Ministry mulls tougher health warning labels for alcohol

South Korea is mulling introducing tougher health warnings on alcohol container labels to raise awareness on alcohol-related risks, according to officials on Tuesday. The move comes after Rep. Nam In-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, also a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, suggested updating the warning labels to make them more effective in delivering the risks of alcohol consumption. Amid calls for stronger warning labels, the Health Mi

Social AffairsDec. 3, 2024

Seoul mayor cancels overseas trip due to rail workers' strikes

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has canceled his overseas business trip to respond to strikes planned by subway and railway workers later this week, the city government said Tuesday. Oh's one-week business trip to India and Malaysia, scheduled to begin Wednesday, has been canceled as citizens are expected to be inconvenienced by walkouts by unionized KORAIL and Seoul Metro workers, set to begin Thursday and Friday, respectively, the government said in a release. The union of KORAIL, the KTX and regu

Social AffairsDec. 3, 2024

Seoul urges N. Korea to 'unconditionally' release detained S. Koreans

The unification ministry on Tuesday called on North Korea to "immediately and unconditionally" release Choi Chun-gil, a South Korean missionary detained in North Korea and five other nationals on the occasion of marking 10 years since his arrest. Choi is among six South Koreans who have currently been in detention for years in North Korea, including two other missionaries -- Kim Jung-wook and Kim Kook-kie. Choi was arrested in December 2014 and sentenced to hard labor for life on the c

North KoreaDec. 3, 2024

Running frenzy has orthopedic clinics smiling

When Yoo Ji-na, a novice runner, visited a local orthopedic clinic for knee pain after completing her first 10-kilometer race, she couldn’t shake the odd feeling of being warmly welcomed by the clinic’s doctor and staff. Even before she had a chance to explain in detail how the pain started and developed, the doctor was already pinpointing the likely cause: "A lack of muscle strength in your thighs and glutes, especially the gluteus medius." He was seeing a growing number

Social AffairsDec. 3, 2024

38 Vietnamese tourists go missing in Jeju

A group of Vietnamese tourists who entered South Korea through the southern island of Jeju last month has disappeared, authorities said Tuesday. The 38 people were among a group of some 90 tourists who arrived in Jeju from Nha Trang, Vietnam, on a chartered VietJet Air flight on Nov. 14, according to the Jeju Tourism Organization. The 38 disappeared at the final stop of their itinerary before their scheduled departure on Nov. 17, while the rest of the group boarded the return flight. Visitors to

Social AffairsDec. 3, 2024

Presidential official eyes possible resumption of consultative body on doctors' walkout

A senior presidential official said Tuesday that a now-disbanded consultative body on a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors could be reopened, but urged relevant parties to make more efforts to resolve the medical impasse. Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social policy, made the remark during a radio interview with broadcaster KBS, two days after the consultative body, which involved the ruling party, the government and doctors' groups, broke up as they failed to narrow di

Social AffairsDec. 3, 2024

Russia used some 60 N. Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine war: report

Russia is believed to have used some 60 ballistic missiles provided by North Korea in the war against Ukraine, a Ukrainian media outlet has reported, citing its intelligence authorities. Andrii Chernyak, the representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine's defense ministry, shared the analysis in an interview with Radio Svoboda, according to a report by local media outlet RBC on Monday. Chernyak confirmed that the Russian army had launched about 60 KN-23 ballistic missiles at Ukraine

Foreign AffairsDec. 3, 2024

S. Korea, Germany vow 'united, firm' response to NK-Russia military cooperation

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Germany have agreed to work closely to ensure a "united and firm" response against growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun shared the commitment with Thomas Bagger, the state secretary of Germany's Federal Foreign Office, during their bilateral talks in Berlin on Monday, the South Korean ministry said in a release. Kim is on a two-nation sw

DefenseDec. 3, 2024

N. Korea's weather agency officials visit Russia

A delegation of North Korean weather agency officials has left for Russia, the North's state media reported Tuesday, as Pyongyang and Moscow have been expanding cooperation in various fields. The delegation, led by Kim Jae-hyok, director of the State Hydro-Meteorological Administration, departed Pyongyang on Monday, the Korean Central News Agency said, without disclosing other details. The delegation plans to visit Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok as part of efforts to implement an ag

North KoreaDec. 3, 2024

N. Korea to convene key party meeting in late Dec. weeks ahead of Trump's inauguration

North Korea has decided to convene a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea late this month, state media reported Tuesday, amid anticipation as to what message the North will send toward US President-elect Donald Trump. The WPK's politburo decided Monday to hold the 11th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the WPK in late December, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not specify the date for the meeting. The meeting will be held to "revie

North KoreaDec. 3, 2024

US unveils new package of chip export controls against China

The United States on Monday announced a new semiconductor export control package against China, including curbs on high-end chips for artificial intelligence that are likely to affect the South Korean industry. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security unveiled the package on the Federal Register, including restrictions on exports of high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. Two South Korean firms -- Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix -- and Micron Technology lead the global HBM

Foreign AffairsDec. 3, 2024

Yoon vows to ease burden on small merchants from delivery platform commissions

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Monday to introduce measures to ease the burden on small merchants from delivery app commission fees, as part of efforts to boost sluggish domestic consumption. Yoon vowed to implement measures during a public policy discussion session to support small merchants by addressing business challenges, such as high delivery fees, no-shows and malicious online reviews. He said the government has allocated a record 59 trillion won $42 billion) in next year's budget t

PoliticsDec. 2, 2024

S. Korea to tighten security rules for drones, undersea cables

South Korea will tighten security regulations for drones, undersea cables and offshore wind power plants to mitigate security and supply chain risks to major infrastructure, the presidential office said Monday. Wang Yun-jong, third deputy national security adviser, led an intragovernmental meeting with 13 agencies to discuss potential security threats to key infrastructure and draw up integrated responses. "Reliance on foreign imports for key drone components could lead to supply chain risk

Foreign AffairsDec. 2, 2024

60,000 non-regular school workers to go on strike Friday

Around 60,000 non-regular school workers will go on strike this week to demand better pay and working conditions, their union said Monday. Union representatives said at a press conference that the workers, who are mostly involved in providing school meals and childcare, will stage a one-day strike Friday after negotiations with the education ministry and local education offices failed to produce an agreement despite multiple rounds of talks since June. The union said non-regular workers number 1

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2024

Chief auditor, prosecutors to face Assembly impeachment vote

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday submitted motions to the National Assembly to impeach the head of the state audit agency and three prosecutors involved in two different scandals surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee. The Assembly will put the motions to a vote during a plenary meeting scheduled for Wednesday, in accordance with plans announced by the main opposition, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament. By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote bet

PoliticsDec. 2, 2024

Singer Kim Jun-su's alleged blackmailer arrested for blackmail

A female livestreamer on local video-streaming platform AfreecaTV has been arrested for allegedly extorting approximately 800 million won ($570,395) worth of money and valuables from singer and musical actor Kim Jun-su, former member of K-pop group TVXQ, Korean police revealed Monday. The suspect, who approached Kim in 2020 posing as a nail artist and later dated him, is accused of secretly recording private conversations and threatening to expose them. Her blackmail reportedly continued for nea

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2024

Seoul voted 'Best MICE City' for 10th year in row

South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, was voted the “Best MICE City” for the 10th year in a row during the Global Traveler Tested Reader Survey Awards, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization, Monday. MICE is an acronym that stands for the meeting, incentive travel, convention, exhibition and event sectors. According to the Seoul city government, Global Traveler is a travel magazine publishing company based in the US that annually collects

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2024

Driver stabbed by 'friend' after car crash

A late-night drive between two friends in a northern suburb of Seoul on Nov. 29 took a sinister turn, leaving one man hospitalized and the other under investigation for attempted murder. According to the Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Monday, an Uzbekistani man in his 20s is under investigation for allegedly attempting to murder a Kyrgyzstani man of the same age group. The two men were friends, both working in South Korea under valid work permits. According to investigators,

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2024

Does cross atop Christmas tree at Seoul Plaza reflect religious bias?

Seoul faces the same controversy every Christmas: Should the Christmas tree at Seoul Plaza have a Christian cross at the top? The debate has resurfaced once again this year. The 19-meter tree, adorned with an illuminating cross, red ribbons and gift-shaped ornaments, will remain illuminated until Dec. 31, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On Nov. 18, the lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree took place at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The event was attended by key figures i

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2024

Embattled soccer chief shoots for 4th term

Chung Mong-gyu, the scandal-ridden president of the Korea Football Association, officially threw his hat into the ring Monday for a fourth term. The KFA said the 62-year-old on Monday morning registered as a candidate for the election slated for Jan. 8 of next year. This effectively suspended his duty as chief of the nation's highest soccer governing body, with the vice chair, Kim Jung-bae, becoming the acting chief until the election. Chung’s re-election bid is subject to an external

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2024