NSC 'fundamentally engaged' in S. Korea-US nuclear deterrence body: Sullivan

The US National Security Council remains "fundamentally engaged" in a key South Korea-US nuclear deterrence dialogue platform, its top security official said Wednesday, as the two countries' defense authorities are now tasked with leading the body. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks after senior defense officials from Seoul and Washington signed a framework document Monday to task Seoul's defense ministry and the Pentagon to lead the Nuclear Consultative

Foreign AffairsFeb. 15, 2024

NK leader oversees test-fire of new surface-to-sea missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised the test-firing of a new surface-to-sea missile and ordered a tighter defense posture near the western maritime border, state media reported Thursday. North Korea test-launched the new missile, named Padasuri-6, on Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency said. A day earlier, South Korea's military said the North fired several cruise missiles off the eastern port city of Wonsan. The KCNA said the missile hit a target after flying over waters i

North KoreaFeb. 15, 2024

Scandal-ridden ex-fiance of Olympic fencing medalist gets 12-yr prison sentence

A Seoul court sentenced the scandal-ridden former fiance of Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee to 12 years in prison on Wednesday on fraud and forgery charges. The 28-year-old former fiance, Jeon Cheong-jo, was charged with swindling a total of about 3 billion won ($2.25 million) from 27 people under the pretext of investment between 2022 and 2023. Jeon presented herself to the victims as a secret heir to the high-end Paradise Hotel chain, enticing them with false investment opportunities tha

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Lee's wife indicted for election law violation

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, was indicted without detention on Wednesday on charges of violating the election law by offering meals to party figures ahead of the 2022 presidential election, the Suwon District Prosecutors Office said. Kim is accused of providing meals worth 104,000 won ($78) to six people, including three figures related to the then-ruling Democratic Party, at a Seoul restaurant on Aug. 2, 2021, ahead of the party's presidential primary, in vio

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2024

North Korea hacked Yoon official’s emails last year

North Korea appears to be behind the hacking of a presidential official’s email account in November last year, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes. In a release responding to a news report on Wednesday, the presidential office said Wednesday that a private email account belonging to an administrative official was targeted in a cyber attack ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to France and the UK in November. Citing the NIS, the release said the cyber

North KoreaFeb. 14, 2024

Man found dead after setting fire to British woman's face

A man in his 20s who set fire to the face of a female exchange student in December was found dead, closing the police investigation into the case, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on Wednesday. The suspect had sprayed volatile material into the face of a British woman and ignited it with a cigarette lighter on Dec. 15 near the dormitory building of a university in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. His whereabouts were unknown after fleeing the scene of the crime, until his body was found on th

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Over half of population resides in Seoul metropolitan area: data

More than half of South Korea’s total population was found to reside in the capital city of Seoul and surrounding metropolitan cities, according to official data released by the government on Wednesday. As of December 2023, the registered populations in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province recorded up to 26.1 million residents, which made up 50.7 percent of the country's total population. Out of the 26.1 million, 9.39 million were registered in Seoul, 3 million were registered in Inch

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Seoul to help more women to freeze eggs

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will double the number of subsidies it provides women to cryopreserve their eggs, said the city government on Wednesday, as part of the city government’s measure to tackle falling birth rates in the capital city. In September 2023, the city government proposed to provide up to 2 million won ($1,496) to 300 women between the ages of 20 and 49 who have resided in Seoul for more than six months. Starting in 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

North Korea conducts fifth cruise missile launch of year

North Korea on Wednesday conducted a launch of cruise missiles for the fifth time since the start of the year. “Our military detected several unidentified cruise missiles off the northeast coast of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 9 a.m. the details of which are being closely analyzed by the intelligence agencies of South Korea and the US,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The JCS said the South Korean military was “working closely with the US side amid heig

DefenseFeb. 14, 2024

Teenagers souring on marriage: survey

Teenagers in South Korea are becoming less keen to get married, while more than half believe that having children out of wedlock is acceptable, a study suggested Wednesday. According to the National Youth Policy Institute's recent research on teenagers' values conducted among some 7,718 students from elementary school to high school last year, 29.5 percent agreed that "marriage is a must." This is less than half the percentage 11 years ago, compared to 2012, when 73.2 percent

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Man calls police 399 times 'because he was lonely'

South Korean police on Wednesday said they were investigating a man in his fifties for obstruction of public duties after he prank-called the police hundreds of times "just because he was lonely." The suspect was taken in by police after he called the 112 emergency service twice for no reason at around 12:55 p.m. on Tuesday. The man was drunk at the time, and told the officers who arrived on the scene the first time that he called "just because." Thirty minutes later he calle

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Yoon delays trips to Germany, Denmark

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has postponed his scheduled overseas trip to Germany and Denmark, according to Yoon's office on Wednesday. The presidential office had initially prepared for a week-long trip to the two European countries beginning on Sunday. Detailed schedules were being coordinated with each country. However, after careful consideration, the presidential office has reportedly decided to postpone the trip. Yoon's office, however, did not provide further details or

Foreign AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Hwasun, county of dolmen colony in South Jeolla Province, aims to become younger

Famous for the Hwasun Dolmen Remains, the world's only dolmen colony registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Hwasun County in South Jeolla Province is now setting its sights on the future, according to Gu Bog-gyu, the county’s governor, pointing to the city's 10,000 won ($7.50) apartments. “Outside the capital region, many rural areas face a serious population decline problem, and Hwasun was no exception. However, by offering 10,000 won apartments to younger generations

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Plant construction workers oppose foreign labor

Hundreds of plant construction workers held a rally Wednesday to urge the government not to allow plant construction companies to hire foreign workers. The Korean Plant Construction Workers’ Union, under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, staged rallies across the country, including in Seoul, Yeosu in South Jeolla Province and Ulsan. “Many Koreans are facing difficulties finding jobs at plant construction sites as construction business continues to stagnate. We condemn the Yoo

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Med students mull strike over student quota expansion

With doctors groups still mulling a strike, incumbent medical students are also mulling collective action in protest of the government’s announcement last week of an increase in the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 from the current 3,058. The Korea Association of Medical Colleges, a group of current medical students, held an all-night online meeting earlier in the day, attended by representatives of each university’s medical school, to discuss submitting for leave of absence,

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Yoon vows more incentives for foreign-invested companies

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday expressed his intention to ease regulations and extend more incentives to further foster an investor-friendly environment. The government will "offer policies and regulatory environments favoring (foreign-invested enterprises) to the extent of the global standard, or even more favorable than the global standard," Yoon told participants comprising foreign-invested company representatives at a luncheon meeting held Wednesday. "We should spare no

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2024

Shaman scams victim to pay for 'Lotto numbers from beyond'

South Korean court recently handed down a four-year jail term to a shaman who had swindled money from someone by pretending to speak to the victim's deceased mother. The 66-year-old defendant surnamed Jang claimed to the victim in April 2019 to have heard from the victim's late mother, who supposedly revealed the five winning numbers of the weekly South Korean Lotto. Jang said to the victim that an offering would be necessary to know the last number, and received 276 million won ($206,

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Impeached ex-president's supporters lose bid for compensation

The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday ruled against supporters of former President Park Geun-hye, denying their request for compensation for their psychological pain due to what they claim was the "unjust impeachment of Park." The plaintiffs, including a former reporter of the local Monthly Chosun magazine, filed a civic lawsuit against the state and eight justices of the Constitutional Court at the time of Park's impeachment in March 2013. The Co

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Nurses support med school quota hike

The Korean Nursing Association on Wednesday pledged its support for the government plan to boost the enrollment quota at medical schools, in light of the doctors threatening a strike in protest of the plan. The Korean Nursing Association held a press conference in front of the National Assembly in Seoul at which they expressed full support of the medical school overhaul and called for the normalization of the country's medical field. "Currently the people's lives are threatened du

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Delivery workers demand strong penalty for drunk driving DJ

South Korean delivery workers on Tuesday submitted a joint petition to the local police demanding punishment for a 20-something DJ, who killed a 54-year-old delivery man when she was driving while drunk. The delivery workers' union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said a petition signed by 1,500 people had been submitted to Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, calling for a thorough investigation. "For delivery workers, the road is our place of work. And drunk dr

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024