South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Tokyo on Wednesday, agreeing to seek further dialogue on outstanding issues. At the meeting, Han called on Korea and Japan to work toward better relations, saying it serves their common interests, and Han and Kishida agreed to continue discussions on issues involving forced labor victims and sexual slavery, Seoul's Prime Minister's Office said. Han talked with Kishida for around 20 minutes on Wednesday m

Foreign Affairs Sept. 28, 2022

Police and fire authorities on Tuesday started a joint probe with the National Forensic Service into the Monday fire at Hyundai Premium Outlet in Daejeon, which resulted in seven deaths. A joint investigation team consisting of around 40 members will try to determine how the fire started from the basement parking lot early on Monday morning. The team will check closed-circuit TV footage that shows the cargo-handling area where the fire started to spread. The fire currently appears to have sta

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2022

A media outlet in Liberia disclosed on Monday the names and faces of two Liberian government officials who were arrested last week on suspicion of sexual assault of two underage girls in Busan. The Liberian government also has reportedly promised to cooperate with South Korea, which is investigating the two officials, according to the Liberian Daily Observer. The report identified one of the two men as Liberia’s representative to the International Maritime Organization and the other as

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2022

South Korea will no longer require masks for outdoor group activities, starting Monday. The government also plans to ease other antivirus measures down the road. The outdoor mask mandate ended May 2, but was kept for outdoor gatherings of 50 or more people. The rule remained due to concerns amid the recent resurgence of COVID-19. The government is expected to further ease the country’s antivirus measures for COVID-19. The government said it would soon introduce its future adjustments to

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2022

The Democratic Party of Korea, the country’s main opposition party, raised the heat on President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday after Yoon was caught on camera using derogatory words when referring to the US Congress at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York. As he left the venue, Yoon was caught on camera using a Korean expletive referring to a group of people, apparently referring to the US Congress. Yoon also said that Biden would be humiliated if the "parliamen

Foreign Affairs Sept. 22, 2022

South Korea might be able to return to pre-pandemic normalcy in spring next year, possibly with major antivirus measures lifted, including the country's indoor masking rule, Jung Ki-suck, the head of the government‘s COVID-19 special response committee, said during a radio interview with a local broadcasting company Wednesday. Jung said that South Korea might be able to fully return to normalcy by next year, not because the virus will disappear, but as the country will be more capable of

Social Affairs Sept. 21, 2022

Typhoon Nanmadol, this year’s 14th typhoon, grazed southern and eastern coastal areas of South Korea on Monday, drenching the region with heavy rains and strong winds. But only minor damages were reported. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, at 3 p.m. on Monday, Typhoon Nanmadol was moving northeast at around 300 kilometers west of Osaka, Japan at a speed of 33 kilometers per hour, leaving behind the South Korean mainland. The typhoon became slightly weaker in the afte

Social Affairs Sept. 19, 2022

S. Korea’s National Assembly speaker asked China’s third-ranking leader Li Zhanshu to ensure efforts to prevent possible attempts at distorting the history between the two countries, during a bilateral meeting held at the National Assembly on Friday. “History is related to the identity of a country and its people. It is important to accept facts as objective as possible and educate the next generation as such,” National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo said. Kim also said

Foreign Affairs Sept. 16, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday approved the appointment of Lee Won-seok as the administration's first chief prosecutor, ending the monthslong leadership vacuum at the prosecution. Yoon also confirmed the appointment of Han Ki-jeong, a Seoul National University law professor, as the chairman of the Fair Trade Commission. Yoon told reporters during a doorstep interview Friday morning that he decided to push ahead with the delayed appointments as many have pointed out the Cabinet vacancies. Th

Politics Sept. 16, 2022

The government of Suriname said it will consider legal action against the producers of the recent Netflix series "Narco-Saints," which possibly casts a negative image of the country. The South Korean Embassy in Venezuela issued an advisory to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals living in Suriname, according to local reports on Thursday. "Narco-Saints," which is titled "Suriname" in Korean, revolves around a South Korean drug lord operating in Suriname and

Foreign Affairs Sept. 15, 2022

Another typhoon could bear down on the Korean Peninsula, which was recently hit by the powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor, according to the state weather agency Wednesday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said a tropical depression has developed into a typhoon over waters 1,370 kilometers east-southeast of Japan’s Okinawa as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday. The newly developed typhoon, the 14th typhoon this year, has been named Nanmadol. Typhoon Nanmadol was less volatile, as of Wednesday, than Typ

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2022

South Korea will be safe from two typhoons that have formed to the south of the peninsula, but another typhoon could become active over the waters off of Japan's Okinawa and hit the country, the state weather agency said Tuesday. Typhoon Muifa, the 12th tropical storm this year, was moving northward over waters 260 kilometers east of Taipei at a speed of 8 kilometers per hour as of 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, The typhoon has a central pressure of 965

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2022

Experts are warning of a possible “twindemic” of seasonal flu and the coronavirus, starting in the fall. The country is already seeing gradual rises in the number of people who are infected with seasonal influenza viruses. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, in the fourth week of August, 4.7 out of 1,000 visitors to hospitals were reported to have influenza-like symptoms, up from 4.3 from a week ago and 3.3 five weeks ago. The infection rate among minors ar

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2022

Typhoon Hinnamnor has left 11 dead, one missing and three injured as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Central Disaster Safety Relief Headquarters. In Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, nine people were killed by the storm, and one went missing. In nearby Gyeongju, a person was found dead, and a man in his 20s who had gone missing in Ulsan was found dead in the afternoon. To help the recovery in Pohang, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday he would designate Pohang as a special disaster zo

Politics Sept. 7, 2022

Typhoon Hinnamnor, the 11th typhoon this year, passed South Korea on Tuesday, leaving several dead and missing, and dealing severe damages to cities on the east coast. As of 6 p.m., three people were confirmed dead, and nine missing. The government on Tuesday morning reported one dead and two missing. But, later in the afternoon, the government updated the tally, which included three deaths and nine missing people. The official tally was updated as seven additional people were reported missing

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2022