US defense policy bill calls for maintaining 28,500 US troops in Korea

House and Senate negotiators released their compromise draft of an annual defense policy bill Thursday, which calls for maintaining 28,500 US troops in South Korea and deepening nuclear deterrence coordination between Seoul and Washington. They unveiled the final draft of the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2024 fiscal year. Congress passes the bill each year to set defense policy and funding priorities and give guidance on a range of key security matters. The NDAA draft includes a ca

Foreign AffairsDec. 8, 2023

US trade body finds no patent breaches by Samsung over digital signage: sources

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) concluded Samsung Electronics and Samsung SDS did not violate any patents over outdoor electronics displays in a patent infringement case filed by a US company, industry sources said Thursday. The ITC reached the decision last month after its investigation into the case following a complaint filed by Manufacturing Resources International (MRI) in August last year. MRI, an Atlanta-based manufacturer of outdoor and semi-outdoor digital liquid-crystal dis

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2023

Suneung without 'killer questions' still not easy, results show

Test-takers of South Korea’s national college entrance exam, known as the Suneung, are set to receive their test results Friday, amid lingering controversy over whether this year's test succeeded in completely scrapping the highly difficult “killer questions.” Results and analysis of over 440,000 examinees released by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation on Thursday suggested that exams in all subjects, including Korean language, mathematics and English, were

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2023

Teens' excessive smartphone use linked to mental health risk: study

Adolescents using smartphones for more than four hours a day are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health issues, a South Korean study found Thursday. The study by researchers at Hanyang University Medical Center analyzed the data of 54,809 teenagers across the country to find the correlation between daily smart phone usage time and adverse outcomes such as stress, depression, suicide, substance use and smartphone overdependence. They used the data from the state-conducted Korea Youth Ri

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2023

S. Korea hopes to host 3-way summit with US, Japan: Yoon's office

South Korea is working to host a trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, according to an official of Seoul's presidential office on Thursday. The trilateral summit would be a follow-up to a three-way meeting in August at Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland, the official said on condition of anonymity. "The Camp David Principle stipulates an agreement of the three leaders to hold a regular summit on a yearly basis," the official said. "We have been

PoliticsDec. 7, 2023

S. Korea eyes chip alliance with Netherlands

President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming state visit to the Netherlands will lay the groundwork for the new chip alliance with the country, a semiconductor industry powerhouse home to the world's sole extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment supplier, to enable the production of more sophisticated microchips, according to the presidential office, Thursday. Yoon's state visit to the Netherlands, upon the invitation of King Willem-Alexander from Monday to Thursday, could "magnify bi

PoliticsDec. 7, 2023

Investigators, not teachers, to handle school violence from next year

Cases regarding school violence will now be in the purview of specialized investigators employed by education offices around South Korea, along with an increase in the number of police officers deployed at schools, starting from March 2024. In a joint press conference Thursday, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Korean National Police Agency said the measures were devised to lessen the burden on teachers handling rising school violence cases among students. &l

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2023

[Photo News] UAE marks 52nd National Day

UAE NATIONAL DAY UAE Ambassador to Korea Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi delivers welcoming remarks at the UAE's 52nd National Day hosted by the embassy at the Shilla Seoul on November 24. The event showcased the United Arab Emirates' heritage, achievements and the enduring bond between the UAE and South Korea. (UAE Embassy in Seoul)

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 7, 2023

Moon officials tried to cover up North Korea’s murder of South Korean: state inspectors

The South Korean national inspection service concluded Thursday that the previous Moon Jae-in administration attempted to cover up North Korea’s killing of a South Korean government official in 2020, after failing to make rescue efforts while the official was in North Korean captivity. In its final report, the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea accused the preceding administration of mishandling the events leading to and after the death of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official.

PoliticsDec. 7, 2023

Tourism potential of Philippines, Korea discussed at GBF

Philippines Ambassador to Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-DeVega and Korea Tourism Organization President Kim Jang-sil shared economic and tourism potential of the two countries with CEOs attending the Global Biz Forum hosted by the Korea Herald on Wednesday. Amb. Dizon-DeVega emphasized the forward-looking approach of both countries, noting the significance of the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement signed on Sept. 7, 2023. South Korea and the Philippines solidified their economic and industria

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 7, 2023

Ruling party reform committee disbands early, says job half done

The South Korean ruling party’s reform committee announced its early disbandment on Thursday, with its head saying that it saw it as “50 percent successful” in laying out its vision. The People Power Party’s committee, which was formed on Oct. 26 to lay out a vision for realigning the party for the 2024 general election, decided to disband in a largely expected move. The disbandment came some two weeks before the committee's initial plan to disband by Dec. 24. The co

PoliticsDec. 7, 2023

Korean attorney elected as new ICC judge

South Korean attorney Paek Kee-bong was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday. He is the third Korean to be elected to the court. Paek will serve a nine-year term from 2024 to 2033 at the ICC headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Six new judges were elected, comprising one-third of the court's total of 18 judges, during the annual session of the Assembly of States Parties in New York. ICC judges play a

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2023

Auditor says Moon govt distorted 2020 death of fisheries official

The state audit agency on Thursday announced the final results of its inspection into the 2020 death of a South Korean fisheries official at the hands of North Korea, concluding that the then Moon Jae-in government did little to save him and covered up and distorted facts related to the case. The Board of Audit and Inspection reached a conclusion after its yearlong inspection into the preceding Moon government's handling of the killing of the fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun, by the North's milit

PoliticsDec. 7, 2023

NYT picks Yoon as one of most stylish people of 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol was selected as one of the 71 most stylish people of 2023 by US newspaper The New York Times on Wednesday local time, for his rendition of the US folk rock song "American Pie" at the White House dinner in April which ended on a high note. "His pitch-perfect performance of 'American Pie' at the White House was worthy of 'American Idol,'" noted the NYT's Styles desk, with a reference to US singer-songwriter Don McLean's cl

PoliticsDec. 7, 2023

[Graphic News] Over 1.3 million S. Korean women quit jobs after marriage: data

One out of every 6 South Korean married women suffers from career interruption due mainly to child-rearing, marriage and pregnancy, data showed. The number of married women aged 15-54 who stopped working came to 1.35 million as of April, accounting for around 17 percent of the total 7.94 million married women in the age group, according to data from Statistics Korea. This year’s number of career-interrupted women fell 3.45 percent on-year, or 48,000, because the total female population of

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2023

G7 leaders strongly condemn N. Korea's satellite launch, arms transfers to Russia

The leaders of the Group of Seven countries "strongly" condemned North Korea's recent spy satellite launch and its arms transfers to Russia on Wednesday, stressing the moves directly contravene UN Security Council resolutions. The leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan issued a statement on a range of global issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group, after they met virtually. &quo

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2023

Congresswoman redoubles calls for support to designate Nov. 22 as 'Kimchi Day'

A US congresswoman renewed calls Wednesday for support to designate Nov. 22 as "Kimchi Day," named after a Korean traditional side dish, stressing that kimchi has now become a "culinary icon" reflective of South Korea's rising cultural influence. Rep. Young Kim, a Korean American lawmaker, made the call during a House session as she has submitted a resolution on the fermented dish with backing from more than a dozen other lawmakers. "I rise in support of Kimchi Day.

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2023