South Korea’s Air Force said Thursday it had expanded its space operations unit to enhance interoperability between the South Korean and US space forces against air and missile threats from North Korea. The launch of the “Space Operations Squadron” aims to strengthen the South Korean Air Force’s “capabilities to conduct space operations in practice," it said. The squadron will surveil space objects and send alerts concerning space threats, it said in a statemen

Video footage of a woman standing against Chinese Public Security has been going viral on social media as “white paper protests” against China’s "Zero-COVID" policy spread across the country. The video reportedly taken in Kashgar, Xinjiang province in China on Tuesday shows a woman in a white hoodie and jeans standing across from a line of riot police, appearing to record the police officers on her phone as they advance toward her. She holds her ground as the officers

President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Seoul on Monday to elevate their 30 years of diplomatic ties, as South Korea looks to expand its reach into Southeast Asia. During Phuc’s three-day state visit that starts Sunday -- the first of its kind Yoon will be hosting since he came to office in May -- the two leaders will discuss a number of topics from security and business to any other issues that need immediate attention, Yoon’s office said in a

Since weeks ago when Kim Jong-un revealed his 10-year-old daughter Kim Ju-ae to the world openly for the first time, her fashion style has proven to be an instant hit in North Korea, and her styling seems to be sending young North Koreans abuzz. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, published pictures of North Korean women in white and pink padding jackets similar to that previously worn by Kim’s daughter when they inspected the launch of an intercontinen

Demonstrators protest against Xi's extreme zero COVID policies, demand freedom, right to vote

South Korea has decided not to send an official condolence delegation to the funeral of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, a ranking official at the presidential office said Thursday. "It has been known that the Chinese government won't accept foreign condolence delegations or representatives," the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. Jiang died Wednesday at age 96, and Seoul's foreign ministry expressed condolences over his death, praising his contribution to the devel

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the promotion of hundreds of officers involved in last month's warplane activities apparently targeting South Korea, according to Pyongyang's state media Thursday. Kim congratulated the commanding officers and pilots of the Air Force who contributed to "strikingly demonstrating" its power against the enemy and its "invincible stamina by successfully conducting large-scale flying operations," the official Korean Central News Ag

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi and discussed ways to expand energy and resource cooperation during his visit to the African country, Han's office said Thursday. During their meeting at the presidential office in the Mozambique capital of Maputo on Wednesday, Han explained Seoul's initiative to bolster cooperation with African countries and invite their leaders for a special summit in 2024, according to his office. He stressed how South Korean fir

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 60,000 on Thursday amid lingering concerns over a virus resurgence during the cold winter months. The country reported 57,079 new COVID-19 infections, including 43 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,155,813, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Thursday's tally is down from the 67,415 reported the previous day. While the number declined by around 2,000 cases from a week ago, it is slightl

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo session of the ruling party and decided to convene a key party meeting later this month, North Korean state media reported Thursday. During the meeting held the previous day, Kim said the "internal and external circumstances of the year 2022 created on the advance of the Korean revolution were the unprecedented adversity that tested our will and fighting efficiency," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Despite challenge

Seoul subway operations returned at full capacity early Thursday morning after a late-night agreement by management to withdraw a staff downsizing plan ended the strike. Some parts of Line Nos. 1, 3 and 4, however, might not run at full capacity due to separate work-to-rule action by labor unions of Korail, another subway system operator in Greater Seoul. Workers on Line Nos. 1 through 8 went on strike over revived plans to reduce staff by not replacing retiring workers. The subway operator had

Labor minister says policy focus to change from punishing management for accidents to requiring prevention

Scholars say YouTube channel doesn't comply with basic reporting rules, ethics

The presidential office on Wednesday denied rumors that South Korea offered to give up its bid to host the 2030 Expo in exchange for a contract for Saudi Arabia's $500 billion Neom city project, calling it "fake news produced by the opposition party." “Currently, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the office of future strategy and planning in the presidential office are touring the world in a fierce bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo,” the presidential office said in a wri

Pressure is growing for Lee Sang-min to leave his post as minister of interior and safety in the wake of the deadly Halloween crowd crush, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday threatening to file a motion to impeach him if he doesn’t step down. The Democratic Party leadership held an emergency meeting on this day and decided to pass a proposal to dismiss the safety minister at the plenary session the following day on Thursday. If the safety minister doesn’t