A baby weighing less than a large apple at birth has defied medical odds, heading home after six months of intensive care, Samsung Medical Center in Seoul said Tuesday. Lee Ye-rang weighed a mere 260 grams when she was born on April 22 this year at just 25 weeks and five days, setting a record as South Korea's smallest surviving infant. A typical newborn weighs about 3.2 kilograms. By the time of her discharge on Nov. 5, she weighed 3.19 kilograms. She was breathing on her own, without the

President Yoon Suk Yeol could stop by the United States to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump after two series of multilateral summits in South American countries he heads to later this week. When asked about the possibility of Yoon meeting Trump on the occasion of his upcoming trip to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and the Group of 20 summit in Brazil, an official of the presidential office said Tuesday, "We are closely communicating with representatives

Police said Tuesday that a man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of secretly filming female students at a private academy, as well as other women in public spaces, to produce exploitative content. Gangwon Provincial Police said the suspect is accused of using smartphones to secretly film 17 female students under their uniform skirts 141 times from January 2020 to October, while he was working at a private cram school, or hagwon, in Gangwon Province. The man then created 1,810 pieces of s

The political future of Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is likely to be decided this month, as South Korean courts are expected to deliver several court rulings that could potentially bar the main opposition leader from running for president. The Seoul Central District Court is set to deliver rulings in two separate cases against Lee on Friday and Nov. 25, marking the first decisions in his four ongoing criminal cases. On Friday, the Seoul court is expected to deliver a verdic

Experts say delay in fall foliage could become ‘new normal’ as extreme heat continues

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Tuesday released key details from 12 leaked diplomatic cables, revealing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's direct orders -- transmitted through the Foreign Ministry to overseas missions -- to counter increasing international scrutiny and pressure on human rights, especially at the United Nations. This marks the first public release of diplomatic telegrams -- confidential communications from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry to its embassies and

Distrust between students, government is 'too high,' says Lee

An overwhelming majority of middle and high school teachers nationwide worry that their basic rights may be violated when supervising the Suneung college entrance exam, a survey showed Monday. The Korean Federation of Teachers Unions conducted the survey on 4,654 teachers across the country, in which 88 percent of the respondents said they have been concerned about potential human rights violations during Suneung duties. The Ministry of Education requires to middle and high schools across the co

A recent survey by a local dating app showed that single South Koreans feel the urge to look for a romantic relationship mostly when they want someone on their side. Dating app Noondate conducted the survey of 16,792 men and women across the country who are not romantically involved with anyone, asking them when they feel like starting a romantic relationship. The leading answer for both sexes was "when I feel like I want someone to take my side," chosen by 48 percent of women and 39 p

Korea's BMI obesity threshold should be raised to 27 amid changes in body types, health patterns, experts say

Two medical officers of the Navy recently resuscitated an older woman who had lost consciousness after choking on tteok (rice cake), according to the Republic of Korea Navy. Lt. Lee Jin-ho and Petty Officer Choi Hwan-yeong, were visiting a phone repair center in Seogwipo City in Jeju Island last Wednesday when they found a woman in her 70s lying unconscious across the street. The two men had gotten off their ship to repair their phones after the salvage and rescue vessel Gwangyang of the Navy

Two dogs that President Yoon Suk Yeol received from Turkmenistan settled into their new home at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, South of Seoul, the presidential office said Tuesday. A pair of Turkmen shepherd puppies known as “Alabai” were gifted to Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee from the Central Asian country’s president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov during their meeting in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat in June. The Alabai puppies, Happy and Joy, have been living at the presid

A 26-year-old man is being tried for the murder of his girlfriend, in another case drawing attention to the issue of dating violence in South Korea. The suspect surnamed Kim is believed to have killed a 27-year-old woman surnamed Im, his girlfriend of two weeks, by stabbing her in the heart at his home in August. Kim, who turned himself in by calling the 119 emergency line, claims self defense. He told police that Im had attacked him with a knife, and unintentionally stabbed herself in the che

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Tuesday sent a high-level delegation to Spain and Poland to explore infrastructure and development-related cooperation with the countries. During the four-day two-nation trip, the delegation headed by First Vice Land Minister Jin Hyun-hwan plans to hold a meeting with Spain's Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, and attend a bilateral seminar to explore joint projects in third countries. In Poland, the delegation plans to pa

South Korean banks will begin operations an hour later than usual on Thursday due to the national college entrance exam, a local association of banks said Tuesday. Around 520,000 high school seniors and graduates were to take the College Scholastic Ability Test on Thursday. In a move to help ease traffic in the morning hours, banks will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rather than their usual operating hours from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m., according to the Korea Federation of Banks. Such an adjustment i