South Korea's top prosecutor on Monday pledged to stamp out drug-related crimes as Seoul seeks to impose increase capital punishment sentences for drug offenders who target minors The prosecution's proposal will be tabled at the Sentencing Commission of the Supreme Court of Korea in June, according to the commission dedicated to sentencing guidelines on Monday. If approved, the death sentence or...

South Korea's continued noncompliance with the Hague Abduction Convention designed to prevent the international abduction of children by a parent might pressure the Yoon Suk Yeol administration which seeks to bolster ties with the US, a lawmaker said Friday. The continued failure of Seoul to enforce the return of children to the US in international abduction cases could spark diplomatic trouble ...

A growing number of parents around the world are recording the lives of their children and posting them on social media to cherish and proudly share their kids' most precious moments. But from the perspective of the children, such practices often lead to the unwanted exposure of their identities on the internet. South Korea has been working to create legal frameworks to ensure children's rights ...

The space is part of the 2.43-square-kilometer site used for Yongsan Garrison. Under the military base relocation agreement signed between Korea and the US in 2004, the US began the process of returning of the site in 2020. It has since returned over 30 percent of the total. Last year, the US returned 584,000 square meters of land -- or 24 percent -- to the South Korean government, including the ...

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it has turned down a request to hold a pride parade in July to advocate for the social acceptance and rights of sexual minorities at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul. The organizing committee of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival on Wednesday was denied permission to use Seoul Plaza to hold the event on July 1. The Seoul Plaza event was to be a part of a...

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday plans to spend 414.6 billion won ($309.8 million) in the next four years until 2026 to improve children's well-being in South Korea's capital city. The budget will be used to increase children's playtime; spread the culture of respecting children's rights; help children shape their future careers; fight the digital divide among children; ensu...

The prosecutors see Song as an accomplice in violation of the Political Parties Act and the Political Funds Act. In April, voice recordings of Democratic Party members alleged that at least 94 million won ($70,100) in cash was distributed to party members through Song's aides without proper bookkeeping. Illegal fundraising for election campaigns during a party convention is deemed a criminal ac...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to represent South Korea at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III on Saturday as part of his weeklong trip to Europe, the prime minister's office said Tuesday. Han was invited to the coronation ceremony of Charles, which will take place at Westminster Abbey in London. At the age of 73, Charles will officially succeed his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who pas...

South Korea's Justice Ministry announced Friday plans to ease visa requirements in an apparent move to attract more Chinese tour groups. Starting Sunday, a group of three or more composed of Chinese primary or secondary students and at least one adult leading the group will be permitted to travel to Korea without visas for up to 30 days, as long as they get approval from Korea's consular offices...

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea elected Rep. Park Kwang-on as its new party floor leader at its general meeting of lawmakers on Friday. Known for his dovish approach to balancing divisions within the party, the lawmaker representing the Suwon-jeong electoral district earned more than half of the total 169 votes of the Democratic Party lawmakers registered at the National Assembly. ...

The percentage of children from multicultural families entering university has sharply fallen behind the total figure for all kids in South Korea, data showed Thursday. As of 2021, 4 in 10 multicultural kids were admitted to higher education institutions, according to data suggested by the Prime Minister's Office. This showed a contrast from the nationwide general figure, as over 70 percent of K...

Kim's unique role has been emphasized by her media presence since the start of President Yoon Suk Yeol's term in May 2022. During an earlier state visit to Japan in March, Kim made Japanese sweets with Japanese first lady Yuko Kishida to signal the possible expansion of cultural exchanges between Seoul and Tokyo. She also met Japanese architect Tadao Ando to discuss possible collaboration in an ...

Hankook Steel & Mill's co-Chief Executive Officer was sentenced to one year in prison Wednesday for his failure to prevent an outsourced employee's death at an industrial site. The 69-year-old surnamed Sung, who led the company alongside Ha Jong-sik, was the first individual in South Korea to be sent to prison for the failure to ensure workplace safety. The worker was in his 60s when he was kil...

Chaos and fear gripped South Korean evacuees on their return home, a journey which was not easy. Kim Hyun-wook, a 32-year-old international aid worker, was in the middle of the crossfire for the past 10 days until the South Korean government reached out to him as part of a rescue operation that ended Tuesday. At first, Kim thought he could stay safe inside his home in Sudan, although he heard t...

A group of 28 South Korean nationals returned home from strife-torn Sudan on Tuesday afternoon, as part of a five-day evacuation operation that involved cooperation with the US, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The group aboard a KC-330 multirole tanker aircraft arrived at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at 3:57 p.m. South Korea was the first country in Asia to have com...