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Govt. hints at talks on 2026 medical school quota; lifts trainee return restrictions
South Korea announced Friday that it was considering renegotiating the 2026 medical school admissions hike and would lift the regulation barring medical residents who resigned from returning to their training hospitals following their mass resignation, in hopes of alleviating the ongoing medical standoff. Thousands of trainee doctors have been absent from work since they resigned en masse last February, as the medical community continues to demand a reconsideration of the proposed increase in me
Jan. 10, 2025 -
Banana milk dethroned as foreigners’ favorite at CU convenience stores. Find out new winner
“Dubai-style chocolate” was the top-selling item among foreign nationals at CU convenience stores in 2024, said BGF Retail, the company behind South Korea’s largest convenience store chain. According to the firm’s analysis of tax refund sales data, approximately 20 billion won ($13.6 million) worth of the chocolate product was sold, surpassing the long-time favorite, banana-flavored milk from local food firm Binggrae. Indonesians led the purchases, accounting for 49 percent of total sales. What
Jan. 10, 2025 -
Frigid temperatures grip nation
The cold wave reached its peak on Friday, with temperatures in Gangwon and northern Gyeonggi provinces dropping to around minus 20 degrees Celsius. In Seoul, temperatures have already dipped to this winter's lowest at around minus 12 C, with the wind chill making it feel even more frigid. The cold wave is expected to persist through the weekend. Temperatures will remain below seasonal averages until Saturday before gradually rising to near-normal levels or slightly below starting Sunday. Accordi
Jan. 10, 2025 -
S. Korea launches digital ID cards for foreign residents
Foreign nationals residing in South Korea will be able to apply for digital residence cards from Friday, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. Foreign nationals aged 14 and above are eligible to use their smartphone to have their mobile identification cards issued. The digital ID carries the same legal validity as a physical card. According to the Interior Ministry, the digital copies of residence cards can be used in public institutions, hospitals and convenience stores. The governm
Jan. 10, 2025 -
President's chief bodyguard appears before police for questioning
The chief of South Korea's Presidential Security Service, Park Jong-joon, appeared for police questioning at 10 a.m. Friday, facing allegations of obstructing the execution of a court-ordered warrant to arrest suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan 3. In front of the National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency in Seoul, Park, who commands Yoon's bodyguards, claimed investigators attempting to carry out the warrant to arrest Yoon was “inappropriate.” “I be
Jan. 10, 2025 -
Govt. to provide initial allowance to families of plane crash victims
The government said Friday it will provide an initial allowance of 3 million won ($2,057) to the families of the Jeju Air plane crash victims. Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters that the "emergency living expense allowance" will be given the same day though the public fundraising period has not ended yet. "Emergency care is being provided flexibly by increasing the limit and scope of support in a way that helps
Jan. 10, 2025 -
Court again denies arrest warrant for shaman with alleged ties to Yoon
A Seoul court on Thursday again rejected an arrest warrant for a shaman reportedly close to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, who faces allegations of accepting illegal political funds nearly six years ago. The Seoul Southern District Court rejected the prosecution's request after a hearing attended by Jeon Seong-bae, the shaman, citing that there is room for legal dispute. The court had previously rejected the prosecution's request for his detention last month. Jeon is suspected of receivin
Jan. 9, 2025 -
Controversial election for nat'l football chief rescheduled for Jan. 23
A controversial election for the head of the national football governing body has been rescheduled for Jan. 23. The election management committee of the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced the new date on Thursday, a day after the election was supposed to have been held. On Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court granted an injunction filed by one of the three candidates, Huh Jung-moo, to halt the process over breaches of procedural rules. Huh, former head coach of the men's national te
Jan. 9, 2025 -
Yoon seeks injunction against warrant execution: lawyer
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s lawyers said Thursday they had filed for an injunction with the Constitutional Court that same day against a district court-approved warrant to detain the president. Yoon Kab-keun, one of Yoon’s legal representatives, insisted that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) does not have the authority to conduct an investigation over the alleged insurrection charges of the suspended president. The CIO leads the joint investigation team, which i
Jan. 9, 2025 -
Season's coldest wave hits S. Korea, temperatures dip below minus 10 C
Extreme cold expected to reach peak Friday The season’s coldest temperatures swept over South Korea on Thursday with a cold wave advisory issued in most parts of the country, as morning temperatures dipped below minus 10 degrees Celsius. The temperatures are likely to drop further on Friday morning. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a cold wave advisory took effect in most parts of the country on Thursday morning. As of 8 a.m., the lowest temperature in Seoul was recorded at
Jan. 9, 2025 -
Can you guess coldest place in South Korea?
Hint: It is some 830 meters above sea level and is notorious for icy winds As South Korea shivers through its coldest winter days, you might wonder: Where’s the chilliest spot in the country, and just how freezing does it get in January, the coldest month of the year? According to decades of meteorological data, the answer is Daegwallyeong Pass in Gangwon Province. Based on the Korea Meteorological Administration’s average January temperatures recorded from 1991 to 2020, Daegwallyeong, which is
Jan. 9, 2025 -
Ticket discounts, subsidies, free admission among gov’t Seollal policies
Discount train tickets, a 400,000 won ($274) subsidy for workers and free admission to state-run cultural sites are among the items on the government’s public livelihood support package tailored for the upcoming six-day Lunar New Year holidays. According to officials Thursday, the government and the ruling People Power Party decided on a 30-40 percent discount on all tickets for the high-speed KTX and SRT trains scheduled for Jan. 27-31 to support Koreans visiting their homes during one of the c
Jan. 9, 2025 -
'What Yoon attempted was a coup disguised as martial law’: scholars
South Korea’s constitutional scholars called President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration “a pro-government coup attempt to strengthen his own power,” arguing that it violated the Constitution and the Martial Law Act. Some 100 constitutional scholars, who formerly held positions at Constitution-related institutes or currently teach law at universities here, stressed the need to amend laws, including the Martial Law Act, and hold those responsible accountable to prevent similar incide
Jan. 9, 2025 -
2024 was S. Korea's hottest year on record: KMA
South Korea in 2024 experienced the hottest year since weather records were first kept 113 years ago, marking an all-time high in the average yearly temperature as well as the number of tropical nights observed, said the Korea Meteorological Administration on Thursday. According to the KMA, Korea’s yearly average temperature was 14.5 degrees Celsius in 2024, which is 2 C higher than the average temperature of previous years. The year 2024 also marked the second consecutive year in which high-tem
Jan. 9, 2025 -
What do young kids want to be when they grow up? Spoiler: It's not doctors
Over 40 percent of surveyed elementary school students aspire to work in the entertainment, culture and sports sector when they grow up, a joint report by local think tanks showed Thursday. A recent survey of 330 students between the fourth and sixth grade showed that 43.2 percent of respondents said they wanted to work in the field of "culture, art and sports" when they grow up, according to a report from the state-run Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and Seoul National Universitie
Jan. 9, 2025