'Back to normal' among top New Year's wishes in Korea: survey

Nearly a quarter of people in South Korea who posted their New Year's wishes online cited hopes for a "peaceful everyday life," a trading platform said Wednesday, as political turmoil from recent martial law and the long-running medical strike continue to scorch locals. Karrot Market, a popular online trading platform for secondhand items, invited users to post what they wish to accomplish in 2025 between Dec. 31 last year and Sunday. The most popular answer was "health," picked by 45.5 percent

Jan. 8, 2025

[Graphic News] Number of singles over 40 jumps sixfold in 2 decades

The proportion of unmarried individuals in their 40s grew 6.7 times for men and 5.7 times for women in 2020 compared to 20 years earlier, a government report showed, underscoring the trend of marrying later or not at all, which some blame for South Korea’s ultralow birth rate. The growing trend is attributed to people marrying later and a rise in lifelong singlehood, according to the annual social report by Statistics Korea. The report offers insights into the status of Korean society and key tr

Jan. 8, 2025

S. Korea, US begin analysis of crashed plane's black box

South Korea and the United States have begun an analysis of the crashed Jeju Air plane's flight data recorder, and their joint investigation team is speeding up a probe of key components of the wreckage, including engines and main wings, at the crash site, a top government official here said Wednesday. Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong made the remarks at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, vowing to conduct an objective and fair investigation into the cau

Jan. 8, 2025

Army commanders jailed over recruit's death in training

The company commander and deputy company commander of the Army's recruit training center were sentenced to five and three years in prison, respectively, for ordering unauthorized disciplinary drills that led to the death of a trainee. In its first-trial verdict on Tuesday, the Chuncheon District Court in Gangwon Province found the defendants guilty, acknowledging a direct link between their actions and the death of the trainee, surnamed Park. The court added that the abnormal military training d

Jan. 7, 2025

Conflict escalates over Assembly’s withdrawal of Yoon’s insurrection charge

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal representatives called Tuesday for his impeachment to be thrown out over the exclusion of a charge for insurrection, while the National Assembly’s impeachment committee continued to defend the move. The committee told the Constitutional Court Friday it would withdraw the insurrection charge from the grounds of impeachment so the justices can expedite the trial. The trial should focus on constitutional violations, rather than delving into specific offenses under cr

Jan. 7, 2025

Seoul education chief backs move to make AI textbooks optional

Superintendent Jung Keun-sik of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education voiced support for the National Assembly's decision to downgrade the use of AI digital textbooks to optional instead of mandatory. In a New Year's press briefing Tuesday, Jung addressed the issue, which has sparked debate across South Korea. The initiative to introduce artificial intelligence-based textbooks was a landmark effort in the education sector here, drawing global attention over whether South Korea would become

Jan. 7, 2025

Residents, commuters stressed by rallies near Yoon's residence

Seoul city to request stricter police measures for protests occupying roads Protesters have been rallying in front of the presidential residence to support or block authorities from carrying out the warrant to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol in recent days. But the protests have started to bother residents of Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, where the presidential residence is located, as well as workers used to commuting through the area. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday tha

Jan. 7, 2025

70% of Koreans 'stressed out' by prolonged conflict between doctors, government

About 70 percent of surveyed Koreans feel fatigue and stressed out by the prolonged medical strike in the country, while more than half felt the country does not have enough doctors, a survey showed Tuesday. Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health recently conducted a survey of 1,000 adults across the country for their perception on the government’s medical reform plans, which centers on a contentious plan to expand medical staffing by increasing the enrollment quota at medi

Jan. 7, 2025

People with criminal records to be barred from working in delivery service

Individuals with serious criminal records will face employment restrictions in online delivery services, such as Baemin and Coupang Eats, as well as in taxi services for disabled people, the transport ministry said Tuesday. Under the revised enforcement ordinances of transportation and services acts approved by the Cabinet, those with criminal records, including sex and drug offenders, will be denied a job in the sectors for up to 20 years following their release from prison or termination of pe

Jan. 7, 2025

Jeju Air to cut 188 intl. flights from Busan, finalize Q1 operational reduction plan this week

Jeju Air Co., the embattled low-cost carrier facing intense scrutiny over a recent aircraft crash that claimed 179 lives, said Tuesday it plans to cut 188 international flights departing from Busan in the first quarter, with a total operational reduction plan to be finalized this week. Following the tragic Dec. 29 crash, Jeju Air announced plans to cut flight operations by 10-15 percent by March to enhance operational safety. According to the company, flights from Busan, South Korea's southeaste

Jan. 7, 2025

Top military officer discusses cooperation with NATO counterpart

South Korea's top military officer held phone talks with his counterpart at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday and discussed ways to expand military cooperation, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. In their phone conversation, JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee, reaffirmed their principle of opposing attempts to change the status quo by force and concurred on the need to expand cooperation to sustain a rules-bas

Jan. 6, 2025

Nuclear envoys of South Korea, US, Japan discuss NK missile launch over phone

The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned North Korea's latest missile launch in their phone talks Monday, vowing close coordination against any future provocations by the recalcitrant regime. Lee Jun-il, director general for Korean Peninsula policy, discussed the North's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Seth Bailey and Akihiro Okochi, respectively, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The South's military said th

Jan. 6, 2025

South Korea becomes 1st Asian country to join Horizon Europe

South Korea has become the first Asian country to join Horizon Europe, the world's largest multilateral research and innovation (R&I) funding program, Seoul's science ministry said Monday. The nation officially began participating in Horizon Europe as an associated member on Jan. 1, becoming the first Asian and the third country from outside of Europe to join the program, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. Previously, New Zealand and Canada joined the program with a budget of 95.5 bil

Jan. 6, 2025

What stopped a Korean mall fire from turning into a deadly catastrophe

When the fire broke out and rapidly spread, there were hundreds inside the building, including elementary students taking swimming lessons When a fire erupted Friday in a bustling commercial building near Yatap Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, it had all the makings of a deadly tragedy. The flames, which started in the kitchen of a restaurant on the first floor, quickly spread up the building’s exterior, spewing thick black smoke. Yet, more than 300 people escaped safely or were rescued b

Jan. 6, 2025

Woman exonerated after wrongful conviction for murdering father in 2000

A 47-year-old woman was cleared of a patricide charge in a retrial Monday, after spending nearly 25 years behind bars for the murder of her father that she was found not to have committed. The Haenam branch of the Gwangju District Court found Kim Shin-hye not guilty of murdering her father and disposing of his body in 2000, citing a lack of evidence and unclear motive for the defendant to commit the crime. It pointed out that Kim's confession in the investigation, which had been the focal point

Jan. 6, 2025