North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS

South Korea spotted several short-range ballistic missiles fired from North Korea toward the sea west of the Korean Peninsula on Monday. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a release that the missiles, the launch point of which is believed to be around Pyongyang, flew for more than 300 kilometers before landing in the sea at 3:01 p.m. The JCS said the missiles were “immediately detected, tracked and monitored” as they were launched and that the related information was &ld

DefenseApril 22, 2024

Chiefs of South Korea’s JCS, US Spacecom meet

Kim Myung-soo, the chair of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Stephen Whiting, the commander of the US Space Command, met on Monday in Seoul. According to the JCS, Kim and Whiting held a meeting to discuss close two-way cooperation and to enhance South Korea-US alliance’s space capabilities amid growing North Korean threats in space and ongoing military exchanges between Russia and North Korea. North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite in November last y

DefenseApril 22, 2024

Suspect in murder of girlfriend's mugshot, name made public

The personal information of a 26-year-old South Korean man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death and injuring the victim's mother was released online Monday. Kim Re-a's full name, age and mugshot were posted by the Suwon District Public Prosecutors' Office on its homepage, after its deliberation committee on revealing information of suspects reached a decision earlier this month. The suspect has been indicted on charges of murdering his 21-year-old girlfriend on March 25, an

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

Yoon renews focus on AI, bio, quantum tech

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum technology constitute the three major pillars of South Korea's future economy, renewing his push for breakthroughs in research and development. At a Telecommunication Day celebration held in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Yoon promised during his speech to make South Korea a "top 3 global science technology powerhouse" through massive investment and strategic cooperation with partners in the

PoliticsApril 22, 2024

Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday named his new chief of staff and senior secretary for political affairs, which observers see as a bid for a breakthrough after the ruling party’s bitter defeat in the April 10 parliamentary elections. It is also an apparent aim to counter snowballing criticism surrounding the lack of communication among the presidential office, the Cabinet and the National Assembly ahead of his planned meeting with the main opposition leader, observers added. In a rare app

PoliticsApril 22, 2024

Festival featuring adult film stars vows to return

Organizers behind “2024 KXF The Fashion,” an adult industry exposition featuring Japanese adult film stars, announced Monday that it would return on a “bigger scale” in June, four days after announcing that they were canceling the event due to “safety concerns.” The event, which was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, was marked as South Korea’s biggest sex festival by its organizer Play Joker. It was originally scheduled to be hel

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions

The annual conference of chiefs of overseas diplomatic missions commenced Monday, with a focus on navigating diplomatic strategy amidst an era of heightened geopolitical uncertainties, exacerbated by escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry. A total of 181 ambassadors, consul generals and other dignitaries attended the opening ceremony of the five-day gathering entitled, "Our Diplomatic Strategy during the Era of Geopolitical Transition."

Foreign AffairsApril 22, 2024

Journalist-turned-lawmaker named new chief of staff

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s new chief of staff, Rep. Chung Jin-suk, is a former journalist from a family with a political legacy. His appointment as presidential chief of staff follows his defeat in the April 10 election for the National Assembly against the rival Democratic Party of Korea candidate and former lawmaker Park Soo-hyun. Chung is the president’s third chief of staff and the first with experience in the Assembly. His two predecessors, Lee Kwan-sup and Kim Dae-ki, were bot

PoliticsApril 22, 2024

Lawmaker's stalker indicted

A man who falsely claimed to be engaged to Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party has been indicted for stalking, according to the ruling party lawmaker's office on Monday. The suspect in his 50s, surnamed Choi, faces charges of stalking and spreading falsehoods against Bae, who recently was elected for her third term as a National Assembly member. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office on Friday arrested and indicted the suspect, against whom Bae had filed a complaint las

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

Support fund for multicultural families to kick off in May

Low-income multicultural families with children aged 7 to 18 can apply for state funds starting from May through September at some 230 family centers across South Korea. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Monday that it will launch a pilot project to support educational activities for school-aged children from multicultural families who earn less than the median income in the country. Multicultural families are defined in the Multicultural Families Support Act as consisting of

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks

South Korea entered another round of medical standoff as doctors refused to accept a government proposal to allow medical schools to reduce their enrollment quotas for next year, or join a presidential committee on medical reform. In response, the Health Ministry has stated that its stance remains unchanged regarding the scrapping of the plan to expand the annual medical student admissions quota by 2,000. The government made a bold step last week with a new proposal that gives temporary flexibil

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

Sejong University placed 43rd in world rankings for hotel management major

Sejong University ranked 43rd in the top international university list for its hotel management education. Measured by Quacquarelli Symonds, a United Kingdom-based analytics firm that compiles college and university rankings, Sejong University placed 43rd in QS World University Rankings by Subject in the Hospitality & Leisure Management category. The hospitality and tourism management major at Sejong University ranked 48th in the same category in 2022 and 46th last year. It has grabbed the f

Foreign AffairsApril 22, 2024

Manager kidnaps internet celebrity, says victim 'disrespected' him

A South Korean man in his 40s was recently arrested for the kidnap and robbery of an internet celebrity, for whom he had provided management services related to the victim's online broadcasts, local police said Monday. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station is investigating the suspect on a charge of special robbery, defined by Article 334 of the Criminal Act as robbery with a weapon, or via collective force, or via the intrusion of private property. The suspect is accused of forcibly putting the

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

70% of new hires at smaller firms age 40 or older: report

About 70 percent of those newly hired by small and medium-sized enterprises here are aged at least 40, government data showed Monday, highlighting the younger population’s tendency to avoid smaller companies and the country's overall rapid aging. Of the 25.3 million people newly hired by the small and medium-sized companies in South Korea in 2023, 7.8 million were in their 20s or 30s. Those in their 20s accounted for 13.5 percent of new hires, while those in their 30s took up 17.4 per

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

Restaurant boycotts doctors on medical strike

A Seoul-based restaurant recently posted a notice on its Instagram page that it will not serve anyone taking part in the nationwide medical strike, which has been continuing since the mass walkout by the country's trainee doctors in February. The owners of the Italian restaurant based in Mapo-gu, one recommended in the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2024, said they will refuse service for the doctors on strike from "firm personal beliefs." "For the time being, we will not s

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

2.6 magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern county of Chilgok

A 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern county of Chilgok on Monday, but there have been no reports of damage, officials said. The quake occurred about 5 kilometers west of Chilgok, about 215 km southeast of Seoul, at 7:47 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 36 degrees north and a longitude of 128.35 degrees east at a depth of 6 km. It was the sixth-strongest quake to occur on the Korean Peninsula so far this year, and its dep

Social AffairsApril 22, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Power grid expansion, recycling support

Pending Bill: Special Act on the Expansion of the National Power Grid Proposed by Kim Sung-won (People Power Party) ● The evolving electricity production and high-tech industries have called for expanding the national power grid to address the increased supply of renewable energy and the need for a long-distance power transmission network. In particular, the success of new investments in high-tech industries, such as the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, hinges significantly on preparing special mea

PoliticsApril 22, 2024

Trade minister holds meeting with Canada's business delegation

Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo held a meeting with a Canadian business delegation led by his counterpart, Mary Ng, in Seoul and they discussed ways to expand bilateral trade and industry cooperation, officials said Monday. The visit by the Canadian business delegation marked the largest of its kind since Seoul and Ottawa forged the so-called comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022. During the meeting, Cheong expressed hope to broaden the bilateral cooperation beyond its current focus on natura

Foreign AffairsApril 22, 2024

DP appoints new secretary general, chief policymaker

The main opposition Democratic Party appointed Rep. Kim Yun-duk, a close confident of party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, as its secretary general Sunday, while Rep. Jin Sung-joon was named as new chief policymaker. Both Kim and Jin are two-term lawmakers reelected for another time in this month's general elections. The appointments came after the DP's outgoing secretary general, Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, and party officials related to policymaking functions voluntarily resigned in a reorganiza

PoliticsApril 21, 2024

Med school deans urge for freeze of 2025 quota

The heads of medical schools nationwide on Sunday urged the government to freeze the medical school enrollment quota for next year and start a new set of negotiations for the class of 2026 by forging a joint consultative body with the medical community. The Korean Association of Medical Colleges, consisting of 40 medical schools nationwide, released a proposal calling for the government to draw up a "more scientifically based number" for the enrollment quota hike plan. The proposal com

Social AffairsApril 21, 2024