China trumpets rising car exports to Russia as its envoy holds talks in Ukraine

BEIJING (AP) — In Beijing and Kyiv, the divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week. As a Chinese envoy crisscrossed Europe for talks on ending the war, his boss, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, trumpeted a sharp rise in China-Russia trade — which the West sees as providing an economic lifeline to Moscow that undermines the sanctions it has imposed to try to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. “Russian natural gas has entered thousands o

Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2024

Military's Ospreys are cleared to return to flight, 3 months after latest fatal crash in Japan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Osprey, a workhorse aircraft vital to US military missions, has been approved to return to flight after an “unprecedented” part failure led to the deaths of eight service members in a crash in Japan in November, Naval Air Systems Command announced Friday. The crash was the second fatal accident in months and the fourth in two years. It quickly led to a rare fleet-wide grounding of hundreds of Ospreys across the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. Befor

Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2024

Fishing boat capsizes, leaving 4 dead, 5 missing

Rescue operations were under way after a fishing boat with nine crew members on board capsized off the southern coastal city of Tongyeong, leaving four dead and five others missing, according to the Coast Guard on Sunday. Two South Koreans and seven Indonesians were aboard the 20-ton vessel when it overturned in waters 68 kilometers south of an island in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday morning, according to officials. About 20 ships and four airplanes were mobilized for an unde

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2024

Is main opposition’s goal to bring Yoon to ‘judgment’ feasible?

The main opposition’s goal to bring President Yoon Suk Yeol to “judgment” through the upcoming April 10 legislative election, now faces major hurdles due to Yoon’s and the ruling party’s growing popularity, observers said Friday. Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung in recent weeks has repeatedly stressed the party’s goal to bring the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to “judgment” by winning the election. In his visit to the political symbolic

PoliticsMarch 8, 2024

S. Korean, Philippine FMs discuss stronger ties in phone talks

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, on Friday and discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations, Cho's office said. It was the first talks between the two top diplomats since Cho's inauguration in January. During the talks, Cho noted the 75th anniversary of the two nations' establishment of diplomatic ties this year and the recent exchange of congratulatory letters between their leaders, according to Seo

Foreign AffairsMarch 8, 2024

Japanese candy tests positive for radioactive material before being imported to S. Korea

A small amount of cesium, a type of radioactive material, was detected in a Japanese confectionery product slated for import to South Korea, prompting the importer to cancel its plans, the food safety agency here said Friday. During radiation inspections for imported products, 1 bequerel (Bq) per kilogram of cesium was detected in a candy manufactured in Shizuoka prefecture in Japan, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The company intending to import 122 kg of the affected product

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

S. Korea names new envoy for Indo-Pacific affairs

The Foreign Ministry said Friday it appointed a senior diplomat as the country's special envoy for Indo-Pacific affairs, a new position created under a shakeup plan to broaden diplomacy into regional and other challenges besides North Korea. Chung Kee-yong, previously the ambassador to Morocco, will be in charge of promoting South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy, and working with key partner countries in and outside of the region to strengthen cooperation in related issues, the ministry

Foreign AffairsMarch 8, 2024

N. Korea attempted to disrupt GPS signals on S. Korean border islands

North Korea attempted to disrupt the reception of Global Positioning System signals on the front-line islands of South Korea in the West Sea for three consecutive days from Tuesday, coinciding with annual combined military drills between Seoul and Washington, the South Korean military confirmed on Friday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected signals sent from North Korea, which were assessed as attempts to interfere with the reception of GPS signals on the Five West Sea Islands mult

North KoreaMarch 8, 2024

NK border sealing with China worsens human rights situation: report

The tightening of border controls by the Kim Jong-un regime, marked by the construction of multiple layers of fences along the China-North Korea border following the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian and human rights crisis in North Korea, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. The HRW, an international human rights organization headquartered in New York, on Thursday published a comprehensive 148-page report titled "A Sense of Terror Stronger than a Bull

North KoreaMarch 8, 2024

Govt. to set up reporting center to ensure trainee doctors’ safe return to hospitals

The South Korean government said Friday it would set up a reporting center within the Ministry of Health and Welfare dedicated to ensuring trainee doctors’ safe return to hospitals as their protest against the expansion plan entered its third week. The center aims to prevent the direct and indirect harm that junior doctors who wish to return to their positions may suffer, as an list of returning doctors was posted online recently. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Friday

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

Seoul's new unification vision: 'Ensure freedom for every N. Korean'

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday revealed its plans to craft a fresh unification vision, with the ultimate aim of guaranteeing the freedom rights of every North Korean citizen on a unified Korean Peninsula. The initiative is set as the ministry's primary goal for the year and marks the first revision of South Korea's official unification formula in 30 years since 1994. Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said that he presented plans to formulate a unification vision groun

North KoreaMarch 8, 2024

Travel ban lifted for ex-defense chief appointed as ambassador

South Korea's Justice Ministry on Friday lifted the ban on leaving the country placed on former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, who has been named ambassador to Australia, amidst ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment. The Justice Ministry announced that its travel ban review committee has determined that Lee's formal complaint against his travel restriction was justified. The ministry elaborated that the ban on him leaving the country had been repeatedly extended without any o

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

Police pledge action as list of returning doctors goes viral online

A circulated online list containing the names of doctors who did not participate in the prolonged walkout and instead remained or returned to their positions has prompted the police to pledge action against the individual responsible for its distribution. The National Police Agency released an official statement, stating that it will “strictly handle any acts that interfere with normal medical procedures.” “Posting full names of trainee doctors returning to work and writing thr

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

Tragic death of city official shows growing prevalence of doxing in Korea

The suicide of a Gimpo city official, who became the target of malicious complaints after their personal information was leaked online, has sparked controversy in Korean society. In response, some netizens are pledging to reveal the identity of cyberbullies, shedding light on the concerning prevalence of doxing in South Korea. As of Friday, the personal information of the user who revealed the late official’s name, department and phone number has been posted to many online communities. &ld

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

Police launch investigation into attack on ex-soccer player in election campaign

The police on Friday launched a probe into the alleged assault on former soccer player Lee Chun-soo while he was participating in former Land Minister and ruling party candidate Won Hee-ryong’s street campaign ahead of the April 10 general election. The Incheon Gyeyang Police Station received a report from Won’s office at 10 p.m. on Thursday claiming that Lee, who recently endorsed the former land minister for the upcoming election, was “physically assaulted.” Lee was att

PoliticsMarch 8, 2024

Korea ranks last in OECD for women’s working environment 12 years in row

South Korea ranked last, at 29th out of 29 OECD countries, in the working environment for women for 12 consecutive years, according to UK-based The Economist on Thursday. Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, The Economist released the glass-ceiling index. This UK media outlet has published the index annually since 2013 for OECD member nations, assessing factors such as women’s labor participation rate, gender income disparity, the proportion of women in high-ranking posit

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

Medical professors quit in droves over expansion plan

Medical professors are quitting in droves in a show of protest against the Korean government’s planned hike in the medical school enrollment quota, as they join trainee doctors in taking collective action. The dean’s group at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine issued a statement late Thursday that they would resign collectively “to take full responsibility for the situation,” according to the Daegu Medical Association on Friday. “We’ve openly exp

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2024

NK leader guides artillery firing drills involving border units capable of striking 'enemy's capital'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has guided artillery firing drills involving front-line units capable of striking the "enemy's capital," state media reported Friday, in an apparent response to an ongoing joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States. The drills were conducted Thursday with the aim of enhancing the combat readiness posture and actual war capability of artillery troops, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "The drill started with the

North KoreaMarch 8, 2024

Foreign Ministry to disband peninsula peace bureau amid NK threats

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday unveiled plans to restructure the office responsible for negotiations on North Korean nuclear issues and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, amid escalating North Korean nuclear threats and a prolonged absence of nuclear talks. The Foreign Ministry announced its decision to rebrand the Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, tentatively renaming it the Office of Diplomatic Strategy and Intelligence in Korean.

Foreign AffairsMarch 7, 2024

Former President Kim Young-sam's widow dies

Son Myung-soon, the widow of former President Kim Young-sam, died Thursday at the age of 96, medical sources said. The ex-first lady died of a chronic ailment late in the afternoon while under treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, according to the sources. Son was a widow to Kim, who served as South Korea's 14th president from 1993-1998. Kim died at the age of 88 in 2015. Son was married to Kim in 1951 and was known to have assisted her husband as the supportive wife of the long-

PoliticsMarch 7, 2024