North Korea has convened a key parliamentary meeting to revise the constitution, state media reported Wednesday, without disclosing details about whether it removed unification-related clauses or stipulated territorial boundaries in line with an order by leader Kim Jong-un. At the 11th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly Monday and Tuesday in Pyongyang, North Korea unanimously decided to amend and supplement parts of the country's socialist constitution, according to the Kore

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to raise the issue of the "concerning" and "deepening" partnership between North Korea and Russia during annual gatherings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos this week, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. Blinken is set to represent the US at the East Asia Summit and the US-ASEAN Summit on behalf of President Joe Biden during his trip to the Laotian capital of Vientiane, which lasts u

Hotel employee disables fire alarm during blaze, potentially raising death toll

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled that taking away students’ mobile phones at high schools during school hours is not a violation of human rights, reversing its stance after 10 years. The decision was made Monday at a meeting where all 10 commissioners were present to deliberate on a petition filed by a high school student last year, according to local media. Eight commissioners voted to reject the petition, which claimed that the school’s policy on collecting mobil

Over 2,000 websites running illegal lotteries were reported to authorities this year, but only 0.9 percent of them have been blocked by the government, Ministry of Economy and Finance data showed Tuesday. Of the 2,838 websites reported, only 26 had blocked as of July, according to ministry data submitted to Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Most of the reported cases -- 2,666 -- were still under deliberation by the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The

Despite a slight increase in the number of female prosecutors over the last four years, only one in 10 chief prosecutor-level officials in South Korea is a woman, data from the Ministry of Justice showed Tuesday. Of the 46 officials at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level or higher as of September, just five were women, according to the data submitted to Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. SPO-level prosecutors are the second highest rank in Korea's pro

Allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee interfered with the ruling party's candidate nominations ahead of April's legislative general election are stirring up the political landscape in South Korea -- and at the center of it all is a pollster who claims he "advised" President Yoon Suk Yeol. Myeong Tae-gyun became the center of attention after online media outlet Tomato News reported that he had connections with the presidential couple, and played a role in the ruling People

Hot fall temperatures due to high pressure systems from July

Experts say Kim's speech calling for managing situation reveals anxiety over bolstering S. Korea-US alliance

South Korea’s national defense minister on Tuesday said North Korean troops appear to have been killed or wounded in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers on this day that reports of North Korean troop casualties in the Ukraine war are believed to be true based on the ministry’s findings. He was speaking about a report in the Ukrainian news agency Kyiv Post that six North Korean officers were among those killed by a missile strike in

The chief of a military think tank in South Korea has sparked controversy after suggesting that conscripting women into the military could boost marriage and fertility rates. Kim Hyung-chul, president of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, a nonprofit public interest foundation under the Ministry of National Defense, talked about whether women should go to the military in an interview on the local YouTube channel, “Pen and Mike” on Sept. 23. “We have reached a point whe

The number of medical students opting for military enlistment instead of continuing their medical studies has surged, surpassing 1,000, in response to the government's decision to expand medical school quotas, government data showed Tuesday. Data obtained by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea from the Ministry of Education reveals that as of Aug. 23, military leave had been granted to 1,059 students from 37 of the nation's 40 medical schools. This exclude

LNG cargo swap deal, extradition agreement, plans for strategic partnership among MOUs signed during summit

KDCA plans to stockpile domestically developed vaccines, according to chief

Amid the debate around shortening the medical school curriculum from six to five years, the education minister stated Tuesday that the proposal is an emergency measure and that universities will not be forced to comply. Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly that the proposal was a measure to ensure there are enough medical professionals in the future to meet the country's health care needs. "(We) will not force medical schools. If unive