Yoon, Japan's Ishiba to hold 1st summit in Laos on sidelines of ASEAN

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are set to hold their first summit on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos on Thursday, Yoon's office said Wednesday. Yoon arrived in Vientiane, the Lao capital, for a three-day visit until Friday to attend the regional gatherings of the ASEAN. Last week, Yoon and Ishiba held their first phone talks, where they shared the need for bilateral cooperation as well as trilateral coope

PoliticsOct. 10, 2024

[Graphic News] First marriage age rises to 34 for men, 31.5 for women

The average age for first marriages in South Korea in 2023 reached 34.0 years for men and 31.5 years for women, marking increases of 0.3 years for men and 0.2 years for women compared to the previous year. According to a report from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, there were 149,000 first marriages last year, a significant 41.2 percent drop from the 254,600 recorded in 2010. The number of first marriages also fell by 1,300 compared to the 148,300 in 2022. Since 2010, the average ag

Social AffairsOct. 10, 2024

Yoon to hold bilateral talks with leaders of Japan, Canada, Australia

VIENTIANE, Laos -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of six countries attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related events on Thursday and Friday, after having arrived in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday evening. According to the presidential office, Yoon will meet leaders representing Japan, Canada and Australia. At 10 p.m. Wednesday Laos time, Seoul announced that Yoon would sit down for talks with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister

PoliticsOct. 9, 2024

More deaths in ICU following doctors' mass walkout: lawmaker

The number of intensive care unit patients who died between February and March, the month after medical residents and interns began to resign en masse, rose by 375 from a year earlier, a new report found. According to an analysis by Rep. Kim Yoon of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee based on data from the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a total of 3,548 ICU patients died in February 2024. That was equal to 12.4 percent of the 28,665 admitted. The m

Social AffairsOct. 9, 2024

North Korea notifies UN Command of plans to fortify border with South

The North Korean Army has informed the United Nations Command of plans to fortify the shared border with the South, Seoul defense authorities said Wednesday, confirming a Pyongyang state agency report earlier the same day. The General Staff of the Korean People’s Army said it would completely cut off roads and railways connecting to South Korea and build fortifications along the border in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. The KPA said it had communicated t

North KoreaOct. 9, 2024

Security issues to take center stage at ASEAN summit

VIENTIANE. Laos -- International and regional security concerns will take center stage at the Association of Southeast Asian Nation Summit this week, as leaders will likely apply pressure on China and Russia over ongoing geopolitical conflicts. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba both confirmed their trip to Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday. Beijing also confirmed that Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the multilateral meetings. President Yoon

PoliticsOct. 9, 2024

Patients opting to die with dignity on steady rise

The number of terminally ill patients in South Korea choosing to discontinue life-sustaining medical treatment has been steadily rising, surpassing 70,000 cases last year alone. According to data provided by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, 77,720 patients chose to withdraw from life-prolonging medical interventions in 2023, reflecting a 46.6 percent increase over the past five years. The trend has shown consistent growth, with the number of patients o

Social AffairsOct. 9, 2024

Unified Korea would be massive market: Yoon

SINGAPORE -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace would unlock massive economic opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region. "A unified Korean Peninsula that is free and open will also create a strong impetus for economic development and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," Yoon said at the 47th Singapore Lecture, organized by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute that was formerly known as the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. "A

PoliticsOct. 9, 2024

New orchid hybrid in Singapore named after Yoon, his wife

SINGAPORE -- A new orchid hybrid in Singapore was named after President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee while Yoon was on a state visit to the Southeast Asian country, according to the presidential office on Wednesday. The orchid was named "Dendrobium Yoon Suk Yeol Kim Keon Hee" on the occasion of their visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Tuesday. Dendrobium refers to one of the genera of the Orchidaceae family, according to Yoon's office. According to Singapore�

PoliticsOct. 9, 2024

Uzbekistan hopes to boost cultural, tourism ties with S. Korea

Uzbekistan's partnership with South Korea is important not economically but also in cultural aspects as the central Asian country hopes to boost tourism, Uzbek Minister of Tourism Umid Shadiev said at a recent event. Speaking to tourism professionals and the media at the Uzbekistan-Korea tourism forum held on the sidelines of "Uzbekistan Roadshow Seoul 2024," Shadiev highlighted the cultural ties that lasted over 2,000 years, via the Silk Road. “Our partnership with South Ko

Foreign AffairsOct. 9, 2024

N. Korea amends constitution at parliamentary meeting without disclosing details

North Korea has convened a key parliamentary meeting to revise the constitution, state media reported Wednesday, without disclosing details about whether it removed unification-related clauses or stipulated territorial boundaries in line with an order by leader Kim Jong-un. At the 11th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly Monday and Tuesday in Pyongyang, North Korea unanimously decided to amend and supplement parts of the country's socialist constitution, according to the Kore

North KoreaOct. 9, 2024

Blinken to raise NK-Russia cooperation issue at ASEAN gatherings in Laos: State Dept.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to raise the issue of the "concerning" and "deepening" partnership between North Korea and Russia during annual gatherings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos this week, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. Blinken is set to represent the US at the East Asia Summit and the US-ASEAN Summit on behalf of President Joe Biden during his trip to the Laotian capital of Vientiane, which lasts u

Foreign AffairsOct. 9, 2024

Bucheon hotel fire started from faulty AC unit wiring: police

The fatal hotel fire from August was found to be a man-made disaster, caused by the negligent management of firefighting equipment and poor electrical wiring, according to police officials on Tuesday. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency stated during its press briefing Tuesday that they have applied for a preliminary arrest warrant for four hotel authorities -- including the hotel owner, his daughter, the hotel operator and the hotel manager -- on charges of failing to fulfill their mana

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2024

Taking away phones during school hours not a human rights violation: watchdog

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled that taking away students’ mobile phones at high schools during school hours is not a violation of human rights, reversing its stance after 10 years. The decision was made Monday at a meeting where all 10 commissioners were present to deliberate on a petition filed by a high school student last year, according to local media. Eight commissioners voted to reject the petition, which claimed that the school’s policy on collecting mobil

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2024

Less than 1% of illegal lottery websites blocked this year

Over 2,000 websites running illegal lotteries were reported to authorities this year, but only 0.9 percent of them have been blocked by the government, Ministry of Economy and Finance data showed Tuesday. Of the 2,838 websites reported, only 26 had blocked as of July, according to ministry data submitted to Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Most of the reported cases -- 2,666 -- were still under deliberation by the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2024

Glass ceiling for women persists among top prosecutors: data

Despite a slight increase in the number of female prosecutors over the last four years, only one in 10 chief prosecutor-level officials in South Korea is a woman, data from the Ministry of Justice showed Tuesday. Of the 46 officials at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level or higher as of September, just five were women, according to the data submitted to Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. SPO-level prosecutors are the second highest rank in Korea's pro

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2024

Who is pollster roiling politics with claims of government string-pulling?

Allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee interfered with the ruling party's candidate nominations ahead of April's legislative general election are stirring up the political landscape in South Korea -- and at the center of it all is a pollster who claims he "advised" President Yoon Suk Yeol. Myeong Tae-gyun became the center of attention after online media outlet Tomato News reported that he had connections with the presidential couple, and played a role in the ruling People

PoliticsOct. 8, 2024

S. Korea sees hottest September on record: KMA

It’s official: South Korea recorded its hottest September on record this year, with the state weather agency recording the highest average temperature, the most heat wave days and most tropical nights last month. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea saw average temperatures reaching up to 24.7 degrees Celsius last month, the highest September average since weather records were first tracked nationwide in 1973. The previous highest September average was just last year

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2024

Kim Jong-un vows to thwart S. Korea-US 'nuclear alliance'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned Monday that Pyongyang would "not tolerate" any disruption to the Korean Peninsula's balance of power, which he claimed is upheld by North Korea's nuclear arsenal and threatened by the growing "nuclear alliance" between South Korea and the United States. However, Kim simultaneously asserted that North Korea had no intention of attacking the South, North Korea's state media reported Tuesday. The remarks came during his 60th-

North KoreaOct. 8, 2024

North Korean troops killed, wounded in Ukraine war: Seoul defense minister

South Korea’s national defense minister on Tuesday said North Korean troops appear to have been killed or wounded in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers on this day that reports of North Korean troop casualties in the Ukraine war are believed to be true based on the ministry’s findings. He was speaking about a report in the Ukrainian news agency Kyiv Post that six North Korean officers were among those killed by a missile strike in

DefenseOct. 8, 2024