Police retract plan to ease school zone speed limit during nighttime

Police said Wednesday it will maintain the number of school zones on a trial run with a relaxed speed limit at night, in an about-face of its earlier announcement that it will apply the same rule across the country starting next month. The abrupt retraction came only a day after the police said the school zone speed limit will be eased to up to 50 kilometers per hour from the current 30 kph during the night and early morning hours, and it will be applied nationwide. "The school zone speed

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Military prosecution seeks arrest warrant for ex-Marine investigator over alleged insubordination

The military prosecution said Wednesday it filed for an arrest warrant for a senior Marine officer over allegations he disobeyed an order from the defense minister in relation to an internal probe into last month's death of a young soldier. Col. Park Jung-hun is accused of handing over the probe findings on the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who died while on a search mission for missing people during downpours, to the civilian police despite Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's order to hold

DefenseAug. 30, 2023

Missile warning operations for allies priority for US Space Forces Korea

OSAN AIR BASE, Gyeonggi Province – The newly established United States Space Forces Korea has taken up the vital role of being the watchful eye and strategic compass of the US military and South Korea, the deputy commander said Wednesday. The essential responsibility is carried out through the operation of cutting-edge space assets, which facilitate the adept tracking of adversary activities in times of peace and the precise identification and targeting of an enemy in the event of continge

DefenseAug. 30, 2023

S. Korea, Japan, China to hold high-level meeting

South Korea, Japan and China will soon convene a high-level meeting to discuss the resumption of their suspended leader-level talks, ending the four-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as Seoul looks for better ties with Beijing. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Wednesday it is looking into dates with its Japanese and Chinese counterparts, in response to reports that the meeting laying ground work for the trilateral summit will take place in late September. The ministry has said pre

Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2023

S.Korea's fertility rate marks record low in Q2 of 2023

South Korea's fertility rate has dropped to a record-low 0.70 in the second quarter of 2023, according to the latest government report, in yet another stark indicator of the deepening demographic crisis in a nation already grappling with the world's lowest birth rate. According to the monthly demographic and census report released on Wednesday by Statistics Korea, the country's statistics body, there were 56,087 newborn babies in the second quarter, a 6.8 percent drop from the sam

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Language war emerges in Korea over Fukushima water disposal

A row has broken out in South Korea over how to describe the water being discharged from the crippled nuclear power plant in Japan’s Fukushima. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea says the water from the plant is “nuclear waste,” while the ruling People Power Party would rather call it “treated wastewater,” as does the International Atomic Energy Agency. The People Power Party on Wednesday said that the wastewater from Fukushima, while still slightly radio

PoliticsAug. 30, 2023

Bill seeks more legal protection for police use of force

After a series of seemingly random stabbings swept across South Korea in the past month, a bill was proposed on Wednesday to reduce liability for police officers when they use force at certain crime scenes. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling People Power Party said he would introduce a bill to reduce liability for police officers should they cause harm to another individual while engaging in physical interactions with offenders if there is no intent or gross negligence on the part of the officer.

PoliticsAug. 30, 2023

S. Korea hits reset on Saemangeum basic plan after Jamboree debacle

  Proposals to develop the Saemangeum, a reclaimed tidal flat area in North Jeolla Province, have been sent back to the drawing board after the projects' budget for next year has shrunk by nearly 80 percent compared to this year. Plans by 2030 to build an airport, a sea port and highways, among other infrastructure facilities, as part of the basic plan running through 2050 on the site, which is two-thirds the size of Seoul, are to be "completely overhauled," officials said. It cam

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Pet salon's handling of dog sparks abuse claims

A controversy has opened up over whether a dog was abused at a pet grooming salon in Wonju, Gangwon Province. Animal protection group Korea Animal Rights Advocates said on social media on July 29 that they analyzed CCTV footage from the salon and found evidence of the owner using a leash to inflict pain on the dog, named Gibok. KARA asserted it was an act of animal abuse. The footage shows a man, who appears to be associated with the salon, dragging Gibok using a leash for about 20 minutes. Gibo

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

South Korea's first lady backs dog meat ban

First lady Kim Keon Hee said she would work with animal activists until the dog meat industry was eradicated in Korea, continuing her campaign to promote awareness of animal rights. "We all know how we came forward today with a heart filled with sadness and urgency. Here, all of you are giving everything to save these small lives, but there are animals out there dying so cruelly and unbearably that it's truly hard to watch," she said as she appeared at a press conference held by l

PoliticsAug. 30, 2023

Korea ends free COVID-19 testing

As South Korea reclassifies COVID-19 to the same category as the seasonal flu starting Thursday, coronavirus tests will still be available, but will no longer be free of charge to everyone, health authorities said Wednesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has announced that COVID-19 will go down from class 2 to class 4, the lowest infectious disease category, bringing changes to state policies that have provided COVID-19 testing for free and discounted medical benefits for more

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Korea’s first future innovation university to open next month

Taejae University, South Korea’s first future innovation university, is set to open with 32 students on Monday. The college is a benchmark of US-based Minerva University, an online institution with no home campus that requires every student to travel to seven countries to complete their degree. It is also Korea’s second four-year accredited cyber college, following only Konyang Cyber University, which launched its program in 2012. Students at Taejae University will start their first

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Banning kids from department store resting area discriminatory: NHRC

The National Human Rights Commission said Wednesday that banning a child below 10 years old from a department store’s VIP resting area discriminates against children. The state human rights watchdog ruled that restricting children under 10 in such spaces based on age is not legitimate, citing Article 11 of the Constitution, which guarantees “equality for all citizens.” In March last year, a mother of a 100-day-old child filed a petition to the NHRC after she was denied entry in

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Overseas Korean teens explore their roots in K-Diaspora

Overseas Korean teens whose families originate from North Gyeongsang Province on Monday visited the provincial government and Hahoe Folk Village in Andong as part of K-Diaspora, a program for people of Korean ethnicity living overseas to explore their Korean roots. According to K-Diaspora, there are over 7.5 million overseas Koreans living in over 193 countries, and those between the ages of nine and 24 number about 2 million. Forty-four teens from the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, South Africa

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2023

Gov't asks prosecution to probe 375 people in renewable energy corruption during Moon administration

The government has requested the prosecution to investigate an additional 375 people for their alleged involvement in illegal activities related to renewable energy projects during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, including the installation of solar panels, officials said Wednesday. The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under the Prime Minister's Office, earlier revealed the findings of a nationwide investigation into corruption allegations surrounding the allocation of sub

PoliticsAug. 30, 2023

Outcome of S. Korea, US, Japan summit represents strong commitment of equal, powerful countries: Campbell

The outcome of the historic trilateral summit held at Camp David earlier this month represents the strong commitment of three equal and powerful countries that are focused on promoting peace and security throughout their shared region, a senior White House official said Tuesday. Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, also highlighted the countries' commitment to institutionalize their three-way cooperation. "I thought what was on display in Camp

DefenseAug. 30, 2023

US remains open to dialogue with N. Korea; White House

The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea, a White House spokesperson said Tuesday, after North Korea's reclusive leader called US President Joe Biden and his South Korean, Japanese counterparts "gang bosses." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a "nuclear war" during his recent visit to the North

DefenseAug. 30, 2023

Yoon meets with US senator to discuss bilateral ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on Tuesday and discussed ways to develop bilateral ties, his office said. During their meeting at the presidential office, Yoon said South Korea and the United States are optimal economic cooperation partners sharing the common values of freedom and democracy, which can combine the US' competitiveness in technology and South Korea's competitiveness in manufacturing, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written briefin

Foreign AffairsAug. 29, 2023

Yoon meets with UAE official to discuss bilateral ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with a visiting United Arab Emirates official Tuesday and discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties, his office said. During the meeting with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, over lunch, Yoon once again expressed his gratitude for the UAE's hospitality during his state visit to the country in January, according to the presidential office. Yoon said the bilateral relationship has developed rapidly in the past y

Foreign AffairsAug. 29, 2023

Yoon says 'communist totalitarian forces' will not stop attempt to disturb free society

President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for achieving inter-Korean reunification based on a firm belief in liberal democracy, saying "communist totalitarian forces" will not stop their attempt to disturb free society. Yoon made the remark during a meeting with new leaders of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential body that helps establish and implement bipartisan policies on democratic and peaceful unification. "Communist totalitarian forces, the forces that blin

PoliticsAug. 29, 2023