Partisan gridlock to continue over contentious bills

Partisan gridlock in the National Assembly is unlikely to cease in upcoming weeks, with the opposition-led parliament having either passed or eyeing to vote in favor of more contentious bills, which President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to veto. The opposition-led National Assembly late last month passed four broadcasting bills aimed at reducing the Yoon administration’s influence over public broadcasters, alongside a pro-labor revision bill to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment

PoliticsAug. 4, 2024

N. Korea open to Russian flood aid, snubs S. Korean offer

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un showed starkly different responses through state media to humanitarian aid offers from South Korea and Russia aimed at assisting in the recovery of its flood-stricken northwestern region bordering China. Kim lauded Moscow's gesture as "heartfelt sympathy from the closest friends," while he remained silent on Seoul's outreach and vehemently criticized the South Korean media's coverage of flood damages as a "vicious smear campaign,"

North KoreaAug. 4, 2024

Male parental leave takers reach one-third of total, record high

Men accounted for almost one-third of all workers taking parental leave in the first half of this year in South Korea, marking the first time they have exceeded 30 percent. According to data released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Sunday, fathers accounted for 32.3 percent of the 69,631 total parental leave takers from January to June this year. The total number of workers taking parental leave increased by 3.2 percent compared to the same period last year, rising to 67,465. While th

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2024

Women expect 100m won, men 60m won from their potential spouse: survey

A survey indicated that South Korean women expect their potential spouse to have amassed at least 100 million won ($73,400) worth of assets before getting married, while the men want their bride-to-be to have around 60 million. Local matchmaking firm Gayeon asked 250 single women and 250 single men between the ages of 25 and 39 how much wealth they want their future spouses to have, to which the average reply for women was 103 million won and for men was 63.8 million won. "Contrary to the

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2024

2.7% of med students return to class amid ongoing boycott

Despite the government's offer of an olive branch to end the monthslong medical standoff, only 2.7 percent of medical students were in attendance, as others carried on protesting the drastic hike in medical school admissions, government data showed Sunday. With no signs of the government and medical community backing down from the gridlock that has persisted since February, attendance figures remain alarmingly low. Out of 19,345 students enrolled at 40 medical schools nationwide, only 495 w

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2024

Oil factory turned into immersive art space on Ganghwa Island

Just an hour's drive from Seoul, in the scenic Gilsang-myeon area of Ganghwa Island, lies Art Factory Charmgiroom, an immersive media art museum and exhibition space. Once one of the largest sesame oil factories in South Korea, this expansive 23,000-square-meter complex has been upcycled into a cultural space. The centerpiece of Art Factory Charmgiroom is its immersive media art exhibition hall which stands at an impressive 8 meters tall and stretches 120 meters in length. The exhibitio

Social AffairsAug. 3, 2024

Police begin review of sword, knife weapon possession nationwide

The National Police Agency said Thursday it has begun a monthlong inspection on sword and knife weapon possession across the country and related regulations, in response to a man attacking another resident of an apartment complex in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul with a sword, killing him. The South Korean police immediately began a detailed review of the 82,641 swords registered as under individual possession in the country, set to continue until Aug. 31. It includes checking criminal records, reports of

Social AffairsAug. 3, 2024

Fried chicken flies home: K-drone delivery takes off this month

With full-scale drone delivery services starting this month, residents on remote islands or inland locations can now receive food, daily necessities and first aid supplies with greater ease and convenience. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the K-drone delivery service commenced on the first day of August, covering 32 island districts, 17 regional park areas and one port across 14 municipalities. Although the service initially launched on Jeju Island in July, this

Social AffairsAug. 3, 2024

Trump says he got people back from N. Korea amid attention on prisoner swap with Russia

WASHINGTON -- Former US President Donald Trump has highlighted that he brought back home some people held in North Korea during his presidency, as public attention shifted to a landmark prisoner swap deal that saw the release of 16 people from Russian captivity this week. In an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Trump called the deal a "win" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, while President Joe Biden and his staff were credited with facilitating what was hailed as the largest

Foreign AffairsAug. 3, 2024

Yoon to leave for summer vacation next week

President Yoon Suk Yeol will leave for a summer vacation next week, his office said Friday. Yoon is scheduled to go on vacation starting next Monday, but the exact duration or itinerary have not been fixed and remain flexible, an official from the presidential office said. The official added that Yoon may visit a regional military facility to meet and encourage servicemen or a marketplace to inspect people's livelihoods, the official said. Earlier this week, Yoon urged Cabinet members to fu

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

Thailand's top diplomat requests S. Korea's support for smooth entry of Thai travelers

Thailand's top diplomat requested the South Korean government Friday to make it more convenient for Thai travelers to visit, the foreign ministry said, amid reports of negative sentiment within the Southeast Asian country due to Thai travelers being denied entry. The request was made during bilateral talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa, in Seoul, the ministry said in a release. Since last year, stricter screening under the ne

Foreign AffairsAug. 2, 2024

Schools with multicultural students increasing in Korea

The number of schools with more than 30 percent of students from international backgrounds has sharply surged in the past five years, a recent study showed Friday. Research conducted by the Korean Educational Development Institute revealed Friday that multicultural students accounted for more than 30 percent of the student population at 350 elementary, middle and high schools in the country. This is equivalent to 2.96 percent of all such schools in Korea. The number of schools has increased by 4

Social AffairsAug. 2, 2024

Korea may compensate W150b annually to dog farm owners

South Korea is poised to announce compensation plans for dog meat sellers in September, in a follow-up to its passage of a bill in January banning the eating and selling of dog meat. The country seeks to end the centuries-old yet controversial practice amid growing support for animal welfare. "We will announce the basic plan in September after consulting with financial authorities," the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement Friday. "Nothing specific h

Social AffairsAug. 2, 2024

Impeachment motion for top broadcasting regulator passes

The National Assembly on Friday voted to pass the impeachment bill against Lee Jin-sook, the contested chair of South Korea’s top broadcasting regulator, the Korea Communications Commission. The bill passed just two days after President Yoon Suk Yeol confirmed her nomination. The lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party walked out of the session to boycott the bill led by the Democratic Party of Korea and minor opposition parties, whose seats take up a majority in the Assembly. The bill&

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

Taipei hosts meeting of foreign lawmakers, South Korea absent

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Foreign lawmakers from 24 countries gathered in Taipei, Taiwan to discuss China’s growing belligerence in the region at an annual meeting Tuesday. There was no South Korean representation at the meeting. South Korea currently has no member lawmakers on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group bringing together lawmakers from dozens of countries concerned about how democracies deal with Beijing. Both of the South Korean inaugural co-chairs -- former lawmakers Ji

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

COVID-19 hospitalization surge fivefold in 3 weeks

The number of patients hospitalized after being diagnosed with COVID-19 surged fivefold in three weeks to late July, government data showed Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 during the fourth week of July reached 465, up over five times from the first week of the month at 91. Through the first four weeks of July, 929 patients were hospitalized for the highly contagious disease affecting the human respiratory sys

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

Ruling party seeks expulsion of opposition lawmaker over defector remarks

South Korea's ruling People Power Party filed a motion Friday to expel opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Rep. Choi Min-hee over alleged discriminatory comments against a North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker. The controversy came about at a Monday confirmation hearing for state broadcasting regulator chief Lee Jin-sook. Choi, chairing the Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, reportedly told People Power Party Rep. Park Choong-kwon, who defected fr

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

Opposition-led Assembly passes W13tr cash handout bill

A bill to dole out cash-equivalent vouchers universally to every South Korean citizen gained parliamentary approval at the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Friday, about four months after opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung proposed the scheme. The 13 trillion-won ($9.4 billion) bill, designed to offer 250,000 won cash coupons to the entire 50 million population across the country, won 186 votes from 187 lawmakers present at the National Assembly. In South Korea's political lands

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

University leaks 320,000 identifications, warns of subsequent scams

Identification data of 322,425 students and graduates of Jeonbuk National University was stolen Sunday, as the university suffered hacking attacks on its integrated information system managing students’ academic affairs, according to reports Thursday. The university in North Jeolla Province posted an apology message on its website Thursday, confirming that it suffered data leakage a total of three times from the attacks, which took place at 3 a.m., 10 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. JBNU detected the

Social AffairsAug. 2, 2024

Han tightens grip on ruling party

Han Dong-hoon, chair of the ruling People Power Party, nominated four-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Sang-hoon as the new policy chief of the ruling party, which would also make him one of the nine members of the party's supreme council, in an apparent move to tighten his grip on the party's decision-making body. The nomination of Kim will likely be confirmed at a general assembly of the People Power Party lawmakers next week. Han told reporters Friday that Kim is "highly competent."

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024