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New DP chair's hawkish remarks roil opposition
Partisan divisions in South Korea are deepening as Rep. Jung Chung-rae, the newly elected chair of the ruling Democratic Party, declared he would not work with the main opposition People Power Party until it shows genuine remorse over its alleged ties to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration. As the major conservative opposition expressed discontent over Jung's remarks, Kim Hyun-jung, the Democratic Party’s floor spokesperson, said Sunday, "The People Power Party expres
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Defining week ahead for ex-presidential couple
A defining week lies ahead for the special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee as it plans to make another attempt to execute the warrant to arrest jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and bring him in for questioning, following Friday's failed attempt. The team also plans to summon the former first lady for questioning on Wednesday. Yoon, who was already detained as another special counsel investigates major charges that include abuse of power and production of false docu
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Ruling party faces backlash on tax code revision
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is facing backlash amid speculation that Friday's sharp drop in the Korea Exchange's main board Kospi may be associated with the Lee Jae Myung government's push to impose taxes on a wider scope of investors to address the tax revenue shortfall. On Sunday, Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party said in a statement that the ruling bloc has "waged war against individual investors out of nowhere" through the proposed tax code revision, whic
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Dual rainstorms on path to hit S. Korea this week
Following days of intense heat, South Korea is bracing for another round of intense rainfall — with back-to-back nationwide downpours forecast this week. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, moisture brought into the Korean peninsula due to the influence of Typhoon Co May — which struck Shanghai on July 29 and 30 — are set to bring extreme rainfall across the country, with a particular focus in the Greater Seoul region, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, North and Sou
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Ex-BMW dealer chairman called in for questioning in probe involving ex-first lady
A special counsel investigation team brought in a former BMW leader chairman Sunday as part of an inquiry into alleged stock price manipulation involving the wife of ousted President Yook Suk Yeol. Kwon Oh-soo, a former chairman of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, was undergoing questioning after appearing for the session earlier in the morning in connection with the investigation, according to the Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki's team. The investigation centers on former first lady
Aug. 3, 2025 -
10 deaths a day as S. Korea’s suicide fight falls short among seniors
An average of nearly 10 older South Koreans died by suicide every day between 2019 and 2023, according to a sobering new report that underscores the growing mental health crisis among the country’s aging population. In total, 18,044 seniors aged 65 and older took their own lives during that five-year period, amounting to over 3,000 deaths each year, the report said. The findings, published in the Journal of the Korean Medical Association and authored by Dr. Oh Dae-jong of the Workplace Mental He
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Worker's death after 3-straight company drinking sessions ruled work-related
A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a worker following three consecutive company-related drinking sessions constitutes a work-related death, local media reported Sunday. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled in favor of the bereaved family of a worker who died from acute alcohol intoxication after attending consecutive company gatherings. The family had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service’s decision to deny survivor benefit
Aug. 3, 2025 -
N. Korea urges loyalty to leader Kim ahead of 80th anniv. of Korean liberation
North Korea on Sunday invoked state founder Kim Il-sung as a "historic hero" of Korea's liberation and urged loyalty to his grandson, current leader Kim Jong-un, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. The North's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper invoked the state founder's role in the liberation struggle, praising him as "a legendary hero in fighting Japanese (colonial) rule" and a "historic patriot." The article subsequently
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Daily maximum power demand hits record high in July amid extreme heat wave
South Korea's average daily maximum power demand hit a record high last month as the country endured one of the most severe summer heat waves on record, data showed Sunday. The country's peak power demand in July averaged 85 gigawatts, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Power Exchange. The reading marked the highest level for any July since 1993, when the government began compiling relevant data. The monthly high was recorded in August 2024, when the figure came to 87.8 G
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Head of N. Korea's assembly holds talks with Russia, 3 other nations in Geneva
Pak In-chol, chairman of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, has held talks with his counterparts from Russia and three other countries in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of a global meeting of assembly chiefs, state media reported Sunday. Pak met with the chairperson of Russia's Federation Council, as well as the heads of the Mongolian and Vietnamese assemblies and a deputy chairperson of the Lao parliament, during his attendance at the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament from
Aug. 3, 2025 -
4-term lawmaker Jung elected new Democratic Party chief
Four-term lawmaker Jung Chung-rae was elected the new head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Saturday. Jung, 60, earned 61.74 percent of the votes in the national party convention held at KINTEX in Goyang, northwest of Seoul. Jung is succeeding Lee Jae Myung as DP's leader, after Lee was elected president in June. Rep. Park Chan-dae finished a distant second at 38.26 percent. (Yonhap)
Aug. 2, 2025 -
Working long hours at night doubles health risks: study
Shift work, nighttime work, and longer working hours could be more than twice as harmful on one's physical and mental health compared to those with regular working conditions, a study by a government-affiliated think-tank showed Thursday. The recent report by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute researched the detrimental effects of what it called "irregular labor conditions," and found that those working in shifts, long hours and at night are 129 percent more likely to develop
Aug. 2, 2025 -
Enjoy the silence while you can: Experts warn mosquitoes could still surge
If you live in South Korea, this year's summer might have felt strangely quiet. The familiar high-pitched buzz of mosquitoes, long considered a seasonal nuisance, has been noticeably absent. But experts say the reprieve may not last, with a possible resurgence of mosquitoes looming as the season transitions into autumn. This year’s extreme weather, marked by an unusually early and prolonged heat wave, a shortened monsoon season, and bursts of torrential rain, has disrupted the mosquito life cycl
Aug. 2, 2025 -
FM Cho meets US senators, White House officials after tariff deal
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has met US senators and White House officials to discuss alliance and security issues, including North Korea's nuclear program, his ministry said Saturday, after the two countries reached a tariff deal this week. Cho met Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and spoke with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) by phone Friday during his visit to Washington for talks with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, earlier in the week, according to the ministry. Cho noted that the
Aug. 2, 2025 -
N. Korea accuses US drills with S. Korea, Japan as practice for 'preemptive strikes'
North Korea on Saturday lambasted recent US military drills with South Korean and Japanese forces, accusing them of being preparations for "preemptive strikes" against it. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, made the accusation in an article, taking issue with US-led air drills that began last month near Japan and recent air logistics drills between South Korean and US Marines. "(They) are aimed at conducting pre-emptive strikes against our Republic," the article read. "To ensure peac
Aug. 2, 2025