July sets record for most tropical nights ever

This July experienced the highest number of tropical nights for any July since weather records began in 1973, the Korea Meteorological Administration said last month. South Korea recorded an average of 8.8 tropical nights this July, a three-fold increase compared to the previous average of 2.8 days in past Julys, according to the KMA's monthly weather analysis report. Tropical nights refer to a phenomenon where the lowest temperature remains above 25 degrees Celsius between 6:01 p.m. the ni

Social AffairsAug. 7, 2024

'Parent chance': Inherited privilege sparks outcry

South Korean politics is once again in an uproar following recent revelations of wealth transfers from several high-level government officials to their children. These officials, nominated for high-ranking positions requiring National Assembly confirmation, have reignited fierce debates about elite privilege, inheritance schemes and the ethical obligations of public servants in the last few weeks. In a society that demands strict financial integrity and transparency from its leaders, these incid

Social AffairsAug. 7, 2024

Online dictionary launched to save Jeju language

Jeju Island, a beloved tourist spot, is home to Jejueo, a language on the brink of extinction despite the island's popularity. To preserve the language and promote its learning among young generations, the Jeju Dialect Institute launched an online dictionary on Tuesday, which contains over 20,000 word definitions. It also features a collection of Jeju dialect content spanning from literature to songs and videos. The digital source, built upon the institute-made dialect dictionary released

Social AffairsAug. 7, 2024

Law to ban dog meat takes effect

South Korea's law to ban the act of breeding or slaughter in dog farms, as well as the distribution of dog-sourced meats, came into effect Wednesday, as the country is working to compensate over 5,600 shops in the domestic dog farm industry on the verge of the shutdown. With the implementation of the law, the government will map out support packages to those involved in the dog meat industry, including dog farms and dog meat restaurants. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural A

Social AffairsAug. 7, 2024

PM says hospitals will extend application period for trainee doctor programs

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government will allow hospitals to extend the application period for trainee doctor programs this week to help them recruit more junior doctors. Han made the remark after only 104 candidates, or 1.4 percent of trainee doctor positions available at 126 hospitals, had applied for the training programs that begin next month amid a prolonged standoff between the government and the medical community. "Within this week, the government will extend the

PoliticsAug. 7, 2024

NK leader describes recovery work in flood-hit region as 'revolutionary construction'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony to dispatch young workers to flood-affected areas on the northern border, describing the restoration efforts as a "gigantic revolutionary construction campaign," state media said Wednesday. The border city of Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Phyongan Province were recently struck by heavy rains. While North Korea has not released detailed information on the damage, South Korean media outlets have reported that the number of dead o

North KoreaAug. 7, 2024

Govt. to shorten payment settlement period for e-commerce platforms, step up market oversight

The government will push to shorten the period of payment settlement for e-commerce platforms to their vendors and require that companies separately manage funds needed for payments in an effort to prevent a recurrence of the crisis involving Qoo10-owned marketplaces, the finance ministry said Wednesday. They are part of follow-up measures by the government to respond to payment delays by TMON and WeMakePrice, which also called for an additional 600 billion won (US$435.57 million) of financial s

Social AffairsAug. 7, 2024

Harris chooses Minnesota governor as vice presidential running mate

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced the governor of Minnesota as her running mate for the Nov. 5 general election, capping a dayslong high-stakes selection process ahead of her tour through seven battleground states this week. Harris named Gov. Tim Walz, a former six-term lawmaker, social studies teacher and American football coach, as her vice presidential pick hours before they made their first joint appearance at a rally in Pennsylvania, the first leg of her five-day tour, am

Foreign AffairsAug. 7, 2024

N. Korea denounces Germany for joining UN Command

North Korea criticized Germany for its recent entry into the United States-led UN Command, calling it an act of ruining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, its state media said Tuesday. On Friday, Germany formally joined the multinational mechanism overseeing the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War as the 18th official member state. The North "strongly denounces Germany's entry into the United Nations Command, regarding it as an act of wrecking peace and stability on the Korea

North KoreaAug. 6, 2024

Japan rejected S. Korea's call to include term 'forced' in Sado mine exhibits

South Korea had proposed Japan use the expression "forced" in the museum exhibits on an old Japanese mine complex linked to its wartime forced labor of Koreans prior to its UNESCO inscription, but Tokyo refused, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The ministry had made the call during the negotiations with Japan on the Sado gold and silver mines as a precondition for Seoul's consent to the site's listing as a UNESCO World Heritage, its response submitted to Rep. Lee Jae-jung o

Foreign AffairsAug. 6, 2024

Yoon calls for swift responses to stock market volatility amid criticisms over vacationing

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday instructed the government to take swift and preemptive responses to heightened volatility in the financial market, his office said, refuting opposition criticisms over his vacationing despite a recent market rout. South Korean stocks suffered the worst sell-off since late 2008 on Monday, along with its global peers, on growing fears over an economic recession in the United States, before rising more than 3 percent Tuesday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Pr

PoliticsAug. 6, 2024

S. Korea imposes travel ban on Israel-Lebanon border region

South Korea's Foreign Ministry has imposed a travel ban on the Israel-Lebanon border region and issued a special travel advisory for Iran, effective from Wednesday, as tensions rise in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. The areas subject to the travel ban, which is the highest level in the four-tier travel advisory system, include the northern border region of Israel within 4 km of the Blue Line and the southern border r

Foreign AffairsAug. 6, 2024

Anti-foreign spy bills floated after alleged leak of agents’ identities

A series of bills targeting foreign espionage were floated in a rare show of bipartisan lawmaking in the National Assembly in the past week, following recent allegations of identity leaks of covert military agents. The bills seeking to expand the scope of punishable foreign espionage here have been proposed by lawmakers from both ruling and main opposition parties, according to the Assembly website on Tuesday. Under the existing laws, foreign espionage is restricted to that perpetrated by an &ld

PoliticsAug. 6, 2024

EV-phobia spreads, as police investigate cause of electric car explosion

Incheon police on Tuesday said it is investigating what caused the mysterious explosion of an electric car last week, but some apartment residents in the greater Seoul area are already moving to ban electric vehicles from their underground parking lots. An apartment complex in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province recently hung a banner saying EVs are banned from parking underground, in a measure decided via a resident meeting that took place after a parked Mercedes-Benz sedan spontaneously caught fire Th

Social AffairsAug. 6, 2024

University drug ring shatters Korea's 'drug-free' myth

Prosecutors recently arrested dozens of university students for the mass use and trafficking of illegal drugs within a social club comprising hundreds of members from 13 universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, raising a red flag in what was once known as a "drug-free country." The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office arrested four university students, including the club's president, and charged two others with violating drug laws on Monday. Eight college students

Social AffairsAug. 6, 2024

No. of patients with heat-related illnesses at night surge by 900% in past decade: agency

The number of patients admitted to emergency rooms with heat-related illnesses overnight increased by some 900 percent over the past decade, data by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency showed Tuesday, amid growing concerns of an increase in tropical nights in recent years. Since the establishment of the agency’s heat illness surveillance system in 2011, the number of patients admitted to emergency rooms between 12 a.m. -- the start of a new day -- and 10 a.m. jumped 923 percent

Social AffairsAug. 6, 2024

100 Filipina caregivers arrive in Seoul for 6-month pilot program

Brimming with anticipation, 100 Filipina childcare workers landed at Incheon International Airport early Tuesday morning, ready to participate in the new pilot program to support the care needs of participating Seoul families. Dressed in matching blue jackets emblazoned with the Philippine national flag, the workers emerged from the arrivals gate with their luggage. Some paused to make the heart gesture with their fingers toward the assembled reporters, a move reflecting their excitement and cur

Social AffairsAug. 6, 2024

Govt. sets deadline for Qoo10 crisis consumer refunds

Some customers who have yet to receive refunds from e-commerce platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice due to a liquidity crisis surrounding the companies will get their money back by the end of this week, officials said Tuesday. Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok announced that the refund process for the customers who purchased products other than travel services or gift cards on the two imperiled e-commerce platforms would be completed by “the end of this week,” in a b

PoliticsAug. 6, 2024

Yoon advised to veto bills over broadcast governance

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday advised President Yoon Suk Yeol to strike down four bills sponsored by the main opposition that are designed to curtail Yoon's influence over the boardroom reshuffle of South Korea's public broadcasters or their highest direct authorities. This comes as the latest in a prolonged tit-for-tat in South Korea's political landscape, where Yoon's political opponents continue to ram bills -- including ones similar to those already vetoed -- thr

PoliticsAug. 6, 2024

Seoul Metro to screen free public films for commuters

Screens in the Seoul Metro, primarily used for providing information, will play short films starting at the end of this month. According to Seoul Metro on Tuesday, this year's Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival, an annual event that transforms the everyday commute into a free public film festival, will showcase 50 short films 210 seconds or less in length to commuters from Aug. 29 through Sept. 25. During this period, the films will be displayed on screens inside subway cars a

Social AffairsAug. 6, 2024