The South Korean government is preparing to launch a new team to step up support for North Korean defectors suffering from economic and psychological difficulties after resettlement here, officials said Thursday. The team -- which will comprise of officials from different government agencies, including the unification ministry and the police -- is expected to be set up by next month to provide defectors with tailored support in fields ranging from education and employment to living and psycholo

US, Canada, European countries limit unvaccinated minors’ access to public places, but rarely to education -- public or private

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday expressed his condolences over the death of three firefighters who were killed while battling a warehouse blaze in Pyeongtaek. Moon said he is "heartbroken" by the news of three firefighters "who died while engaging in rescue activities at the forefront of protecting the lives and safety of people," according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon prayed for the repose of the deceased and offered deep consolation to families of t

New engine for national growth lies in provinces, governor says

Park Byeong-seug hopes for constitutional amendment, supports end-of-war declaration

Both men struggle with negative public images, but there is little chance of changing nominees now

Police are stepping up an investigation into South Korea's single largest embezzlement case that has engulfed a local medical equipment producer, officers said Thursday, following the arrest of a suspect the previous day. A 45-year-old employee of Osstem Implant Co., identified only by his surname Lee, was arrested at his residence in Paju, 30 kilometers north of Seoul, on Wednesday on charges of embezzling 188 billion won ($157 million) from the dental implant maker. The arrest came just five

More than 16,000 people joined a year-end bell-ringing festival hosted by the Seoul city government in the metaverse, the digital arm of the city said Thursday. The Seoul Digital Foundation said an accumulated 16,067 people joined the metaverse festival marking the new year during its eight-day run from Dec. 25. The metaverse event included a midnight bell-ringing ceremony on New Year's Eve, to which some 3,000 people connected simultaneously, according to the foundation. The popular year-end

South Korea's vice foreign minister has held back-to-back talks with top negotiators of the five countries involved in Vienna-based talks aimed at reviving a 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, its foreign ministry said Thursday. Choi Jong-kun was in the Austrian capital for the talks as Seoul hopes the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would help address the thorny issue of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea under US sanctions. This week, Choi met with the US Special Envo

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is leading his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol with 36 percent support against Yoon's 28 percent, a survey showed Thursday. Lee of the ruling Democratic Party lost 3 percentage points from last week, while Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party remained unchanged, according to the survey of 1,000 adults conducted Monday through Wednesday by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research. Still, Lee is leading Yo

South Korea, the United States and Japan have postponed their trilateral defense ministerial talks that they had considered holding this month, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. Japanese media outlets reported earlier that the three countries have decided to delay the talks set to take place next Thursday in Hawaii due to the spread of the omicron variant. "There were not any discussions yet as to when to rearrange the talks," Col. Moon Hong-sik, the ministry's deputy spokesper

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Thursday he will ease regulations on companies to help promote competition and boost efficiency, as he seeks to woo voters from the corporate sector. "If regulations limit competition and efficiency, abolishing or easing them is desirable for the whole economy," Lee told a virtual meeting with Korean executives attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Lee of the Democratic Party said the government's role is to creat

Three firefighters were killed while battling a warehouse blaze in Pyeongtaek on Thursday as authorities were still struggling to bring the fire under control after over 12 hours, officials said. The bodies of two deceased firefighters were found at 12:22 p.m. on the second floor of the refrigeration warehouse construction site in western Pyeongtaek, a city located 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The third firefighter was discovered nearby about 20 minutes later. The fire at the seven-story ware

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned North Korea's latest missile test in his telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Wednesday. The two also discussed ways to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the state department. "Secretary Blinken condemned the DPRK's ballistic missile launch and stressed US commitment to the defense of Japan remains ironclad," department spokesperson Ned Price said of the call

South Korea and Saudi Arabia have vowed to boost cooperation in nuclear power and other energy fields for their transition to a low carbon economy, Seoul's industry ministry said Thursday. South Korea's Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook and Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman reached their consensus at their meeting in the kingdom. Moon arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a three-day stay at the Saudi minister's invitation. During the Wednesday meeting, Moon suggested enhanc