New defense chief inspects readiness at frontline Marine Corps unit

New Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun visited a western frontline unit Monday in his first on-site inspection after taking office last week, the defense ministry said. Kim checked troop readiness at the 2nd Marine Division's observation post at an undisclosed location after assuming his new role Friday, according to the ministry. "If the enemy undertakes a provocation ... punish them fully and sternly until they are unable to carry out more provocations," Kim was quoted as saying. No

Sept. 9, 2024

S. Korea sees spike in confiscation of illegal drugs

South Korean customs officials confiscated 769 kilograms of illegal drugs being smuggled into the country last year, 18 percent more than the year before, data from state-run bodies showed Monday. The confiscated drugs are reportedly worth about 61.3 billion won ($45.7 million), according to the data compiled by the Incheon International Airport Corp. and the Korea Customs Service, submitted to Rep. Jeon Yong-gi of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The amount of drugs seized by auth

Sept. 9, 2024

KAIST, NYU to implement joint degree for AI

South Korea's science and technology university KAIST and New York University signed an agreement in Seoul to introduce a joint degree program in artificial intelligence on Monday. The agreement came after both universities shared a consensus that strengthening capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence and fostering global talent is an essential element that can contribute to the future development of society as a whole, beyond mere technical education, KAIST explained. The two u

Sept. 9, 2024

Ex-police officer behind murder of Korean in Philippines vanishes after guilty verdict: report

The whereabouts of a dismissed Filipino police officer, reportedly the main culprit behind the 2016 killing of a South Korean businessperson in Angeles City, the Philippines, remain unknown as of Monday, nearly two months after a local court sentenced him to life without parole. According to local sources cited by Yonhap News Agency on Monday, the Philippine National Police has been unsuccessful so far in locating Rafael Dumlao, former head of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-illega

Sept. 9, 2024

[Feature] Constant competition drives Koreans to despair

Kim, a 25-year-old corporate worker, often wonders if others are living better lives than her. She thinks about who might be making more money, getting better recognition at work or more opportunities. When Kim feels she’s falling behind her colleagues, those her age job-wise or in her love life, she feels blue and uneasy. “I’m grateful for what I have -- working at a large conglomerate, being raised in a good family and graduating from a prestigious school. But everything alwa

Sept. 9, 2024

Not just deepfake porn, concerns rise over 'cyberflashing’

Amid growing concerns of fast-spreading digital sex crimes like deepfake pornography, there has been an increase in the number of social media users falling victim to "cyberflashing," or sending someone unsolicited sexual images or videos. According to an official report released jointly by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea, the number of people seeking help at the institute for cyber harassment increased from 251 individua

Sept. 9, 2024

Provincial patients continue to prefer top hospitals in Seoul

Patients from outside Seoul coming into the capital still heavily favor the city's "Big 5" hospitals, government data showed Monday. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service provided by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, 60 percent of patients from outside Seoul who sought treatment in the capital's large hospitals during the first half of 2024 went to those hospitals, which have suffered from staff shortages for m

Sept. 9, 2024

S. Korea to expand support for single parent households

With families becoming increasingly diverse in South Korea, support for single-parent households will be expanded, including the introduction of a new budget to increase housing provisions and the amount of the advance payment system for child support. Next year's budget to support single-parent families will be 590.1 billion won ($440 million), an increase of 46 billion won or 8.5 percent from this year's budget, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Monday. To ea

Sept. 9, 2024

Gangnam-gu's removal of LGBTQ+ dating app ad draws fire

A backlash from the LGBTQ+ community has been mounting over Gangnam-gu office's decision to take down after four days what it called an "indecent" digital advertisement, which featured same-sex couples facing each other, hugging and kissing. Yang Sun-woo, chair of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival organizing committee, told local media that the decision was based on discrimination against LGBTQ+ members of society. "Many advertisements in Korea depict the affection between dif

Sept. 9, 2024

N. Korean trash balloon blamed for Paju warehouse fire

The past five days have seen a flurry of trash and debris littering the greater Seoul area again as North Korea resumed its campaign of floating hundreds of trash-carrying balloons over the border into South Korean territory. On Sunday, one of these balloons touched off a fire in a warehouse in the city of Paju, just 28 kilometers north of Seoul, local fire officials reported Monday. The fire reportedly broke out on the rooftop of a single-story pharmaceutical warehouse at around 1:59 p.m on Sun

Sept. 9, 2024

NewJeans video director accuses Ador of lying about content removal

Another controversy surrounding NewJeans is rising, this time over pages run by production company Dolphiners Films. Shin Woo-seok, best known to the public for directing four NewJeans music videos, demanded a public apology from the group's label Ador through his Instagram page, accusing the label of lying about details behind the removal of videos. All NewJeans-related content on Dolphiners Films' social media pages and its nonprofit YouTube channel Ban Heesoo has been removed. Ban

Sept. 9, 2024

[Graphic News] How to use emergency descent device

An investigation into the Bucheon hotel fire on Aug. 22 revealed that, despite the presence of emergency descent devices, none of the guests used them. This underscores the critical importance of understanding how to properly use these life-saving tools. Emergency descent devices are designed to safely lower individuals from heights of up to 10 floors using their body weight. In situations where rescue personnel may be delayed, these devices can be vital in preventing loss of life.

Sept. 9, 2024

Soldier photos in military intranet made unavailable to prevent deepfake crimes

Intranet photos of soldiers, military and defense ministry officials have been made unavailable over concerns they could be abused to make sexually abusive deepfake images, officials said Sunday. Such photos were made invisible from the military's Onnara System intranet and the websites of military units as of Thursday last week, military officials said. Only those with due authority can access such photos. "There was the possibility of the photos being abused for sex crimes because in

Sept. 8, 2024

Court upholds stripping license of taxi driver who repeatedly overcharged foreign passengers

A taxi driver who was stripped of his license for overcharging foreign national passengers three times in one year took his case to court, claiming it was "unfair," but the court rejected his appeal, according to local media outlets Sunday. A Seoul Administrative Court judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by a taxi driver, who had challenged the Seoul city government's decision to revoke his taxi license. Most recently, in February last year, the taxi driver dropped off a foreign c

Sept. 8, 2024

Doctors' group demands withdrawal of med school quota hike plan for 2025, 2026

A major doctors' lobby group demanded Sunday the government cancel its plan to raise the medical school admissions quota for 2025 and 2026 and discuss the possible quota adjustment for 2027 or afterward. Officials of the Korean Medical Association made the call after the government last week said it is willing to revise the plan for 2026 if the medical community presents a "reasonable" option. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has vowed to increase the medical school admissions quo

Sept. 8, 2024

Substitute military doctors to be immune from medical malpractice damages

Military and public health doctors deployed to emergency rooms to help ease medical staff shortages will be granted immunity from liability for damages resulting from medical malpractice, health authorities said Sunday. Since last Wednesday, 250 military physicians have been assigned to emergency rooms and other understaffed departments after a significant number of junior doctors resigned in February to protest the government's decision to significantly increase medical school admissions

Sept. 8, 2024

Oxbridge Society in Korea holds annual reception

The Oxbridge Society, an integrated alumni association in South Korea for graduates from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, held an alumni reception on Aug. 31, where society members were urged to be at the forefront of leading country relations between Korea and the United Kingdom. According to the alumni association on Friday, around 100 alums from both universities were in attendance at the annual reception, including former Foreign Minister and former President of Oxfo

Sept. 8, 2024

LGBTQ+ dating app ad taken down 4 days later due to complaints

A large digital advertisement showing same-sex couples kissing and embracing each other was taken down four days after it began airing on the streets of Seoul's southern district of Gangnam due to a series of complaints. The 20-second dating app ad first appeared on a 6-storey digital billboard set up along the streets of Gangnam's Nonhyeon-dong on Aug. 26 under a contract that calls for the ad's airing at least 100 times a day for one year. The images showed gay and lesbian coupl

Sept. 8, 2024

Another victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery dies, leaving 8 survivors

A victim of Japan's sexual slavery of Korean women during World War II has died, a civic group said Saturday, bringing down the number of officially registered surviving victims to eight. The woman died recently, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan said, without revealing her identity. At 18, the late victim traveled to China with a friend to find work at a sewing factory but was forced into sexual servitude for Japanese troops

Sept. 7, 2024

3 out of 4 shops, restaurants plan to stay open during Chuseok: survey

With the Chuseok holiday period approaching, three out of four small business owners plan to keep their shops and restaurants open during the holiday break, a recent survey shows. Alba Heaven, one of the largest part-time job portals, conducted a survey of 96 small business owners, and 85.4 percent said they would operate their businesses during the Chuseok holidays. This figure marks an increase of 5.7 percentage from the previous year. This year, the Chuseok holiday period will stretch over fi

Sept. 7, 2024