Med school deans urge students to return in letter

The heads of medical schools nationwide reaffirmed Friday their plans to reverse the annual admissions quota for medical schools to what it was before this year -- 3,058 -- beginning in 2026, assuring medical students who have taken leaves of absence en masse that the government's previous hike plan will be scrapped if they return to the classroom. In a written letter to the students, 40 universities with teaching hospitals assured that the quota would be fixed at 3,058 for next year, down from

March 21, 2025

Defining week looms as courts decide cases against Han, Lee — and likely Yoon

South Korea is set to enter a decisive week of court rulings that could reshape the political landscape. Verdicts are due for suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, followed by main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung — and possibly for suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol later in the week. Han will be the first, with the Constitutional Court set to rule on his impeachment at 10 a.m. on Monday. The prime minister was accused of active involvement in the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, and unlawfully recomm

March 21, 2025

Seoul mayor’s residence, office raided over Myung Tae-kyun scandal

Prosecutors carried out a search and seizure operation at the residence and office of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday, as part of an investigation into alleged corrupt ties between Oh and Myung Tae-kyun, a pollster who allegedly fabricated polls to broker the election candidacies of conservative political heavyweights. Thursday’s raid by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is seen as an effort to expand the ongoing investigation into multiple election nomination scandals involving

March 20, 2025

Anyang to enhance quality of life with innovation, entertainment

The city of Anyang, located in the heart of Gyeonggi Province, plans to make a name for itself as one of the most livable cities in South Korea with innovative developments and new cultural activities. Recognized for its outstanding performance in administrative innovation since 2017, Anyang ranked No. 1 in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s annual innovation assessment of 75 local governments for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024, earning the designation of "self-sufficient city." T

March 19, 2025

Korea to deploy 14,000 police to Seoul for impeachment ruling

The Korea National Police Agency will raise its emergency alert to the highest level on the day of the Constitutional Court’s final verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, deploying over 60 percent of the country's crowd control units in Seoul. This is just one of many measures as authorities ramp up security efforts to preempt potential safety threats as it is widely believed that the Constitutional Court's final ruling nears though an exact date has not yet been released. According t

March 19, 2025

1 in 4 workers from overseas faced 50-hour weeks in 2024

Nearly 9 in 10 immigrant workers in South Korea earned more than 2 million won ($1,380) per month last year, but long hours remained common with 1 in 4 working over 50 hours per week, according to a survey by the Ministry of Justice and Statistics Korea on Tuesday. In May 2024, the offices surveyed 25,000 immigrants, comprising 20,000 foreign nationals who are registered in the government’s residence system and 5,000 people who had become naturalized Korean citizens since 2019. Some 51 percent o

March 18, 2025

Foundations call for early detection, preventive intervention as suicides spike

South Korea recorded its highest number of suicide deaths in 13 years last year, with local welfare foundations and suicide prevention agencies saying more support is needed to address the problem. According to preliminary data from Statistics Korea released in late February, 14,439 suicides were reported last year — an average of nearly 40 each day. This is the highest figure since the 15,906 deaths recorded in 2011. South Korea's suicide rate, calculated as the number of suicides per 100,000 p

March 17, 2025

Criminal trials begin for top military, police officers in martial law plot

The first formal hearings of high-ranking military and police officers implicated in suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s alleged insurrection attempt begin this week, starting with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun’s trial on Monday. Kim, who faces charges of insurrection and abuse of power, is believed to have acted under Yoon’s orders to deploy military forces to blockade the National Assembly to prevent the lawmakers from voting to nullify Yoon’s martial law decree. During his two prepara

March 17, 2025

1 in 10 teen gamblers turn to private loans to repay debts: report

Slightly more than one-tenth of South Korean teenagers with online gambling experience have resorted to illegal private loans to repay gambling debts, according to a report released by a state-run think tank, prompting measures to protect teenagers from gambling addiction. The National Youth Policy Institute in July 2024 surveyed 505 teenagers here, comprised of 135 middle school and 370 high school students with experience in online gambling. Some 38.6 percent of the respondents said they borro

March 16, 2025

Prosecution concludes not to appeal Yoon’s detention revocation

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Thursday that it has chosen not to file an immediate appeal against the Seoul Central District Court’s decision to release President Yoon Suk Yeol from detention last week. “The decision on whether to appeal the court’s ruling falls within the jurisdiction of the prosecution. As the quasi-judicial decision was made after the prosecutor general thoroughly consulted with the investigation team and senior prosecutors at the SPO, it must remain unaffected by any

March 13, 2025