Four tourists were injured after nearly 400 tons of rock fell in South Korea's eastern island of Ulleung on Monday, officials said. The rockfall occurred at 6:56 a.m. at a popular tourist attraction known for its turtle-shaped rock on the island, causing a head injury to a female in her 20s. She was transported to a hospital at around 9:40 a.m. with symptoms of a cerebral hemorrhage. She is said to have been camping near the site, along with three others who sustained minor injuries. An off

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2023

HANGZHOU -- No competitive athlete tries to finish in second place. The ultimate goal is always to take the top prize. That was also the goal for the South Korean women's roller skating relay team at the Asian Games in China. But after settling for silver, Lee Seul, Park Min-jeong and Lee Ye-rim said they were pleased with the color of their medal, knowing that they had given a valiant effort and laid the foundation for a bright future together. South Korea finished second in the women�

More Sports Oct. 2, 2023

BERLIN -- Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho has warned that North Korea's vicious cycle of receiving assistance and breaking off agreements will "no longer work" under the current administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Kim made the remarks at a conference hosted by the Berlin chapter of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council on Sunday, stressing that North Korea's nuclear threat has persisted for 30 years. "Whenever North Korea has threatened with various provoca

North Korea Oct. 2, 2023

The Shin-Hanul 2 nuclear reactor in southern South Korea began a six-month test operation this month to go into full operation next March, according to a state-run nuclear power agency Monday. The 1.4 gigawatt reactor in the coastal county of Uljin, some 215 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was loaded with fuel and entered into testing last week, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. said. If the test run goes without a hitch, the reactor is expected to be put into full operation in around March as

Industry Oct. 2, 2023

Honda Korea Co. is beefing up its product lineup to revive sales after they plunged nearly 70 percent in the January-August period from a year earlier due mainly to a lack of new models. Honda Korea Co. has recently launched two all-new models -- the 3.5-liter gasoline-powered Pilot and the 2.0-liter gasoline hybrid CR-V SUVs, while planning to add the Accord gasoline hybrid sedan to the lineup next month. The Japanese carmaker had sold only two models, the 3.5-liter gasoline-powered Odyssey min

Mobility Oct. 2, 2023

Legislative efforts to end dog meat consumption in South Korea are picking up speed amid rare political unity following the presidential office's outspoken support for ending the centuries-old practice. Calls to end the practice are not new in South Korea, where butchering or eating dog meat is neither explicitly prohibited nor legalized. But the anti-dog meat campaign received fresh attention in late August as first lady Kim Keon Hee made a surprise visit to a civic group's press conference cal

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2023

Major expressways across South Korea are expected to experience heavy traffic Monday, the fifth day of the extended Chuseok holiday, as many families headed home after visiting their hometowns. As of 1 p.m., the estimated travel time to Seoul from the southeastern port city of Busan was 5 hours and 11 minutes, 4 hours and 51 minutes from the southeastern city of Ulsan, and 3 hours and 50 minutes from the southwestern city of Gwangju, according to Korea Expressway Corp. Traffic into Seoul is expe

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2023

North Korea on Monday denounced the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for criticizing Pyongyang's nuclear development, calling it a "conspiracy between the US and its followers." At the 67th IAEA General Conference in Vienna, Austria, last week, IAEA member states adopted a resolution urging the recalcitrant regime to suspend its nuclear weapons program and abide by its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions. "We vehemently denounce and reject the abnormal

North Korea Oct. 2, 2023

North Korea has been ramping up efforts to boost crop production during the fall harvest season amid expectations that the impoverished country's food shortages have improved, compared with the first half of the year. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, recently carried a report that a "critical" time has come in attaining the goal of this year's grain production, while urging officials to lead efforts to produce satisfactory outcomes in the agricultural secto

North Korea Oct. 2, 2023

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korean Choi Gwang-ho won the gold medal over compatriot Jung Cheol-won in a brand new roller skating race at the Asian Games on Sunday. Choi finished first in the men's 1,000-meter sprint event with a time of 1:29.497 to edge out Jung, who grabbed silver in 1:29.499. Roller sports have been in and out of the Asian Games since 2010. The men's and women's 1,000m sprint events made their debut in Hangzhou on Sunday. Earlier Sunday, Lee Ye-rim grabbed bronze

More Sports Oct. 1, 2023

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea captured the gold medal in the team event of the men's golf tournament at the Asian Games on Sunday, as a pair of PGA Tour winners joined two amateurs for a comfortable victory. Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, who have a combined six victories on the top men's tour, along with Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young, scored 76-under to give South Korea its first Asiad gold medal in men's golf since 2010. The three best scores from the four players were added eac

Golf Oct. 1, 2023

Police have launched a probe into the suicide death of an elementary school teacher in Uijeongbu, just north of Seoul, for possible harassment by parents, nearly two years after his school reported the death merely as a fall, officials said Sunday. The Uijeongbu Police Station has recently opened a probe into the death of Lee Yeong-seung who taught at Howon Elementary School after a regional education office requested an investigation into three parents on suspicions of infringing his education

Social Affairs Oct. 1, 2023

The Seoul city government has initiated a financial assistance program for single women interested in egg freezing, garnering significant attention from unmarried women, officials said Sunday. Starting Sept. 1, the Seoul metropolitan government began offering financial aid of up to 2 million won ($1,500) for fertility preservation, in the latest of a series of measures introduced by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in March to address the city's alarmingly low birthrate of 0.59. "The number of e

Social Affairs Oct. 1, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday to mark the 74th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, state media said. "Over the last 10-odd years, the CPC with you, the general secretary, as its core has made remarkable successes in the cause of the party and state building by uniting and inspiring the entire party and people under the banner of the socialist idea with Chinese characteristics in the new era,&q

North Korea Oct. 1, 2023

South Korea's exports fell for the 12th consecutive month in September but logged the smallest on-year decline so far this year, as global demand for semiconductors has been on the recovery track, the industry ministry said Sunday. Outbound shipments fell 4.4 percent on-year to $54.66 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Exports have marked an on-year drop since October last year amid aggressive monetary tightening by the United S

Economy Oct. 1, 2023