The Constitutional Court on Wednesday decided to temporarily halt the impeachment trial of a senior prosecutor in a political meddling scandal. The court said the decision was made under a provision of the court's governing law, which allows for the suspension of trial proceedings if a related criminal case is ongoing. However, it did not provide a specific reason for the decision. Son Jun-sung, deputy chief prosecutor of the Daegu High Prosecutors Office, was accused of meddling in the las

Experts divided on whether turnout will play key part in upcoming election

Students and schools' participation in before- and after-school care programs, a new state-backed child care initiative, has increased over a month into the launch, the Ministry of Education reported Wednesday. Dubbed "Neulbom" which directly translates to "always caring," a total of 2,838 out of 6,175 elementary schools have joined the government-run child care education, accounting for 46 percent of the total number of elementary schools nationwide, Education Minister

Russia's veto against renewing a panel of experts overseeing sanctions on North Korea illustrates the adverse repercussions of the growing alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow on international order and regional security, South Korean Ambassador to the US Cho Hyun-dong said Tuesday. Russia exercised its veto power Thursday to block the yearly extension of the panel of experts responsible for monitoring the enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea. The panel of experts

Scientists urged to disclose research findings, funding to public for transparency

Junior doctors unlikely to accept as they remain skeptical of government’s intention, observers say

Are you considering raising a pit bull terrier? Then you will soon need to get approval from the local authorities, according to a government plan unveiled Wednesday. Starting April 27, government approval will be required to own certain dog breeds considered dangerous under the Animal Protection Act, which specifies five dangerous breeds including tosa inu, pit bull terriers and rottweilers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The decision comes in response to a s

The government is open to the possibility of changing its policy to increase the medical school admission quota if a better option is proposed, the interior minister said Wednesday, as the walkout by protesting trainee doctors continued for the seventh week. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min made the remark during a government response meeting amid no signs of a breakthrough in the prolonged standoff between the government and the medical community over the plan to add 2,000 more medical school sea

North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, saying that all missiles the country has developed are now solid-fuel and nuclear capable with warhead control capability. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the testing of the Hwasong-16 missile Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The South Korean military said Tuesday it detected the firing of an IRBM from the Pyongyang region and the miss

President Joe Biden underscored the United States' "enduring" commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during phone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, the White House said. The call came amid growing concerns over North Korea's continued saber-rattling, including its missile launch this week, and a potential erosion of the sanctions regime against the North due to Russia's veto last week of a resolution to extend the mandate of a UN panel mon

Damages from phishing scams jumped on-year in 2023 despite growing awareness of the crime, data showed. Damages from phishing crimes came to 196.5 billion won ($147.8 million) last year, up 35.4 percent from 145.1 billion won in 2022, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. The number of people who fell victim to the crime dropped 10.2 percent to 11,503 from 12,816 over the cited period. Phishing is a crime where victims are conned into transferring money to scammers or s

South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has launched another round of talks with Chile to update their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) that went into effect in 2004, aiming to reflect the latest changes in the global supply chain and the digital economy. Director General for FTA Policy Ahn Chang-yong met his Chilean counterpart, Pablo Urria, in Santiago for the ninth round of negotiations on improving South Korea's first FTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and E

The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday dismissed an injunction request filed by 33 representatives of the Medical Professors Association of Korea against the government’s planned hike in medical school enrollment quotas, as well as the administrative lawsuit against the health and education ministers, respectively. The court said in its ruling that the medical professors are not eligible to file an injunction request, but the presidents of universities can. The economic damage asserted

South Korea imposed sanctions on two Russian individuals and two other entities over the transfer of arms with North Korea and involvement in helping North Korea finance its nuclear and missile programs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul said Tuesday that two Russian ships used in arms transfers as well as two Russian organizations and their leaders have been designated as sanctions targets. Two Russian vessels -- Lady R and Angara -- were involved in shipping containers of military suppl

Top Korean envoy to New Delhi says bilateral focus broadening to technology, economic security, defense, security