Yoon postpones dinner with PPP leaders amid row over medical school quota increase

President Yoon Suk Yeol has postponed his planned dinner with ruling People Power Party leaders until after the Chuseok holiday, his office said Wednesday, amid a row with the PPP leader over the issue of the medical school quota increase. Yoon had planned to host a dinner Friday with PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, five Supreme Council members, and the party's policy chief, but the presidential office said the meeting has been put off to prioritize the issues of peopl

PoliticsAug. 28, 2024

More than 3 out of 10 deepfake victims are minors

Three out of 10 deepfake victims who sought help from a state agency tackling digital sex crimes were minors, officials said Wednesday, underlining the seriousness of such crimes. A total of 781 deepfake victims asked for help from the Advocacy Center for Online Sexual Abuse Victims between Jan. 1 and Sunday, and 288 of them, or 36.9 percent, were minors, according to the Women's Human Rights Institute of Korea under the gender ministry. The number of underage victims of deepfake crimes rep

Social AffairsAug. 28, 2024

N. Korea test-fires multiple rocket launcher equipped with new guidance system

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a test-fire of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher with a new guidance system, state media reported Wednesday, amid speculation that the new artillery system could be provided to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine. Kim attended Tuesday's test of the multiple rocket launch system that is produced at defense industrial enterprises under the Second Economic Commission, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The weapon could put Seoul and its

North KoreaAug. 28, 2024

US takes NK 'suicide drone' threat 'seriously': Pentagon

The United States takes threats from what North Korea calls "suicide drones" seriously, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, reiterating Washington's commitment to cooperating with South Korea and other allies to ensure regional security. North Korean state media reported Monday that leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a performance test of various drones on Saturday, calling for the development and production of more suicide drones to bolster the country's war preparedness. "We

North KoreaAug. 28, 2024

Military prosecutors indict intel official over leaking 'black agent' info

The defense ministry's prosecutors' office on Tuesday indicted a military intelligence official for allegedly leaking information of South Korean espionage agents operating overseas. The official at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command, whose identity is withheld, was arrested earlier this month on allegations of handing over personal information of "black agents" to a Chinese national of Korean descent, who is possibly an informant for North Korea's intelligence agenc

DefenseAug. 27, 2024

Daegu mayor says plan to form unified gov't with N. Gyeongsang Province failed

The plan to integrate the southeastern city of Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province has failed, the mayor of Daegu, Hong Joon-pyo, declared Tuesday. Hong said in a social media posting that "it would be hard to expect consent from the provincial assembly of North Gyeongsang Province" for the proposed integration of the local governments. The Daegu mayor had set a Wednesday deadline for his latest proposal, which calls for the establishment of unified provincial government of

PoliticsAug. 27, 2024

N. Korea sent over 13,000 containers suspected of carrying arms to Russia: lawmaker

North Korea has sent more than 13,000 shipping containers suspected of carrying arms to Russia since mid-2022 amid deepening bilateral military ties, a lawmaker said Tuesday, citing a military intelligence report. The North delivered the shipments that could hold more than 6 million 152-millimeter artillery shells through its eastern port of Najin over the roughly two-year period, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency report submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party. T

North KoreaAug. 27, 2024

Presidential chief of staff avoids prison term for defaming late President Roh

A Seoul court on Tuesday ordered presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk to pay a fine of 12 million won ($8,998) for defaming the honor of the late President Roh Moo-hyun through a social media post, while overturning the initial ruling of a six-month prison term. The charges against Chung stemmed from a Facebook post he made in September 2017, in which he claimed that Roh's wife, Kwon Yang-sook, and their son had received bribes from a businessperson closely associated with Roh. In the

PoliticsAug. 27, 2024

Yoon vows crackdown on deepfake porn as digital sex crime surges

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for a thorough investigation and identification of digital sex crimes involving deepfake pornography, amid growing concerns over the rapid spread of sexually explicit content made using artificial intelligence. “Recently, deepfake videos targeting an unspecified number of people have circulated rapidly on social media,” Yoon said at a Cabinet meeting. “Anyone can be a victim of such digital sex crimes. I urge all authorities involved

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

Campaign calls for mutual respect between Koreans, Filipinos

Business leaders, politicians and diplomats from Korea and the Philippines, attending a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday, stressed the importance of mutual cultural understanding and respect between the people of both nations, the event’s organizer said Tuesday. According to the Seoul-based Sunfull Foundation, the "K-Respect Campaign" event was attended by 37 members of the Korea-Philippines Economic Council, led by Chairman Robert Yupangco, along with lawmaker

PoliticsAug. 27, 2024

93% of parents in Korea's youngest city oppose shared kick scooters

Some 93 percent of the parents of children and teens living in Sejong say they do not need any electric kick scooter sharing systems in the city, a survey showed Tuesday. Kim Hyo-sook, city council member of South Korea's youngest city in terms of average age, commissioned the survey from the Sejong City Office of Education of 4,325 parents in the area whose children are currently in kindergarten, elementary, middle or high school. A total of 4,025 said they do not need shared kick scoote

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

Top-earning delivery rider dies after traffic accident

A food delivery rider, who had risen to internet stardom as the highest-earning delivery driver in the nation, died Sunday night, a month after he was struck by a bus while riding his motorcycle. According to the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station on Tuesday, the fatal accident took place at 2:30 p.m. in Yeonsu-go, Incheon, July 31, when an intra-city bus collided with the delivery worker in his 40s at a crossroad. Investigations revealed that the bus driver had violated a traffic signal, striking th

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

‘I hated being asked where I’m from,’ ex-North Korean diplomat tells Seoul lawmakers

Ri Il-kyu, the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016, says he “felt humiliated” every time he had to reveal which Korea he was from when he was serving overseas missions. Speaking at a National Assembly event hosted by ruling People Power Party lawmakers on Monday, he said North Korean diplomats “absolutely hate being asked which country they are from.” Ri served as a counselor for political affairs at the North Korean embassy based in

PoliticsAug. 27, 2024

Crisis in medical system builds as hospital workers plan walkout

Amid a prolonged medical standoff, concerns are again looming large as more than 22,000 unionized hospital workers plan to strike beginning Thursday if the ongoing arbitration by the labor relations committee fails to reach an agreement on a pay raise and the normalization of hospital operations. The planned walkout comes after 91 percent of the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union -- which has some 30,000 nurses, caregivers and other medical workers at 61 hospitals as members -- vote

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

Half of S. Koreans have chronic anger issues: study

About half of the South Korean population seems to be suffering from long-term repressed anger issues, with nearly 1 in 10 being severe cases, a local study revealed Tuesday indicated. You Myoung-soon, a professor in Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health, conducted a study on the social and psychological well-being of Korean nationals, based on the survey her team conducted of 1,024 adults June 12-14. The team asked the respondents to rank their level of pent-up ang

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

Presidential office rules out bringing in foreign doctors

A senior official of the presidential office said Monday that the government was not considering bringing in foreign doctors to alleviate the medical staffing shortage exacerbated by an ongoing walkout of trainee doctors. The officials said on condition of anonymity that Seoul "is not immediately considering dealing with the medical staff shortage by deploying foreign physicians." The comment came as the official was talking about ongoing disruptions in emergency medical centers due to

PoliticsAug. 27, 2024

Seoul Metro to replace 3 removed Dokdo models with video displays

After stirring controversy by removing models of the Dokdo islets from three of Seoul subway stations over the past few months, Seoul Metro said Tuesday that it has decided to install TVs in the stations that will play promotional videos of the South Korean islets. According to the subway operator which is owned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the videos will be played at the wall-mounted TVs that will be installed at Jamsil Station, Anguk Station and Gwanghwamun Station by early September

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

Off-duty firefighter puts out flames at barn with no gear, prevents forest fire

An off-duty firefighter stopped what could have become a sizeable forest fire by extinguishing a barn fire that he encountered on his way home, a local fire station said Monday. Lt. Han Jeong-hyeon of the Hwacheon Fire Station was driving home at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday when he saw smoke rising near a mountain in Sinbuk-eup of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The 42-year-old firefighter headed toward the site, where he found an senior man trying to extinguish a fire in his barn. The elder man w

Social AffairsAug. 27, 2024

PM urges nurses, medical workers to call off planned strike

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday urged nurses and medical workers nationwide to call off a strike planned for this week, saying the government is doing everything it can to improve their working conditions. Han issued the appeal during a government meeting convened to address the strike planned for Thursday. The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union, which has some 30,000 nurses and medical workers at 61 hospitals as members, voted in favor of the strike Saturday, demanding an impr

PoliticsAug. 27, 2024

Trump demands NATO allies spend at least 3 percent of GDP on defense

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday called on member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to spend at least 3 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on their defense, calling the current 2 percent guideline "the steal of the century." The former president's remarks added to speculation that should he return to the White House, he could put pressure on South Korea to increase its financial contributions to the stationing of the 28,500-stro

Foreign AffairsAug. 27, 2024