Seoul's unlimited transit pass extended to Guri

Seoul is expanding its Climate Card program to Guri, Gyeonggi Province, just east of the capital, in the latest move to make the eco-friendly monthly transit pass more accessible across the Greater Seoul area. Officials from the two cities signed off on the decision in a virtual meeting attended by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Guri Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun on Friday, according to the Seoul city government. Starting Aug. 10, Guri residents can use the pass at 24 subway stops on lines connecting to the

Social AffairsAug. 2, 2024

Woman stabbed to death in central Seoul, suspect caught

A woman in her 60s was stabbed to death in an underpass near Sungnyemun in Jung-gu, Seoul, Friday morning, police said. Police have detained a male suspect, who is accused of assaulting the victim at 5:10 a.m. and fleeing the scene, according to reports. He was nabbed at around 8:50 a.m. by police who searched for the attacker by surveying security footage in the area. The suspect was hiding in a residential neighborhood in Dongja-dong, Yongsan, about 1 kilometer from the scene, the reports said

Social AffairsAug. 2, 2024

State Dept. decries NK trash balloons as 'reckless,' 'destabilizing'

A State Department spokesperson on Thursday criticized North Korea's sending of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea as a "reckless" and "destabilizing" act amid growing concerns about their impact on public safety in the South. Vedant Patel, the department's deputy spokesperson, made the comment as the North's balloons have been found in more than 3,300 locations in the South in recent months, including the presidential office in Seoul and Incheon Internatio

Foreign AffairsAug. 2, 2024

S. Korea calls for restraint, diplomatic efforts to reduce Middle East tensions

South Korea expresses "deep concern" over the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East and urges all parties to exercise restraint and seek diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "Our government expresses deep concern over the recent sharp escalation of tensions in the Middle East," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a commentary. "We strongly urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and hope that diplomatic effo

Foreign AffairsAug. 1, 2024

PM meets Thailand's top diplomat in Seoul

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa in Seoul on Thursday and discussed bilateral relations and future cooperation, Han's office said. The meeting took place as the top Thai diplomat paid a courtesy call on Han while on his visit to South Korea this week. In Thursday's meeting, Han expressed hope that South Korea and Thailand will further deepen their economic cooperation in areas like clean energy and smart infrastructure, the pri

Foreign AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Ruling party policy chief steps down amid internal rift

People Power Party Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, who is considered part of pro-Yoon Suk Yeol faction within the party, announced his resignation from his post as the party's policy chief, or a member of the party's supreme council, on Thursday. Jeong, in a surprise press conference held in the afternoon, said that he had decided to do so to prevent a further "split" in the ruling party. He added that current People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon requested him to resign. "It was

PoliticsAug. 1, 2024

S. Korea proposes flood aid, talks with N. Korea

The South Korean government on Thursday publicly offered humanitarian aid to flood-hit North Korea, calling on Pyongyang to engage in talks to discuss the specifics and delivery of the relief assistance. "We express our willingness to swiftly provide urgently needed supplies to assist the flood victims in North Korea from a humanitarian and fraternal standpoint," Park Jong-sul, the secretary-general of South Korea's Red Cross, which works with the government on humanitarian effort

North KoreaAug. 1, 2024

Obstructive parking near Gimhae Airport sparks public criticism

A car has been illegally parked on the shoulder of one-lane road to Gimhae International Airport in Busan for days, posing threat to traffic heading to the airport’s arrival floor as of Thursday. The hydrogen fueled passenger car was first spotted on Tuesday morning. Its owner reportedly parked there as the airport parking lot was packed with the cars of those gone abroad for vacation and the owner could not find a parking space up until it was time to take their flight. Some other passeng

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

[From the Scene] First monument erected at border to honor N. Korean defectors

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- A monument titled "Courage for Freedom" was unveiled on Thursday in the border city of Paju, offering South Korean visitors a vantage point overlooking North Korean territory. The monument honors the bravery of North Korean defectors who undertook perilous journeys in pursuit of freedom and poignantly commemorates the countless North Koreans who tragically perished while attempting to escape. This monument -- the first dedicated to North Korean defectors and

North KoreaAug. 1, 2024

Opposition parties float impeachment motion against new KCC head

Opposition parties on Thursday proposed a parliamentary impeachment motion against the new head of the state broadcasting regulator Lee Jin-sook who took office Wednesday, accusing her of making key decisions "unfairly" with only two of the five commissioners currently in office. The main opposition Democratic Party and five other minor parties floated an impeachment motion against the new regulator chief during a National Assembly plenary session held Thursday afternoon. This marks th

PoliticsAug. 1, 2024

Only 104 junior doctors returning in September

The Health Ministry on Thursday said it would have hospitals roll out additional recruitment notices later this month for striking trainees protesting the drastic hike in medical school quotas as South Korea's health care is once again left in a void. Only 104 junior doctors -- 13 interns and 91 residents -- had applied as 126 local training hospitals sought to recruit 7,645 candidates -- 2,525 interns and 5,120 residents -- from July 22 until Wednesday afternoon, according to the Health Mi

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Decarbonizing transition could worsen regional inequality: study

South Korea's planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants to achieve carbon neutrality could exacerbate regional disparities, according to a new study by a national research institute on Thursday. In a report on the paradox of carbon neutrality, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement, a think tank in the country, claimed that South Korea's coal phaseout will increase the Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, from the current level and widen economic disparities b

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

'Poor driving' caused car crash near Seoul City Hall that killed 9: police

Police concluded Thursday that the fatal car crash that killed nine people on July 1 near Seoul City Hall was caused by the driver’s poor handling of the vehicle rather than sudden unintended acceleration as claimed by the driver. The findings were announced as the police ended a monthlong investigation into the accident, where a sedan hit pedestrians on a walkway while traveling at a speed of up to 107 kilometers per hour. “Though the suspect is consistently maintaining a stance tha

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Unpaid wages hit record high, affect over 150,000 workers

The government has estimated that unpaid wages surged about 27 percent in the first half year-on-year, hurting over 150,000 workers in South Korea and disrupting their livelihoods. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday, back wages in the first half of this year reached 1.04 trillion won ($762 million), with a total of 150,503 affected workers. Compared to the same period last year, the amount of unpaid wages increased by 26.8 percent, and the number of affected workers gr

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Prosecutors search Tmon, WeMakePrice headquarters

Prosecutors searched the headquarters of Tmon and WeMakePrice in Seoul on Thursday as part of an investigation into the e-commerce platforms’ delayed payments to their vendors amid a persisting liquidity crisis surrounding both companies. According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, an investigation team searched the headquarters of Tmon and WeMakePrice on Thursday, along with seven other related offices. The investigators also searched the homes of three executive me

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Morocco, Korea remember Korean War sacrifices, tout thriving ties

Morocco and Korea recalled the sacrifices of martyrs and thriving bilateral ties, marking the accession of King Mohammed VI to the throne in 1999. This year is the 25th anniversary of Mohammed VI's appointment as the Moroccan monarch, succeeding his father, King Hassan II. In his remarks, Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi highlighted the longstanding ties between Morocco and Korea, noting that Korea's first embassy in Africa was established in Morocco. While diplomatic relati

Foreign AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Man jailed for assaulting taxi driver over politics

A South Korean court said Thursday it has handed down a six-month prison term to a man for assaulting a taxi driver who refused to answer politics questions, including which presidential candidate he voted for. The defendant was found guilty of violating Article 5-10 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, on the use of violence against or threatening a driver operating a motor vehicle used for transportation business. The investigation showed that the defendant had been ja

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

Arsonist gives '5-minute warning' before setting home on fire

A South Korean man who set his house on fire on Wednesday had called the firefighters before the crime, asking them to come as quickly as possible. Local police officials in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province said Thursday that they are investigating a 55-year-old man on charge of committing arson on his own home, at around 3:34 p.m. Before starting the fire, he called the Nonsan Fire Station and asked them to come to his house within five minutes, telling them what he was about to do. The autho

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2024

ASEAN, Indo-Pacific partners call for N.Korea to comply with UN resolutions

Major Southeast Asian nations and their Indo-Pacific partners, including South Korea and the United States, have called for North Korea to "fully comply" with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions banning its nuclear and missile programs, as they wrapped up an annual ministerial meeting in Laos last week. The chairman's statement from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), released Tuesday, also called on countries to "fully implement" UNSC resolutions on North Korea and mak

North KoreaJuly 31, 2024

NIS closely watching N. Korea-China ties amid signs of rift

South Korea's intelligence agency is closely watching relations between North Korea and China, amid increasing signs of the two countries growing apart, officials said Wednesday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it is monitoring any unusual moves after learning that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apparently instructed his diplomats stationed in China "not to mind Beijing" when they are on the job. South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported earlier in the

North KoreaJuly 31, 2024