Trump coasts to another victory in race for Republican nomination

CHARLESTON, South Carolina -- Donald Trump cruised to a lightning victory Saturday in South Carolina's Republican primary, blitzing rival Nikki Haley in her home state and continuing his march to the nomination and a White House rematch with Joe Biden in November. Trump completed a sweep of the first four major nominating contests, converting a year of blockbuster polls into a likely insurmountable lead going into the "Super Tuesday" 15-state voting bonanza in 10 days. Haley had v

World NewsFeb. 25, 2024

[AtoZ into Korean mind] Death & denial: Why Koreans refuse to contemplate the end

A few years ago, Kim Sun-yong (not her real name) stumbled upon a Facebook post written by an acquaintance from work. The author, an American who was battling late-stage cancer with no prospects of recovery, asked his Facebook friends for suggestions on what to include on his bucket list as he braced for the inevitable. Most comments expressed their sadness about the man's impending death and offered suggestions as asked. But one comment written by a person with a Korean name responded, &

Hashtag KoreaFeb. 25, 2024

Fake compilation video featuring President Yoon goes viral

A fake compilation video featuring President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering a speech has spread rapidly on social media, prompting South Korea's independent media regulation agency to decide on Friday to remove the deceptive video from all social media channels. The 46-second fabricated video shows Yoon saying “I, Yoon Suk Yeol, have been enforcing laws that harass our nation,” as well as “I ruined our country and made its people suffer by clinging onto an ideology that deviates

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2024

Korean 'crypto king' likely to be extradited to US

A court in Montenegro has ruled for the extradition of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Kwon Do-hyung, widely known as "crypto king" Do Kwon, to the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal. Despite Kwon's defense advocating for transfer to his home country of South Korea, the Montenegro court has rejected the plea. Both the US and South Korea have sought his extradition. Kwon's legal team now has a three-day window to challenge the decision, according to the court on Wednesday.

MarketFeb. 22, 2024

Meta CEO to visit Seoul next week possibly on AI partnership

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, formerly Facebook, is planning to visit Korea as early as next week, which would mark his first visit to the country in more than a decade, according to industry sources and the presidential office on Wednesday. Although details of his upcoming trip are unknown, sources predicted that the Meta founder could meet with Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong, as he did during his first trip to Korea in June 2013. If the two tycoons meet, the agenda is likely to inclu

IndustryFeb. 21, 2024

[News Focus] Why do Korean doctors oppose having more physicians?

Thousands of medical doctors, the essential force for the care and treatment of critical patients, left their hospitals Tuesday in protest of the government’s policy to expand the number of medical school students. South Korea’s medical landscape has been gripped with the fear of a major health care crisis, with doctors leaving their patients, claiming that the nation does not need more doctors because it has enough already and that the policy change will lower the quality of medical

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2024

Police vow to probe doctors’ joint action

The police will investigate doctors who undertake joint action in protest of the government’s plan to increase the annual student enrollment quota at medical schools from 2025, Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency told reporters Monday. Yoon said that the police would investigate any joint action taken by doctors that were reported to law enforcement agencies, adding that arrest warrants would be issued for individual doctors who are “clearly in vi

Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2024

Samsung’s first integrated labor union sets sail

A labor union comprising workers of four Samsung Group affiliates was officially launched Monday, as employees seek ways to break away from the unreasonable relationship between workers and management. Samsung Group United Union, representing Samsung Electronics' Device Experience division, Samsung Display, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, and Samsung Biologics, held an inauguration ceremony earlier in the day in Seoul. “Our purpose is to establish independence in the relations be

IndustryFeb. 19, 2024

Where does Korea stand on assisted death?

Lee Myung-shik, 63, is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of acute myelitis, a condition he developed after retiring from his public service job in 2019. Unable to perform basic bodily functions independently, he requires the constant use of a urinary catheter and the assistance of his daughter to manually remove stool from his rectum. “Usually, when a person’s lower body is paralyzed, they normally do not have any sensation from the affected parts, but it’s different in

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024

Death of Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny provokes Western outrage

As outrage over the death of chief Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny reverberates across the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin is turning a deaf ear to Western anger as he prepares to extend his 24-year rule in an election next month and police across Russia continue to squelch any protest attempts. The US and its allies are pondering new sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death and the Kremlin’s recent actions in Ukraine. But as US aid for Ukraine remains stuck in Congress and

World NewsFeb. 18, 2024

Bodyguards drag student out for protesting Yoon's commencement

A student was physically removed on Friday as he protested a research budget cut as President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a speech at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's commencement ceremony in Daejeon. A clip of the student being carried out with his arms and legs lifted by bodyguards has gone viral in online communities. The video appeared to show some of the bodyguards were clad in graduation gowns. The student, identified as Shin Min-gi, one of some 3,000 graduates tha

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2024

S. Korean soccer federation committee calls for Klinsmann's dismissal

National Team Committee of the Korea Football Association said Thursday that its members have agreed that Jurgen Klinsmann should be replaced as the men's national team head coach, following the team's disappointing performance at the Asian Cup 2023. The committee pointed out the coach's insufficient tactical preparation for South Korea's disappointing semifinals match against Jordan, his lack of commitment as the national team coach, and questioned his leadership over the recent quarrel among k

SoccerFeb. 15, 2024

Embattled soccer association set to hold meeting

Faced with controversy over a scuffle involving two of its best players and growing demand for the head coach's resignation, the Korea Football Association will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the future of the South Korean men's national team. The main agenda of the meeting, slated for 11 a.m., will likely be Jurgen Klinsmann, who has been subject to criticism from the public, the media and even politicians after the national team's disappointing semifinals exit at the Asian Cup 2023. The

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2024

Troubles for national team continue amid reports of fights, possible sacking of coach

Woes for South Korean men's national soccer team continued as its members were found to have gotten into a physical fight with each other before the big match, and the country's soccer governing body reportedly contemplating whether to request resignation of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The Korea Football Association confirmed Wednesday earlier reports by UK media that the team captain Son Heung-min got into an altercation with midfielder Lee Kang-in ahead of the team's semifi

SoccerFeb. 14, 2024

Med students mull strike over student quota expansion

With doctors groups still mulling a strike, incumbent medical students are also mulling collective action in protest of the government’s announcement last week of an increase in the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 from the current 3,058. The Korea Association of Medical Colleges, a group of current medical students, held an all-night online meeting earlier in the day, attended by representatives of each university’s medical school, to discuss submitting for leave of absence,

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2024

Lee Kang-in selected for Asian Cup's all-tournament team

South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in was tapped by the Asian Football Confederation as one of the top 11 players of the Asian Cup 2023, after the top continental tournament in Qatar concluded Saturday with the home team defending its title. The 22-year-old scored three goals for the national team in his first Asian Cup outing, tying for the team lead in scoring with the captain Son Heung-min, while also adding an assist. His two goals in the opening match for South Korea against Bahrain in the qu

SoccerFeb. 13, 2024

[KH explains] Why ramyeon makers still stick with 'ramen' marketing

Amid soaring exports of Korean instant noodles in recent years, a renewed spotlight has been cast on a decadeslong dilemma among local food companies -- whether or not the word "ramen" should be ditched from their marketing strategy. Ramen, rooted in Japanese culinary tradition, has become a household name globally that refers to noodles in broth. The term "ramen" can also refer to instant noodle products. Amid a growing global presence, Korean businesses have long used the t

IndustryFeb. 12, 2024

S. Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min captures world title in men's 400m freestyle

South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min has grabbed the gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the ongoing world championships in Qatar, becoming the country's world swimming champion in 13 years. Kim won his monumental gold medal with a personal-best time of 3:42.71 at Aspire Dome in Doha on Sunday (local time) at the World Aquatics Championships. Kim held off the 2022 world champion, Elijah Winnington of Australia, by 0.15 second. Lukas Martens of Germany, the bronze medalist at the

More SportsFeb. 12, 2024

[Pressure points] Lingering after meals during peak hours. Courtesy needed?

At Korea's busy eateries, diners lingering after eating often get disapproving looks from restaurant owners or those still waiting for a table. While this tension between leisurely dining and the demand for tables exists elsewhere, it can be highly pronounced in South Korea, where meals typically don’t include a dessert course and the focus of diners is often more on the eating itself, rather than on conversation. In online discussion forum Nate Pann last December, an anonymous post

Hashtag KoreaFeb. 11, 2024

Donald Trump wins Nevada’s Republican caucuses after being the only major candidate to participate

LAS VEGAS -- Former President Donald Trump won Nevada’s Republican presidential caucuses Thursday after he was the only major candidate to compete. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley skipped the caucuses, which are the only contest in Nevada that counts toward the GOP nomination. Haley cited what she considered an unfair process favoring Trump and instead ran in Nevada’s symbolic state-run presidential primary on Tuesday, when she finished behind the “none of these candidates&rdq

World NewsFeb. 9, 2024