JEJU ISLAND -- South Korea and other Asian countries should take a realistic approach and explore feasible options for de-escalating the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while acknowledging the limitations of their influence on the matter, Asia-based experts said Thursday during the Jeju Forum. "The Korean government should soberly evaluate the extent of its leverage in shaping its stance on the issue," Ma Young-sam, who served as South Korean ambassador to Israel as well as the inaugural h

Rift grows between government, doctors over medical reform; doctors warn of 'full-fledged' protest next month

Ministers to meet at Shangri-La Dialogue amid Pyongyang’s serial provocations targeting Seoul

With the South Korean Army in the hot seat over a recent trainee soldier's death during a pack drill, a number of online users here have recently been accusing a website affiliated with the military of deleting or hiding posts that are openly critical toward the military concerning the controversial death. As of Friday morning, multiple posts criticizing the Army for the supposed censoring have been uploaded in the Free Talk section of The Camp, a communication platform with the cooperation

A committee under the International Labour Organization recently requested the South Korean government to provide details on a planned amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations under the United Nations agency aiming to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards, said Tuesday that it had filed a "direct request" with the Korean government in March for f

A survey by the Korean chapter of the UK charity Save the Children has found that almost all Koreans say parenting education is necessary, but less than 4 in 10 have had any such education. According to the children’s rights nongovernmental organization Firday, 97.5 percent of the poll’s 1,000 respondents supported the idea of education on responsible parenthood in general. On which areas the education should focus on, 77.8 percent identified positive child-rearing approaches, includ

The South Korean police on Thursday said it has recently recommended an indictment against a local politician on charges of unlawfully detaining people he accused of immigration violations despite having no evidence. The politician, who lost his bid to become a lawmaker in April's parliamentary election, is also facing potential charges for using violence against his victims during the unlawful arrests that he conducted in February and March of this year. Nine of his accomplices are also be

A 65-year-old man suspected of murdering his former girlfriend and her daughter was caught by local police Friday morning, according to officials. Officers at Bangbae Police Station located the suspect at around 7:45 a.m. near Namtaeryeong Station in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, and apprehended the suspect. The police tracked down the suspect based on surveillance footage. The suspect is believed to have stabbed the woman in her 60s and her daughter to death at a commercial-residential complex in Da

The health ministry said Friday it will provide more financial support for trainee doctors and begin a trial operation to reduce their working hours, amid protracted walkouts prompted by a plan that boosted the number of medical students. Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang told reporters that the pilot program will decrease the continuous working hours for trainee doctors from the current 36 hours to approximately 24 to 30 hours. "The new law reducing trainee doctors' working hours

South Korea's top diplomat has said that the country will actively position itself as a cooperation hub in various networks, highlighting its vision as a "global pivotal state." The vision, promoted by the current government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, aims for South Korea to serve as a responsible nation that upholds and promotes freedom, human rights and the rule of law. "Under the vision of 'global pivotal state,' the government is participating in multilateral a

North Korea staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea's northwestern border islands for a third straight day on Friday, the South's military said, in the latest in a series of provocative acts this week. The military detected the jamming signals from about 8 a.m. directed toward the islands near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, the de facto western maritime boundary between the two Koreas, according to a South Korean military official. The latest attempt has not h

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Japan have met in Washington to discuss bilateral relations and North Korea's recent launches of a military spy satellite and ballistic missiles, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The 70-minute luncheon meeting took place between First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Japanese counterpart, Masataka Okano, on Thursday, a day before they were to have trilateral talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. The two condemned the

Photo-sharing app Instagram overtook Naver, the nation’s leading internet portal, as the third most popular mobile app in South Korea in terms of usage time last month, industry data showed. South Koreans spent a combined 20.9 billion minutes on Instagram in April, according to data from mobile market research firm Wiseapp Retail Goods. It marked the first time Instagram outstripped Naver to become the third most used smartphone app here since Wiseapp began compiling such data in March 2

Delegations from 48 African countries and 25 state leaders are coming to Seoul next week on South Korea's invitation to its first-ever multilateral summit organized in hopes of strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with the continent, the presidential office said Thursday. At the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place from June 4-5, President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to hold formal talks with 25 leaders of African countries, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the p

A petition calling for the return of a giant panda, which was sent to China after being born and raised in South Korea, has resurfaced here amid lingering concerns over the beloved bear’s wellbeing in China. The petition, titled "Return Fu Bao to Korea” and submitted by a petitioner surnamed Koh, emerged Wednesday on the National Assembly’s online petition platform. It has met the initial requirement of gathering 100 consents and now awaits a review for it to be made pub