South Korea and China are set to hold a high-level diplomatic and security dialogue on Tuesday in Seoul, elevating the talks from the director-general level for the first time in nine years, the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced Monday. "The upcoming 'Korea-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue' will be held following the agreement between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang to actively operate communication channels in the diplomatic and security fields be

Assembly speaker voted unilaterally says DP taking 11 committee chairs 'most suitable'

Sejong City, strategically located in the heart of South Chungcheong Province, emerged as a pivotal player in the nation's balanced regional development strategy when it was established in 2012. Situated approximately 150km south of Seoul, Sejong City shares borders with Daejeon, Gongju, Cheongju, and Cheonan, creating a unique urban landscape in an otherwise rural setting. Despite its relatively modest population of around 400,000 residents, Sejong City boasts administrative significance c

Setting sights on global capital model, he vows to nurture Sejong into a city of MICE, smart technology, garden and museum

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld an earlier ruling that found three college students guilty of holding an illegal protest near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, during which they set fire to a controversial flag regarded as a symbol of Japanese imperialism. The defendants were found guilty of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act, which bans protests that had not been reported to the police in advance. The court did not accept their claim that their action was not a protest, and fined th

Imagine living on the 15th floor with the elevator out of order -- not just for a few days, but for the entire summer. Residents of an apartment complex in Jung-gu, Incheon are facing this nightmarish scenario. As of Monday, all 24 elevators in the 608-unit Life Beach Mansion are out of service after failing a safety inspection on June 5. According to local reports, many of the 34-year-old complex’s over 1,400 residents are seniors. The elevator problem stemmed from the complex’s man

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan -- Leaders, experts and policymakers called for urgent action to address water challenges at the Third Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference held in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe last week. Held June 10-13, the conference was part of a biennial series co-organized by the government of Tajikistan, the United Nations and the European Union to support the International Decade for Action under the theme, “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028,” and

Foreign national resident population up 120% from 20 years ago

Seoul has warned Moscow against "going beyond a certain point," amid reports that Russia and North Korea are seeking to deepen their military ties during President Vladimir Putin's imminent visit to Pyongyang. National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin told Yonhap News TV on Sunday evening that Seoul has "cautioned his Russian counterpart that Russia should not go beyond a certain point." "Our intelligence suggests that there is room for (Russia and North Korea) to adop

SNUH medical profs become 1st doctor group to walkout, citing 'life-and-death issue'; Government mulls legal measures

More students than ever before are being accused of sexual misconduct against teachers, government data shows. There were 331 cases of sexual harassment or some kind of sexual misconduct against teachers reported to the Ministry of Education in 2022, local media reported. The figure is a 77 percent surge from the 187 in 2018. It is not clear how many cases were referred to the police. The rise is far steeper than the increase in the total number of cases concerning infringement of teachers'

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation Proposed by Rep. Park Choong-kwon (People Power Party) ● This amendment extends the sunset date of the special provision of tax deduction related to national strategic technologies, including semiconductor technologies, from Dec. 31, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2030. Proposed Bill: Act on Artificial Intelligence Industry Promotion and Trust Securement Proposed by Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo (People Power Party) ● As a

The industry ministry and the state-run Korea National Oil Corp. plan to hold a meeting with experts this week to discuss strategies for developing potential oil and gas reserves off the East Sea, industry sources said Monday. The meeting scheduled for Friday comes as the government and KNOC plan to choose the site for the first drilling operation in July, under the project that could potentially uncover between 3.5 billion and 14 billion barrels of gas and oil in the East Sea, according to the

Prosecutors have begun an investigation into allegations that former President Moon Jae-in's wife, Kim Jung-sook, spent a large sum of taxpayer money to fund her solo trip to India in 2018, prosecution officials said Monday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office plans to call in Lee Jong-bae, a Seoul city councilor affiliated with the ruling People Power Party, as an accuser on Wednesday, as he filed a complaint against Kim last December. The councilor accused the former first lady

A Korean American pastor at the center of a luxury bag scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee has been under a police investigation on charges of defaming a ruling party lawmaker and engaging in illegal electioneering ahead of April's general elections, officials said Monday. The pastor, named Choi Jae-young, has been booked for investigation for allegedly defaming Rep. Lee Chul-gyu of the ruling People Power Party by mentioning Lee and the first lady together during a lecture in March,