Korea sees panic selling in used EVs

A mass sell-off of EVs has begun in South Korea, following a fire involving a Mercedes-Benz EV in Incheon that destroyed more than 140 cars and sparked proposals to restrict EVs' access to underground parking lots. Since the fire on Aug. 1, the market has been flooded with used EVs. K Car, Korea’s second-largest used car trading platform, reported an 184 percent increase in used EV listings in the first week of August compared to the final week of July. The Mercedes-Benz EQE series, w

Aug. 16, 2024

Seoul condemns Yasukuni visit as an 'anachronistic act'

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the Japanese defense minister's tribute at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which Seoul views as glorifying Japan's militaristic past, calling it an "anachronistic act" and unfathomable behavior. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's visit to the shrine in Tokyo occurred on the same day Korea commemorated its liberation from Japan’s illegal colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. "Our gover

Aug. 15, 2024

'Foundation Day' controversy resurfaces

The controversy over Korea's national day has resurfaced in the past week, after the Yoon Suk Yeol administration appointed a conservative professor accused of supporting a political movement that wants the country’s founding to be recognized as happening in 1948, instead of liberation in 1945. Kim Hyoung-suk, who took office as the new director of the Independence Hall of Korea earlier this month, has been accused by the liberal bloc and some descendants of Korean independence fighte

Aug. 14, 2024

COVID-19 cases to peak by late August: KDCA

The number of COVID-19 cases is expected to reach its peak by the end of this month, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, vowing to expand its COVID-19 response team and implement stricter antivirus measures. As of the first week of August, the agency said up to 861 cases have been recorded at 220 major medical institutions around the country, a sixfold increase compared to the number of cases from July. “The surge could peak around the end of August, as contacts among peo

Aug. 13, 2024

Ministry begins probe into badminton body

  The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday it is kicking off an inspection of the Badminton Korea Association, following claims of irregularities made by Olympic gold medalist An Se-young. Immediately after she won the gold in the women's singles event in Paris, An suggested that the national team "did not take her injury seriously." Her comment sparked suspicion that she had been forced to play through an injury that had been ailing her since last year. She also al

Aug. 12, 2024

Conservatives split over Yoon potentially clearing key liberal to run

Conservatives are divided over reports President Yoon Suk Yeol may fully restore the political rights of once-prominent liberal politician Kim Kyung-soo, allowing him to run for public office. Kim, a key ally of former Democratic Party of Korea President Moon Jae-in, was already pardoned last December from serving the remaining five months of his two-year jail term. In 2021, he was sentenced to two years in jail in the Supreme Court for trying to sway voters online by manipulating comments on ne

Aug. 11, 2024

Underdog Kim Yu-jin beats odds to climb to top of taekwondo world in Paris

Of the four members of the South Korean taekwondo team competing in the Paris Olympics, Kim Yu-jin was probably the one least expected to bring home the gold medal. Her Olympic Kyorugi Ranking as of June, which was used for seeding of the Paris event, was No. 24 in the women's -57-kilogram class, far below her teammates Seo Geon-woo, Lee Da-bin, and gold medalist Park Tae-jun -- each ranked No.4, No.4, and No.5 in their respective classes. But Kim used her long 183-centimeter frame to h

Aug. 9, 2024

Is S. Korea neglecting children's call to abolish 'no-kids zones'?

The South Korean government has turned a blind eye towards a joint request by a group of a hundred children and teens here calling for the elimination of restaurants and cafes banning the entrance of children, a local news report revealed Thursday. A joint resolution calling for the riddance of so-called "no-kids zones," drafted last year by a hundred students aged 10 to 17 from across the country -- elected by their peers to represent them at a government-organized 20th National Child

Aug. 8, 2024

Walz is VP America deserves, Harris says

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Kamala Harris introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the nation at a raucous rally Tuesday in battleground Pennsylvania that was aimed at building momentum for the newly minted Democratic presidential ticket in the sprint toward Election Day. “He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. ... That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. T

Aug. 7, 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

Aug. 6, 2024

US says Mideast military moves aimed at deescalating

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The US is deploying additional military might in the Middle East as a defensive measure with a goal of deescalating tensions in the region, a White House official said on Sunday. Regional tensions have increased following the assassination on Wednesday of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Tehran a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander from the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Both groups are back

Aug. 5, 2024

From cold shoulder to selfie together, two Koreas' encounter at Olympics

During the women's vault at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, South Korean artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong approached North Korea's An Chang-ok to congratulate her performance. But as Yeo rose from her seat, An walked right past her to embrace her coach. An did not comment on this matter, and Yeo said she missed the timing to embrace An despite wanting to shake hands. It was among the few encounters between the two Koreas at the Summer Games in the French capital, where both sides share

Aug. 4, 2024

[Weekender] Loconomy: Food makers flock to locally sourced ingredients

Food items made with locally sourced ingredients have emerged among food companies in Korea. This approach, which aligns with those companies’ corporate social responsibility efforts, supports economic growth in rural areas and offers unique experiences for consumers, collectively known as "loconomy." On July 11, McDonald’s Korea launched the Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Burger and Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Muffin, both using peppers produced in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Provinc

Aug. 3, 2024

Harris formally secures Democratic presidential nomination

WASHINGTON --US Vice President Kamala Harris has officially earned the necessary number of delegate votes in a virtual voting process to become the Democratic Party's standard-bearer for the Nov. 5 presidential election, the party's national committee chief said Friday. Just a day after online voting kicked off, Harris, the only party candidate, received more than a majority of votes from delegates to become the nation's first woman-of-color presidential nominee as she has been

Aug. 3, 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

Aug. 2, 2024

Shin Yu-bin reaches women's singles semifinals in table tennis

PARIS -- Shin Yu-bin advanced to the semifinals of the women's singles table tennis tournament at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, moving within a win of grabbing her second medal in the French capital. Shin, world No. 8, edged out 13th-ranked Miu Hirano of Japan 4-3 (11-4, 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11, 13-11) in the quarterfinals at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris. Shin, who won the mixed doubles bronze medal on Tuesday, will next play world No. 4 from China, Chen Meng, in the semifinals on Fr

Aug. 1, 2024

Samsung labor union demands chief step in

Samsung Electronics’ labor union protested in front of Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s residence in Seoul on Thursday, calling on the Samsung chief to step in over their stalled wage talks with management. The National Samsung Electronics Union, which accounts for about 24 percent of the total workforce of the tech giant, launched an indefinite strike on July 8. “We ask Chairman Lee to come forward and show his position to resolve the full-scale strike,” the union said at a press

Aug. 1, 2024

Military exemption, irresistible perk for young Korean male Olympians

The South Korean duo of Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon took the bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, ending the country's 12-year Olympic table tennis medal drought. The win over Hong Kong not only extended the medal streak for the Koreans but also had a personal significance for 27-year-old Lim, who will now be exempted from his mandatory military service that was to commence next month. "I tried to think of it (bronze medal match) as

July 31, 2024

Tall tales and theories on S. Korea's dominance in archery

South Korea on Monday notched its third-straight gold medal in the Olympic men’s team event, defeating host nation France and completing a sweep of the women's and men's team events at this year's Paris Olympics. Kim Woo-jin, Kim Je-deok and Lee Woo-seok hoisted the national flag after securing the 5-1 victory in the French capital. Since their more dominant female compatriots won the country’s 10th-straight gold in the women's team event on Sunday, Koreans have

July 30, 2024

S. Korean women archers dominate Olympics for 36 years

Since the women’s archery team event was introduced at the Olympics in 1988, South Korean women have never failed to win gold. On Sunday in Paris, they demonstrated once again their dominance, winning the 10th consecutive gold. The South Korean team, consisting of Lim Si-hyeon, Nam Su-hyeon and Jeon Hun-young, defeated China in a shoot-off to win 5-4 in the women's archery team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The match took place at Les Invalides in Paris on Sunday. President Yoon

July 29, 2024