Russia has likely given technology assistance to North Korea and Iran in return for their arms transfers to Moscow, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday, casting it as an apparent move to expand security threats to the United States and others. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space and Missile Defense John Hill made the remarks in response to a senator's question over how Washington is handling emerging space security cooperation between Tehran and Moscow as he attended a Senate sub

According to the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of foreign national patients visiting Korea reached a record high of 606,000 last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The report indicates that more than half of these foreign patients sought services at dermatology and plastic surgery clinics. The number of foreign patients visiting Korea last year increased by 2.4 times compared to the previous year, reaching 606,000. This is 1.2 times higher than the 497,000 patien

A global summit hosted by South Korea and Britain adopted a declaration Tuesday on promoting safe, innovative and inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) to address challenges and opportunities associated with the fast-evolving technology. The so-called "Seoul Declaration" was adopted during a virtual leaders' session of the AI Seoul Summit, hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The two-day event follows the inaugural global AI safety summit held in B

South Korea on Tuesday reported its first African swine fever (ASF) case in around nine months. The latest ASF case was found at a farm located in the inter-Korean border county of Cheorwon in Gangwon Province, which raised some 1,200 pigs, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked the first case of the animal disease since September last year when the disease broke out at a local farm in the county of Hwacheon. The government issued a 48-hour standstill order f

South Korea and the United States held a new round of negotiations Tuesday on sharing the costs for stationing American troops here. The three-day talks through Thursday are aimed at determining how much Seoul should shoulder for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, starting in 2026. The talks are led by Lee Tae-woo, South Korea's chief negotiator from the foreign ministry, and his US counterpart, Linda Specht from the State Department. Tuesday's negotiations took place at

First Lady Kim Keon Hee attended an exhibition by Ukrainian children Tuesday in her third public appearance after she avoided public view for five months following a luxury bag gift scandal. Kim visited the exhibition held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, marking a rare solo appearance by her. The presidential office said Kim played a role in bringing Ukrainian children's drawings to South Korea after her meeting with Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska,

Only 5 percent of the trainee doctors who have left their worksites for three months have returned to hospitals, a senior official said Tuesday, though the government renewed its appeal for them to resolve the protracted standoff over medical reform through dialogue. Most junior doctors, however, have rather called on the government to accept their resignations swiftly, vowing not to back down and seek career paths as doctors other than becoming specialist doctors at major hospitals. According t

The former US President Donald Trump hinting at possibly pulling troops from South Korea was “election rhetoric that does not align with the mainstream thinking in Washington,” according to Rep. Han Ki-ho, the chair of the National Assembly’s national defense committee. The former three-star Army general, who won a fourth term in the Assembly in the April general election, told The Korea Herald that the statements from Trump were an “election-time talk for a domestic au

A controversy is brewing over allegations that Kang Hyeong-Wook, one of the most well-known dog trainers in South Korea, has been bullying the employees at his company. The rumor surfaced after the recent news that the 38-year-old has decided to cease operation of Bodeum Company Ltd., a training and consulting firm for dogs. Numerous users of the local job-searching platform Job Planet came across negative reviews of the company, which have since been posted online and circulated among the South

Tensions escalate as Marine probe bill set to head back to Assembly after Yoon's 10th veto

The police have recently launched an investigation into the hacking of personal emails belonging to high-ranking military officials, which is believed to have been orchestrated by North Korean hacking groups. The Defense Ministry confirmed Tuesday that a joint investigation into the email hacking had been conducted by the police and the military police. Additionally, the ministry has set up a dedicated task force to address the matter. Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu clarified that the comprom

A local animal protection group said Tuesday it has requested a police investigation into a possible case of animal abuse after six newborn puppies were found at a beach, apparently thrown away by the owner. According to the Taean Dongmul Boho Hyeophoi (Taean Animal Protection Society), the animals were found inside a garbage bag thrown away along a beach in Taean-gun in South Chungcheong Province. Trash such as empty bottles of soju and beer cans were also found inside the bag. Some of the pupp

Seventh hand grenade explosion in military boot camp training prompts concerns

Having a driver's license for those aged 65 and over could be made conditional, as the South Korean government is reviewing measures to decrease the number of traffic accidents in the country. According to the measures announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korean National Police Agency to reduce traffic fatalities, introducing a conditional license for senior citizens is under consideration. Under the measures, senior drivers will have different driving per

Two alums of Seoul National University, the country’s top-ranked university, have been arrested for digital sex crimes in a Telegram group chat, reigniting public outrage following the notorious “Nth Room” scandal disclosed in 2019. The Cybercrime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced Tuesday that they had arrested a 40-something man, identified only by his surname, Park, and a 31-year-old man surnamed Kang, for illegally producing and distributin