A lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party on Friday countersued the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol for accusing him of libel after he raised stock manipulation allegations involving the first lady. Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom, the Democratic Party spokesperson, filed a complaint against the presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on charges of making false accusation. Earlier this week, Yoon's office sued the Democratic Party spokesperson on charg

The government has advised municipalities to stop sending emergency text alerts on the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the respective cities on growing calls that the system is becoming something of "a nuisance," according to reports quoting the Ministry of Safety on Friday. Several local governments, including Seoul, have stopped sending texts, according to the ministry. The number of COVID-19 cases, instead, can be found on the websites for each municipality. Over the last

Capital region plans to raise metro fares by 300 or 400 won, unless Finance Ministry helps make up for losses

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Friday tally in 31 weeks amid a gradual downtrend as the government has taken steps to support people's return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 14,961 new cases, including 28 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,228,889, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It is the lowest daily count for any Friday since July 1 last year when the figure came to 9,514. It was about half the level of

North Korea has adopted a new law aimed at safeguarding state secrets at a parliamentary meeting, its state media said Friday, amid apparent efforts to tighten internal discipline. The plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly , held in Pyongyang the previous day, also adopted other laws on the country's management of railways and the education of prodigies, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The objective of the law on the "prot

WASHINGTON-- The US House of Representatives adopted a resolution Thursday denouncing socialism and socialist dictators, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. House lawmakers passed the resolution, titled "Denouncing the horrors of socialism," in a 328-86 vote. The resolution highlights that "many of the crimes in history were committed by socialist ideologues, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Daniel Orteg

WASHINGTON-- The United States remains ready to engage with North Korea diplomatically but the country continues to show no interest in dialogue, a state department spokesperson said Thursday. State Department Press Secretary Ned Price also highlighted the importance of holding North Korea accountable for its recent provocations. "We have made clear time and again to the DPRK that we are ready, willing and able to sit down with them to have discussions about practical steps we can take to

North Korea is already prepared to conduct another nuclear test, but is biding its time to gain leverage in negotiations with China and other powers, according to Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who was elected into the South Korean parliament after defecting in 2016. At a press conference on Thursday, Tae said that whether North Korea decides to test its nuclear weapons for the seventh time was “between Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping.” “The question of the next nu

Of 8.9 million doses of illegal drugs confiscated in 2022, nearly all were to be distributed in Korea

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pleaded with a disability rights advocacy group for an end to rush-hour subway protests, stressing that the yearslong rallies have caused serious disruption to public transportation and Seoul citizens’ daily lives. “Seoul citizens have gone through many inconveniences, so I’d like to ask if the disability rights advocacy group could refrain from disrupting the operation of major lines,” Oh said during a meeting with the group held at the Seoul Metro

North Korea on Thursday said the US would face the “toughest” response if Washington pushes to conduct larger-scale field training exercises with Seoul, threatening that it would not engage in talks if such moves go forward. The statement delivered through its Foreign Ministry came two days after the South Korean and US defense chiefs agreed on steps, including bolstering combined military exercises to enhance the alliance’s deterrence and readiness posture. The US also pledged

Dispute grew on Thursday over the Finance Ministry's budget cut of a state-run hospital, a decision that doctors say undermines years of efforts to strengthen state control of infectious diseases. A group of doctors with the National Medical Center Specialist Council staged an online signature campaign on Tuesday to protest the ministry's decision, addressing fears that the state hospital would not be able to counter the growing threats of viruses if not enough investment is made to

The United Nations is behind South Korea’s efforts to denuclearize North Korea and its measures to deter the isolated country from repeating aggressive actions like another nuclear test, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday at a meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin in New York. The UN chief said he expects South Korea to play a bigger role in leading global initiatives involving protecting freedom and ensuring peace, a reference to Seoul’s latest Indo-Pacific strate

The Seoul metropolitan government’s Hangang Project Headquarters said Thursday that it would help fandoms, organizations and citizens create forests named after celebrities in the Han River Park. Starting this spring, the headquarters plan to build a 10,000 square meter forest dubbed the “Star Forest” in Seoul’s Nanji Hangang Park as it expects a surge in fans’ donations following the increasing popularity of Korean culture. The headquarters said it would actively s

Two professors from Sejong University were named among the academics listed on the Highly Cited Researchers 2022. Professor Han Hee-sup at the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management was named on the list for four consecutive years, where he was recognized for conducting research in sustainable consumer behavior, Muslim tourism and green marketing. Myung Seung-taek, a professor at the Department of Nano Technology and Advanced Materials Engineering, was named in HCR’s cross-field