Snow depth exceeds gauge limit at a Gangwon site

Many parts of Gangwon Province have recorded substantial snowfall, with some eastern mountainous regions setting new records, according to a weather agency Friday. The Korea Meteorological Administration announced that its weather station on Hyangro Mountain in Goseong reached its snow measurement limit of 160 centimeters for the first time. By 11 p.m. on Wednesday, the station had recorded 146.4 centimeters of snow. The accumulation of snow is impeding access to the gauge used to measure th

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan concur on 'stern' response to NK-Russia arms deal

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on the need for a firm response to North Korea's provision of arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine, as well as on enhancing cooperation to address North Korean threats, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held a trilateral meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers&rsq

Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2024

US fighter jet drops fuel tanks into Yellow Sea in 'in-flight emergency'

A US F-16 fighter jet dropped two of its fuel tanks into waters off South Korea's west coast as it experienced an "in-flight emergency" before safely returning to base, a US Air Force unit said. The F-16 of the 8th Fighter Wing jettisoned the tanks into the Yellow Sea as it experienced the emergency at about 10 a.m. after taking off for a routine sortie from Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, 178 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the unit. The pilot still managed to return safely to

DefenseFeb. 22, 2024

Defense chief downplays concerns over US possibly taking softer stance on NK nukes

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Thursday downplayed concerns over the US potentially shifting to a softer stance on North Korea's nuclear program amid the possibility that former US President Donald Trump could win the November presidential election. Shin made the remark as a ruling party lawmaker raised concerns that calls for seeking a freeze of the North's nuclear program, instead of its denuclearization, could gain momentum in the US as Pyongyang pushes to advance its interconti

DefenseFeb. 22, 2024

Thailand asks S. Korea to toughen K-ETA screening after denied entries of its people

Thailand asked South Korea on Thursday to toughen the pre-entry screening process for foreign visitors from visa-waiver countries, after a number of its citizens were denied entry into Korea and the incidents stirred public ire. Thailand made the request to the South Korean side during a director-general meeting on consular affairs between the foreign ministries, held earlier in the day, Seoul officials said. A number of Thais revealed through some online channels last year their experiences of

Foreign AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

SIS hosts National History Day

Seoul International School is hosting National History Day Korea 2024 on Saturday, where 572 students from 27 schools will present 325 projects. Under the theme “Turning Points in History,” the event encourages students to engage deeply with historical events that had a great impact on the world today. National History Day aims to offer a dynamic educational program that promotes critical thinking, research skills and the creative presentation of various historical events. By partici

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

Gender Ministry on course for disbandment

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family faces dissolution as President Yoon Suk Yeol has decided to leave the position of minister of gender equality vacant, in an apparent drive to disband the ministry, one of his key election pledges. "President Yoon believes it is necessary to express his firm intention to fulfill the pledge at the administrative level, even if a legal revision has yet to be made," a senior presidential official said Thursday. Currently, two amendments to the Gov

PoliticsFeb. 22, 2024

Key doctors’ group to hold mass protest on March 3

The major lobby group for doctors said Thursday that it would stage a massive rally in Seoul with all of its members from across the county on March 3 to protest the government’s move to significantly increase the number of seats at medical schools. The demonstration, initially set for March 10, was moved up at the doctors’ urging, according to the Korean Medical Association, the largest group of doctors here with some 140,000 members. As the two sides continue to lock horns over the

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

Heavy snow hits S. Korea, with more expected

After more than 8 centimeters of snow was dumped on Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, snowfall continued in Gangwon Province and other regions, with up to 70 cm expected in the worst affected areas. Cold temperatures and strong winds are forecast to persist in other regions. As of Thursday morning, Greater Seoul and the Chungcheong provinces saw 3-8 cm of snow, following a mix of snow and rain Wednesday evening. In Seoul, 12.3 cm of snow had fallen as of Thursday morning. From

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

Yoon bets big on nuclear energy

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to spend 4 trillion won ($3 billion) on nuclear energy research and development projects during his five-year term until 2027, bolstering his earlier commitment in July 2022 to reverse the nuclear phase-out policy. Yoon also set the goal of planning nuclear power projects that would earn the domestic nuclear energy industry a combined 3.3 trillion won, and promised to extend a total of 1 trillion won in special loans for industrywide support. Moreover,

PoliticsFeb. 22, 2024

Korea recommends work from home when fine dust levels high

The Ministry of Environment on Thursday said that it will recommend that people work from home whenever emergency dust reduction steps are taken, starting next month. According to the Ministry of Environment, the Special Task Force Committee on Fine Dust will include a recommendation to work from home or take time off when emergency dust reduction measures of fine dust are implemented in the government's "Total Response Plan for Spring Fine Dust," which it is set to announce next

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

S. Korean, Japanese FMs agree on NK, differ on historical issues

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan agreed to strengthen cooperation on North Korean issues, while expressing lingering differences in historical matters, including compensation for forced labor victims during Japan’s colonial rule of the peninsula and South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, met for the first time Wednesday for a 30-minute meeting, starting at 11:10 a.m. local time, on the

Foreign AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

No casualties reported after retaining wall collapses at Taean apartment

A retaining wall at an apartment complex in Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province, collapsed at around 3:20 a.m. Thursday, with no deaths or injuries reported. According to local emergency services, structural damage to the 20-meter wall caused blocks of concrete to fall and destroy nine cars in the parking lot of the apartment complex. A resident of the apartment wrote in an online posting that the building's management personnel notified the residents to remove their cars from the parking

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

Subway operations delayed in Seoul due to heavy snowfall

Subway operations in Seoul suffered delays Thursday due to heavy snowfall. The overnight snowfall caused ice to form on railway tracks at a train depot at the eastern end of the Seoul Subway Line No. 5 in Godeok-dong, preventing trains from leaving the depot on time, officials at Seoul Metro said. That led to delays of about 25 minutes in operations on the No. 5 line, officials said. Delays were also reported on the No. 2 and No. 7 lines due to signal problems. According to the Korea Meteorologi

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

Russia apparently violating UNSC resolutions by giving NK leader luxury car: State Dept.

Russia appears to have violated UN Security Council resolutions if it had given North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a luxury car, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday, noting the supply of transportation vehicles to the North is prohibited under the resolutions. The North's Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that Kim received a Russian-made luxury car from Russian President Vladimir Putin as a gift demonstrating the special bonds between them. Later, the Kremlin confirmed that the

Foreign AffairsFeb. 22, 2024

Man takes 7-hour bike ride to rob pensioner in her home

South Korean police said Wednesday it is investigating a 32-year-old man on suspicion of robbing a 70-something woman living in a rural home, some 65 kilometers away from the city of Daegu where the suspect was living. According to Changnyeong Police Station, the suspect rode on a bicycle for seven hours from his home to invade the victim's home in Daehap-myeon, South Gyeongsang Province, at around 9 p.m. last Thursday. Police said he threatened her with a weapon and took a little over 3 mi

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Weather agency to improve earthquake, heavy rain alerts

South Korea will upgrade its disaster warning system to better alert people in affected areas, while removing parts of the system that may inconvenience the public, the nation's weather agency said Tuesday. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent due to climate change, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced a set of plans in a press conference Tuesday to strengthen the effectiveness of the KMA’s information and improve the reliability of its response measures. Th

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

Seoul offers discount on monthly transit passes for young adults

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer a discount for adults aged between 19 to 34 on the monthly transit pass starting from Feb. 26, it said Wednesday. Those aged between 19 and 34 will be able to have unlimited access to public transportation for 58,000 won or 55,000 won, which is 7,000 won cheaper than the regular transit passes. Seoul’s monthly transit pass -- the “Climate Card” -- is a new pass that gives commuters unlimited access to public transportation systems wi

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

KBS producers urge documentary of Sewol tragedy to be aired

South Korean public broadcaster KBS' recent decision to pull a documentary about the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry has been sparking criticism from within the company's ranks. Eight KBS producers issued a joint statement urging that the episode of the channel's weekly documentary series "Docu Insight" on the tragedy should be aired as scheduled. The episode was slated to feature the tragedy and the post-traumatic stress survivors still suffer from, but KBS decided not

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

State urged to apologize for innocent man's imprisonment and torture

A state-run commission on Wednesday officially recommended that the South Korean government apologize to a 68-year-old man named Lee Sang-chul, who was falsely accused of being the culprit of a 1980 kidnap and murder case and tortured into a false confession. "We have verified the fact that police had imprisoned Lee without proper legal procedures, such as having an arrest warrant issued, and tortured him," the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea said, pointing out t

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024