Main opposition leader returns, calls general election 'judgment time'

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday resumed his duties as the Democratic Party of Korea chairman, two weeks after being injured in a knife attack on Jan. 2. Lee kicked off his return by presiding over the party’s Supreme Council meeting in the morning. The chairman referred to the upcoming April parliamentary election as an opportunity to pass judgment on the current administration’s performance. “The upcoming election will work as a midterm evaluation ... on

PoliticsJan. 17, 2024

Yoon urges inheritance tax reform

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday said the excessive taxation on corporations trading on the stock market here could be outdated, hinting at easing the tax burden. Yoon claimed that easing tax burden on corporations was a prerequisite to boosting stock market value. More than a quarter of Korea's 50 million population trade shares -- more than double compared to five years before. "We need to find a new angle at which the inheritance tax and other types of extra taxes (on corporations) a

PoliticsJan. 17, 2024

K-pop singer convicted of faking IQ of 60 to dodge draft

South Korean court said Wednesday it has sentenced a boy band member to a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for faking a mental disability to avoid active military service. Seoul Northern District Court handed the suspended term to the 32-year-old defendant, who was also ordered to fulfill 80 hours of community service for violating the Military Service Act. South Korean law stipulates that all able-bodied men are mandated to serve in the military for at least 18 months. The defendant

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2024

3 out of 5 Koreans in 20s skip breakfast

Nearly 60 percent of Korean nationals in their twenties skip breakfast, while 34 percent of the entire population skip the first meal of the day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The group with the highest portion of people who did not eat breakfast was women in their twenties at 63.3 percent. However, when comparing men and women across all age groups, slightly more men skipped the meal by a difference of 2.4 percentage points. The survey was one component of the KD

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2024

S. Korean man gets jail term for forcibly taking father to mental institute

A 43-year-old man was sentenced to one year and six months in prison for forcibly taking his father to a mental institute, while his younger brother got a suspended jail term for helping him, local court said Wednesday. Incheon District Court said in its verdict that even though the victim owned a gun, the defendants failed to submit evidence to prove that the victim was a violent person. The court added that the victim's condition did not appear severe enough to justify medical detention.

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2024

1 in 4 students in Korea nod off in class: survey

Nearly one in four high school students said their classmates tend to sleep during class, according to an Education Ministry survey. The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Education from Jun. 28 to July 14, polled 4,340 high school first- and second-years. It was aimed at identifying ways to improve student engagement in the classroom. In response to the statement "My classmates tend to sleep during class," 27.3 percent of students agreed, with 20.2 percent choosing strongly true a

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan stage joint naval drill involving aircraft carrier

South Korea, the United States and Japan have jointly conducted naval drills in waters south of the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's recent launch of a hypersonic missile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. The joint exercise took place in southeastern waters off Jeju Island involving nine warships of the three nations, including the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, from Monday to Wednesday. The South Korean Navy's Aegis combat system-equipped destroy

DefenseJan. 17, 2024

Sullivan voices worries on NK threat, but stresses closer alliance cooperation

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday expressed worries about North Korean threats and other challenges, but stressed US allies and partners would only close ranks in the face of the challenges. Sullivan made the remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, touching on a series of global challenges, including Russia's war in Ukraine, the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. "My job is to worry about the things

Foreign AffairsJan. 17, 2024

Defense chief says N. Korea appears to have made 'some progress' in hypersonic missile development

North Korea appears to have made "some progress" in its pursuit to develop a hypersonic missile, Seoul's defense chief said Tuesday, after Pyongyang claimed to have successfully tested a solid-fuel one earlier this week. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark in a radio interview with broadcaster KBS after the North launched an intermediate-range missile into the East Sea on Sunday in its first ballistic missile test this year. Shin said the latest launch involved a conical

DefenseJan. 16, 2024

Yoon presents letters of appointment to FM, spy chief

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday presented letters of appointment to Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Cho Tae-yong, South Korea's new spy chief. Yoon also awarded certificates of appointment to Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Ryu Chul-whan, the new chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as well as Wang Yun-jong, who was designated as the third deputy national security adviser to oversee economic security issues. Cho Tae-yul, a former South Korean ambassador to the Un

Foreign AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Ex-PM questions main opposition's 'moral conscience'

Former Prime Minister and ex-main opposition leader Lee Nak-yon on Tuesday questioned "the moral conscience" of Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers as he moved one step closer toward the official launch of his own political party, planned for February. "The existing main opposition party fails to be a match for the current Yoon Suk Yeol administration," Lee said in a keynote speech at a national convention for promoters and supporters hosted by his followers in Seoul. "

PoliticsJan. 16, 2024

Legal loophole highlighted as drunken doctor escapes prosecution

A doctor in his 20s was found to have performed sutures for a facial wound while under the influence of alcohol at a general hospital in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, last week, reigniting controversy over a lack of sanctions for practicing medicine in such a state. In the recent case, a patient in his 60s reported to police that he suspected the doctor was drunk on Dec. 12, last year, shortly after an operation to stitch up a facial wound. Police visited the hospital and tested the doctor's blood al

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Inter-Korean ties hit new low as NK calls Seoul 'primary foe'

Inter-Korean relations hit a new low as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of all symbols of reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas, a highly volatile and intricate relationship that endured for over 50 years, despite changes in South Korean governments and hereditary power succession in North Korea. South Korea will also be designated as the "primary foe and invariable principal enemy" in the North Korean constitution by Kim's order on Monday, Nort

North KoreaJan. 16, 2024

2023 was hottest year in recorded history, pouring rain and warming oceans

South Korea experienced the hottest year in its recorded history in 2023, marking an all-time high in the average yearly temperature and among the most intense rains and hottest ocean temperatures in recorded history, according to the state weather agency. The Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday announced its analysis of temperatures across the country, which showed that South Korea's yearly average was 13.7 degrees Celsius for last year, breaking the previous record of 13.4 degr

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Police officers’ duty to protect drunk people up for debate after court fine

Calls are growing from South Korean police for clear guidance on how to deal with drunk people after two policemen were fined for the death of an intoxicated man they escorted home. The Seoul Northern District Court recently fined two Seoul police officers 5 million won ($3,755) and 4 million won for occupational negligence, according to reports on Tuesday citing legal professionals. The two officers working at the Mia District Unit of the Seoul Gangbuk Police Station reportedly took an intoxica

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Yoon urges Assembly to delay application of workplace safety act

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday urged the National Assembly to pass a revision bill aimed at deferring the enforcement of a workplace safety act that would hold executives of a company criminally liable for a deadly incident at work. Yoon stressed that time is running out for the National Assembly to delay the implementation of the controversial Serious Disasters Punishments Act. The revision bill seeks to defer the implementation of the act by two years until 2026 for businesses with 49 empl

PoliticsJan. 16, 2024

Koreans see home as sanctuary for peace, solitude, rather than family fun: survey

When South Koreans think of the ideal home, they envision it to be a sanctuary for relaxation and peace, favoring personal solitude over family bonding time, according to a global survey by Ikea. According to the Swedish furniture giant’s annual Ikea Life at Home Report 2023, released globally last week, 58 percent of the respondents of Korean nationality consider their ideal home to be a place where they can relax and unwind comfortably, a figure notably higher than the global average o

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Man jailed in K-pop concert ticket scam

A 30-year-old South Korean man who pretended to sell tickets for K-pop concerts and swindled 595 million won ($450,000) from his victims has been sentenced to six years in prison, a court said Tuesday. The Seoul Central District Court found the defendant, surnamed Kim, guilty on multiple counts of fraud. An investigation found that Kim had pretended to sell tickets for concerts of popular artists here including IU, Blackpink and Lim Young-woong, some 130 times, pocketing the profits from the sal

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Suspect in attack on Singaporean student arrested

A Korean man in his 30s suspected of attacking a female Singaporean student in broad daylight last week was arrested by the police Tuesday. The suspect, whose name and age were being withheld as of Monday afternoon, is being accused of punching the student several times in the face at around 4 p.m. on Friday, according to the Dongdaemun Police Station. The victim was walking at a crosswalk in Hwigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul when she was attacked. Police said the suspect has been diagnos

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024

Inspection conducted on 'fake business trip' claims by civil servant

Yangju city government in Gyeonggi Province said late Monday that it had launched an inspection into one of its first-year employees, who recently claimed on social media to be neglecting their duties while pretending to be on a business trip. "(The city) will hold a thorough investigation on whether the employee in question has violated the Local Public Officials Act by posting what can only be interpreted as a fake business trip on their social media page, thereby demoralizing the other h

Social AffairsJan. 16, 2024