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Woman drugs estranged husband with own depression medication
South Korean police said Thursday that they have referred the case of a 36-year-old woman suspected of assaulting her estranged husband to the prosecution. The woman, a Vietnamese national, allegedly drugged the 62-year-old man using her own prescribed medication for depression. The suspect, who is currently undergoing divorce proceedings with the victim, visited his home on April 23 to see their children. During the visit, she allegedly crushed three depression pills into a fine powder and mixe
May 8, 2025 -
Ex-PM Han urges PPP candidate to keep promise to merge candidacies
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo on Thursday to "keep his promise" to unify their candidacies ahead of the June 3 presidential election. Han, who is running as an independent in the race, spoke to reporters shortly after Kim held a press conference to denounce the PPP leadership for its pressure to merge campaigns. "Someone who does not keep his promise to unify is showing a big discourtesy and disrespect to the people who are concer
May 8, 2025 -
N. Korea holds economic talks with Belarus, hopes for 'vibrant' cooperation: KCNA
North Korea and Belarus have held economic talks in Pyongyang as the North has expected "vibrant" bilateral cooperation and exchanges, state media reported Thursday. A government delegation from Belarus, led by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko, arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to attend the third meeting of the intergovernmental joint committee for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. North Korea and Belarus held sectoral economic talks Wednesday to discuss ways to promote
May 8, 2025 -
Police to be placed on highest alert on election day
Police will enforce the highest-level security alert nationwide on the upcoming presidential election day, June 3, the nation's top police official said Thursday. Lee Ho-young, acting chief of the Korean National Police Agency, issued the order during an online conference with top police officials, saying the police will respond sternly to election crimes. Lee emphasized efforts to ensure that the June 3 election will be held more fairly and stably than any previous election through tight securi
May 8, 2025 -
S. Korean envoy berates N. Korea for 'brazenly' accelerating illicit activities absent U.N. expert panel
South Korea's top envoy to the UN accused North Korea on Wednesday of having "brazenly" accelerated its illegal activities after a UN expert panel monitoring sanctions enforcement on the recalcitrant regime was disbanded a year ago. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook made the remarks during a UN Security Council meeting that was convened to take stock of what has happened since the UN panel of experts was disbanded in April last year following Russia's veto of a resolution for an annual extension of the
May 8, 2025 -
Arms agency upgrades warship defense system against missiles
The state arms procurement agency said Thursday it has upgraded a self-defense system for warships as part of efforts to strengthen their defense capabilities against incoming missiles. The Multi Ammunition Softkill System is designed to protect warships from anti-ship missiles by launching decoys that emit smoke and mimic signals similar to that of the defending vessel, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The system recently underwent various upgrades so that it can lau
May 8, 2025 -
Kim Moon-soo urges PPP to stop pushing consolidation with Han Duck-soo
Kim Moon-soo, the presidential nominee of the conservative People Power Party, on Thursday urged the party leadership to stop pressuring him to unify his candidacy with Han Duck-soo, who resigned as prime minister and acting president last week to launch his own presidential bid. In a press conference held Thursday morning in Yeouido, Seoul, Kim said he would not participate in a televised debate scheduled for later that afternoon, calling it "a debate unilaterally arranged by the party." He acc
May 8, 2025 -
Trump govt. to revoke Biden-era AI chip export restrictions: report
US President Donald Trump's administration will rescind Biden-era restrictions on advanced artificial intelligence chip exports, a Commerce Department spokesperson was quoted as saying Wednesday, as it seeks to replace them with a much simpler rule. Reuters reported that it plans to revoke the Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion, which was issued by former President Joe Biden's government in January. It is meant to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its alli
May 8, 2025 -
US experts call for Trump govt. to pursue 'stable coexistence' with N. Korea in policy shift
US experts have proposed that President Donald Trump's administration reorient America's policy toward North Korea to pursue "stable coexistence," as they stressed adherence to a strategy of denuclearization and stronger deterrence has led to a state of "dangerous coexistence." Ankit Panda, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Frank Aum, former senior Pentagon adviser, made the proposal in a report released Tuesday, noting that it is now clear that applying pressu
May 8, 2025 -
US Fed leaves key interest rate unchanged, cites greater economic uncertainty amid Trump's tariffs
The US Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate steady for the third consecutive time on Wednesday, pointing to heightened economic uncertainty and increased risks of higher inflation in the midst of President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy. Following the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced a decision to keep the key rate at the 4.25-4.50 percent range, as it is taking a wait-and-see stance to monitor and assess the impact of Trump's new tar
May 8, 2025 -
N. Korea fires ballistic missile into East Sea
North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea at around 8:10 a.m. Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to the press in Seoul. The JCS said it detected the missiles being launched from the area around Wonsan, a coastal city about 180 kilometers east of Pyongyang. The military added that it has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches and is maintaining a full readiness posture while closely sharing
May 8, 2025 -
Han, Kim meeting ends without agreement on candidacy unification
A one-on-one dinner meeting between People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday wrapped up without an agreement on a potential candidacy unification. Following a 75-minute closed-door meeting at a restaurant in Seoul, Lee Jung-hyun, spokesperson for Han’s campaign, told reporters that “no agreement has been reached.” There were no talks of a follow-up meeting, Lee added. Kim echoed Lee and express regret, telling reporters, “There we
May 7, 2025 -
Han says South Korea 'may collapse' without constitutional reform
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday he was running for the presidency because of his belief that without fundamental political reform via a constitutional amendment, South Korea could "collapse." Speaking at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, Han said that his decision to run for president stemmed from concerns that under the current political system, Korea's economy and society cannot make meaningful progress. He cited the repeated impeachment of Cabinet members, including hi
May 7, 2025 -
North Korean leader, troops to skip Russia’s Victory Day despite deepening military ties
The Kremlin has confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his troops will not attend Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations, despite growing attention over whether Kim would appear in Red Square alongside other leaders, amid Pyongyang’s deepening military alignment with Moscow. Kim, however, has notably continued publicly touring weapons factories at home — a move observers in Seoul interpret as signaling North Korea’s intent to sustain military support for Russia’s war effort. In a br
May 7, 2025 -
Money wired to dead person by mistake; police unable to track down inheritors
Busan police on Wednesday said they recently closed a case on tracking down and recovering money that was mistakenly transferred to the account of a deceased person, after they failed to track down two of the three offspring of the departed account holder. The incident occurred in March when an employee of a firm in North Jeolla Province wired 3.2 million won ($2,290), intended for a client to the bank account of a person who died five years ago, according to the Busan Saha Police Station, which
May 7, 2025