Court orders state to pay W10m to Moroccan asylum seeker for mistreatment

A local court ordered the government to pay 10 million won ($7,500) in compensation to the Moroccan asylum seeker who was detained in the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center for months beginning in March 2021 and suffered inhuman treatment there. The Seoul Central District Court delivered the ruling Thursday, about three years after the incident occurred at the detention center, during which the detainee was hog-tied, with his hands and feet bound behind his back. The Moroccan man originally a

Social AffairsMay 9, 2024

YouTuber fatally stabbed on livestream by another YouTuber in Busan

A YouTuber in his 50s was apprehended after killing another YouTuber who was livestreaming in Busan, police authorities said Thursday. As per the Busan Metropolitan Police, the victim in his 50s was fatally stabbed while livestreaming on YouTube to his approximately 4,000 subscribers during a visit to the Busan District Court for a legal trial. The suspect, also in his 50s and identified as an acquaintance of the victim, is known to be a YouTuber as well. His channel has about 8,000 subscriber

Social AffairsMay 9, 2024

[News Analysis] Yoon's first 2 years marked by intense confrontations, lack of leadership

President Yoon Suk Yeol spent his first two years in office facing persistent and intense political confrontations, public censure over his unilateral approach to communication, and controversies surrounding his wife that have cast a shadow over his policy initiatives and foreign affairs activities. Having been elected to South Korea's most powerful office only six months after entering politics, the 63-year-old former prosecutor has remained unpopular domestically for the past two years, w

PoliticsMay 9, 2024

Court rules surgery not mandatory for legal gender change

A recent court ruling has declared it unlawful for the first time to require gender-affirmation surgery as a prerequisite for legally changing one's gender. Judges at the Yeongdong branch of the Cheongju District Court recently granted permission to five people who have not undergone gender reassignment surgeries to change their legal gender from male to female on their family registers. The decision was confirmed by the court on Thursday. The individuals, originally registered as male at b

Social AffairsMay 9, 2024

University president proposes strategies to thrive in AI-driven era

President of Taejae University Yeom Jae-ho on Wednesday underscored the profound impact Artificial Intelligence has been having and the essential attitudes individuals must cultivate to thrive in the evolving AI era. Speaking at The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum in Seoul, the president of South Korea's first future innovation university, said this was an era of "VUCA" -- Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. Despite this rapid transformation, Yeom highlighte

Social AffairsMay 9, 2024

Yoon apologizes for first lady Dior bag scandal, calls push for special probe ‘political’

President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized Thursday for first lady Kim Keon Hee’s alleged acceptance of a Dior bag as a gift, while dismissing the continued calls for a special probe into the controversy as a political attack by the opposition. In a press conference marking his two years in office, the president said he “offers a deep apology to the South Korean people for causing concern due to (his) wife’s unwise conduct.” In undercover camera footage released last year on a Yo

PoliticsMay 9, 2024

Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately

A teenager and a police officer were rescued from the Han River Wednesday after they fell from a bridge while the officer was attempting to prevent a suicide attempt. The Yeouido patrol unit of the Yeongdeungpo Police Station received a report at around 7:24 p.m. that a woman was hanging off the railing of the Mapo Bridge over the major river in central Seoul. Ten officers were immediately dispatched to the site, where a 17-year-old girl was hanging off the railing of the bridge over the river

Social AffairsMay 9, 2024

Yoon says will create new ministry to tackle low birth rate

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday he will create a new ministry to tackle the country's low birth rate. Yoon made the remark during an address to the nation marking the second anniversary of his presidency. "In order to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency, we will fully mobilize all of the state's capabilities," he said. The head of the new ministry, tentatively named the "low birth response planning ministry," will double a

PoliticsMay 9, 2024

S. Korea's fiscal deficit hits record high through March

South Korea's fiscal deficit reached an all-time high in the first three months of 2024 due to rising expenditures aimed at buttressing an economic recovery, the finance ministry said Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 75.3 trillion won ($55.07 billion) in the January-March period, up from the previous year's 54 trillion won, the finance ministry said in its monthly public finance report. This year'

PoliticsMay 9, 2024

N. Korean leader voices 'firm support' in his message to Putin over Victory Day

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Victory Day, expressing his "firm support and solidarity" with Moscow, state media reported Thursday. Kim extended his "warm congratulations and comradely greetings" to Putin in the message celebrating the 79th anniversary of the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim touted Putin as leading efforts to

North KoreaMay 9, 2024

Yoon to hold press conference marking 2nd anniversary of presidency

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to hold a press conference Thursday to mark the second anniversary of his presidency, the first such session in 21 months. The press conference will be held at the presidential office in two parts -- first, an address on his administration's past achievements and future plans, followed by a question and answer session with reporters. Yoon is expected to field a wide range of questions, including his thoughts on the opposition's push for a special counsel investigat

PoliticsMay 9, 2024

Arrest warrant issued for medical student for allegedly killing girlfriend after breakup

A Seoul court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for a medical school student on charges of killing his girlfriend in Seoul earlier this week for allegedly breaking up with him. The 25-year-old, only identified by his surname Choi, who goes to a prestigious medical school in Seoul, was arrested without warrant on Monday for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend to death on the rooftop of a building in southern Seoul around 5 p.m. on Monday. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant af

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Yoon calls opposition leader to express concern for health

President Yoon Suk Yeol called opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday to wish him good health before Lee goes on a weeklong vacation for hospital treatment later this week, Lee's main opposition Democratic Party said. Yoon made the call at around 2:40 p.m. and expressed concern for his health, while Lee expressed his gratitude, the Democratic Party said. Lee will take a weeklong leave from Thursday to next Wednesday to get treatment, which he had postponed due to the recent general

PoliticsMay 8, 2024

South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments

South Korea is leaning toward accepting the proposed cuts by Indonesia in its share of KF-21 fighter development costs, according to the government’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Wednesday. The DAPA said that the reduction in the Indonesian contribution to the joint project was expected to translate into less of a financial burden than speculated by the press, explaining that expenses could be cut down considerably over the process. At its onset, the project was calculated

DefenseMay 8, 2024

Yoon’s mother-in-law to be released on parole

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mother-in-law, who is currently serving a one-year jail sentence for forgery, will be released some two months early, said the Justice Ministry on Wednesday. Choi Eun-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee, will be released 10 a.m. on May 14, a day ahead of Buddha’s birthday, considering various factors including her age, health condition and good behavior while incarcerated, according to the ministry’s nine-member Probation and Parole

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

S. Korea to let doctors with foreign licenses practice

The Health Ministry said Wednesday that it would allow those holding foreign medical licenses to practice medicine in South Korea to help cope with a health care crisis exacerbated by a walkout by junior doctors. The ministry said it would make revisions to the enforcement regulation of the Medical Service Act, adding “medical support” to the list of tasks that foreign medical license holders can perform to address the shortage of medical personnel in the event of a medical disaster

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Court confirms 10-year jail term for drug smugglers

The Gwangju High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced two men to 10 years in prison for smuggling 12 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country. The two suspects, Malaysian nationals in their 30s and 40s, were found guilty of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, particularly the section on narcotics and psychotropic drugs. "Considering the amount of smuggled drugs and severe nature of drug-related crimes, the sentence seems to be app

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Man returns checks found in old clothing, then donates reward

A man found bank checks worth 50 million won ($36,600) and helped return them to their owner, then donated the reward money that the owner gave him to the local government. According to Saha-gu Office in Busan, a resident named Cha Sang-jae recently found the checks inside an old piece of clothing that he came across and reported it to the police. The checks were revealed to have belonged to the father of Wi Seong-han, who passed away two years ago. Wi, a resident of Seoul, had thrown the clothi

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

Why femicide and dating violence are growing issues in S. Korea

In recent months, a wave of murders targeting ex-girlfriends has not only sent shock waves across the country but has also raised questions about why these incidents occur and how such a crime can be prevented. The murder of a woman in her 20s by her boyfriend on Monday atop a building near Gangnam Station in Seoul, which occurred following her request to end the relationship, tragically mirrors a distressing trend of similar incidents. The suspect, whom the authorities only identified as a 20-s

Social AffairsMay 8, 2024

N. Korea's master propagandist under three Kims dies

Kim Ki-nam, a high-profile North Korean figure who dedicated his life to propaganda and agitation under the leadership of all three North Korean leaders since the 1960s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 94, North Korean state media announced Wednesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a visit to the funeral of Kim Ki-am at 2 a.m. on Wednesday to convey his deep condolences over his passing, according to state media. State media reported the passing of Kim Ki-nam, who had been receiving medi

North KoreaMay 8, 2024