South Korea on Friday unveiled plans to introduce a basic allowance for graduate students taking part in state-sponsored scientific projects, in high hopes of boosting the nation's scientific research capabilities. Any master's degree student in Korea who contributes to state-backed research will receive at least an 800,000 won ($600) stipend each month regardless of the amount of work done. The amount of the allowance will be at least 1.1 million won for an eligible doctor's degr

Politics Feb. 16, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday tapped Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Seok Jong-gun as the new minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the presidential office announced Friday. Seok will begin in the position on Monday, replacing Eom Dong-hwan, who has served since June 2022. Yoon's office said in a statement that Seok is the right fit for the role of setting up coordinating structures between the government, military, DAPA and local defense industry. The major general will

Politics Feb. 16, 2024

South Korea has joined the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine as a member country on Wednesday along with the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden to contribute to the post-war reconstruction of the country at war with Russia, the presidential office said on Thursday. The new membership was confirmed during the meeting of the MDCP's steering committee held virtually Wednesday. Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland also joined the platform as observers. Before th

Foreign Affairs Feb. 15, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday expressed his intention to ease regulations and extend more incentives to further foster an investor-friendly environment. The government will "offer policies and regulatory environments favoring (foreign-invested enterprises) to the extent of the global standard, or even more favorable than the global standard," Yoon told participants comprising foreign-invested company representatives at a luncheon meeting held Wednesday. "We should spare no

Politics Feb. 14, 2024

South Korea on Tuesday announced a set of measures to boost Busan's economic growth, bolster job creation and improve access to key urban infrastructure, about three months after the city lost its bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Along with the announcement, President Yoon Suk Yeol held a public debate the same day at Busan City Hall, where he said the concentration of the population, companies and talent in the Greater Seoul area, coupled with the excessive competition in society, has &quo

Politics Feb. 13, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's public characterization of the nuclear-armed North Korean regime as an "irrational force," coupled with his emphasis on the imperative of bolstering defense readiness against threats posed by the regime, signals a further tumultuous path for inter-Korean relations. The conservative president's prerecorded interview with the state-run Korea Broadcasting System aired Wednesday night amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in the face of North

Politics Feb. 8, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday opened up about a scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee that has shaken up South Korean politics, about two months after a video of Kim receiving a purse by luxury brand Christian Dior worth 3 million won ($2,260) on a hidden camera was released. "(The visitor who gifted the pouch) attached a hidden camera to a wristwatch, so we can say the scheme was deliberately arranged," Yoon said, referring to Korean-American pastor Choi Jae-young as the vi

Politics Feb. 8, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday approved pardons for former President Park Geun-hye's aides, including former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and former national security adviser Kim Kwan-jin, ahead of Seollal, or South Korea's Lunar New Year holiday. The special pardon announcement came less than a week after both aides' prison terms were finalized by the courts. The ex-chief of staff's two-year imprisonment was confirmed on Feb. 1 for his involvement in the blacklisting of n

Politics Feb. 6, 2024

South Korea on Monday unveiled plans to extend hours for primary schools' extracurricular classes and make the classes available at all schools to make commuting parents' life routines more logistically and financially sustainable. The government has allocated a budget of 1.17 trillion won ($879 million) for this year, more than double the amount earmarked for last year, to allow any first grader to register for the extracurricular program later this year, dubbed Neulbom School. Up to

Politics Feb. 5, 2024

The South Korean government and the ruling People Power Party on Friday reached an agreement over the Ministry of Agriculture's plan to buy 50,000 tons of surplus rice to use for the international food aid program and to keep the domestic grain price afloat. The newly purchased rice will be sent to African and Asian countries as food aid through the World Food Program, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung told reporters at the National Assembly on Friday. She did not disclose further details. This

Politics Feb. 2, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol is considering holding a pre-recorded interview with public broadcaster KBS as pressure builds to address the alleged graft scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, according to news reports on Friday. KBS is reportedly considering airing the interview next Wednesday, shortly before the Seollal holiday, or Korea's Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 10. The presidential office declined to confirm the reports as of Friday morning. KBS is currently led by Park Min, who th

Politics Feb. 2, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday said the government would pursue legislation to alleviate the legal risks from medical accidents for medical staff. The conservative administration said that doctors' immunity from prosecution in relation to medical accidents could help doctors and other medical staff focus on their duty to take care of their patients. South Korea is suffering a chronic shortage of medical staff, including doctors. While restricting lawsuits seeking criminal punishment for med

Politics Feb. 1, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday said that South Korean armed forces should brace themselves for any potential interference by North Korea in the general election, which is less than three months away. Yoon told an audience of some 170 people that the North Korean regime might intensify cyber warfare or spread misinformation in hopes of meddling in April's election, posing challenges to Seoul's democracy. "North Korea has constantly sought to instigate freedom and democracy in

Politics Jan. 31, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol shot down a bill that would have given the National Assembly the authority to initiate a new probe into the deadly crowd crush incident in Seoul during the Halloween weekend in October 2022, his office announced Tuesday. The decision came hours after the Cabinet passed a motion on Tuesday morning demanding the parliament reconsider a special bill and giving Yoon grounds to veto it, at the Government Complex Seoul. The conservative bloc has sought to reject the bill aimed

Politics Jan. 30, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's office is considering taking action against broadcaster JTBC for a subtitled video it aired that the office says misrepresented his remarks. A JTBC news clip showed Yoon on Thursday telling vendors at a traditional market that he would put forward "effort to make the napa cabbage (price) go higher" in the subtitle, while Yoon's office contends the president had actually emphasized "effort to make their sales go higher." "There are many

Politics Jan. 29, 2024