The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and entities, including North Korea's border guard bureau, for serious human rights violations and other crimes. The move came as part of the designation of over 65 individuals and entities in 17 countries by the US to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on Friday, and Human Rights Day, observed annually on Dec.10th. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the designations partly aim to disrupt and deter

A pair of dogs that were gifted to former President Moon Jae-in by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have found a new home at a public zoo in the southwestern city of Gwangju, officials said Friday. 　 　Moon returned the dogs to the government early last month, citing legal grounds and a lack of support. 　 　The indigenous North Korean Pungsan-breed dogs, one male named Songkang and a female named Gomi, were given by the North‘s leader after an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in 2018. 　 　Des

Former national security adviser Suh Hoon was indicted Friday on charges of irregularities surrounding the 2020 death of a South Korean government official at the hands of North Korea in the first indictment of a ranking official in the preceding Moon Jae-in government. 　 　The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has been investigating the death of the fisheries official, who was fatally shot by North Korean coast guard members near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, a day

The closest aide to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's leader Lee Jae-myung was handed over to trial on Friday on bribery charges, heightening the possibility of investigating Lee soon. The prosecution indicted Jeong Jin-sang on charges of receiving a total of 240 million won ($184,000) in bribes from Yoo Dong-gyu, the former head of the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation. Yoon was also indicted for giving bribes to Jeong. Jeong was alleged to have received the money from Y

Seoul International School, a major international school in Korea located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a new head. An experienced educator who has lived in diverse cultures, SIS head James Gerhard presented a multifaceted vision to maintain SIS’ reputation. Gerhard has been in the education field for about 28 years, and has a doctorate in education. He taught high school economics and government in New York before moving on to teach Ame

South Korea plans to offer some 100 tons of humanitarian aid items to Ukraine, which is suffering power shortages this month amid its war with Russia, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The items, which include power generators, children's vaccines, medical devices and emergency medicines, are scheduled to be sent in two batches on Sunday and Dec. 25 via chartered flights. According to the ministry, the planned shipment of power generators is meant to help meet Ukraine's urgent

South Korean truckers voted to return to work after 16 days of striking, with a majority of union members voting against continuing the demonstration. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity union has been on strike since Nov. 24, calling for the government to make permanent a minimum freight rate system that is to expire this year. They held an emergency meeting on Thursday and decided to vote on whether to continue the strike. “If the union members decide (to cancel the strike), we will return to

A couple in their 60s who owned a bear breeding farm were found dead in an apparent attack by the bears they own, the police said on Friday. Bear breeding faces criticism for violating animal rights, but the government is not able to provide other options at the moment, as it would take many more years to build adequate facilities. On Thursday night, police found the bodies of the couple at the entrance of the farm after receiving a missing person report from their daughter at 9:45 p.m. It was d

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases continued their weekly climb Friday, as the government mulls adjusting the indoor mask mandate even as the virus spreads. The country reported 62,734 new COVID-19 infections, including 50 from overseas, bringing the total to 27,611,555, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is slightly lower than the previous day's 65,253, but up by more than 9,700 from the same day a week earlier, and more than 9,000 higher than two

Striking cargo truckers voted Friday to end their weekslong walkout after their collective action incurred massive supply disruptions across industries and prompted the government to issue back-to-work orders. In a plenary vote conducted in the morning, nearly 62 percent voted in favor of ending the strike while about 38 percent objected, according to the results of the vote released by the North Jeolla branch of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union. The vote was participated by 3,574 of the uni

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday that the government will set criteria within this month on determining whether to lift the indoor mask mandate. "The specific criteria for judgment will be finalized through a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters this month after an open debate and discussion by the advisory committee," Han told a response meeting. The government will advise or ask people to voluntarily wear face masks indoors if COVID-19 contai

WASHINGTON -- US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim held talks this week with his Chinese counterpart to discuss North Korea's increasingly provocative behavior, the state department said Thursday. The rare meeting was held virtually on Wednesday, according to department spokesperson Ned Price. "Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim held a video conference on December 7 with PRC Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming to discuss the DPRK'

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear tests and its potential use of nuclear weapons against the US and its allies present a serious challenge that requires the US to further enhance its extended deterrence, a White House official said Thursday. Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, noted keeping US allies from developing their own nuclear capabilities may also be a "big challenge" for the US going forward. "I would suggest that one of t

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday hosted a formal dinner for the national soccer team in celebration of the team's performance in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, officials said. The banquet was held at Yeongbingwan, a reception hall at Cheong Wa Dae, a former presidential office. It was attended by 22 members of the South Korean national soccer team, including captain Son Heung-min, coach Paulo Bento and other support staff. The celebration dinner was to honor the South Korean team for reaching

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Indonesia next week to discuss the North Korea issue, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will have back-to-back bilateral and trilateral meetings with his American and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, from Monday to Tuesday in Jakarta, according to the ministry. They are expected to share