Most Popular
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'
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[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas
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Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year
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Yoon offers first one-on-one meeting with opposition leader next week
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France rejects opening Paris flight routes to T'way Air, deals blow to Korean Air merger
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Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
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Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
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The Matildas’ Incredible World Cup
In 2023, for the first time ever, the Australian women’s national soccer team placed fourth at a FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Matildas’ highest finish ever was an astonishing achievement, especially considering their history. During the first two decades of their existence, the Australian women’s national soccer team received little to no support from their national soccer federation. The Matildas did not have official uniforms at the time and were forced to wear kits that
Feb. 19, 2024
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1 in 4 over-70s still working in S. Korea
About 1.55 million people aged 70 and above were still in work as of January 2024, accounting for 24.5 percent of South Koreans in that age group. The number of over-70s working rose by 11.4 percent compared to the 1.39 million the year before, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service operated by Statistics Korea. The group made up 5.6 percent of the overall working population of the country this year, up from 5.1 percent in January of 2023. Roughly half of those who still work be
Feb. 19, 2024
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Health ministry orders all trainee doctors to keep providing medical treatment
The health ministry on Monday ordered all trainee doctors to keep providing medical treatment, as they moved to submit their letters of collective resignation in protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students. "From now on, the government issues an order for the provision of medical treatment to be maintained by the trainee doctors at all 221 training hospitals nationwide," Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters. Park strongly criticized
Feb. 19, 2024
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Govt. to fully allow telemedicine services in case of doctors' collective action: PM
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Monday that the government will fully expand telemedicine services if doctors walk off their jobs in protest of the government's plan to increase medical school admissions. Thousands of trainee doctors, such as residents at Seoul's five major general hospitals, were poised to submit their resignations en masse later Monday, raising concerns it would cripple hospital operations and patient care. The envisioned collective action is part of a protest again
Feb. 19, 2024
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Trainee doctors set to resign en masse in protest of plan to increase medical student enrollment
Trainee doctors at major general hospitals in Seoul were set to submit their letters of collective resignation Monday, in an escalation of their protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students. Concerns have been brewing as doctors warn of a large-scale strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision to add 2,000 to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current 3,058 seats. The trainee doctors at
Feb. 19, 2024
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[Graphic News] Cigarette sales fall for 1st time in 4 years in 2023
Sales of cigarettes in South Korea inched down in 2023 for the first time in four years, but demand for electronic cigarettes logged a marked growth, the Finance Ministry said. South Koreans purchased 3.61 billion 20-cigarette packs last year, down 0.6 percent from the previous year’s 3.63 billion packs, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It was the first on-year fall since 2019, when sales lost 0.7 percent on-year. But sales of duty-free cigarettes surged 60.7 percent on-ye
Feb. 19, 2024
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Govt. asks doctors to remain by patients amid looming collective action
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday called for doctors to refrain from taking collective action amid their looming strike in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats. Doctors have warned of a massive strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision announced earlier this month to add 2,000 to the country's medical school freshmen quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current 3,058 seats. "If d
Feb. 18, 2024
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South Korea, NASA launch air quality research across Asia
South Korea's National Institute of Environmental Research and NASA will conduct joint research in Korean territory to identify sources behind winter air pollution across Asia, the Ministry of Environment in South Korea announced Sunday. The joint research is scheduled to commence in South Korea on Monday and will extend to Malaysia and Thailand until Mar. 25. This year's air quality study, scheduled for February to March, coincides with a period of heightened air pollution levels comp
Feb. 18, 2024
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Govt. urges restraint as junior doctors plan joint action
The Korean government on Sunday issued a public plea urging doctors to abstain from joint action that could disrupt nationwide medical services. The statement comes as interns and residents prepare to stage a walkout this week in protest against the government’s decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas by over 60 percent. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged junior doctors to reconsider taking their gowns off, saying that citizens would have to bear the brunt of collective action
Feb. 18, 2024
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Ex-police officers, teachers selected as school violence investigators in Seoul
Nearly 190 school violence investigators consisting mainly of retired police officers and teachers have been selected to investigate fights and bullying cases that arise between students starting from the upcoming March semester, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Sunday. School violence investigators were first introduced in December 2023 to lessen the burden of teachers who were previously responsible for handling and investigating fights between students while being exposed to co
Feb. 18, 2024
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Seoul touts economic potential of S. Korea-Cuba ties
The South Korean presidential office said Sunday that the establishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba would create new economic opportunities for Korean companies, though it conceded it would take time. “The establishment of diplomatic relations and the future opening of a permanent mission in each country will lay the groundwork for expanded economic cooperation in a gradual manner," the presidential office touted the anticipated impacts of forging of ties announced on Wednesday. The
Feb. 18, 2024
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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
Feb. 18, 2024
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Govt. orders hospitals to submit doctors' work logs amid looming protest
South Korea's health authorities recently ordered trainee doctors to submit their daily work logs amid their looming collective action in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats, officials said Sunday. Doctors have warned of a massive strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision announced earlier this month to add 2,000 to the country's medical school freshmen quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current
Feb. 18, 2024
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S. Korea's air passenger traffic up 57% in Jan.
South Korea's air passenger traffic shot up 57 percent on-year in January on the back of the strong demand for routes connecting to China, data showed Sunday. The number of international travelers to and from South Korea reached 7.28 million, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It represents around 91 percent of the figure tallied in January 2019, indicating international travel has nearly recovered to the pre-pandemic level. By destination,
Feb. 18, 2024
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Emergency reports for missing persons doubled in 2023
South Korea's 119 emergency service received a total of 53,935 reports last year requesting a search for a missing person, more than double the number of the previous year, the National Fire Agency revealed this week. Some 36 percent of those reports were requests to find people aged 65 or older, with the 119 dispatch service cooperating with local police to seek the missing person in 7,819 cases. This figure also marked a steep increase from 5,137 cases in 2021. "We think this is due
Feb. 17, 2024
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US envoy vows to work to prevent forced repatriation of NK defectors
The US special envoy for North Korean human rights has vowed to work with the international community to prevent the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, South Korea's unification ministry said Saturday. Ambassador Julie Turner made the remarks Friday as she met with a group of young defectors who expressed concerns over the fate of North Korean defectors in China who could face harsh punishment in their home country. Turner also discussed with officials ways to cooperate with the
Feb. 17, 2024
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Ruling party warns of stern action against looming strike by doctors over quota hike
The ruling party warned Saturday of strong measures against a planned strike by doctors next week, stressing that an increase in the number of doctors is key to resolving a shortage and boosting medical services. Trainee doctors at major hospitals decided to resign early next week and doctors have warned of a large-scale strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision to add 2,000 to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year. "The country's
Feb. 17, 2024
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Government orders hospitals to reject mass leave of trainee doctors
The Health Ministry ordered 221 hospitals on Friday to ban mass leave of junior doctors and to maintain essential medical personnel, in response to a nationwide movement of collective action among doctors in protest of the government's recent decision to increase the medical school enrollment quota. The government's decision comes after trainee doctors from five major general hospitals in Seoul threatened to walk off the job at 6 a.m. on Tuesday next week, in an apparent show of protes
Feb. 16, 2024
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Free, unmanned monorail opens in Jung-gu, Seoul
A free, unmanned monorail has opened in Jung-gu, Seoul, officials said on Friday. The Jung-gu Office said the 100-meter long monorail connecting Shindang Hyundai Apartment to Daehyeonsan Reservoir Park began operating from Thursday. This is the first time in Seoul that the monorail has been introduced as a means of transportation. The monorail has three platforms in total: the starting point, the middle point and the ending point. It takes about 3 to 4 minutes from the departure point to the f
Feb. 16, 2024
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[From the Scene] ‘South Korea’s health care died on Feb. 6’
Unleashing pent-up anger against the government’s decision to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 from the current 3,058, hundreds of doctors from the Seoul Medical Association, along with medical students, interns and residents and their families, walked the picket line on Thursday to urge a reversal of the planned hike. The picket was part of massive protests staged by doctors’ groups nationwide beginning Tuesday, marking the first collective action by doctors gro
Feb. 16, 2024