Presidential office says it will take time to name new PM, chief of staff after election defeat

A senior official at the presidential office said Sunday it will take time to name candidates for a new prime minister and chief of staff, after the resounding defeat of the ruling party in last week's parliamentary elections. The official told Yonhap News Agency that some media outlets have reported that the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol may announce a personnel reshuffle as early as Sunday, but "it is not physically possible." "It needs a minimum amount of time to find

PoliticsApril 14, 2024

N. Korea's Kim vows to further develop ties with China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with China's top legislator, Zhao Leji, in Pyongyang and discussed ways to further deepen bilateral ties, the North's state media said Sunday. During the luncheon meeting held Saturday, Kim said Zhao's visit to Pyongyang is "of very weighty significance in demonstrating the invincibility of the DPRK-China friendship and further developing the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries as required by the times,&

North KoreaApril 14, 2024

China's top legislator meets N. Korean leader to deepen ties

China's top legislator Zhao Leji met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Saturday as they move to further strengthen bilateral ties, according to foreign news media. Zhao is the first high-ranking Chinese official to visit the North since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. In his meeting with the No. 3 official in the Chinese Communist Party, Kim said Pyongyang is "unwaveringly" committed to cementing and further developing its cooperative ties with B

North KoreaApril 13, 2024

[Photo News] Already summer?

Social AffairsApril 13, 2024

Ignorance is bliss when it comes to romantic partners' ex: survey

About 52.3 percent of South Koreans do not want to know about the past romantic relationships of their current partner, a recent survey indicated. Local matchmaking company Duo surveyed 300 unmarried men and women across the country from March 15-18 to see what they thought of the past relationships of their current romantic partner. On why they chose not to know about their boyfriend or girlfriend's past relationship, 56.1 percent said "they were not interested," 17.2 percent sai

Social AffairsApril 13, 2024

Yoon likely to soon name new chief of staff after election defeat

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to name a new presidential chief of staff Sunday at the earliest in what would be his first move to overhaul state affairs after a resounding defeat in this week's parliamentary elections, sources at the presidential office said Saturday. After his party's crushing defeat in Wednesday's parliamentary elections, Yoon has delivered a message through his chief of staff that he will "humbly uphold the people's will" shown in the opposition's landslide vi

PoliticsApril 13, 2024

Pyongyang, Beijing vow strong friendly ties: KCNA

High-ranking officials from North Korea and China attended the opening ceremony of the "year of DPRK-China friendship" in Pyongyang to bolster their ongoing relations, Pyongyang's state media said Saturday. Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress of China, attended the ceremony at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre on Friday to mark the 75th anniversary of the

North KoreaApril 13, 2024

S. Korea, U.S. agree to hold trilateral industry ministers' talks with Japan in H1: Seoul official

South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold bilateral talks on supply chain and commercial issues and a trilateral industry ministers' meeting with Japan in the first half of the year, a senior Seoul official said Friday. Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun announced the agreement, wrapping up his dayslong trip in Washington, during which he met U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, lawmakers and experts for talks on trade, energy and industrial issues. The plan for the meetings com

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2024

S. Korea reelected to executive boards of WFP, UNICEF

South Korea has been reelected to the respective executive boards of the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund for the 2025-27 period, the foreign ministry said Friday. South Korea retained its seats at the election held during a session of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The executive boards, run by 36 member states, are the top governing body responsible for deciding policy directions and the supervision of overall activities. South Korea was among the six countr

Foreign AffairsApril 12, 2024

Seoul, London to co-host summit to discuss potential of AI in innovation, inclusion

South Korea and the United Kingdom will jointly host a summit in Seoul in May to discuss artificial intelligence technology's potential to achieve innovation and inclusion at an international level, and its safe development, the presidential office said Friday. The hybrid event "AI Seoul Summit" is scheduled to take place from May 21-22. On day one, leaders will hold virtual discussion sessions co-chaired by President Yoon Suk Yeol and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The next day,

PoliticsApril 12, 2024

Medical standoff enters 2nd stage after election, failed dialogue

The two-month medical standoff between the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and medical circles will likely enter its second stage, amid no signs of initiating talks over the government's medical school admission plan and the looming medical crisis following defiant doctors' mass resignations. The ruling bloc's crushing defeat in Wednesday's general election was a testament that voters "had brought judgment" to the ruling bloc, which pushed to increase the medical school admission quota be

PoliticsApril 12, 2024

2 women found dead in hotel room appear to be victims of premeditated murder: police

South Korean police have found evidence suggesting that two men, who died after jumping from a hotel room, had planned and carried out the murder of two women whose bodies were found inside the same hotel. Local media recently reported details of the case which happened in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Police looking for a missing woman traced her to a hotel room, which had been occupied by the two men. The men jumped to their deaths shortly after the visit from police. The missing woman and anothe

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

3% of adults, 2% of teens have used drugs: survey

A government survey showed Friday that 3.1 percent of adults and 2.6 percent of teenagers in South Korea have used illegal drugs at least once. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted the survey on 3,000 adults and 2,000 teenagers across the country to study drug awareness among local residents. In the survey, illegal drugs refer to substances defined as such by the Narcotics Control Act, which includes marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and prescribed opioids. The survey a

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

South Korea, US plan exercises against North Korea nuclear use scenario

South Korea and the US have agreed to hold tabletop exercises that simulate North Korea’s nuclear weapons use to strengthen a joint response. According to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Friday, the two countries confirmed the plans at the 24th Korea-US Integrated Defense Consultative Group held in Washington on Thursday. The meeting in Washington was attended by a South Korean delegation led by Cho Chang-rae, the deputy minister of national defense. The US delegation was led

DefenseApril 12, 2024

Korea to cut no. of teachers amid diminishing student numbers

Amid administrative efforts to increase the annual enrollment quota for medical schools that sparked the mass walk-out of doctors across the country, the government said it would reduce the number of school teachers going forward, citing a decline in student numbers. The enrollment quota for teachers' colleges, which has remained unchanged for 13 years, will be reduced by 12 percent, the Education Ministry said. Currently, 13 universities that train aspiring elementary school teachers take

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

Over 2,000 alcohol-related complaints filed in Q1 for Seoul subways

A total of 2,545 complaints related to drunk people in Seoul subway stations were submitted between January and March of this year, the subway system's operators said Friday. Seoul Metro said it is conducting a campaign in anticipation of an increase in alcohol-related incidents on Seoul subways, noting that the number of complaints for such incidents increased by 76 compared to the same period the year before. The two-month campaign will take place in April and May at 34 stations across th

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

Foreigners in Korea aging alongside locals: data

Foreigners are aging alongside locals in South Korea, a country with more senior citizens than young adults. According to Statistics Korea on Friday, the senior foreign resident population is expected to constitute more than 10 percent of the overall foreign demographic in 11 years. The number of seniors, aged 65 and older, among foreign residents is projected to rise from 95,000 in 2022 to 204,000 by 2030. This figure is expected to further increase to 301,000 in 2038 and 344,000 in 2042, mor

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

S. Korea adds fewest number of jobs in 3 years in March; youth employment falls

South Korea added the fewest number of jobs in three years in March due mainly to a high base effect and weak employment in the agricultural sector amid unfavorable weather conditions, the statistics agency said Friday. The number of employed people came to 28.39 million last month, up 173,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the fewest number of new jobs since February 2021, when the country lost 473,000 job posts on-year amid the COVID-19 pande

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

Cho Kuk urges probe of first lady’s Dior bag scandal

Cho Kuk, the former justice minister-turned-leader of a rising third party urged prosecutors Thursday to investigate first lady Kim Keon Hee, just a day after the National Assembly election. “This is a final warning to the country’s prosecutors,” he said in a press conference held outside the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul. He said the ruling People Power Party defeat in the Assembly election was “the people’s warning to the president and his dictatorial

PoliticsApril 11, 2024

Court rejects doctor group leaders' request to halt license suspension

A Seoul court on Thursday dismissed requests by leaders of the biggest doctors' association to halt the government's suspension of their medical licenses in connection with a mass walkout by trainee doctors. The health ministry earlier imposed a three-month license suspension on two leaders of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), including the emergency committee head, Kim Taek-woo, accusing them of instigating a collective labor action by trainee doctors. The suspension becomes effective on Apr

Social AffairsApril 11, 2024