S. Korea, Cuba agree to open diplomatic missions

South Korea and Cuba have agreed to open diplomatic missions in each other's countries, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday, as a follow-up step to the establishment of their diplomatic relations earlier this year. A South Korean delegation, led by Song Si-jin, director general for planning and management at the foreign ministry, visited Havana from Wednesday through Saturday and discussed efforts to open the missions with Cuban officials, the ministry said in a release. "The t

Foreign AffairsApril 28, 2024

Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife

A 23-year-old woman received a six-month prison term, suspended for two years, for injuring her boyfriend who assaulted her, a court said Sunday. The Chuncheon District Court found the defendant guilty of inflicting special bodily injury on another but took into consideration the fact that the woman had no previous criminal record and that the victim asked for her not to be punished. The defendant is accused of injuring the victim during a fight in February. The defendant's boyfriend had ac

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting

Tensions between the rival parties escalated Sunday ahead of the first-ever official meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung over multiple pending and contentious bills slated for 2 p.m. Monday. As the high-profile meeting unfolds amid substantial divisions between the ruling and main opposition parties on multiple fronts, considerable attention is directed toward which topics Lee will prioritize from a lengthy list of tasks during his talks wit

PoliticsApril 28, 2024

Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'

Oh Dong-woon, the nominee for the chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, pledged on Sunday to strengthen the agency's role as an independent investigative body and ensure its effectiveness. “I have a heavy heart because I have been nominated as the chief of the CIO during a difficult time,” Oh told media while en route to his office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul, on Sunday, to prepare for his confirmation hearing at the National

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper

A South Korean rapper recently received a one-year prison sentence following a public fight with another rapper, as well as for posting a video of a forced apology and drug use. The Seoul Western District Court found the 26-year-old defendant guilty of coercion by collective force, defamation and marijuana use. It also ordered him to participate in an 80-hour drug treatment program. The defendant got into an argument on Instagram with a 21-year-old rapper last year, which led to them schedulin

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year

Medical schools that have been allocated additional seats anticipate opening a minimum of 1,500 new slots for the upcoming year, as they are set to make final decisions on their admissions availability following the government’s decision to grant flexibility in the quota allocation. The government earlier said it would allow medical schools to freely adjust new seats within a 50 to 100 percent range of the enrollment quota given to them for the 2025 academic year. It announced in February

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that it will provide housing subsidies to couples who don’t own houses and who have newborns from 2025, to mitigate the trend of couples forgoing parenthood due to the city's high housing costs and enable more married couples with newborns to continue living in Seoul. Under the program, the city government revealed its plan to provide financial support of 300,000 won ($218) per newborn per month for a maximum duration of two years. Th

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

2.2 magnitude quake hits near southern county of Hapcheon

A 2.2 magnitude earthquake struck near South Korea's southern county of Hapcheon on Sunday, the weather agency said. The quake struck 11 kilometers northeast of the county 242 km southeast of Seoul at 10:33 a.m. at a latitude of 35.61 degrees north and a longitude of 128.28 degrees east at a depth of 14 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The agency advised people to watch out for their safety as shaking may be felt in areas near the epicenter of the quake. About 50 pe

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue

The incoming head of South Korea's leading doctors' lobby group reiterated on Sunday the call for the government to scrap the planned medical school quota hike in order to initiate dialogue with the medical community. About 12,000 trainee doctors have left their worksites since Feb. 20 in protest of the plan to boost the number of medical students by 2,000, causing delays in medical treatments, with some emergency rooms partially limiting their treatment of critically ill patients. Lim

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

New head of doctors' association vows war in case of disadvantage to medical professors

The new head of the doctors' association vowed Saturday to wage an all-out war against the government in case of any disadvantage to medical professors considering taking weekly breaks in support of the ongoing walkout by junior doctors. Lim Hyun-taek, the president-elect of the Korean Medical Association, is known for his hawkish stance in the ongoing stalemate with the government regarding an increase in the medical school enrollment quota. "The Ministry of Health and Welfare's treatment

Social AffairsApril 28, 2024

[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul

When the Dongdaemun Design Plaza first opened its doors in March 2014, the structure, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, was met with mixed reviews. Replacing a baseball stadium built in 1959 and another sports stadium dating to 1925 nestled in the fashion retail district of Dongdaemun, the DDP faced criticism for its perceived lack of harmony with its surroundings, with some likening it to "a spaceship that crash-landed in Seoul." Now, a decade after it opened, the DDP has finally s

Social AffairsApril 27, 2024

N. Korea reaffirms plan to bolster space reconnaissance capabilities

North Korea on Saturday reiterated its commitment to launching more reconnaissance satellites into orbit this year after putting its first spy satellite into orbit in November. Pyongyang "will carry out an important mission to enhance its space reconnaissance capabilities as planned to monitor and control the US and other hostile forces' military movements and aggressive attempts," an unnamed spokesperson of the North's National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) said

North KoreaApril 27, 2024

N. Korea denounces US condemnation of human rights violations

North Korea on Saturday lashed out at the recent release of the United States' annual report on human rights situations in the reclusive country, calling it an act of interfering in the country's "internal affairs." Earlier this week, the US State Department released the 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, pointing out that North Koreans remained exposed to various types of human rights abuses last year, including forced repatriations, extrajudicial killings, fo

North KoreaApril 27, 2024

Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he renewed calls for China to exert its influence to press North Korea to cease its "dangerous" activities and return to dialogue during his talks with top Chinese officials in Beijing. Blinken made the remarks during a press conference after he had separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong and other officials in the Chinese capital on the day. The secr

Foreign AffairsApril 27, 2024

S. Korea, US lay out respective visions for new defense cost-sharing deal: US negotiator

South Korea and the United States outlined their respective visions for a new bilateral defense cost-sharing deal during their first round of negotiations in Honolulu this week, the top US negotiator said Friday. Linda Specht, senior advisor and US lead negotiator for security agreements at the State Department, made the remarks after the initial round of talks over the deal, named the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) took place from Tuesday through Thursday. The talks are aimed at determining

Foreign AffairsApril 27, 2024

S. Korea, Japan could consider simplified entry agreement: Seoul official

South Korea and Japan could consider adopting a simplified entry procedure for people traveling between the two countries, as an effort to keep the momentum going in the dramatic improvement in bilateral relations, a Seoul official said Friday. The official made the suggestion as one of the possibilities that the two neighbors could explore, likening the idea to the Schengen Agreement in Europe that allows nationals of the signatory countries and eligible members to travel freely without borde

Foreign AffairsApril 26, 2024

New chief named to anti-corruption body

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday named a new chief prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, after a vacancy of about three months. Oh Dong-woon, formerly a judge and attorney, was nominated to lead the CIO, which is currently spearheading a high-profile investigation into the death of a Marine in July last year. Cpl. Chae Su-geun died at the age of 20 when he was swept away in moving water during a search and rescue operation to find people who had gone miss

PoliticsApril 26, 2024

South Korea to launch space security center under spy agency

South Korea is preparing to establish a center for space security under the National Intelligence Service. Under the revisions to the presidential decree that took effect Tuesday, the NIS is set to operate the National Space Security Center, dedicated to intelligence activities concerning the space sector. With the center’s launch, the country’s spy agency will have the authority to respond to threats to space assets and systems of the country and other enemy threats in the space dom

DefenseApril 26, 2024

First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, have finally decided on a date for their first-ever meeting, after days of back and forth since the National Assembly election on April 10. The Democratic Party said Friday Lee is set to speak with the president over tea at 2 p.m. on April 29, in what will be the first meeting between the two rivals since the Yoon administration took office nearly two years ago. Lee’s chief secretar

PoliticsApril 26, 2024

More med professors to take day off each week while govt. urges them to stay

With concerns only deepening over the disruption of the health care system in South Korea, amid the standoff between doctors and the government continuing for 10 weeks over the government's plan to hike the medical school enrollment quota, medical professors at the country's "big five" hospitals decided on Friday to suspend treatment for one day a week. Professors at St. Mary's Hospital said they will join the suspension of treatment following professors at Seoul Nationa

Social AffairsApril 26, 2024