N. Korean military's construction activities spotted inside DMZ: source

North Korea's military has been carrying out unexplained construction activities inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, according to a military source Saturday. "Recently, the North Korean military has been erecting walls, digging the ground and constructing roads in some areas between the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the Northern Limit Line in the DMZ," the source said. The source added it was unclear whether these activities indicate an intention t

North KoreaJune 15, 2024

S. Korean envoy rebukes N. Korea for linking trash-filled balloons to freedom of expression

South Korea's top envoy to the UN on Friday criticized as "bizarre" and "deplorable" North Korea's claim that its sending of trash-filled balloons to the South was an exercise of freedom of expression. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook made the remarks during a UN Security Council meeting as the North has sent waste-loaded balloons to the South in a tit-for-tat response to South Korean activists' sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the inter-Korean border. In a sarcastic state

North KoreaJune 15, 2024

Seoul, Washington, Tokyo to keep close tabs on Putin's visit to NK

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- South Korea, the United States and Japan will join forces to analyze the process and the outcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to North Korea for the first time in 24 years. According to an official of the presidential office who spoke on condition of anonymity, South Korea will "together analyze the process and the outcome" of Putin's visit to Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in line with its "close and frequent com

PoliticsJune 14, 2024

S. Korea calls on Japan to address 'entire history' of Sado mine in UNESCO Heritage application

South Korea on Friday urged Japan to address the "entire history" of a gold mine complex linked to wartime forced labor of Koreans in its application as a UNESCO World Heritage site, after Tokyo accepted an international recommendation to revise the submission. Last week, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, an advisory body to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, recommended referring the nomination of the Sado mine back to Japan, calling for more explanation over the ent

Foreign AffairsJune 14, 2024

Indefinite strike 'last resort' to salvage medical crisis: SNU med profs

Apologizing to patients for the inconvenience caused by an indefinite strike to begin Monday, the emergency committee of medical professors at Seoul National University said late Friday that its decision was a "last resort" to address the country's unsustainable medical crisis. Reading an apology statement to patients, Kang Hee-gyung, a medical professor specializing in pediatric kidney transplantation who heads the committee, said SNU professors could "no longer endure"

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Court upholds life sentence for Sillim Station stabber

A South Korean appellate court on Friday upheld the life imprisonment of 34-year-old Cho Seon, who was convicted for a fatal stabbing rampage near Seoul’s densely populated Sillim Station that occurred in July 2023. The Seoul High Court once again dismissed the prosecution's demand for the death penalty for Cho. “The incident which occurred in broad daylight near Sillim Station caused great shock to the public,” the Seoul High Court said in its ruling. “The lack of c

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

S. Korea set to chair ILO for first time in 21 years, amid labor union criticism

South Korea is poised to chair the executive body of the International Labor Organization for the first time in 21 years, a move that has drawn criticism from the country's labor unions, which question its qualifications for the role. Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik, serving as the head delegate for the Korean government at the 112th Session of the International Labor Conference, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that South Korea has been recommended as the sole candidate fo

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Yoon, Mirziyoyev agree on S. Korea's 1st export of bullet trains to Uzbekistan

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Uzbek counterpart, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, held a summit Friday to bolster their "special strategic partnership" in fields not limited to infrastructure and mineral resources. Notably, with the two leaders present at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, South Korea-based heavy industry firm Hyundai Rotem and state-run Uzbekistan Railways signed a 270 billion won ($195.7 million) deal to export South Kore

PoliticsJune 14, 2024

Yoon to adopt Alabay dogs in Seoul next week

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's family will adopt two Alabay breed shepherd dogs on Tuesday, as promised by Turkmenistan's national leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov during their bilateral talks earlier this week, according to his office Friday. Following quarantine, the two Turkmen dogs will spend time on the front lawn of the presidential office in Seoul "as much as they want" and enter the presidential residence, according to Yoon's office. The Alabay dogs, an anci

PoliticsJune 14, 2024

Legal risks mount for main opposition leader ahead of party convention

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is facing another legal dispute now, on top of the three ongoing court battles in which he is currently embroiled, creating more hurdles for his possible reelection victory at the upcoming party convention. On Wednesday, the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office indicted Lee on charges of asking local underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020, when he was governor of Gyeonggi Province. The then

PoliticsJune 14, 2024

How will med professors' walkout on June 18 impact hospitals?

Professors at 40 medical schools, along with private practitioners, have decided to join a one-day shutdown of services on Tuesday, organized by the largest doctors' group here, with the scope of the impact on South Korea's health care system as yet unknown. While some doctors will not participate in the strike and instead fill medical vacancies, widespread disruptions are still expected. Apart from the June 18 full shutdown of services, a handful of emergency committees of professors

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Minimum wage rules to continue excluding gig workers next year

The Korean tripartite Minimum Wage Commission with representatives from businesses, labor and the general public has decided not to expand application of the minimum wage to include gig workers for the coming year, despite calls from labor unions to do so. The 27-member Minimum Wage Commission, comprising nine representatives from each of the three sectors, convened its fourth full session on Thursday in Sejong to discuss the 2025 hourly minimum wage. After hours of discussion, the committee dec

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Man faces animal cruelty charges for killing his dog for meat

South Korean police on Friday said a man in his 60s is being investigated for potential violation of the Animal Protection Act, as they believe he killed one of his dogs for meat. The man, a resident of Jeju Island, is accused of butchering a dog that he owned at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday at his orchard, according to the Jeju Dongbu Police Station. A local animal rights group alerted police, but the dog had already been killed when officers arrived on the scene. Officers at the scene found an

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Heads of doctors groups clash over medical standoff

The respective leaders of a group representing trainee doctors and the largest group of physicians in the country have entered a war of words regarding the ongoing standoff between the government and the medical community, hinting at a potential rift in the medical circle. Park Dan, the leader of the Korean Intern Resident Association, has criticized Korean Medical Association leader Lim Hyun-taek over his handling of the situation. Lim had said that communications with members of the medical co

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Couple’s tennis game at Incheon Airport draws public outcry

A short clip showing a couple playing tennis at Incheon Airport has ignited widespread online outrage over their disregard for public etiquette. The viral video, which was posted on the online community Bobaedream on Thursday, features two people rallying a tennis ball between them with tennis rackets near an airport entrance. As of Friday, the post has garnered around 120,000 views. The consensus from many comments was that the pair's behavior was “inconsiderate” and displaye

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Unionized hospital workers call for doctors to scrap planned strike next week

A union representing hospital workers on Friday urged doctors to abandon their plan for a one-day walkout scheduled for next week, as the medical sector has been experiencing a nearly four-month-long vacuum due to physicians protesting the increase in medical school quotas. The Korea Medical Association, a major lobby group for doctors, earlier announced the plan to stage a one-day walkout Tuesday, which could involve community doctors and medical professors nationwide. "There is no cause o

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Police grill reporter who bought gifts given to first lady

Police on Friday questioned an internet news reporter on defamation and other charges related to the purchase of a luxury handbag and other gifts delivered by a Korean American pastor to first lady Kim Keon Hee two years ago. Lee Myeong-soo, a reporter for the internet news outlet Voice of Seoul, was grilled at the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station in the morning, as he is known to be the buyer of the Dior handbag and Chanel cosmetics, both given by pastor Choi Jae-young to Kim between June and

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

PM asks medical professors to cancel planned walkout

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo appealed to medical professors Friday to cancel their planned walkout next week, saying doctors have a "legal constraint" to protect people's lives. Medical professors, who serve as senior doctors, at four hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University have vowed to stage a collective walkout next Monday in support of trainee doctors who have remained off the job since February in protest of a medical school enrollment hike plan. Professors at the

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

Fundraiser set for victim of Miryang gang rape

A civic group supporting victims of sex crimes kicked off a fundraiser on Thursday in support of a victim in the infamous 2004 Miryang gang rape case, which has resurfaced recently following multiple YouTubers revealing the information of some of the alleged suspects. As of Friday morning, over 57 million won ($41,000) had been raised from over 1,400 people in the campaign set up by the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center at its homepage. One can participate in the fundraising via the pop-up b

Social AffairsJune 14, 2024

US reaffirms pursuit of 'mutually beneficial' defense cost-sharing deal with S. Korea

A State Department official on Thursday reiterated the United States' commitment to reaching a "mutually beneficial" defense cost-sharing agreement with South Korea, stressing the bilateral alliance is a "pivotal" relationship. The official made the remarks a day after the two countries wrapped up their third round of negotiations over Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea under a deal, called the Special Measures Agreement. The

DefenseJune 14, 2024