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

Oh Sang-uk honors ex-teammates

South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday by becoming the first South Korean to win the men’s sabre individual final. But at the moment of victory, Oh's mind was not just on gold, but also on his two retired teammates who had shared so much of his journey with him. "I grew up eating from the same pots with them, and their departure brought significant changes,” he said. "With the change in team members, we really faced a lot o

July 28, 2024

IOC chief apologizes to President Yoon over opening ceremony gaffe

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach apologized to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday over an incorrect introduction of the South Korea delegation as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Yoon's office said. In their 10-minute phone conversation, Yoon expressed his regret over the incident and asked Bach to prevent a recurrence of similar cases. "As people of the country that has hosted the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games, alo

July 28, 2024

'Games Wide Open': 33rd Summer Olympic Games kick off in Paris

PARIS -- The first Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 100 years kicked off Friday with a one-of-a-kind opening ceremony held on the city's main artery celebrating the cultural diversity of France, a marathon of a show that pushed the boundaries of what is possible in Olympic ceremonies. Some 6,800 athletes from 205 national delegations, including the Refugee Olympic team, marked the start of the 17-day competition by riding boats equipped with cameras on a 6-kilometer floating parade on the

July 27, 2024

Actor’s excessive airport security sparks probe into human rights violations

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Friday that it launched an investigation into allegations of excessive security measures involving actor Byeon Woo-seok. The investigation follows a complaint submitted on July 14, accusing the security measures during Byeon’s recent travels of infringing on human rights. The NHRCK will examine whether the airport's security team was complicit in the actions of a private security firm, which included blocking gates and conducting ticket an

July 26, 2024