Top court dismisses doctors' call to halt gov't's med school quota hike move

The Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down an injunction filed by doctors seeking to stop the government from raising the number of medical school admissions, a ruling expected to affect several similar pending court proceedings. The top court upheld and finalized the appellate court's decision to reject the injunction filed by trainee doctors and medical professors calling for the suspension of the government plan to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 starting next year. The court

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Summit of two loners: Kim breaks seclusion with Putin by his side

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared solemn in the early hours Wednesday as he stood solo on the red carpet laid out at the airport in Pyongyang for the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was making his first visit to the country in 24 years. Putin, who is in the habit of arriving fashionably late to meetings with world leaders, touched down in Pyongyang some three hours later than planned, at well past 2 a.m. After landing at the Pyongyang airport, the Russian president joined

Foreign AffairsJune 19, 2024

Man, now father of two, says he regrets killing mom 13 years ago

A man who at age 18 killed his mother and lived with her decaying body for eight months in a shocking matricide case in 2011 spoke of regrets over his actions, appearing on a TV program on Monday. The ex-convict, now in his 30s and a father of two children, said he is preparing for the time when he will have to tell his kids the truth. “If there are any 18-year-olds going through similar situations as I did, I hope they do not make the same decisions I did,” he said on a show that ai

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Anyang transforms from commuter town to smart city

The city of Anyang, located in the heart of Gyeonggi Province, has now set a new course in aiming to become a globally recognized smart city through innovative development, the mayor says. Due to its proximity to Seoul, Anyang was once regarded primarily as a commuter city. However, it now wants to position itself as a self-sufficient city. "Anyang aims to enhance its competitiveness by swiftly incorporating the 'fourth industrial revolution' technologies. This will ensure the saf

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Putin, Kim sign treaty for mutual military support against 'aggression'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a new partnership deal that resurrected a mutual defense commitment in case either country is attacked in a summit held under the wary eyes of the international community on Wednesday. "The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement," Putin was quoted as saying by state news agency T

North KoreaJune 19, 2024

Surge in spam messages sparks calls for authorities' response

Spam text messages promoting stock investment information, gambling, shopping and loan services have surged this year, data shows, while authorities have struggled take appropriate measures. According to data released by Rep. Hwang Jung-ah from the Democratic Party of Korea, obtained from the Korea Communications Commission, approximately 168 million text messages received via smartphones were identified as spam between January and May. The five-month tally surpassed the figure for the correspon

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

How will Kim-Putin summit affect China?

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday to hold talks with his counterpart, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will likely pose hurdles on China's diplomatic front regardless of the outcome of the meeting, according to reports and observers closely watching the rare encounter between the leaders of the two isolated regimes. Experts in Seoul, prior to the summit in North Korea, said that the talks between Putin and Kim would weaken China's influence on Nort

PoliticsJune 19, 2024

Rival parties divided over Kim-Putin summit

South Korea’s political sphere on Wednesday was divided over Russian President Vladimir Putin's first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years, and with it the growing concerns of strengthened military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. The main opposition party leader and ex-unification ministers under previous liberal administrations called for a revival of the inter-Korean dialogue channel to safeguard peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. On the other hand, the ruling party s

PoliticsJune 19, 2024

Woman injures nurse who was 'too nice' to her husband

A woman in her 30s has been taken into custody after she attacked a hospital nurse with a knife for being "too nice to her husband," police said Wednesday. The suspect is accused of attacking the victim at 12:57 p.m. Tuesday at a hospital on Jeju Island, according to the Jeju Dongbu Police Station. The victim, who was attending to the suspect's husband, sustained a 1.5-centimeter-long cut to her neck and received emergency medical treatment. The suspect told police that the nurse

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Korea hit by hottest June day on record

Wednesday was expected to record the hottest day in June since weather records started to be kept in many cities nationwide. As of 3 p.m., Wednesday, the heat had broken several daytime temperature records across the country, including in Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province saw daytime temperatures reaching as high as 37.7 C, recording the highest June temperature in the city since 2010. Gwangju's daytime temperatures reached

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Will striking doctors go the distance?

Observers expressed skepticism on Wednesday about the likelihood of doctors being able to sustain their current walkout indefinitely, citing the financial strain on those who run their own clinics and the logistical challenges of rescheduling treatments. Physicians who run local clinics are unlikely to join the move due to the financial impact they would bear if they shut down their practices and the potential loss of trust from their patients, they said. Fewer than 10 percent joined the previou

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Lovebugs swarm cities as summer arrives

Parts of the Greater Seoul area, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, have once again come under attack this year by swarms of the newly emerging summer nuisance referred to as "lovebugs," stoking a significant surge in complaints from residents in the area. First spotted in northwestern Seoul and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in 2022, swarms of lovebugs have spread to appear from eastern Seoul, such as Dongdaemun-gu and Seongdong-gu, to Gangseo-gu in the far southwestern area of

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Drunk man commits assault over installing AC for security guards

The South Korean police said Wednesday it is investigating a Busan man for assaulting the head of the residents' association at his apartment complex, over the association's decision to install an air conditioner in the complex's security guard's office. According to Busan Saha Police Station, the suspect in his 60s punched the victim after a residents' association meeting at around 7:30 p.m. on June 11. The group had just decided to repaint the walls of the apartment

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Uzbek envoy to Korea passes away

Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Vitaly Fen died Tuesday in Uzbekistan, the embassy in Seoul confirmed. He was 77. Fen, a Koryoin, an ethnic Korean of the former Soviet Union, was the longest-serving top diplomat in Seoul who continued his mission as Uzbek ambassador since 1999. He was a Korea specialist, as he served his diplomatic mission for 14 years from 1999 to 2013. He began his second mission in Seoul in 2017 and continued his service until his death. Previously, he received the Order of Fidokor

Foreign AffairsJune 19, 2024

Sejong University signs agreement with Army to train cyber specialists

Sejong University signed a bilateral agreement with the Republic of Korea Army Headquarters to collaborate in online fields. The agreement aims to improve the acquisition rate of cyber specialists within the Army. This initiative follows the Ministry of National Defense's "Decision to Expand the Contracted Department of Military" in December 2023 to recruit experts in online fields. Sejong University's Department of Information Security was selected in March 2024 through an o

PoliticsJune 19, 2024

600 international students gather at ISF Spring 2024 job fair

Sejong University announced the successful completion of the ISF Spring 2024 career fair, held on May 9 at its campus in Gwangjin-gu, northern Seoul. This event, designed to aid international students seeking jobs in the country, will return in November. A total of 30 prominent companies, including Hanwha Foodtech, Hyosung Goodspring, and FG Korea, the operator of Five Guys in Korea, took part in the fair to conduct job interviews with international students. Additionally, the fair welcomed st

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Police seek arrest warrant for Army officers over death of recruit

Police on Tuesday requested an arrest warrant for two Army officers who are under investigation for their part in the recent death of a recruit. Investigators at the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency requested the warrant for an Army captain and a lieutenant, the commander and second-in-command for the company the deceased soldier had been part of. The two are being investigated for alleged death by occupational negligence and abuse of power, and had been summoned by Gangwon police since June 13

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Daytime highs to soar up to 37 C; season's 1st heat wave advisory issued in Seoul

Temperatures are expected to shoot up to 37 C in the city of Goyang, north of Seoul, on Wednesday, as a heat wave grips the nation, the state weather agency said. Other parts of the country are also expected to see temperatures rise to 35 C or higher. Highs are forecast to be 36 C in the southeastern city of Daegu and 35 C in Seoul, the central city of Daejeon and the southwestern city of Gwangju, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The eastern coastal city of Gangneung was hit by yet

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Regulator launches probe into major doctors' group over walkout

The antitrust regulator launched an on-site inspection into a major lobby group for doctors Wednesday for allegedly forcing its members to join a walkout against the government's medical reform plan, officials said. The Fair Trade Commission sent inspectors to the office of the Korean Medical Association in Seoul and conducted a probe regarding the KMA-led one-day walkout on Tuesday that involved community doctors and other medical staff, as well as a massive rally in Seoul, according to of

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024

Doctors to discuss next steps against govt. following one-day strike

Major groups of doctors and medical professors will gather Wednesday to discuss what to do next against the government's medical reform plan after threatening to launch an indefinite strike next week, officials said. On Tuesday, some community doctors and medical professors affiliated with the Korea Medical Association held a one-day walkout, and they have threatened to launch an indefinite strike June 27 unless the government accepts their demands. The KMA will hold a meeting with groups f

Social AffairsJune 19, 2024