US will take steps for three-way engagement on nuclear deterrence with S. Korea, Japan: Campbell

The United States will take steps "in time" to have three-way engagements on nuclear deterrence with South Korea and Japan, a senior US diplomat said Wednesday, reiterating America's "firm" security commitment to the Asian allies. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell made the remarks, noting ongoing efforts to ensure the credibility of the US' "extended deterrence" commitment through bilateral platforms with the allies in the face of shared challenges,

Foreign AffairsApril 25, 2024

Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency

South Korea on Tuesday tapped a South Korean liquid rocket engine expert and a Korean-American who retired from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States for the leadership positions of the nascent space agency set for blastoff in late May. According to the presidential office in Seoul, Yoon Young-bin, an aerospace engineering professor at the Seoul National University, was named the new administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, or KASA. Yoon's four d

PoliticsApril 24, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'

As South Korea grapples with a shrinking population, it is increasingly turning to foreign workers to fill crucial roles. Today, labor from overeseas is concentrated in low-paying unskilled jobs, but in the future, many will be hired to perform highly skilled work, according to Kim Young-Jung, president of the Korea Employment Information Service. Highly skilled jobs may include engineers, scientists, teachers, managers and IT professionals, he said. “Korea is getting more and more in need

Social AffairsApril 24, 2024

Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy

Nicaragua has decided to close its embassy in South Korea, primarily citing financial difficulties as a major reason, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul confirmed Wednesday, after the Central American country announced a plan to establish a new embassy in North Korea last year. "The Nicaraguan government has recently informed our government of its decision to close its embassy in South Korea due to worsening financial conditions," a senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed on condition of

Foreign AffairsApril 24, 2024

Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle

South Korean government denied claims raised by the World Organization of Scout Movement, which said its status as "de-facto organizer" was partly to blame for the Korea Scout Association's disastrous hosting of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in North Jeolla Province in August last year. Appointed by the World Scout Committee after the event, an independent six-member review panel said that the hosts, the Korea Scout Association, was sidelined by the Korean government because of th

Social AffairsApril 24, 2024

[News Analysis] After election defeat, where is ex-PPP leader headed?

Following the ruling People Power Party’s bitter defeat in the April 10 parliamentary elections, the party's ex-interim leader Han Dong-hoon has faced a barrage of criticism. The latest attack on Han, however, came not from a member of the main opposition party, but from a star politician in Han's own conservative bloc -- five-term lawmaker and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo. In recent weeks, Hong has labeled Han a “traitor” and a “political celebrity who only took selfies,&rd

PoliticsApril 24, 2024

Seoul to build floating facilities on Han River by 2030

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a set of plans on Wednesday to build a floating office and hotel buildings and create water sports facilities on the Han River by 2030. The recent announcement is part of the city's Great Han River Project, which was first unveiled in March 2023. This initiative seeks to enhance the river's use, improve the quality of life for its visitors, and develop infrastructure to broaden the range of activities available along the river. As part of the

Social AffairsApril 24, 2024

N. Korean minister embarks on trip to Iran amid Mideast crisis

A North Korean minister has embarked on a rare public visit to Iran, drawing scrutiny over the potential expansion of illicit cooperation between the two countries that have been under comprehensive international sanctions, especially amidst simmering tensions in the Middle East. North Korean state media confirmed Wednesday that Yun Jong-ho, minister of external economic relations, departed Pyongyang the previous day to lead a North Korean government economic delegation to Iran. North Korean sta

North KoreaApril 24, 2024

SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day

Amid an intensifying standoff between doctors and the government, professors at Seoul National University Hospital, said Wednesday they would suspend treatments for one day on April 30, with some in leadership roles saying they would resign on May 1. Stressing that the decision was made as a last resort, the professors said they also needed time off to recover from months of filling in for junior doctors who walked out to protest plans to expand medical schools. They said they would inform their

Social AffairsApril 24, 2024

Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy

Nearly 90 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy in Seoul last year were aged at least 50, with a substantial portion of the number being male or living alone, Seoul government data showed Wednesday. The data released by Seoul Financial Welfare Counseling Center, an affiliate of the city-run Seoul Welfare Foundation, showed that 86 percent of valid bankruptcy applicants last year were 50 or older, and 64.4 percent were male. Of those who declared themselves bankrupt, 83.5 percent had been ben

Social AffairsApril 24, 2024

S. Korea, US stage space training against NK GPS jamming threats

South Korea and the United States have conducted joint space exercises to fend off North Korea's global positioning system jamming attacks and other space-based threats, the Air Force said Wednesday. The Air Force's Space Operation Squadron and the US Space Forces Korea formed an integrated team to conduct the training as part of the Korea Flying Training, an annual large-scale airpower drill. It marked the first time that an integrated space operation team attended the KFT, a two-week

DefenseApril 24, 2024

Trade minister meets head of African trade bloc

Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo has met Wamkele Mene, the secretary general of the African Continental Free Trade Area, in Seoul and they discussed ways to expand economic ties, officials said. The AfCFTA, the largest trade bloc in Africa, officially came into force in January 2021. During the meeting, Cheong said the launch of the AfCFTA is significant considering the growing protectionism around the globe, Seoul's trade ministry said. The upcoming summit between South Korea and African natio

Foreign AffairsApril 24, 2024

[Graphic News] Traffic deaths drop to record low

The number of traffic deaths in South Korea dropped to a record low of around 2,500 last year, nearly half the figure recorded a decade ago, data showed. A total of 2,551 people died from road accidents in 2023, a 6.7 percent decline from the 2,735 deaths recorded the previous year, according to the National Police Agency. It marks an 81 percent drop compared with 1991, when the death toll hit the highest at 13,429, and nearly half the rate from a decade ago, when fatalities from vehicle crash

Social AffairsApril 24, 2024

Med professors to resign this week amid prolonged doctors' walkout

Medical professors at major hospitals in South Korea will resign later this week and have a day off next week as they have been thinly stretched amid a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, officials said Tuesday, deepening concerns over further disruptions in the country's health care system. "We confirm our resignation will start from April 25 as planned," an emergency committee of national medical professors said after an online general meeting. "We will go ahead without t

Social AffairsApril 23, 2024

Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list

The Justice Ministry on Tuesday blocked the early release of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mother-in-law, who has been serving a one-year prison term for forgery, in its latest round of monthly parole reviews, according to officials close to the matter. Though Choi Eui-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee, was excluded from the latest list of inmates to be released early, she will be reconsidered for next month’s review, under the current law. Following an hours-long m

Social AffairsApril 23, 2024

Online platform set up for easier access to old maps of East Asia

A one-stop online platform has been launched to streamline access to thousands of old and modern maps depicting East Asia, according to a South Korean history foundation Tuesday. The East Asian Old Map Collection, a website launched by the state-run Northeast Asian History Foundation, brings together a total of 2,212 maps facilitating easier access to thousands of old maps scattered among different institutions. The maps date as far back as 1592 and users can see how various maps published later

Social AffairsApril 23, 2024

Seoul's top diplomat to meet secretary of Chinese province bordering NK

South Korea's top diplomat is set to meet with Hao Peng, the party secretary of Liaoning province in China, which shares a border with North Korea, on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Hao will "discuss ways to enhance substantive cooperation" between South Korea and Liaoning province, as well as other topics of mutual interest on the occasion of luncheon, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said during a televis

Foreign AffairsApril 23, 2024

Uzbekistan to hold Tashkent Investment Forum

Uzbekistan is set to host the third edition of the Tashkent International Investment Forum May 2-3. According to the Uzbekistan Embassy in Seoul, the first edition of the forum in 2022 concluded with contracts and investment agreements worth $7.8 billion, while the second edition signed 164 documents worth $11 billion. “In 2024, (for) the forum (it) is expected that Tashkent will host an even larger number of guests: investors, officials and analysts from all continents of the planet,&rdqu

Diplomatic CircuitApril 23, 2024

Another endangered Siberian tiger dies at Seoul Zoo

A male Siberian tiger named Taebaek died at a zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, officials said Tuesday. According to Seoul Grand Park, the 6-year-old tiger was pronounced dead Friday at its zoo due to critical health conditions suspected to be related to liver disease. Zoo officials said they plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death. Born in May 2018 alongside siblings Baekdu, Halla and Geumgang, Taebaek appeared to be in good health until recently, when a significa

Social AffairsApril 23, 2024

North Korea holds drills simulating nuclear counterattack against enemy

North Korea said Tuesday that its leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the country’s first nuclear drills against a potential attack by an enemy. The Workers’ Party of Korea-owned daily Rodong Sinmun said the live-fire drills involving “new” and “super large” rocket launchers were held a day prior on Monday under Kim’s guidance. According to the report, Monday’s drills are the first demonstration of North Korea‘s central nuclear weapons management

North KoreaApril 23, 2024