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Arms agency hold talks on Surion helicopter exports to Iraq during arms fair
South Korea's arms procurement agency said Wednesday it has taken part in a defense exhibition in Iraq and held talks with Iraqi military officials over exports of the South's Surion helicopters. Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration visited the Middle Eastern country for the International Defense Exhibition from Saturday through Tuesday to promote South Korean weapons systems, according to the agency. In a meeting with Iraq's Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed Al-Abbasi, D
April 23, 2025 -
Man kills 1 injures 1 in unprovoked knife attack in store, says 'doctor tried to harm me'
A man in his 30s launched an apparently unprovoked knife attack in a Seoul store Tuesday evening, killing a woman and injuring another, police said Wednesday. The suspect, who had been hospitalized with a finger fracture, went into a store in Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul at around 6 p.m. Footage from a security camera installed outside the store showed a woman fleeing the premises and the suspect running after her about 10 minutes later, catching her and stabbing her again. The victim, a 60-someth
April 23, 2025 -
Democratic Party's presidential contenders to hold another public debate for primary race
Three presidential contenders of the Democratic Party were set to hold their second public debate Wednesday, four days before the party plans to pick its candidate for the June 3 presidential election. The debate will bring together former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and Kim Kyung-soo, a former South Gyeongsang Province governor. During the 90-minute debate, the candidates will present their visions in key areas, including politics, the economy, di
April 23, 2025 -
S. Korea, UAE agree on joint pursuit of overseas nuclear power projects
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to pursue joint nuclear power projects abroad as part of broader bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The agreement was reached during a high-level consultation on nuclear cooperation between the two countries, held Tuesday in Abu Dhabi and led by South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun and UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei. The consultation was launched in 2018 to discus
April 23, 2025 -
Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for late pope open until Sat.; Mass set for Thu.
Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for the late Pope Francis will remain open to the general public until Saturday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea has said. In Seoul, the public has been welcomed to pay their respects since 3 p.m. Tuesday at memorial altars at the Apostolic Nunciature and in the underground chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral. The CBCK will not hold an official national memorial Mass. Instead, individual dioceses have set up their own memorial altars and will hold memor
April 23, 2025 -
S. Korea, China set for maritime talks amid tensions over steel structures in Yellow Sea
South Korea and China were set to hold a working-level maritime dialogue in Seoul on Wednesday, diplomatic sources said, as tensions are building up over a set of steel structures Beijing has installed in their overlapping waters in the Yellow Sea. The talks come after the two countries engaged in a standoff in February in the Provisional Maritime Zone near South Korea's southwest coast, when Chinese authorities blocked a South Korean ship from inspecting a steel structure China installed in the
April 23, 2025 -
Rubio announces State Dept. reorganization plan reducing human rights-related offices
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday unveiled a State Department reorganization plan that includes a reduction of offices related to democracy and human rights, as he seeks to ensure the department is aligned with President Donald Trump's America First policy. The department's proposed organizational chart showed the removal of the under secretary post for civilian security, democracy and human rights and the creation of a new post -- the coordinator for foreign assistance and humanitari
April 23, 2025 -
PPP primary race down to final 4 contenders
The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday evening announced the four contenders for the party nomination who are advancing to the second round of its primary process ahead of the June 3 presidential election. Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and ex-Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo were shortlisted by the party’s election management committee to continue competing in the primary. Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, North Gy
April 22, 2025 -
PPP shortlists 4 contenders for presidential election
The People Power Party on Tuesday shortlisted four contenders in the first round of its presidential primary, ahead of the June 3 election. The four candidates are former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, according to the party's election commission. The results were determined based on surveys conducted by five polling agencies from Monday to Tuesday, covering a combined total of 4,000 respondents. The PPP
April 22, 2025 -
Doctor sentenced to 16 years for drugging and sexually assaulting patients
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 16-year prison sentence for a doctor who illegally prescribed drugs and sexually assaulted multiple women while they were under anesthesia. The court confirmed a lower court’s ruling that sentenced the doctor, surnamed Yeom, to 16 years in prison and a 5 million won ($3,500) fine for violating the Narcotics Control Act and committing rape by intoxication. Yeom’s illegal prescription of narcotics came to light during an investigation into an August 2023 car a
April 22, 2025 -
Supreme Court takes up Lee Jae-myung’s case in full court session
The Supreme Court of Korea announced Tuesday that it will hear the election law violation case of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung before the "grand bench," moving the case to a full-court review. South Korea's top court started to examine the case Tuesday afternoon, discussing how the upcoming trial would proceed. The Supreme Court exercises its jurisdiction either as a full court, which is convened with more than two-thirds of the justices and the chief justice presiding, or in a p
April 22, 2025 -
Calls grow for resolving interfloor noise conflicts after Seoul apartment fire
Amid speculation that Monday’s apartment fire in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, may be linked to the arsonist’s ongoing disputes with neighbors over interfloor noise, criticism is mounting over the government’s inaction in preventing such conflicts from escalating into serious crimes. On Monday morning, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a 21-story apartment building in southern Seoul that left six residents injured and the suspected arsonist dead. The suspect, according to authorities, lived o
April 22, 2025 -
Acting president expects 'win-win' from US trade talks
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday he expected a "win-win" from the South Korean delegation's "trade consultation" with the United States, as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok flew to Washington Tuesday morning for the meeting. "Based on candid dialogue and cooperation between the economic and trade officials of the two countries, I expect (the bilateral consultation) to open the door to a win-win solution that would be mutually beneficial," Han
April 22, 2025 -
Seoul, Beijing to discuss China's unilateral construction in joint maritime zone
South Korea and China will discuss structures unilaterally built by Chinese authorities in their jointly managed maritime zone in the West Sea during a meeting in Seoul on Wednesday, as the issue has recently drawn renewed attention in Seoul. The structures installed by China in the Provisional Measures Zone without prior consultation with South Korea will be one of the key agenda items at the third meeting of the Korea-China Dialogue on Maritime Cooperation in Seoul, according to diplomatic sou
April 22, 2025 -
Government moves forward with legal groundwork for med school quota freeze
South Korea’s Education Ministry announced Tuesday it will revise a key decree to provide legal backing for its recent decision to freeze the number of medical school seats for the 2026 academic year at 3,058. This matches previous years' admissions quotas before the government’s now-shelved expansion plan, which sought to increase the number to 5,058. The proposed revision would allow university presidents to adjust their 2026 medical school admission quotas to the pre-expansion level of 3,058
April 22, 2025