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Migrant soldier claims racism in the barracks
A conscripted soldier of the South Korean Army says he was the victim of racially charged bullying, leading to an official military police investigation, according to local media reports on Monday. The 22-year-old soldier jumped from the second floor of his barracks in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on April 23. While receiving treatment at the military hospital, he made the complaint to his superiors. Born to a Chinese father and a mother who defected from North Korea, the soldier was born in China
July 29, 2025 -
Govt. to launch online portal to support families of Jeju Air crash victims
The government plans to begin trial operations of an online portal to offer support for the families of victims of the Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport late last year, according to officials Tuesday. The portal, at 1229familysupport.kr, will offer centralized information on government support measures and facilitate communication between authorities and bereaved families starting Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It was developed in con
July 29, 2025 -
Woman stabbed in parking lot, attacker caught by civilians
A woman in her 20s was severely injured in a stabbing attack in an Ulsan parking lot on Monday, after which the attacker tried to escape by car but was thwarted by the collective effort of people at the scene. The suspect, in his 30s, is currently under investigation by the Ulsan Bukbu Police Station for the attack, which took place at a hospital parking lot at around 3:38 p.m. on Monday. The victim sustained severe injuries and had yet to regain consciousness as of Tuesday morning. A group of p
July 29, 2025 -
S. Korea's finance chief vows 'mutually beneficial' trade deal with Trump govt.
South Korea's Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol on Tuesday pledged to make every effort to reach what he called a "mutually beneficial" trade agreement with the United States ahead of this week's negotiation deadline. "We will do our utmost to draw up a proposal that centers on national interest and enables a mutually beneficial agreement between South Korea and the US," Koo told reporters at Incheon International Airport before departing for Washington. Koo is scheduled to hold talks with US Treas
July 29, 2025 -
Russia's resources minister visits N. Korea on 1st direct Moscow-Pyongyang flight
Russia's natural resources minister has visited North Korea for a meeting on trade and technology cooperation, traveling aboard the first flight of the resumed direct air route between Moscow and Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday. Yun Jong-ho, North Korea's external economic relations minister, held a meeting with Russia's Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov in Pyongyang the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency said. Yun and Kozlov each head the North Korean and Russian sid
July 29, 2025 -
Ex-spy chief summoned in Marine death probe
Former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong appeared before a special counsel team Tuesday for questioning over allegations of government interference in an initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine. Cho arrived at special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's office in southern Seoul as a suspect in the case over power abuse allegations in connection to the Marine Corps' investigation in 2023. As he entered the building, the former NIS director said he would "diligently" take part in th
July 29, 2025 -
Special counsel raids home of minor party leader in probe into ex-first lady
A special counsel team raided the home of minor party leader Lee Jun-seok on Monday as part of its investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged election meddling. Investigators from special counsel Min Joong-ki's team searched the home of the New Reform Party (NRP) leader in Seoul's northern Nowon district, as well as his office, to secure documents and computer files, assistant special counsel Oh Jeong-hee said during a press briefing. Lee is a suspect in the election meddling ca
July 28, 2025 -
USFK says decisions regarding joint drills will be made via 'established consultation'
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday that decisions regarding potential changes in combined South Korea-U.S. drills "will be made through established consultation processes," after Seoul's unification minister said he will propose adjusting such drills to President Lee Jae Myung. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young made the remarks earlier in the day, hours after Pyongyang denounced the Lee administration of "blindly adhering" to the South Korea-U.S. alliance, declaring it will never engage in
July 28, 2025 -
Police under scrutiny over delayed response in rare family shooting
A fatal shooting in which a father shot and killed his son during a family gathering has sparked widespread public criticism over what appears to be a delayed and disorganized police response in a country where gun violence is extremely rare. The Korean National Police Agency has launched an internal investigation into how officers handled the incident, including their response to multiple emergency calls. The shooting occurred on July 20 at the victim’s home in Incheon's Songdo during a birthda
July 28, 2025 -
FM Cho reaffirms S. Korea's commitment to closer ties in call with Indian counterpart
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to developing bilateral relations with India through high-level exchanges and closer cooperation, as he spoke by phone with his Indian counterpart on Monday, the foreign ministry said. In his first phone talks with India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Cho called for continuing to work together to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in a "mutually beneficial" way, the ministry said in a release. "Mini
July 28, 2025 -
S. Korea, China FMs agree to make upcoming APEC summit 'new turning point' in ties
The top diplomats of South Korea and China agreed Monday to work together to make the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit a "new turning point" in bilateral relations, as they held their first telephone call, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed this view during the 45-minute phone conversation, reaffirming their commitment to advance the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in a "steady and mature"
July 28, 2025 -
FM to go on trip to Japan, US this week
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Japan and the United States this week to meet his counterparts, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. Cho, who took office on July 21, will meet his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, on Tuesday. Cho is scheduled to attend a working dinner hosted by Iwaya. It will be the first in-person meeting of the two since Cho started his term. The two held their first phone talks on Thursday and agreed that bilateral cooperation is key to addressing
July 28, 2025 -
South Koreans are sleeping less, spending more time on screen
South Koreans are getting slightly less sleep and spending more of their free time in front of screens, according to new data released Monday. The 2024 report from Statistics Korea found that the average daily sleep time was 8 hours and 4 minutes, down 8 minutes from 2019. It marks the first decline in average sleep since the country began tracking how people spend their time in 1999. Back then, South Koreans slept an average of 7 hours and 47 minutes a night. That figure gradually rose, peaking
July 28, 2025 -
Drunk driving streamer caught live on air
A woman in her 40s was caught driving under the influence Friday while livestreaming on a highway, police said Monday. After receiving a report from one of her viewers, the highway patrol tuned into her live broadcast to track her exact location and intercept her. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police, the livestreamer is currently under investigation for drunk driving but has not been detained. Her blood alcohol concentration at the time was within the range of 0.03 to 0.08 percent, a rang
July 28, 2025 -
S. Korea poised for Lee Jae Myung's formal inauguration ceremony on Liberation Day
South Korea is poised to hold an official inauguration ceremony on Aug. 15 for President Lee Jae Myung, according to the government and the presidential office on Monday. The ceremony for Lee, who assumed the presidency on June 4 immediately after his election victory -- without the customary transition period or ceremony -- will align with the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, commemorated annually as National Liberation Day. The ceremony is scheduled to take p
July 28, 2025