Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Friday called on North Korea to respond to South Korea's offer for an official dialogue platform and resume suspended inter-Korean communication channels. Kim made the call a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol proposed to North Korea the establishment of a working-level dialogue channel that can "take up any issue" in an address marking Liberation Day. Yoon unveiled a vision for freedom-based unification with North Korea and pledged to expand the

Politics Aug. 16, 2024

Chang Ho-jin, new foreign policy adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrived in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to meet with officials and discuss the countries' alliance, the upcoming US election and other bilateral issues. Chang's trip came days after he was replaced as South Korea's top national security adviser and assigned to the newly created position of Yoon's special adviser for foreign and security affairs in a surprise reshuffle. "It has been nearly a year since

Politics Aug. 16, 2024

A White House official on Thursday suggested the possibility of holding a trilateral summit among the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan by the end of this year, following the historic Camp David summit last year. Mira Rapp-Hooper, the senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council, made the remarks, emphasizing that the three countries will continue to build the partnership and put it on strategic footing for the long term, including by holding "

Foreign Affairs Aug. 16, 2024

Defense Minister nominee Kim Yong-hyun said Friday he was open to all means to respond to North Korea's nuclear threats, while reaffirming that the alliance with the United States remains the basis in dealing with such threats. Kim made the remarks after being questioned on the possibility of South Korea developing nuclear weapons of its own amid persistent domestic calls for such arms to deter North Korea. "Responding to North Korean nuclear threats based on extended deterrence and th

Politics Aug. 16, 2024

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Friday as major US data eased economic slowdown fears. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 52.43 points, or 1.98 percent, to 2,696.93 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes rallied as the latest retail sales data showed that shoppers are still driving the economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4 percent, the S&P 500 increased 1.61 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite soared 2.34 perc

Market Aug. 16, 2024

Hospitals were set to wrap up the hiring of more junior doctors Friday, but there are expected to be few applicants as many trainee doctors have defied the government's medical reform for nearly seven months, officials said. Hospitals issued new recruitment notices for trainee doctors last week after the medical community was lukewarm to the initial round that ended last month. Some medical professors have even warned of a potential boycott of training new applicants. During the previous ro

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2024

The Kia Tigers' All-Star Kim Do-yeong became the youngest member of the "30-30" club in South Korean baseball history Thursday. Kim launched his 30th home run of the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season in the top of the fifth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, a two-run shot off Heroes starter Enmanuel De Jesus. Kim already had 33 steals prior to Thursday's game. With this home run, Kim, at 20 years, 10 months and 13 days old, became the

Baseball Aug. 15, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday paid his respects at the grave of former first lady Yook Young-su, the assassinated wife of ex-President Park Chung-hee, on the 50th anniversary of her death, the presidential office said. Yoon, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee, visited the grave at Seoul National Cemetery in southern Seoul a day after making a phone call to former President Park Geun-hye, Yook's daughter, to express his condolences, according to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-

Politics Aug. 15, 2024

Independence activist groups and opposition parties were set to boycott the government's ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day on Thursday in protest over the appointment of a new president of the Independence Hall of Korea. The Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), a state-funded association of independence fighters and their descendants, has vowed to skip the ceremony and organize its own at Hyochang Park in central Seoul in protest of the appointment of Kim Hyoung-suk, accu

Social Affairs Aug. 15, 2024

The government will secure and distribute additional COVID-19 treatments before the end of this month to fight a resurgence of infections nationwide, a presidential official said Wednesday. South Korea has seen a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with virus hospitalizations at 220 major medical institutions nationwide having risen sixfold in a month to come to 861 as of the first week of August, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. "We

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2024

South Korean stocks closed higher for the fourth consecutive session Wednesday as cooler-than-expected US producer price data soothed concerns and boosted investors' sentiment. The local currency sharply rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 23 points, or 0.88 percent, to close at 2,644.50. Trade volume was a little slim at 321.4 million shares worth 8.6 trillion won ($6.3 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 649 to 234. Foreigners purchased

Market Aug. 14, 2024

The number of COVID-19 child patients in South Korea jumped this month, as the nation saw a surge in cases amid a summer wave, hospital data showed Wednesday. At 42 pediatric hospitals, there were 1,080 child patients with COVID-19 on Aug. 5-9, compared with 387 child patients on July 22-26, according to data compiled by the Korea Children's Hospital Association. In particular, the number of COVID-19 child patients stood at 301 on Aug. 5-9 in Chungcheong provinces, compared with 54 on July 22-26

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2024

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Wednesday pledged to take stern measures against attempts to obstruct junior doctors' return to hospitals. Cho's remarks came as lists of junior doctors who decided to return to work were circulating online, with the police conducting an investigation upon the request of the ministry. "So far, we have referred 21 cases regarding the release of lists and defamation, with investigative authorities identifying the suspects and sending the cases to the

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2024

North Korea's crop output for this year could be dented by severe floods from the latest heavy rains and a possible increase in pest infestations, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday. North Korea is expected to receive above-average precipitation amounts between August and October, according to a report posted on the website of the FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System. "Heavy rains could exacerbate waterlogging and lead to further flooding, causing si

North Korea Aug. 14, 2024

South Korea added more than 100,000 jobs for the first time in three months in July, but jobs in the construction sector fell by the most in 11 years amid a slowdown in the industry, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people came to 28.86 million last month, up 172,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the first time in three months that the monthly job additions bounced back to over 100,000. In June, 96,000 jobs were added on-year afte

Economy Aug. 14, 2024