North Korea does not appear to be ready to deal with "outstanding" matters with Japan, including the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, Tokyo's top envoy to the United States said Monday. Ambassador Shigeo Yamada made the remarks, referring to recent statements from senior North Korean officials that Pyongyang does not have intentions to talk with Tokyo over the abduction issue despite Japan's diplomatic outreach to secure a meeting between Japanes

Police said Monday they have booked a man suspected of creating a fabricated video of President Yoon Suk Yeol apologizing for corruption and incompetence ahead of the April 10 general elections. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho said during a regular meeting with the press that the man, who is in his 50s and residing in a provincial region, has admitted to making the fake video. Asked if he is affiliated with any political party, Cho said the man is "working for a poli

Democratic Party of Korea Chairperson Rep. Lee Jae-myung has come under fire after he was caught on a hot mic saying he “put on a show” after a campaign event Sunday. “I put on a show of working (hard). My back hurts,” the main opposition leader said as he was getting into his van while still live on air on his YouTube channel. The hot mic remarks came immediately after Lee held a campaign rally in a district in Incheon, where he is running for a second term in the Nation

South Korea, Japan and China are in the process of finalizing a date for a trilateral summit that has not taken place since December 2019, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Monday. Cho confirmed this during his meeting with Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry. The TCS is an international organization dedicated to fostering lasting peace, shared prosperity and cultural exchange among South Ko

Education authorities in Seoul plan to add a clause specifying the protection of teachers in the student rights plan for the next three years, in light of a series of cases last year related to abuse against teachers. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is currently cooking up the first draft of the student rights comprehensive plan for 2024-2026, and is set to hold a public hearing at its Jongno headquarters on May 11 for feedback from experts, the public, students, parents and teachers

A South Korean man who sustained serious injuries while trying to stop an assault of a woman will be designated as a "wounded noble person" by the law and receive state compensation, the city government of Jinju said Monday. The city government recently granted a model citizen certificate to the man in his 50s, and is preparing for the abovementioned official designation. The Act on Honorable Treatment and Support for Persons Who Died or Were Injured for Public Good stipulates benefits

South Korea on Monday succeeded in sending its second domestically made military reconnaissance satellite into space from the US to enhance its space-based surveillance of North Korea and deterrence against nuclear and missile threats. The Ministry of National Defense said the satellite was launched at 8:17 a.m., Korea time, on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. About 45 minutes after liftoff at 9:02 a.m., the satellite entered its target o

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday touted his administration's policy efforts as the reason behind the recent signs of the housing market stabilizing. Yoon said his conservative administration will spare no efforts to further stabilize the housing market, as the interest rate and the cost of construction remain high, posing hurdles for the housing supply in Seoul, which is suffering a shortage of affordable housing for prospective homeowners. "Now is the (optimal) time to normalize the housi

Experts point to Japanese PM's low ratings, desire for diplomatic achievement, preparation for change in US presidency

S. Korea entertains new form of political satire through 'SNL Korea Reboot' aired via streaming service under more relaxed rules

The presidential office said Monday that it has no plan to defer the medical school admissions quota hike, fueling confusion both in the government and medical community, which briefly saw the possibility for dialogue over the matter. “The government has never reviewed postponing the plan for a year, nor will it do so in the future,” an official from the presidential office told reporters during a closed-door briefing, reiterating that the government remains unchanged on its medical

South Koreans paid an average of 960,000 won ($709) in 2021 for medical services, excluding state health insurance coverage, government reports showed Monday. In a joint report, the National Health Insurance Service and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs analyzed the data of 12,874 adults across the country, out of whom 11,844 used medical services in 2021. South Korean law subsidizes the costs of medical services through the National Health Insurance program, to which all citizen

A South Korean court recently ordered the state to pay 209 million won ($154,000) as compensation to a US national who police mistakenly injured with a gun while trying to take down a dog on a rampage. The civil case division of the Seoul District Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the 68-year-old American, who demanded compensation for injuries he sustained in the unintended attack. "The accident occurred as a result of a police officer's illegal actions, which is beyond the degree o

Seoul’s all-inclusive monthly transit pass, the "Climate Card," surpassed 1 million issuances last week, just 70 days since its debut, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday. According to the city's data, the number of climate cards issued as of Friday had reached 1,008,000, since its launch on Jan. 27. Of the total, mobile-only cards accounted for approximately 49 percent, while the remaining 515,000 issuances were for physical cards, a city official said. The number

Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Income Tax Act Proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chul (People Power Party) ●This amendment proposes canceling the planned implementation of the financial income tax system next year, which imposes a 20-25 percent tax on capital gains from investments in financial investment products, such as stocks, bonds and funds, that are worth 50 million won ($38,230) or more. The financial investment income tax, also known as the “geumtuse,” is a system that levi