Almost half of schools join state-backed after-school programs

Students and schools' participation in before- and after-school care programs, a new state-backed child care initiative, has increased over a month into the launch, the Ministry of Education reported Wednesday. Dubbed "Neulbom" which directly translates to "always caring," a total of 2,838 out of 6,175 elementary schools have joined the government-run child care education, accounting for 46 percent of the total number of elementary schools nationwide, Education Minister

Social AffairsApril 3, 2024

Veto shows harms of NK-Russia alignment: Cho

Russia's veto against renewing a panel of experts overseeing sanctions on North Korea illustrates the adverse repercussions of the growing alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow on international order and regional security, South Korean Ambassador to the US Cho Hyun-dong said Tuesday. Russia exercised its veto power Thursday to block the yearly extension of the panel of experts responsible for monitoring the enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea. The panel of experts

Foreign AffairsApril 3, 2024

Seoul eyes 'all-time high' R&D budget for 2025

South Korea's budget related to technology research and development for 2025 will "reach an all-time high," reversing course from the 14.7 percent budget cut for this year's R&D projects that baffled scientists here, according to the presidential office on Wednesday. Park Sang-ook, senior presidential secretary for science and technology, said in a press briefing in Seoul that Korea will "exponentially increase" the R&D budget, though he did not elaborate on the speci

PoliticsApril 3, 2024

Prospect for dialogue grows as senior doctors welcome Yoon’s offer

Eyes are on whether junior doctors would engage in talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol to seek a breakthrough in the ongoing medical standoff and the expansion plan, as senior doctors on Wednesday encouraged them to accept his offer of dialogue. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Korean Medical Association -- the country’s largest doctors’ group with some 140,000 members -- said it “gladly welcomes” the decision and “believes the possibility of talks is high.&

Social AffairsApril 3, 2024

Govt. approval to be required for owning 'dangerous dogs'

Are you considering raising a pit bull terrier? Then you will soon need to get approval from the local authorities, according to a government plan unveiled Wednesday. Starting April 27, government approval will be required to own certain dog breeds considered dangerous under the Animal Protection Act, which specifies five dangerous breeds including tosa inu, pit bull terriers and rottweilers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The decision comes in response to a s

Social AffairsApril 3, 2024

Govt. open to change in medical school quota hike if better option is proposed: minister

The government is open to the possibility of changing its policy to increase the medical school admission quota if a better option is proposed, the interior minister said Wednesday, as the walkout by protesting trainee doctors continued for the seventh week. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min made the remark during a government response meeting amid no signs of a breakthrough in the prolonged standoff between the government and the medical community over the plan to add 2,000 more medical school sea

Social AffairsApril 3, 2024

N. Korea claims successful launch of new IRBM tipped with hypersonic warhead

North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, saying that all missiles the country has developed are now solid-fuel and nuclear capable with warhead control capability. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the testing of the Hwasong-16 missile Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The South Korean military said Tuesday it detected the firing of an IRBM from the Pyongyang region and the miss

North KoreaApril 3, 2024

Biden stresses 'enduring' US commitment to Korean Peninsula denuclearization to Xi: White House

President Joe Biden underscored the United States' "enduring" commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during phone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, the White House said. The call came amid growing concerns over North Korea's continued saber-rattling, including its missile launch this week, and a potential erosion of the sanctions regime against the North due to Russia's veto last week of a resolution to extend the mandate of a UN panel mon

Foreign AffairsApril 3, 2024

[Graphic News] Damages from phishing scams jump over 35%

Damages from phishing scams jumped on-year in 2023 despite growing awareness of the crime, data showed. Damages from phishing crimes came to 196.5 billion won ($147.8 million) last year, up 35.4 percent from 145.1 billion won in 2022, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. The number of people who fell victim to the crime dropped 10.2 percent to 11,503 from 12,816 over the cited period. Phishing is a crime where victims are conned into transferring money to scammers or s

Social AffairsApril 3, 2024

S. Korea, Chile hold talks on improving bilateral FTA

South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has launched another round of talks with Chile to update their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) that went into effect in 2004, aiming to reflect the latest changes in the global supply chain and the digital economy. Director General for FTA Policy Ahn Chang-yong met his Chilean counterpart, Pablo Urria, in Santiago for the ninth round of negotiations on improving South Korea's first FTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and E

Foreign AffairsApril 2, 2024

Court dismisses med professors’ request to avert expansion plan

The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday dismissed an injunction request filed by 33 representatives of the Medical Professors Association of Korea against the government’s planned hike in medical school enrollment quotas, as well as the administrative lawsuit against the health and education ministers, respectively. The court said in its ruling that the medical professors are not eligible to file an injunction request, but the presidents of universities can. The economic damage asserted

Social AffairsApril 2, 2024

South Korea sanctions Russians for helping North Korea

South Korea imposed sanctions on two Russian individuals and two other entities over the transfer of arms with North Korea and involvement in helping North Korea finance its nuclear and missile programs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul said Tuesday that two Russian ships used in arms transfers as well as two Russian organizations and their leaders have been designated as sanctions targets. Two Russian vessels -- Lady R and Angara -- were involved in shipping containers of military suppl

PoliticsApril 2, 2024

[Hello India] Korea, India interwoven as 'win-win cooperation partners'

The synergistic cooperation between South Korea and India, deeply rooted in shared values, stands as indispensable in nurturing economic growth and security as well as regional security, amid compounding crises worldwide, South Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae-bok said. "The significance of India cannot be emphasized enough, given its status as the world's largest manufacturing hub and its potential as a market, as well as its role in ensuring economic security and sustaining globa

Foreign AffairsApril 2, 2024

Election candidates seek to win votes from pet owners

Several candidates running for the April 10 general election have rolled out pledges to attract votes from pet owners in recent weeks, including tax benefits and setting up pet-friendly systems and facilities. Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-wook, who is running for the Bundang-B constituency -- one of the two constituencies in the Bundang district located in Seoul's satellite city of Seongnam -- sees pet owners as key voters. Kim pledged to build a budget pet hotel

PoliticsApril 2, 2024

[Hello India] India rises as new economic powerhouse under Modi

The Indian economy, once labeled by Morgan Stanley as one of the "Fragile Five" countries due to its vulnerability, has surged to become the world's fifth-largest and fastest-growing economy over the decade since 2014, under the two terms of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When Modi assumed office in 2014, he inherited an economy grappling with a range of challenges, including the Indian Rupee Crisis of 2013, a downturn in the stock market, reduced foreign direct investment into Ind

Foreign AffairsApril 2, 2024

Govt. to expand range of E-9 visas

The South Korean government announced on Tuesday that it would begin accepting applications from business owners that want to hire workers from 16 designated countries eligible for E-9 visas starting later this month. Owners of Korean restaurants, hotels and resorts, forestry and mining companies will now be able to apply for permission to employ workers from these countries, the government said. From April 22 to May 3, business owners can apply for permission to employ workers from the 16 count

Social AffairsApril 2, 2024

Seoul Metro to switch subway seats from fabric to plastic

Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1 to 8, announced Tuesday that it will replace all fabric seats on its subway trains with reinforced plastic chairs by 2029 to keep the trains clean from bedbugs and other pollutants. According to Seoul Metro, fabric chairs account for 54 percent, or 1,955 subway cars of all seats on Seoul’s subway trains. On the other hand, reinforced plastic chairs account for 29 percent of Seoul’s subway trains, while stainless steel seats account for 17 p

Social AffairsApril 2, 2024

Bakery giant SPC chief detained for questioning

Prosecutors arrested Hur Young-in, chair of South Korean bakery giant SPC Group, after he repeatedly failed to comply with being summoned for an investigation. The 74-year-old is under investigation for his suspected involvement in forcing bakers at PB Partners to quit their membership in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions umbrella labor group, between 2019 and 2022. PB Partners is SPC's subsidiary in charge of recruiting and training bakers for bakery chain Paris Baguette. Prosecut

Social AffairsApril 2, 2024

Yoon envisions 2nd presidential office, relocation of parliament to Sejong

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday his administration was moving to establish a new presidential office and a parliament branch in Sejong, the de facto administrative capital of South Korea. The new branch of the presidential office, currently located in Yongsan-gu of Seoul near the Yongsan Garrison of the US Forces Korea, will contribute to "breaking down barriers between the presidential office and the government" and at the same time boost Yoon's public engagement, Yoon said

PoliticsApril 2, 2024

Foreigners must stay in S. Korea for 6 months to be eligible for state health insurance as dependents

Foreigners and overseas Koreans can only become eligible for the state health insurance coverage as dependents if they reside in South Korea for at least six months, according to the health ministry Tuesday. The tightened rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, comes as some foreigners have reportedly exploited the nation's health insurance system. Media reports have said some foreign nationals working in South Korea register siblings and other relatives as dependents and arrange temporary

Social AffairsApril 2, 2024