The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party on Friday denounced Japan's release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant as an act of crime against humanity, even labeling President Yoon Suk Yeol as an accomplice. Rep. Lee Jae-myung made the remarks as Tokyo initiated the discharge of contaminated water a day earlier, a process expected to span more than three decades, despite lingering health and environmental concerns from neighboring countries. "J

Politics Aug. 25, 2023

Various cultural events will be held throughout this year to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and India, including K-pop concerts, a seminar on Korean culture and exhibitions, the culture ministry said Friday. Since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973, they have developed friendly relations in the cultural field through various milestones, such as signing a cultural agreement in 1974, opening the first Korean Cultural Center in Southeast Asi

Culture Aug. 25, 2023

In the past, fencers used to look down on their South Korean foe Song Se-ra, not only figuratively but literally as well. Song is listed at 164 centimeters, tiny by fencing standards. Song, world No. 5 in women's epee, gives 21 cm to the top-ranked Marie-Florence Candassamy of France. Song is the shortest one among the top-10 female epee fencers in the world today. However, at the 2022 World Fencing Championships in Cairo, no one stood taller than Song. She won gold medals in both the indiv

More Sports Aug. 25, 2023

South Korea's Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun has met with his US and Chinese counterparts to discuss ways to deepen trade and investment cooperation with the respective countries, his office said Friday. During the meeting at Camp David last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring resilient supply chains, accelerating the clean energy transition and promoting sustainable economic growth

Diplomatic Circuit Aug. 25, 2023

For South Korean table tennis player Shin Yu-bin, suffering a wrist injury toward the end of 2021 might have seemed like a career-derailing event at the time. Nearly two years later, Shin is gearing up for her first Asian Games, having been able to use the time on the sidelines wisely to work on different elements of her game. The 19-year-old now believes it will serve her well at the Asiad in Hangzou, China, starting next month. Shin, one of South Korea's rising stars in ping pong, suffere

More Sports Aug. 25, 2023

The 30-year-old suspect behind last week's rape and murder of a female teacher in southern Seoul claimed Friday he had no intention of killing the victim, as he was referred to the prosecution for further investigation. The suspect, Choi Yun-jong, is accused of fatally beating and raping the victim he randomly picked on a hillside hiking trail in Seoul's southern district of Sillim last week. The victim, known only as an elementary school teacher in her 30s, was seriously injured and d

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2023

North Korea's failed attempt to launch a military satellite is a provocative action that destabilizes the region, a Pentagon spokesperson reiterated Thursday, after the White House condemned the launch as a direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Pentagon spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said the United States will continue working closely with its South Korean and Japanese allies to ensure stability in the region. "What we see here is another failed spa

North Korea Aug. 25, 2023

The recently held three-way summit between the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States has built an unprecedentedly strong foundation for trilateral cooperation that will help develop their ties under any circumstances, South Korea's ambassador to the US Cho Hyun-dong said Thursday. Cho also insisted that the trilateral summit has created a small multilateral forum that he said is stronger or more powerful than other regional gatherings, including the Quad, a grouping of the US,

North Korea Aug. 25, 2023

South Korea's military has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, more than a decade after their first discovery at a former battle site, the defense ministry said Friday. The ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification and the 1st Marine Division recovered the remains of Ssg. Hwang Byeong-jun in the coastal county of Yeongdeok, 238 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in 2010 and 2017. KIA stands for killed in action. The agency later ident

Defense Aug. 25, 2023

Seoul shares opened lower Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as investors await the US Federal Reserve chief's speech for clues on its rate policy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 23.46 points, or 0.92 percent, to 2,514.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks declined, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.1 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declining 1.9 percent. Investors are keeping an eye on the speech Friday to be delive

Market Aug. 25, 2023

South Korean golfer Tom Kim sits five strokes off the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour's final playoff event. Kim shot a three-under 67 to begin the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Thursday. He is tied for 14th place in the exclusive field of 30 players. Kim qualified for the playoff finale by ranking inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after two playoff events. As No. 16, Kim started the Tour Championship at two-under in the "starting stroke

Golf Aug. 25, 2023

Jang Jun and Lee Da-bin, two South Korean taekwondo medal hopefuls at the upcoming Asian Games in China, both want to use their recent slip-ups as fuel. Lee, 26, will be going for her third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou next month. Her first gold came in the lightweight (62 kilograms) event in 2014, but she moved up to heavyweight (+67kg) under the revised weight divisions in 2018 and won gold there too. She will be the defending champion in the heavyweight class in September. &

More Sports Aug. 25, 2023

North Korea on Thursday denounced the trilateral agreement among South Korea, the United States, and Japan as "the Asian version of NATO," and the US scheme to encircle Russia and China. Pyongyang's defense minister, Kang Sun-nam, issued a statement after the leaders of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo held a trilateral summit at Camp David last week, and agreed to beef up cooperation to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. "The recent confab brought to light

North Korea Aug. 24, 2023

The National Assembly on Thursday approved an election law revision banning political posters or banners on the streets until 120 days prior to polling day. Political banners have mushroomed on the streets since the Constitutional Court struck down an election law clause banning political banners until 180 days before an election day, citing freedom of political expression. The chaos continued as the ruling and the main opposition parties failed to come up with a revision, resulting in anyone be

Politics Aug. 24, 2023

North Korea said Thursday that Japan should immediately halt the release of treated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. In a statement carried by the North's official Korea Central News Agency, a spokesperson for its foreign ministry said the act devastates the earth's environment, and seriously threatens the security and survival of mankind. Earlier in the day, Japan began to discharge its first batch of treated radioactive water into the se

North Korea Aug. 24, 2023