Trilateral talks open on Korea-Japan-China meeting

Two-day working- and senior-level talks among South Korea, Japan and China kicked off on Monday, as the three nations prepare to resume their meeting this year, after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chung Byung-won, South Korea’s deputy foreign minister, is set to meet with Takehiro Funakoshi and Nong Rong, his Japanese and Chinese counterparts, respectively, on Tuesday, following separate working-level meetings between Seoul and Tokyo, as well as Seoul and Beijing on Mond

Foreign AffairsSept. 25, 2023

Court jails man for using AI to make sexual images of minors for the first time

A man in his 40s has been sentenced to prison for producing child pornography using an artificial intelligence image generator for the first time in Korea, local media reported Monday. According to reports, the man was sentenced to 2 1/2 years on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth. The accused created a total of 360 sexually explicit images on an image-generating AI program installed on a laptop in April with commands including "10 years old," "nu

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

19 Koreans murdered overseas from Jan.-June

Nearly 7,300 South Korean nationals were victims of accidents or crimes in other countries during the first half of this year, with 19 of them murdered, data showed Monday. Data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reveals that a total of 7,294 Korean nationals were victims of accidents or crimes while overseas during the 6-month period from January to June this year, marking an approximate 44 percent on-year increase. This rise comes as Korea saw a more than sevenfold on-year increas

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Honoring Korean descendants who fought for their legal rights

Until the 1970s, blatant forms of discrimination against foreign nationals existed in Japan. For example, non-Japanese citizens were banned from entering law school regardless of their qualifications or if they had passed the bar exam, and many ethnic minorities were denied permanent residence, forcing them to reapply for permission to live in Japan every three years. Kim Kyong-duk, a Korean descendant born and raised in Japan, passed the Japanese bar exam in 1976. He was offered the chance to b

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

Growth hormone treatment for children spiking in Korea

The number of adolescents receiving growth hormone therapy is increasing rapidly, with the number for the first half of the year already surpassing that of last year. According to data released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on Sept. 22, 25,900 adolescents received growth hormone therapy in the first half of this year. This figure was 25,300 last year, which was about double the number recorded in 2020. Growth hormone therapy is prescribed following precise diagnoses throu

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Holding CEOs accountable for lack of internal financial control

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies Proposed by Rep. Yoon Han-hong (People Power Party) ● The frequent occurrence of financial accidents has raised the need for financial companies to strengthen the monitoring of their internal control system. To ensure financial companies operate an effective internal control system, this amendment establishes an internal control committee under the board of directors to strengthen the board's responsibilit

PoliticsSept. 25, 2023

N.Korea blasts Yoon for denouncing military ties with Russia at UN

North Korea released scathing criticism filled with abusive language on Monday in response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's denunciation of internationally prohibited, potential military transactions between Moscow and Pyongyang during his speech at the UN General Assembly. South Korea, however, has opted to disregard the criticism, considering it unworthy of a response. North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, primarily oriented toward an international audience, re

North KoreaSept. 25, 2023

Political strife may delay Korea’s launch of new space agency

The plan to establish South Korea’s new space body inspired by the US' NASA, called the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) before the end of the year is now apparently off the table, as lawmakers have yet to find the middle ground for KASA’s legislation. The lawmakers of the Science ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee announced on Sept. 5 that they would set up an agenda coordination committee to conduct a series of meetings to come to a conclusion for the special

PoliticsSept. 25, 2023

Yoon's approval rating edges up after 6-day trip to New York

President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized his diplomatic outreach with 47 heads of state during his trip to New York last week and amplified commitments to boost government assistance at a Cabinet meeting Monday. These diplomatic efforts are expected to lay a cornerstone for enhancing energy infrastructure using atomic and hydrogen power in countries vulnerable to climate change and boosting the international community's access to digital infrastructure, he said. During the livestreamed meeting,

PoliticsSept. 25, 2023

Military out to stern rise in drug use

Drug-related crimes have increased in South Korea’s military according to data that shows a consistent rise in the number of cases inside the barracks in recent years. According to a local news report on Friday, a sergeant first class in the Army was caught purchasing birth control pills containing methamphetamine in March 2019 but was handed a suspended prosecution disposition from the military prosecutor’s office. In April, six soldiers stationed in a division in Yeoncheon, Gyeongg

DefenseSept. 25, 2023

Over half of Koreans want continuous strengthening of alliance with US: poll

More than half of South Koreans are of the opinion that the nation's alliance with the United States should continue to be strengthened, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,238 people aged 18 and older conducted by Gallup Korea from Sept. 4-8, 91.6 percent said the bilateral alliance is important and the majority, 53.7 percent, responded that it should be continuously strengthened. Another 24.9 percent said the alliance should be continuously maintained, whereas only 18.1 percent said it

Foreign AffairsSept. 25, 2023

S. Korea, US stage joint naval drills in East Sea amid NK threats

South Korea and the United States kicked off a combined naval exercise in the East Sea on Monday to reinforce readiness against growing military threats from North Korea, the Navy said. The three-day exercise involved nine vessels and two patrol aircraft from the two sides, including two South Korean submarines, the ROKS Yulgok Yi I destroyer, the USS Shoup Aegis-equipped destroyer and the USS Robert Smalls cruiser, the Navy said. The Navy said the anti-submarine warfare and live-fire drills wer

DefenseSept. 25, 2023

[Graphic News] Death toll from industrial disasters falls nearly 10% during H1

The number of deaths caused by serious industrial accidents at workplaces in the first half of the year dropped nearly 10 percent from a year ago, a government report said. A total of 289 workers died from January to June, marking a drop of 9.1 percent, or 29 people, from 318 on-duty deaths of workers in the previous year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The number of industrial accident cases also declined 5.6 percent, or 17 cases, compared to a year ago, recording 284 cases

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

Yoon pushes for Xi’s visit to firm up ties with China

The presidential office said Sunday that it will lead efforts to facilitate a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a day after the Chinese leader said he will “seriously consider it” during talks with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held on the sidelines of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The dialogue, which took place hours ahead of the games’ opening ceremony, centered on bolstering exchanges, an agreement reached earlier this month when President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Chi

PoliticsSept. 24, 2023

Govt. to survey spending on private education of preschoolers, Suneung retakers

South Korea's official data on parental spending for their children's education has long faced criticism for overlooking two significant aspects: expenditures prior to the commencement of public education and those occurring after its completion. To address these concerns and better assess the financial burden on parents, the Ministry of Education plans to look into the cost of “private education” of preschool children and high school graduates who are studying to retake th

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] The making of Korean language textbooks featuring BTS

In response to the growing international demand for learning the Korean language, the South Korean Education Ministry took a proactive step in 2021 by creating a government-managed Korean language education curriculum. Prior to the central government's involvement, the selection and distribution of language courses and textbooks were primarily handled by local Korean language education centers. This led to concerns about the lack of structured content that could cater to the diverse languag

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2023

Korea’s parental leave benefits lag behind OECD average

Korea's parental leave benefits average at 44.6 percent of actual wages, placing it near the bottom of the list among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations, data revealed Sunday. Although the country offers an extended parental leave period, the actual utilization rate remains low, with especially adverse impacts on low-income workers, the data showed. In Korea, workers insured for more than 180 days can take up to a year of parental leave to care for ch

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2023

Russian top diplomat to visit NK, accuses US of fueling tensions on Korean Peninsula

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced plans for an October visit to Pyongyang following the North Korea-Russia summit earlier this month, intensifying speculation about increased military cooperation between the two nations. "In accordance with the decision of (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we will arrange my talks in Pyongyang, which may indeed take place next month," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency TASS during a

Foreign AffairsSept. 24, 2023

2m Koreans opt out of life-extending treatments

Nearly two million individuals in Korea have formally declined life-extending medical interventions, choosing instead to prioritize their right to die with dignity when suffering from a terminal condition, data showed Sunday. Data from the National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment reveals that as of the end of August, 1,941,231 people have filed an advance health care directive to abstain from life-saving medical assistance since the system's inception in February 2018. Wo

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2023

Gangwon Forestry Exhibition opens in Korea's 'forest capital'

The Gangwon Forestry Exhibition 2023 kicked off on Friday around Gangwon Province's Seoraksan National Park, including the areas of Sokcho, Yangyang, Goseong and Inje. Under the theme of “Seeking the Future of the World and Mankind in the Forest,” the exposition showcases the strong connections between the forest and humanity. The GFE 2023 is the first forestry exposition in Korea. It includes diverse exhibitions, performances and academic conferences related to forestry. The

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2023