-propelled howitzers for US$920 million, the defense ministry said Wednesday, in another boost for Seoul's drive to clinch more arms export deals. Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar announced the decision during talks in Romania with Seoul's defense chief Shin Won-sik, who is on a weeklong trip to Eastern Europe that will also take him to Poland, according to the ministry. Shin thanked Tilvar for the decision and anticipate

DefenseJune 19, 2024