The Seoul city council has passed a controversial bill that would essentially gut the city’s funding for TBS eFM, Seoul’s only English-language radio network. During a plenary session Tuesday afternoon, the council, controlled by the ruling People Power Party, rammed the bill through a vote. Opposition members boycotted the vote in protest. The legislation, slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, would deprive TBS, short for Traffic Broadcasting System, of around 30 billion won ($22.7

Comprehensive Support Center for the Elderly Living Alone attracts national interest in elders living alone

Korea Childcare Promotion Institute guarantees happiness for children

Kim Chul-hee, director-general of future youth planning at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, talks about Seoul Youth Project

  A South Korean opposition lawmaker is in the hot seat after he used the phrase “poverty porn” to describe first lady Kim Keon-hee who released photos of her philanthropic work while accompanying President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to Southeast Asia. Rep. Jang Kyung-tae of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea said Wednesday that he will “consider expressing regret” if the first lady was upset by his recent comment, while fending off the ruling People Power Party&

For those commuting to Seoul from cities in Gyeonggi Province, rush hour means standing on the aisle of a packed bus running on an expressway. It is unsafe and against the law, but widely considered just part of life. Starting from Friday, 44 percent of intercity buses in Gyeonggi Province will no longer accept passengers when there are no seats left. Gyeonggi Provincial Government confirmed the no standing policy on Tuesday, saying it is for the safety of passengers. The move comes amid a natio

South Korea and France have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on economic security during foreign ministerial talks held on the sidelines of an annual Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. In the Bali meeting the previous day, Foreign Minister Park Jin and his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, exchanged views on Seoul-Paris relations and major regional security issues, including Korean Peninsula affairs. They agreed to bolster partnerships o

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government will consider cutting national health insurance fees for the bereaved families of Itaewon crowd crush victims and those who were injured in the tragedy. "Until all the difficulties of the bereaved families are resolved, we will carefully support them," Han told a response meeting. The Oct. 29 tragedy killed at least 158 people and injured 196 others as huge crowds of people flocked to Seoul's Itaewon to celebrate Halloween.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to the highest Wednesday figure in two months in the latest sign that the virus may surge again in the winter. The country reported 66,587 new COVID-19 infections, including 67 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,357,464, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. It marked a fall from 72,883 on Tuesday, but it is the highest Wednesday tally since Sept. 14 when there were 93,949 new infections. South Korea's COVID-19 o

North Korea warned Wednesday that Japan will "pay a high price" if it continues to unduly persecute and oppress a group of pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans in Japan, mentioning its firing in October of a ballistic missile over the neighboring country. North Korea regarded "persecution and oppression" against the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, also known as Chongryon, and North Koreans living in Japan as a challenge to its dignity and sovereignty, according to a

President Yoon Suk-yeol returned to Seoul on Wednesday following a tour of Cambodia and Indonesia that included his attendance at regional gatherings and his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In Phnom Penh, Yoon unveiled South Korea's new Indo-Pacific strategy focused on creating a free, peaceful and prosperous region, before attending summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and multiple bilateral summits, including one with US President Joe Biden and one

BARCELONA -- The Seoul city government will showcase the city’s latest smart city innovations as well as its future vision at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2022, the Seoul Digital Foundation said Tuesday. SCEWC is the world’s leading smart city fair held annually, where governments, companies and experts come together to share the latest smart city innovations. For this year’s event, held between Tuesday and Thursday at Fira de Barcelona, Spain, the Seoul city government h

US’ direct diplomacy with China is imperative for US-S. Korea-Japan cooperation to help maintain regional peace, says Frank Jannuzi

  One of my uncles in my rural village in Senegal said to me the other day, “Malle! Climate change is impacting our access to food, but most importantly it is destroying social cohesion and creating hopelessness. We farmers have heard a lot about the millions of investments in agriculture, but we are not feeling or seeing it. Does anyone care?” My uncle is not alone in asking this question. Millions of Africans, including me, are asking the same question, in villages, in our cou

The Bulgarian Embassy and Korea Foundation showcased an exhibition on Bulgarian and Korean alphabets at the Korea Foundation gallery in Seoul on Thursday. The embassy presented the "Hidden Letters" exhibition, centered on the Cyrillic alphabet and Hangeul through a vernissage for diplomats, international organizations, local and central authorities, businesspeople and media personalities. Delivering welcome remarks at the exhibition, Bulgarian Ambassador Petko Draganov highlighted the