MUSCAT, Oman -- Oman has seen a surge in voter turnout following the implementation of an electronic voting system Sunday, allowing its citizens to use mobile apps to cast ballots remotely for new members of Parliament. At the same time, the election has left Oman's powerful monarchy, headed by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, with room for further improvement in terms of civic engagement. Sunday's election recorded a 65.88 percent voter turnout, as nearly 500,000 out of the nation's 7

World News Oct. 31, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol met former President Park Geun-hye on Thursday at an event commemorating the anniversary of Park's father's death, in an apparent move to unite a conservative bloc reeling from low support ahead of the general elections in April. Yoon is the first Korean president to attend the memorial service to honor Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated in 1979 after a dictatorship spanning nearly two decades. The ceremony was held at 11 a.m. at the Seoul National Cemetery, where the f

Politics Oct. 26, 2023

In the aftermath of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, in October 2022, lawmakers here have raced to introduce new bills to prevent a recurrence of the disaster. A slew of problems surfaced in the wake of the unprecedented human crush that killed 159 people in the heart of South Korea's capital. For example, Korea had no legal basis to assign responsibility for safety during a large gathering that does not have a specific host. Moreover, there was no automated external defibrillator in th

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2023

The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday announced plans to deprive convicted child sex offenders of their rights to choose where to live after they are released from jail. The Justice Ministry will propose a new bill aimed at restricting the civil rights of convicted child sex offenders at a Cabinet meeting, following a legislative notice to collect public opinions beginning from Thursday. The government is looking to designate specific areas where those sentenced to 10 years or more for child sexual

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2023

South Korea's presidential office on Monday denied the notion that President Yoon Suk Yeol had sacked Kim Seung-hee, secretary to the president for protocol, in a hurried and preemptive manner to impede further truth-seeking. Yoon's office said in a written statement the presidential office was unaware of the accusation involving Kim's daughter and his alleged intervention until it was revealed in a parliamentary probe on Friday. According to reports, Kim's 9-year-old daughte

Politics Oct. 23, 2023

The South Korea Supreme Court has recently ruled that a stalker's actions that seemingly did not irritate the victim but were repeated should be considered as harassment if they came along with an instance of stalking. The ruling widened the spectrum of stalking by criminalizing the endangerment of stalking for the first time in Korea's judicial history. In the a September ruling, judgment of which was disclosed Friday, the Supreme Court handed down a 10-month prison sentence to a man on charges

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2023

The Korean National Police Agency has agreed to work with the United Nations Development Program to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, the UNDP said Thursday. The two signed the agreement during a bilateral meeting in Seoul, held at the margins of the International Police Summit 2023 hosted by the KNPA. Under the agreement, Korean police will share their experiences and expertise in addressing such crimes, according to the UNDP. The agreement aims to create a global policy env

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday vowed to address a health care service shortage in remote areas by empowering state-funded university hospitals outside of Seoul to improve the health care delivery system. While addressing the need to increase the number of doctors, the presidential office, however, did not announce a plan to increase the medical school quota amid opposition from doctors' advocacy groups. The government's rationale for expanding the medical school quota is that the

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has named Lee Jong-seok as the nominee for the President of the Constitutional Court of South Korea on Wednesday, according to Yoon's office. Lee is currently one of the nine justices at the Constitutional Court. He started his role there in 2018 and now has one year left in his term. Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki told reporters Wednesday that it had not yet been decided if the nomination of Lee means that his term as a justice would be extended. Both Yoon a

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed regret over Japanese leaders' visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which Seoul sees as a symbol of Japan's military aggression during its 1910-45 colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. The government urged Japanese leaders to "squarely face history" to break with militarism, which would mark a crucial step to pursuing the advancement of Seoul-Tokyo ties in the face of growing geopolitical uncertainties surrounding North Korea. "The go

Foreign Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

A total of 187 fatal occupational incidents involving E-9 foreign workers occurred during the period from 2021 until June, and only one company was banned from foreign hiring, data showed Tuesday. The company that was punished -- a marine industry employer -- received a three-year hiring ban as a result of criminal penalties, according to Labor Ministry data gathered by Rep. Lee Joo-hwan, a member of the ruling People Power Party. Of all 187 cases involving E-9 visa holders' occupational de

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2023

Sophisticated rental housing scams in South Korea incurred over 510 billion won ($376.5 million) in damages from January to July this year, with less than 25 percent of the damages retrieved, data showed Monday. According to police data compiled by Rep. Jeon Bong-min, a lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, the financial loss that 4,481 rental housing fraud victims across the nation suffered amounted to 510.5 billion won during the January-July period. The number of victims rose eightfold,

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2023

The ruling People Power Party's Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon is facing setbacks, following a significant by-election defeat in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, amid internal party turmoil with less than six months to go until the general election. Kim did not express his intention to step down from his position as the party chairman as of Sunday. Instead, Kim presided over an emergency party meeting Sunday, a day after he accepted the resignation of eight officials. The party's announcement ov

Politics Oct. 15, 2023

Imports of processed Japanese seafood and rice from regions near the disposal of the treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant to Korea are being overlooked, opposition lawmakers said Thursday, as Seoul only bans fresh seafood from the affected regions. Koreans could still unknowingly consume processed seafood from Fukushima and seven other nearby prefectures, as such products do not fall under the ban on fresh seafood from those areas, and are not labeled what prefecture they

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2023

Minister of Patriots Park Min-shik asked the Gwangju city government Wednesday to suspend its plan to build a park in memory of a Korean Chinese composer who fought against the South during the Korean War. Park said the ministry would issue a correction order to stop Gwangju authorities commemorating Zheng Lucheng if the city government fails to abide by its recommendation. Zheng, more commonly known as Jeong Yul-seong in South Korea, not only composed the anthem of the Chinese People's Lib

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2023