Patients and staff leave Gaza's biggest hospital, and dozens are killed at a crowded refugee camp

Hundreds of patients, medical staff and people displaced by Israel's war against Hamas left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, with one evacuee describing a panicked and chaotic scene as Israeli forces searched and face-scanned men among those leaving and took some away. Israel’s military has been searching Gaza City's Shifa Hospital for a Hamas command center that it alleges is located under the facility — a claim Hamas and hospital staff deny . The evacuation, which

World NewsNov. 19, 2023

Seoul to push through bill to ban dog meat consumption

The South Korean government and the ruling People Power Party on Friday agreed to introduce, before the end of this year, a special act to end dog meat consumption in Korea by 2027. In a special consultative meeting at the National Assembly, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and ruling party officials agreed to push for the passage of an anti-dog meat bill banning breeding and slaughter of dogs, as well as dog meat delivery and sales. Under the legislation, farms, butcheries, distribution compani

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2023

PM envisions Busan World Expo's role in sharing 'rise from ashes' experience

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo highlighted the World Expo's role of sharing the host country's experience of its rise from the ashes of the war, should it take place in Busan in 2030. "We envision the World Expo in Busan that is not just a six-month event, but a forum to share the experience of our rapid development with other BIE members," Han said in a news conference in Seoul on Thursday. The Bureau International des Expositions oversees the international exhibitions. "O

Foreign AffairsNov. 16, 2023

In France, PM rallies support in final push for Busan Expo 2030

South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo made a final push to woo support for South Korea to host the World Expo 2023 during his trip to Paris, his office said Wednesday. The prime minister, who was in Paris from Sunday, met with 61 representatives from 50 countries to ask them to back Busan, the South Korean port city bidding to be host of the expo, with the vote less than two weeks away. “Unlike sporting events like the Olympics where countries compete for medals, expositions shou

PoliticsNov. 15, 2023

Seventeen urges global youth to 'dream together' at UNESCO

K-pop group Seventeen took center stage at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum on Tuesday, becoming a beacon for growth through solidarity among young people around the globe. The multinational group stepped up to the podium at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris as the first K-pop group to address UNESCO at its main hall. Twelve members of the 13-member group appeared on stage wearing simple black suits. Member S. Coups was absent due to a leg injury. The band hosted a special session on the first day

K-popNov. 15, 2023

Yoon says short selling ban necessary to protect retail investors

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday defended Seoul financial regulators' recent decision to reimpose a ban on short selling in the South Korean stock market through June 2024, saying the ban is necessary to protect retail investors. The remarks came as the government is intensifying its fight against illegal short sellers, blaming them for the recent bearish trend in the stock market, and instead appealing to individual investors, with about five months to go until the general elections for

PoliticsNov. 14, 2023

Business groups condemn labor union immunity bill

South Korea's major business lobby groups on Monday requested that President Yoon Suk Yeol exert his veto power against a pro-labor union revision bill unilaterally passed by the main opposition party last week. The so-called Yellow Envelope bill, a revision to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Act, aims to limit companies from filing damage suits and provisional seizures against workers on strike, as well as to guarantee the bargaining rights of subcontracted workers. Six business grou

EconomyNov. 13, 2023

Suneung to take place Thursday, but without 'killer questions'

The Suneung, South Korea's national college entrance exam, is less than a week away, with this year's test seeing a number of changes. The Education Ministry in June announced that it would exclude "killer questions" -- excessively difficult questions, the material for which is often not covered in the public education system. The change came following President Yoon Suk Yeol's comments that such questions might create an excessive dependence on private education. The mi

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2023

[Photo News] Protest in Seoul

Major South Korean umbrella unions the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions staged large-scale protests in Seoul on Saturday in a bid to encourage the immediate promulgation and enforcement of the "yellow envelope bill" -- a bill which aims to guarantee the negotiating rights of workers in indirect working arrangements. The FKTU held protests starting from 1 p.m., in area between Yeouido station and Yeouinaru station, while KCTU staged protests

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2023

[Eye Plus]Bipa, an instrument pulled out of decades of oblivion

The "bipa," a guitar-shaped Korean traditional instrument widely loved for over a thousand years, has almost been completely lost to history. Kim Ju-yeong, one of fewer than 10 bipa players left in Korea, has worked hard to preserve tradition and connect modern people with the instrument. “I began to play the bipa following my aunt’s recommendation. As a child, I had trouble focusing, but I could concentrate well when I played the bipa,” Kim said. “The sound o

CultureNov. 11, 2023

Carrot knife craze: Parents panic over fidget toy fad

Plastic fidget toys resembling colorful pocket knives are a hit among Korean kids, but parents have expressed concern that they could encourage children to play with actual knives -- or worse. On Monday, the South Chungcheong Province’s Office of Education became the latest authority to prohibit the possession of the toy, locally known as a "carrot knife," on school premises. They stated, "Carrot knives are not toys; they are deemed dangerous items that could provoke vio

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2023

[KH explains] End of Chinese tourist boom?

South Korea's tourism and retail industries have long been dependent on China's big spenders traveling to the country in tour groups. So when the Chinese government lifted a travel ban on group tours for its nationals in August, expectations were high about a possible surge in Chinese travelers, the biggest spenders among visitors here, after years of pandemic disruptions. After three months, there is little sign of the so-called “Chinese spending boom.” Experts say that ov

IndustryNov. 9, 2023

Coupang logs record Q3 earnings, stays in black for 5th straight quarter

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang announced record third quarter earnings amid an increase in its customer numbers and the strong performance of its core businesses. Coupang has continued its winning streak for five consecutive quarters since reporting profits for the first time in 2022. According to the New York-listed company's earnings conference call Wednesday, the company's quarterly sales for the July-September period logged $6.18 billion, posting on-year growth of 21 percent

IndustryNov. 8, 2023

[Newsmaker] Fugitive captured after 3 days on the lam

After a dayslong search for a fugitive who escaped custody Saturday, police officers on late Monday captured Kim Gil-soo after he was seen at a public phone booth in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, just to the north of Seoul. The 36-year-old escapee was caught at around 9:26 p.m. He was reportedly calling his girlfriend at that moment, according to police. “I didn’t plan it,” the fugitive told local reporters when asked if he had premeditated his escape. He also denied that he ha

Social AffairsNov. 7, 2023

Breaking silence over drug allegations, G-Dragon appears for questioning

Breaking his silence since rumors began emerging nearly two weeks ago, Kwon Ji-yong, more widely known as G-Dragon of K-pop boy band Big Bang, showed up before police on Monday afternoon for questioning over alleged illegal drug use. The 35-year-old singer and rapper arrived at the Incheon Metropolitan Police building at around 1:20 p.m. to undergo an interrogation and drug test conducted by the drug crime investigation unit. “I have no relation to drug-related crimes. That is why (I came

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2023

Nepal rushes aid, rescue operations after quake kills at least 157

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Survivors of a strong earthquake that shook Nepal’s northwest in the middle of the night described sudden shaking followed by houses collapsing and burying entire families, as the death toll rose to 157 on Saturday. Most of those killed were crushed by debris when their houses — usually made by stacking rocks and logs — crumbled under the force of the tremblor midnight Friday, local media reported. While rescuers were scrambling to rush aid, operations

World NewsNov. 5, 2023

Quake shakes northwest Nepal, killing at least 128 and injuring dozens

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Helicopters and ground troops rushed to help people hurt in a strong earthquake that shook districts in northwestern Nepal just before midnight Friday, killing at least 128 people and injuring dozens more, officials said Saturday. Authorities said the death toll was expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many places. At the regional hospital in the city of Nepalgunj, more than 100 beds were made available and teams of doctors stood by to help

World NewsNov. 4, 2023

Following an Israeli airstrike, crowded Gaza hospital struggles to treat wounded children

BUREIJ REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) — The gray film covering the faces of children rushed to Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza Thursday made it hard to distinguish between the living and the dead. After two Israeli airstrikes flattened an entire block of apartment buildings in the Bureij refugee camp and damaged two UN schools-turned-shelters, rubble-covered Palestinians big and small arrived at a hospital too packed to take them. Tiny, motionless bodies lay flat against the hospital&rsq

Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2023

Israel says it has encircled Gaza City

Israeli forces on Thursday encircled Gaza City - the Gaza Strip's main city - in their assault on Hamas, the military said, but the Palestinian militant group resisted their drive with hit-and-run attacks from underground tunnels. The city in the north of the Gaza Strip has become the focus of attack for Israel, which has vowed to annihilate the Islamist group's command structure and has told civilians to flee to the south. "We're at the height of the battle. We've had i

World NewsNov. 3, 2023

5 S. Koreans from Gaza arrived in Egypt via Rafah border: ministry

A South Korean family living in Gaza crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border Thursday, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Media reports earlier said, quoting authorities from Gaza, that around 600 foreign nationals, including South Koreans, were allowed to leave through the Rafah border Thursday, the second such departure since the border opened up to foreigners and aid workers Wednesday for the first time since the armed conflict between Israel and the Islamic militant Hamas group. "A

Foreign AffairsNov. 2, 2023