Most Popular
-
1
Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
-
2
Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
-
3
Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
-
4
Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
-
5
Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
-
6
[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
-
7
[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
-
8
North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
-
9
Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
-
10
Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
-
Police to deploy deepfake detection system
The Korean National Police Agency said Tuesday it had developed deepfake detection software to probe crimes using the technology. Deepfakes, videos altered with AI to produce lifelike videos of things that did not happen, often depicting well-known public figures, have become a concern for authorities ahead of the upcoming general elections in April. A revision to the Public Official Election Act in December banned the use of fake content such as videos and images in election campaigns. Accordin
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
S. Korea sees 26% increase in reports of financial crimes
The state-run financial watchdog said Tuesday that 2023 saw 13,751 citizen reports of damages caused by financial crimes, up 26 percent from 10,913 recorded the year before. The overwhelming majority of the cases, 12,844, were related to illegal private loans, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The figure also marked a 24.5 percent increase from 10,350 reported the year before. Others included reports related to the illegal seizure of property of the debtor, which also jumped from 1
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
Aging Korea needs foreign caregivers: report
South Korea should come up with various measures to attract foreign nationals to work here as care workers, as the country faces a shortage in the sector to care for its rapidly aging society, a report by the Bank of Korea argued, Tuesday. The cost of hiring a care worker at a nursing home or other facilities was estimated at 3.7 million won ($2,775) per month as of last year, according to the report titled “Measures to alleviate the care service labor shortage and cost burden” relea
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
Indian FM visits Seoul to boost ties with S. Korea
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Seoul to boost bilateral ties on Tuesday. The visit comes as part of 10th India-Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), to be co-chaired alongside his Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul on Wednesday. According to the Indian Embassy in Seoul, the India-Korea Special Strategic Partnership spans various sectors such as trade, investments, defense, education, science and technology, and culture. India and South Korea established their diplomatic rela
Foreign AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
Possible ease of ban on marriages between distant blood relatives sparks backlash
As the South Korean government mulls easing a ban on consanguineous marriages, a local authority on the country's traditional rites on Tuesday voiced its strong opposition against what they say is "an act of destroying the concept of family." The Sungkyunkwan Confucian Association, which provides guidelines for the country's traditional rituals, said it commenced one-person protests against the move outside of the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday.
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
UK Embassy launches first-ever 'Green Week' in Seoul
The UK Embassy in Seoul launched its first-ever "Green Week" event Monday, covering a range of environmental topics to enhance Korean-UK cooperation in combating the climate crisis, according to the embassy. The inaugural event, which ends Friday, comes on the heels of the Downing Street Accord signed by the leaders of South Korea and the UK last November. The agreement underscores the commitment of both countries to collaborate in accelerating the green transition and combating climat
Foreign AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
'You can't catch my sports car': Police use 22 patrol cars to catch drunk driver
South Korean police on Tuesday said they were seeking charges against a driver who drunkenly called police and mocked them by saying he "won't get caught because my car is a sports car." Yuseong Police Station in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, said it was had filed for charges of obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means, driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving without a license. According to officials, the suspected called the 112 emergency serv
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
US warship enters naval base in Jeju for replenishment purpose
A US Navy destroyer arrived at a naval base on the southern island of Jeju on Tuesday for a replenishment purpose, the South Korean Navy said. The USS Higgins Arleigh Burke-class destroyer entered the base to replenish supplies and for crewmembers' rest, a day after South Korea and the United States began their annual combined Freedom Shield exercise for an 11-day run. A South Korean Navy official said the warship's arrival is unrelated to the exercise and there are no plans for joint
DefenseMarch 5, 2024
-
Science ministry to invest W730.8b in software industry
The science ministry said Tuesday it will allocate 730.8 billion won ($548.7 million) this year to bolster the local software industry, with a particular focus on the software as a service sector, as part of its effort to enhance South Korea's digital innovation. Second Vice Science Minister Kang Do-hyun announced the investment plan during his first on-site meeting with software companies since his appointment last month. The ministry said the country should strengthen its competitiveness
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
Ex-consul general in Sydney named chief negotiator for defense cost sharing with US
A senior South Korean diplomat who previously served as the consul general in Sydney has been named to lead the negotiations with the United States on the sharing of costs for the upkeep of US troops here, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Lee Tae-woo will head the upcoming rounds of the talks on the 12th Special Measures Agreement, the ministry said, without specifying when the initial negotiations will be launched. The career diplomat has the experience and expertise in various fields of the
PoliticsMarch 5, 2024
-
USFK F-16 fighter jets join multinational drills in Thailand
A group of F-16 fighter jets operated by the US Forces Korea departed South Korea last month to join a multinational exercise in Thailand, the aircraft's unit has said. The unspecified number of F-16s assigned to the US 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, 178 kilometers south of Seoul, left the country on Feb. 22 to take part in the annual Cobra Gold exercise, the unit recently said. The exercise led by the United States and Thailand began last Tuesday and is set to end later thi
DefenseMarch 5, 2024
-
UN chief appoints new resident coordinator for N. Korea
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed a new UN resident coordinator for North Korea in a personnel decision confirmed by the reclusive regime, his spokesperson said Monday. Joe Colombano of Italy assumed his role on Friday, Stephane Dujarric said, in a development that raised hopes for Pyongyang to allow the entry of other personnel from key UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization and the UN Development Program. There has been no presence of international UN staff in the
Foreign AffairsMarch 5, 2024
-
N. Korea warns US-S. Korea to pay 'dear price' for joint military drills
North Korea on Tuesday denounced an annual joint military exercise that South Korea and the United States launched this week, warning they will pay a "dear price" for what it called their large-scale war drills. An unnamed spokesperson at the North's defense ministry issued a statement condemning the annual Freedom Shield exercise that began Monday for an 11-day run to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. "The large-scale war drills st
North KoreaMarch 5, 2024
-
Police clear Olympic fencing medalist of charges in ex-fiance's fraud
Police said Monday they have decided to clear Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee of charges that she was an accomplice in the fraud by her former fiance. Nam, the silver medalist in women's foil at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, came under public scrutiny after her former fiance, Jeon Cheong-jo, was charged for swindling about 3 billion won ($2.25 million) from 27 people under the pretext of investment between 2022 and 2023. Nam broke up with the fiance after Jeon was found to be legally a w
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
-
N. Korea deletes state media articles using unification references
North Korea has removed articles with unification references from the website of its state-run media outlet, after leader Kim Jong-un called South Korea the North's "primary foe" and vowed not to seek unification with the South. As of Monday, a majority of the articles containing references to unification, such as "peaceful reunification," "great national unity" and "northern half," appear to have been deleted from the website of the North's Kore
North KoreaMarch 4, 2024
-
Jeonju city, civic groups at loggerheads over willow tree 'massacre'
A Jeonju city government development project for Jeonju Stream has raised criticism from local civic and environmental groups, with complaints over the cutting down of a grove of hundreds of beloved willow trees that have been a vital part of the stream's famous scenery near Namcheon Bridge. Some 30 members of environmental groups and civil organizations based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, held a protest in front of Jeonju City Hall Monday, urging the city to "publicly apologize fo
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
-
NIS warns of rise in North Korean hacking threats against South Korean chipmakers
South Korea’s spy agency on Monday warned of a recent uptick in North Korean hacking threats against South Korean semiconductor firms. The National Intelligence Service said North Korean hackers have been ramping up hacking efforts targeting South Korean semiconductor equipment makers since the latter half of 2023. The NIS said the North Korean hackers mainly focused on companies whose servers are connected to the Internet and who had their vulnerabilities exposed. The North Korean hackers
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
-
Why Jongno is known as Seoul’s center of politics
The race to win the Assembly seat for Jongno, long known as the center of politics in Seoul, officially kicked off Monday as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, Kwak Sang-eon, set to work after a contentious primary. Kwak is the son-in-law of the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. The party decided to hand him the nomination for the symbolic Seoul district over other competitive figures such as Jeon Hyun-hee, who served as the head of the anti-corruption watchdog under President Moon Jae-
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
-
Constitutional Court upholds 52-hour work limit
The Constitutional Court has unanimously upheld the constitutionality of a law restricting the workweek to a 52-hour maximum, the court said Monday. In its decision delivered Thursday, the nine-member court unanimously ruled that the Labor Standards Act, Article 53, Section 1, specifying that the 52-hour workweek system is legitimate and appropriate as it is designed to protect the health and safety of workers by reducing actual working hours and discouraging overtime work on holidays. Under the
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
-
1st sighting of the rare tundra swan reported in Ulsan
Bird watchers in Ulsan have reported sightings of two tundra swans, marking the first time the rare bird species has been found within the city, authorities said Monday. The birds were found looking for food in the fields of Onyang-eup and Onsan-eup in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on Feb.7, according to the Ulsan Metropolitan Government. The swans were first caught on camera by Lee Jae-ho, a member of the local youth bird watchers' club, who later accompanied photographer Yun Gi-deuk to photograph the
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024