Roughly half of public educational institutes across South Korea have at least one convicted sex offender living within a 1-kilometer radius, data showed Wednesday. Over half of the day care centers and high schools in the country -- 59 percent and 53 percent, respectively -- have one or more sex offenders living within 1 kilometer, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family data submitted to Rep. Baek Seung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Some 51 percent of ki

The state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Monday announced its bid to make 150 new K2 tanks' power packs -- which comprise a 1,500-horsepower engine and transmission -- fully homegrown. The tanks with South Korean-made 1,500-horsepower engines and gear shifts will be manufactured by 2028, according to the plan. A notable change in the manufacturing plan, according to DAPA, is the adoption of a transmission system produced by a South Korean company SNT Dynamics. Currently,

A wild boar wrought havoc at a metro station in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province Tuesday afternoon, leaving one person injured and forcing an evacuation, local authorities said Wednesday. The incident began around 4:45 p.m. when the wild boar was first spotted near a local restaurant in Dong-myeon, Yangsan. By 5:10 p.m., it had crossed the street and made its way into Hopo Station on Busan Metro Line 2, officials said. The boar, estimated at 1.5 meters in length and weighing approximately 100

A joint exhibition aimed at promoting information technology exchanges between North Korea and Russia has opened in Pyongyang, the North's state media said Wednesday, marking their first such event in 18 years. The exhibition, held at the People's Palace of Culture, opened Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency, as international attention has focused on North Korea's troop deployment in Russia in apparent support for Moscow in its war with Ukraine. With no mention of

Lottery sales in South Korea rose 7 percent on-year during the first half of this year to reach an all-time high, data showed. Sales of lottery tickets stood at 3.62 trillion won ($2.67 billion) in the January-June period of 2024, compared with 3.38 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from the Finance Ministry. The figure has been on a constant increase, surging 38 percent in four years. Sales came to 2.62 trillion won in the first half of 2020, 2.94 trillion won in the same

China confirmed Tuesday that it has detained a South Korean citizen on suspicion of violating the country's anti-espionage law, marking the first case where a South Korean national has been arrested in China since the revised law took effect last year. "A South Korean national was arrested by Chinese authorities on charges of espionage," Lin Jian, a spokesperson at China's foreign ministry, told a press briefing, without disclosing other details. He said China has notified th

Top diplomats of South Korea and the European Union will hold talks next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday, with discussions likely to cover North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, will meet in Seoul next Monday at the inaugural South Korea-EU strategic dialogue. The strategic dialogue platform was established following a bilateral summit held in May

National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik met with a visiting Danish parliament delegation Tuesday, and discussed the bilateral partnership and other issues, including North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, the presidential office said. In the meeting with the delegation, which included Michael Aastrup Jensen, head of the foreign affairs policy committee of the Danish parliament, Shin stressed that South Korea is urging North Korean troops to withdraw from Russia immediately and end its ill

Chang Ho-jin, foreign policy adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol, has visited Australia to discuss cooperation in the security and defense industry, including Canberra's frigate project, the presidential office said Tuesday. Chang visited Australia from Monday to Tuesday for meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Vice Minister of Defense Greg Moriarty to exchange opinions on regional security issues and Australia's military acquisition program. During the meetings, Cha

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will appoint a special envoy to South Korea following talks held with President Yoon Suk Yeol over the phone pledging strategic cooperation in a bid to counter North Korean troops in Russia, according to the presidential office Tuesday. Yoon and Zelenskyy "denounced the illicit military cooperation between North Korea and Russia with the strongest language possible," as the two countries agreed to seek strategic countermeasures, Yoon's offic

In response to pressing demands from national medical schools, the government has decided to allow universities to individually authorize leaves of absence for medical students, reversing its previous stance. The Ministry of Education announced Tuesday afternoon that the government and presidents of 40 medical universities reached a consensus that students return by the 2025 academic year at the latest. In order to pave the way to accelerate the return of students and normalize studies in medica

Kim Jong-un beefs up security amid assassination fears

NK's top diplomat visits Moscow for strategic talks with troops edging closer to Ukraine

In response to increasing demands from national medical schools, the government is reportedly reconsidering its stance on granting universities the autonomy to approve medical students' leave of absence requests. This comes as a potential solution to the monthslong standoff over medical school enrollments following protests against the government's plan to expand the medical school quota. Sources within the education sector revealed Tuesday that the presidents of national universities

Webtoon's reflection of misogynistic belief that women exploit men for economic gain sparks gender conflict