Only 143 juvenile sex offenders sent to youth correction centers in 2023: data

Only 143 out of about 3,000 juvenile offenders found guilty of sexual crimes last year were sent to youth correction facilities, with a majority of them getting lighter punishment, Supreme Court data showed Friday. According to the Supreme Court's 2024 judicial almanac, a total of 3,701 teenagers were tried for sexual offenses last year and 2,963 of them were found liable for their crimes and given "protective dispositions" designed for reformation. Of those found guilty, only 4.8

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Ex-Trump official calls for S. Korea to raise defense spending to 3 or 3.5% of GDP

A former US national security advisor stressed the need Thursday for South Korea to increase its defense spending to 3 percent or 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), as Seoul and Washington are in negotiations over a defense cost-sharing deal. Robert O'Brien, who served as national security advisor for former President Donald Trump from 2019-2021, made the remarks, as South Korea and the United States are holding their eighth round of negotiations in Seoul this week to determin

Foreign AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Assembly rejects 6 bills vetoed by Yoon in revote

All six contentious bills vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol were automatically scrapped Thursday, failing to pass a parliamentary revote. The National Assembly voted down four broadcasting bills, aimed at reducing the government's clout over public broadcasters, as well as a bill on providing cash handouts to the entire population and the so-called "yellow envelope" pro-labor bill, during a plenary session. The bills were ultimately scrapped as they failed to gain the two-thirds s

PoliticsSept. 26, 2024

Assembly passes bills to toughen punishment for deepfake sex crimes

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a total of 70 bipartisan bills, including legislation that imposes stricter punishments on people who possess and view deepfake pornography knowingly. The revision to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, Etc. of Sexual Crimes, seeks to penalize those who possess, purchase, store or view deepfake porn content with up to three years in jail or a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,500). After debate, lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party

PoliticsSept. 26, 2024

Host of Miss Korea apologizes for 'inappropriate question' about deepfake

The host company of the 68th annual Miss Korea competition issued an official apology Thursday, concerning a question for the finalists about videos using deepfake technology. During this year's event in Seoul on Tuesday, 15 finalists had to answer various pre-prepared questions. One of the questions was, "If the image of myself in a deepfake video looks more attractive (than myself), how could I reduce the gap (between the image) and my actual self?" "It was wrong for us as

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2024

Boy's emergency medical treatment delayed 2 hours due to staff shortage

Emergency rescue operators in Busan said Thursday that an ambulance carrying a middle school student had been turned away from multiple hospitals due to a lack of medical staff, causing a delay of treatment for the boy. The mother of the 15-year-old living in Busan called the 119 emergency service when her son suffered what turned out to be acute appendicitis at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, according to the Busan Metropolitan City Fire and Disaster Headquarters. But the university hospital that

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2024

'Shaman says president will die,' caller warns

The South Korean police said Thursday it is investigating a man who called a ruling party lawmaker's office to say President Yoon Suk Yeol will die on Oct. 26. It was revealed that the man had said so based on a prophecy made by a local shaman. The man called the office of Rep. Ihn Yo-han of the ruling People Power Party Wednesday afternoon, saying, "The president will pass away on Oct. 26, so they should reinforce protection for him," according to Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Stat

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2024

Seoul, Tokyo reboot joint maritime resource talks after 40-year freeze

South Korea and Japan are poised to hold talks on the joint development of untapped natural resources, including petroleum and underground minerals, beneath the continental shelf in the East China Sea for the first time since 1985, breaking nearly 40 years of stalled negotiations. The South Korea-Japan Joint Commission, a platform for consultations on the implementation of their bilateral joint development agreement, is set to hold its sixth meeting Friday in Tokyo, the South Korean Foreign Mini

Foreign AffairsSept. 26, 2024

North Korea unveiling uranium enrichment site a US election-conscious move: NIS

South Korea’s spy agency considers North Korea publicizing leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to a previously undeclared uranium enrichment facility earlier this month to be a “US election-conscious move,” Rep. Lee Seong-kweon of the National Assembly intelligence committee said Thursday. “Kim’s visits to facilities related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program are rarely ever disclosed this way. The spy agency said the US presidential election was likely the

PoliticsSept. 26, 2024

Korea Inc. to invest W65tr in AI in 4 years

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to ramp up his administration's push to enhance the country's artificial intelligence capabilities through the creation of Presidential Committee on AI, as South Korea's private-sector tech companies also vowed to invest 65 trillion won ($49 billion) in AI-related projects through 2027. Companies investing in the upcoming AI projects will likely get tax benefits in return, according to Yoon's office. South Korea will also work to se

PoliticsSept. 26, 2024

Korea to offer W5m stipend to 1,000 science masters

To support the growth and development of science and technology talent, the South Korean government and the ruling party announced Thursday that it will launch a new program to provide 5 million won ($3,800) a year to 1,000 masters in science and engineering. The government and the People Power Party held a consultation meeting at the National Assembly to discuss the “Strategy for the Growth and Development of Science and Technology Talents.” According to the plan, the party will pro

PoliticsSept. 26, 2024

Seoul wins WHO award for age-friendly policies

Seoul has received an award from the World Health Organization for its policies dedicated to improving the management of senior health in the city, the city government said Thursday. Presented at the 10th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul from Wednesday to Friday, the Healthy Cities Recognition Award for Age-Friendly Cities highlights Seoul's commitment to promoting the health and well-being of its aging population, according to city of

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2024

Bus driver helps wheelchair user stranded in crosswalk

South Korean internet circles have been buzzing over a heartwarming tale of a bus driver who rushed to help a man in a wheelchair stranded in the middle of a crosswalk on a rainy night. Several citizens during the Chuseok holidays posted online compliments about the driver of Seoul bus No. 470 for his actions in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, at around 9:40 p.m. on Sept.13. A man on a self-propelled wheelchair was wheeling himself across the crosswalk when the light changed and he was barely halfw

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2024

University student council catches suspect in knife attack threat

After police caught a man who warned of a knife attack at the Kangwon National University festival on Tuesday, it was revealed that members of the school's student council had played a crucial role in apprehending the suspect. The suspect -- who was revealed to be a 21-year-old student of the school -- posted on his Instagram page at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday that he would attack those at the student-run bar at the festival on the university's main campus in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He w

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2024

[Contribution] Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence

This year Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence and marks the 32nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. Thirty-three years ago, the Constitutional Act on the independence and state structure of Turkmenistan was adopted, according to which Turkmenistan was proclaimed as an independent democratic state. From the date of its independence, under the wise leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan has confiden

PoliticsSept. 26, 2024

S. Korean FM cites N. Korea-Russia arms transactions as case of UNSC 'limitations'

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Wednesday pointed out "limitations" of the UN Security Council in effectively addressing pressing security issues, citing North Korea's transfers of weapons to Russia in breach of relevant UNSC resolutions. Cho made the remarks during a UNSC open debate on the leadership for peace, where high-level participants discussed a range of issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and the civil war in Sudan

North KoreaSept. 26, 2024

About 2 in 3 Asian American voters support Harris in tight US presidential race

Roughly two in three Asian American voters support Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris over her Republican rival Donald Trump, a recent survey showed, amid expectations over the role of the rapidly growing voting bloc in the Nov. 5 general election. APIAVote, a nonpartisan organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, and AAPI Data, a research entity, released the outcome of the survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the Universi

Foreign AffairsSept. 26, 2024

Ex-lawmaker Cho, honorary SNU professor Jung picked as final candidates for Seoul's education chief

Cho Jun-hyuk, a former lawmaker of the predecessor of the ruling People Power Party, was chosen Wednesday as the conservative bloc's single candidate for the Oct. 16 by-election for Seoul's education chief. The conservative bloc's candidacy merger committee said Cho defeated two other right-leaning candidates in a public opinion poll conducted last Saturday. Educator Ahn Yang-ok and Korea University professor Hong Hoo-jo previously raised objections to the method of electing a sin

PoliticsSept. 25, 2024

OECD cuts S. Korea's 2024 growth outlook to 2.5 pct

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) slashed the growth outlook for the South Korean economy to 2.5 percent this year, Seoul's finance ministry said Wednesday. The latest figure marked a 0.1 percentage point fall from its projection presented in May and is on a par with the forecasts by the International Monetary Fund. The South Korean government expected a 2.6 percent expansion, and the Bank of Korea (BOK) forecast a 2.4 percent growth this year. "Growth is

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2024

Yoon declines to respond to query on alleged remarks over Marine's death

The presidential office has declined to respond to a court-approved query on whether President Yoon Suk Yeol had made remarks last year accused of interfering with a probe over a young Marine's death. Earlier this month, the court martial in central Seoul accepted Col. Park Jung-hun's request to inquire whether Yoon had made remarks opposing the booking of Maj. Gen. Im Sung-keun over the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who served in Im's unit, during a search mission for victims of he

PoliticsSept. 25, 2024