Politicians split over revival of controversial party district chapters

South Korea’s politicians on Friday remained divided on the issue of reviving party district offices, 20 years after they were shut down due to bribery and corruption accusations. As the 22nd National Assembly kicked-off its four-year term Thursday, main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-bae proposed a bill that would mandate the return of district offices, which were all shut down in 2004, two years after it was found they were abused in a 2002 political bribery scandal.

PoliticsMay 31, 2024

[Photo News] Series of butane explosions destroys cars in Busan parking lot

A chain of butane gas-induced explosions wrecked 10 vehicles parked in a discount supermarket parking lot in Busan due to the resulting fire, fire authorities said Friday. As per the Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters, a fire broke out at 11:37 a.m. Friday after a series of explosions from butane gas canisters that were piled up in a nearby vacant in Myeongji-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan. As the canisters flew into the nearby parking lot, 10 parked vehicles caught fire, and the supe

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

How can South Korea leverage its UN Security Council seat?

JEJU ISLAND -- As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, South Korea is uniquely positioned to address not only North Korean issues but also pressing global challenges, leveraging its strengths — successful experiences and significant global contributions in areas such as food security and peacekeeping operations, senior UN officials and experts emphasized on Thursday. Furthermore, South Korea's direct concern with the impact of human rights violations on security —

Foreign AffairsMay 31, 2024

What role should Asian countries play amid Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

JEJU ISLAND -- South Korea and other Asian countries should take a realistic approach and explore feasible options for de-escalating the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while acknowledging the limitations of their influence on the matter, Asia-based experts said Thursday during the Jeju Forum. "The Korean government should soberly evaluate the extent of its leverage in shaping its stance on the issue," Ma Young-sam, who served as South Korean ambassador to Israel as well as the inaugural h

Foreign AffairsMay 31, 2024

Govt. to hire 1,000 med professors for national universities by 2027

The South Korean government on Friday said it plans to add 1,000 more professors to medical schools in national universities by 2027 to ensure that students receive the necessary education and training, a day after the Education Ministry finalized the medical school admissions quota for the 2025 school year. Lee Han-kyung, the Interior Ministry's chief disaster management official, said during a government response meeting that the government also plans to expand the number of equipment and faci

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

Talks on South Korea-Japan defense meeting in Singapore enter final stage

SINGAPORE -- South Korea and Japan are in the final stages of arranging a bilateral defense ministers dialogue in Singapore, according to Seoul military sources on Friday. South Korea’s Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik will likely meet his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kihara on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, according to officials. If it proceeds, the bilateral meeting would precede a trilateral meeting of South Korea,

DefenseMay 31, 2024

Army-affiliated messaging platform accused of deleting posts about soldier's death

With the South Korean Army in the hot seat over a recent trainee soldier's death during a pack drill, a number of online users here have recently been accusing a website affiliated with the military of deleting or hiding posts that are openly critical toward the military concerning the controversial death. As of Friday morning, multiple posts criticizing the Army for the supposed censoring have been uploaded in the Free Talk section of The Camp, a communication platform with the cooperation

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

ILO requests details on Trade Union Act

A committee under the International Labour Organization recently requested the South Korean government to provide details on a planned amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations under the United Nations agency aiming to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards, said Tuesday that it had filed a "direct request" with the Korean government in March for f

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

Is parenting education necessary? 97% say yes

A survey by the Korean chapter of the UK charity Save the Children has found that almost all Koreans say parenting education is necessary, but less than 4 in 10 have had any such education. According to the children’s rights nongovernmental organization Firday, 97.5 percent of the poll’s 1,000 respondents supported the idea of education on responsible parenthood in general. On which areas the education should focus on, 77.8 percent identified positive child-rearing approaches, includ

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

Politician charged with wrongful arrest of 'illegal immigrants'

The South Korean police on Thursday said it has recently recommended an indictment against a local politician on charges of unlawfully detaining people he accused of immigration violations despite having no evidence. The politician, who lost his bid to become a lawmaker in April's parliamentary election, is also facing potential charges for using violence against his victims during the unlawful arrests that he conducted in February and March of this year. Nine of his accomplices are also be

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

Man caught for murder of ex-girlfriend and her daughter

A 65-year-old man suspected of murdering his former girlfriend and her daughter was caught by local police Friday morning, according to officials. Officers at Bangbae Police Station located the suspect at around 7:45 a.m. near Namtaeryeong Station in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, and apprehended the suspect. The police tracked down the suspect based on surveillance footage. The suspect is believed to have stabbed the woman in her 60s and her daughter to death at a commercial-residential complex in Da

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

Health ministry pledges more support for trainee doctors amid protracted walkout

The health ministry said Friday it will provide more financial support for trainee doctors and begin a trial operation to reduce their working hours, amid protracted walkouts prompted by a plan that boosted the number of medical students. Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang told reporters that the pilot program will decrease the continuous working hours for trainee doctors from the current 36 hours to approximately 24 to 30 hours. "The new law reducing trainee doctors' working hours

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

FM Cho highlights S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state' at Jeju Forum

South Korea's top diplomat has said that the country will actively position itself as a cooperation hub in various networks, highlighting its vision as a "global pivotal state." The vision, promoted by the current government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, aims for South Korea to serve as a responsible nation that upholds and promotes freedom, human rights and the rule of law. "Under the vision of 'global pivotal state,' the government is participating in multilateral a

PoliticsMay 31, 2024

N. Korea conducts GPS jamming attack for 3rd day

North Korea staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea's northwestern border islands for a third straight day on Friday, the South's military said, in the latest in a series of provocative acts this week. The military detected the jamming signals from about 8 a.m. directed toward the islands near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, the de facto western maritime boundary between the two Koreas, according to a South Korean military official. The latest attempt has not h

North KoreaMay 31, 2024

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, Japan discuss bilateral ties, N. Korea in Washington

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Japan have met in Washington to discuss bilateral relations and North Korea's recent launches of a military spy satellite and ballistic missiles, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The 70-minute luncheon meeting took place between First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Japanese counterpart, Masataka Okano, on Thursday, a day before they were to have trilateral talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. The two condemned the

PoliticsMay 31, 2024

[Graphic News] Instagram overtakes Naver as 3rd most popular mobile app in S. Korea

Photo-sharing app Instagram overtook Naver, the nation’s leading internet portal, as the third most popular mobile app in South Korea in terms of usage time last month, industry data showed. South Koreans spent a combined 20.9 billion minutes on Instagram in April, according to data from mobile market research firm Wiseapp Retail Goods. It marked the first time Instagram outstripped Naver to become the third most used smartphone app here since Wiseapp began compiling such data in March 2

Social AffairsMay 31, 2024

48 African nations to join summit in Seoul next week

Delegations from 48 African countries and 25 state leaders are coming to Seoul next week on South Korea's invitation to its first-ever multilateral summit organized in hopes of strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with the continent, the presidential office said Thursday. At the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place from June 4-5, President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to hold formal talks with 25 leaders of African countries, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the p

PoliticsMay 30, 2024

Petition reemerges for return of Fu Bao the panda

A petition calling for the return of a giant panda, which was sent to China after being born and raised in South Korea, has resurfaced here amid lingering concerns over the beloved bear’s wellbeing in China. The petition, titled "Return Fu Bao to Korea” and submitted by a petitioner surnamed Koh, emerged Wednesday on the National Assembly’s online petition platform. It has met the initial requirement of gathering 100 consents and now awaits a review for it to be made pub

Social AffairsMay 30, 2024

One in 10 households bought lottery tickets in Q1: data

Over one in 10 households bought at least one lottery ticket during the first quarter of this year, marking the highest first-quarter percentage in the last five years -- over 10 percent -- data showed Thursday. These households spent on average 7,300 won ($5.31) on lotto tickets during the first quarter of 2024, according to data presented by Statistics Korea. The number of households that purchased any type of ticket -- including traditional drawing, scratch-off, one-off jackpot or annuity p

Social AffairsMay 30, 2024

Korea to send moon rover by 2032, flag on Mars by 2045

South Korea will send the first lunar rover by 2032 and plant the first Korean flag on Mars by 2045, according to a blueprint for space exploration that President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled Thursday. At the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)'s temporary headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoon said these goals would be part of the so-called "Space Gwanggaeto Project" unveiled Thursday, named after King Gwanggaeto the Great who ruled the Goguryeo empire on the Korean Peni

PoliticsMay 30, 2024