South Korea's fiscal deficit reached an all-time high in the first three months of 2024 due to rising expenditures aimed at buttressing an economic recovery, the finance ministry said Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 75.3 trillion won ($55.07 billion) in the January-March period, up from the previous year's 54 trillion won, the finance ministry said in its monthly public finance report. This year'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Victory Day, expressing his "firm support and solidarity" with Moscow, state media reported Thursday. Kim extended his "warm congratulations and comradely greetings" to Putin in the message celebrating the 79th anniversary of the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim touted Putin as leading efforts to

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to hold a press conference Thursday to mark the second anniversary of his presidency, the first such session in 21 months. The press conference will be held at the presidential office in two parts -- first, an address on his administration's past achievements and future plans, followed by a question and answer session with reporters. Yoon is expected to field a wide range of questions, including his thoughts on the opposition's push for a special counsel investigat

A Seoul court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for a medical school student on charges of killing his girlfriend in Seoul earlier this week for allegedly breaking up with him. The 25-year-old, only identified by his surname Choi, who goes to a prestigious medical school in Seoul, was arrested without warrant on Monday for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend to death on the rooftop of a building in southern Seoul around 5 p.m. on Monday. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant af

President Yoon Suk Yeol called opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday to wish him good health before Lee goes on a weeklong vacation for hospital treatment later this week, Lee's main opposition Democratic Party said. Yoon made the call at around 2:40 p.m. and expressed concern for his health, while Lee expressed his gratitude, the Democratic Party said. Lee will take a weeklong leave from Thursday to next Wednesday to get treatment, which he had postponed due to the recent general

South Korea is leaning toward accepting the proposed cuts by Indonesia in its share of KF-21 fighter development costs, according to the government’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Wednesday. The DAPA said that the reduction in the Indonesian contribution to the joint project was expected to translate into less of a financial burden than speculated by the press, explaining that expenses could be cut down considerably over the process. At its onset, the project was calculated

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mother-in-law, who is currently serving a one-year jail sentence for forgery, will be released some two months early, said the Justice Ministry on Wednesday. Choi Eun-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee, will be released 10 a.m. on May 14, a day ahead of Buddha’s birthday, considering various factors including her age, health condition and good behavior while incarcerated, according to the ministry’s nine-member Probation and Parole

The Health Ministry said Wednesday that it would allow those holding foreign medical licenses to practice medicine in South Korea to help cope with a health care crisis exacerbated by a walkout by junior doctors. The ministry said it would make revisions to the enforcement regulation of the Medical Service Act, adding “medical support” to the list of tasks that foreign medical license holders can perform to address the shortage of medical personnel in the event of a medical disaster

The Gwangju High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced two men to 10 years in prison for smuggling 12 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country. The two suspects, Malaysian nationals in their 30s and 40s, were found guilty of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, particularly the section on narcotics and psychotropic drugs. "Considering the amount of smuggled drugs and severe nature of drug-related crimes, the sentence seems to be app

A man found bank checks worth 50 million won ($36,600) and helped return them to their owner, then donated the reward money that the owner gave him to the local government. According to Saha-gu Office in Busan, a resident named Cha Sang-jae recently found the checks inside an old piece of clothing that he came across and reported it to the police. The checks were revealed to have belonged to the father of Wi Seong-han, who passed away two years ago. Wi, a resident of Seoul, had thrown the clothi

Experts call for clear legal framework to prosecute perpetrators and protect women

Kim Ki-nam, a high-profile North Korean figure who dedicated his life to propaganda and agitation under the leadership of all three North Korean leaders since the 1960s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 94, North Korean state media announced Wednesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a visit to the funeral of Kim Ki-am at 2 a.m. on Wednesday to convey his deep condolences over his passing, according to state media. State media reported the passing of Kim Ki-nam, who had been receiving medi

The Ministry of Education warned Wednesday of punitive measures, including the suspension of student admissions, as a potential consequence for Pusan National University if it persists in halting its medical school enrollment expansion plan. Expressing regret over the school's decision on Tuesday to suspend the increase of medical seats, the ministry emphasized that each university must adhere to the allocation of medical school seats as determined by the education minister in accordance wi

The US-based United Methodist Church said it does not see homosexuality as a sin or heresy, countering the accusations leveled at the global denomination by a coalition of Korean Protestant churches. “The Bible says homosexuality is a sin and consecrating gay clergy amounts to heresy,” President Jung Seo-young of the Christian Council of Korea said in a statement Saturday, made in response to the UMC decision to lift its 40-year-old ban on ordaining gay clergy Wednesday. “The U

Amid an intensifying medical standoff between the government and the medical community over a plan to increase the medical student quota starting next year, some young Korean medical residents are contemplating switching their tracks to cosmetic dermatology or pursuing their careers overseas. A junior doctor majoring in the essential medical field, who wished to be unnamed, told The Korea Herald that he recently attended a conference on skin care and plastic surgery hosted by the Korean Academy