N. Korea's state media keeps mum about its explosion of inter-Korean roads

North Korea's state media on Wednesday remained silent about its explosion of inter-Korean roads connected to South Korea the previous day. North Korea blew up parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line on Tuesday, a move seen as highlighting its commitment to severing ties with South Korea. In August, North Korea cut off the Gyeongui and Donghae railways. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper targeting the domestic audience, did not carry an

North KoreaOct. 16, 2024

Seoul education chief by-election pits conservative ex-lawmaker against progressive professor

Voters in Seoul headed to the polls on Wednesday to select the city's new education superintendent in a by-election, with a close race expected between a conservative former lawmaker and a progressive honorary Seoul National University sociology professor. The superintendent seat of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is one of five local administrative positions up for grabs in Wednesday's by-elections, with voting running from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The position was vacated when lef

PoliticsOct. 16, 2024

US urges N. Korea to stop actions that raise conflict risk after blowing up of cross-border roads

The United States called on North Korea Tuesday to stop actions that would increase the risk of conflict, after Pyongyang blew up roads linked to South Korea in a rancorous removal of land routes once seen as a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller made the call, reiterating Washington's calls for Pyongyang to come back to diplomacy. "We are monitoring the situation in the DPRK in close coordination with our Republic of Korea allies," he

Foreign AffairsOct. 16, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan to hold vice-ministerial talks amid N. Korea tensions

Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan were set to meet in Seoul on Wednesday amid rising tensions following North Korea's destruction of roads to the South and accusations of drone flights by the South over its capital. The three-way talks come a day after the North blew up cross-border roads in a move underscoring its commitment to completely sever ties with the South after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to abandon the goal of unification and treat the Sout

Foreign AffairsOct. 16, 2024

[Graphic News] School violence reports reach 11-year high

A national survey by the Ministry of Education revealed that reports of school violence among elementary, middle and high school students in 2024 have increased for the fourth consecutive year, reaching the highest level in 11 years. The survey, conducted on 3.98 million students from fourth grade through high school and across 17 metropolitan and provincial education offices, showed that 2.1 percent of students experienced school violence. Up from 1.9 percent last year, this represents the hi

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

Russian court extends detention of S. Korean national for another month: media

A Russian court has renewed the detention period of a South Korean national arrested in Moscow on suspected espionage charges for another month until mid-November, Russian media reported Tuesday. The Moscow court made the decision on the South Korean, surnamed Baek, as it turned down Baek's appeal against an earlier court decision in June that extended his detention for three months until September, the TASS and Rio Novosti news agencies reported. Baek has been held in the Lefortovo detenti

Foreign AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Defense chief apologizes over 'Silmido' unit for 1st time

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun apologized Tuesday over the fate of members of a past secret unit that trained commandos to infiltrate into North Korea for the first time since they were killed more than a half century ago. Kim's apology was read on his behalf during a ceremony to mark the beginning of an excavation project to find the yet-recovered remains of four Silmido unit members who were executed and secretly buried in 1972. "May those who were sacrificed during the Silmido inc

DefenseOct. 15, 2024

'Respect each other as human beings’: Hanni testifies at National Assembly audit

NewJeans member Hanni appeared as a reference witness at a National Assembly audit of the Environment and Labor Committee on Tuesday, where she expressed her concerns about workplace bullying. "I hope that no one -- whether seniors, juniors, peer artists or even trainees -- has to experience what I went through,” Hanni said during the audit session. “If we respect each other as human beings, there would be no workplace bullying or ostracism.” The Vietnamese Australian sing

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

Seoul expresses regret over Moscow's defense of Pyongyang

The South Korean government on Tuesday expressed "deep regret" over the Russian Foreign Ministry’s defense of North Korea’s unilateral claims that South Korea had sent drones carrying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets into Pyongyang. "(The South Korean government) expressed deep regret over the Russian Foreign Ministry’s defense of North Korea’s unilateral claims, the facts of which remain unverified, while bringing up sovereignty violations and interfe

Foreign AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Jeju Island plans to expedite screening of cruise passengers

The government plans to spend 5.2 billion won ($3.8 million) to set up an automated security screening system next year to expedite the embarking and disembarking process for foreign cruise ship passengers at sea ports on South Korea's southern Jeju Island. According to Bae Sang-up, commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice, the automated security checkpoints will be set up by October next year at two ports -- Jeju International Passenger Terminal and Seogw

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

Woman found dead in tent near Gunsan rest area

A woman in her 30s was found dead in a tent near a rest area in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, police said Tuesday. According to the Gunsan Police Station, the woman, 37, was discovered dead at around 5:10 p.m. by a man who was with her at the time, near the Geumgangho Service Area. The man immediately reported it to police upon finding her unresponsive. When the police arrived at the scene, the woman showed signs of rigor mortis – stiffening of the muscles which usually occurs three or fo

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Rival parties clash over allegations involving first lady, Moon's daughter

The rival parties engaged in heated exchanges over two high-profile incidents involving President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife, first lady Kim Keon Hee, and Moon Da-hye, daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, during a parliamentary audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police on Thursday. The Democratic Party of Korea and other opposition lawmakers have raised concerns over first lady Kim Keon Hee's visit to Mapo Bridge on Sept. 10, an area notorious for frequent suicide attempts. The visit, made

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

Ex-prosecutors make up over 20% of conglomerate execs with civil service background

Former officials from the judiciary and finance-related branches of the government appear to be popular recruits for conglomerates across the country, as industry data showed Tuesday that over 20 percent of former civil servants working as directors at companies used to be prosecutors. Of the 11,208 directors at the 30 biggest conglomerates in South Korea by assets, 337 of them -- or 3 percent -- were ex-civil servants, according to a corporate analysis firm Leaders Index. Of these, 75 were fo

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

North Korea’s explosions of inter-Korean roads ‘symbolic move’: JCS

North Korea blew up roads near the border on each side of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, in another demonstration of cutting ties with the South. Exploding the inter-Korean roads north of the border on the east and west coats, which had already been dismantled by North Korea, is thought to be a “largely symbolic move,” an official from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in a closed-door briefing. Tuesday’s move is a “dramatic visualization” o

DefenseOct. 15, 2024

Construction worker falls to his death at 5-star hotel in Incheon

A 39-year-old construction worker replacing an elevator at a five-star hotel in Yeongjongdo, Incheon sustained a critical injury on Monday, after he fell 12 stories from the building. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, he was working to remove an old elevator when he fell around 5:36 p.m., all the way to the sub-level floor of the hotel. He died despite the medical treatment he received at a nearby hospital. Police will request the National Forensic Service to perform an autops

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Kim Jong-un charts military action over alleged drone incursion

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday convened an unprecedented meeting resembling a national security council, where he outlined the course of "immediate military action" in response to what his regime alleges was a South Korean drone incursion over Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday. The meeting came four days after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry's statement that accused South Korea of sending drones into Pyongyang’s airspace on three occasions -- Oct. 3, 9,

Foreign AffairsOct. 15, 2024

[Exclusive] Primary health care workforce expansion needed for future challenges: WHO

The World Health Organization, when asked about the monthslong medical standoff in South Korea, said Tuesday that expanding the primary health care workforce is needed to cope with future challenges. "Challenges of the future -- including aging, prevalence of noncommunicable diseases and new patterns of accessing health services -- require expanding the supply of services, particularly at primary health care settings, where most health needs should be addressed," said the UN agency

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Yoon floats plan for tertiary hospital on Jeju Island

South Korea's southern Jeju Island could have its first tertiary hospital in 2027. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that the government is considering easing policy hurdles for the self-governing province to have an accredited general hospital, which currently requires a population of 1 million in the region. The island is home to nearly 700,000, remaining far short of the requirement, but Yoon said such a "policy hurdle" needed to be addressed as part of a medical reform driv

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

Seoul's foreign caregiver project, river bus under fire at audit

Various projects driven by the Seoul city government, such as the foreign caregiver scheme involving 100 Filipina workers and the Hangang River Bus, came under fire during a parliamentary audit on Tuesday. Mayor Oh Se-hoon also denied allegations that controversial pollster Myeong Tae-gyun was involved in a mayoral election he won in 2021. In response to questions from Rep. Cho Seung-hwan of the ruling People Power Party regarding Seoul's foreign caregiver pilot program, Oh argued the progr

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Man caught serving another's military duty for shared pay

A young man who enlisted to serve another man's mandatory military service on condition of sharing the soldier's salary has been caught by the authorities, marking the first time such an incident has occurred since the establishment of the Military Manpower Administration in 1970. The man in his late 20s surnamed Jo has been arrested and indicted for violating the Resident Registration Act, the Military Service Act, and for obstructing the performance of official duties through fraud b

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024