The US dollar has been at the center of the global monetary system for more than seven decades since the end of World War II. The dollar-dominated international monetary system has shaped the postwar world political economy by significantly contributing to US power, both economically and politically, as well as lubricating the wheels of the global economy. However, in recent years there have been some notable growing developments that might shake the dollar’s global supremacy. China has

The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed a seven-year prison term for a 64-year-old woman for beating her adult son over 2,000 times with a bamboo stick for more than two hours and causing him to die. The mother was indicted on charges of beating to death her 35-year-old son at a Buddhist temple in August 2020 by either assaulting him with a stick or kicking. Two lower courts sentenced her to seven years in prison. According to CCTV footage, the assault took place for about 2 1/2 hours. The son

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon plans to return to work this week after ending his at-home isolation treatment for his COVID-19 infection, officials said Wednesday. Oh, who tested positive for the virus last week, will finish his seven-day isolation Thursday and return to his office Friday. He plans to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Seoul Fashion Week at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art scheduled Friday. According to officials, Oh has been overseeing the city government's management through remote

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed concern Wednesday about North Korea's continued missile launches, stressing the move poses a "serious risk" to international civil aviation. The Montreal-based UN agency's governing body reiterated its concern over the North's recent "unannounced missiles launches which pose a serious risk to international civil aviation," according to a statement posted on its website. "As an ICAO Member State, the DPRK is e

A gender-neutral toilet that can be used by anyone regardless of sex or disability has been installed at a Seoul university for the first time among domestic universities. Sungkonghoe University said Wednesday it has completed the construction of the unisex toilet on the first basement floor of a lecture building called the New Millennium Hall. The toilet, named "Everyone's Toilet," is equipped with various convenience facilities, such as voice assistance, automatic doors, Braille bloc

North Korea on Wednesday fired an unidentified projectile, but the launch appears to have failed soon after liftoff, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North launched the projectile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 9:30 a.m. Other Details were not immediately available. "The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US are conducting an additional analysis," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters. Speculation has been widespread tha

A spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday there is "zero chance" Yoon will move into Cheong Wa Dae and the transition team will continue to look at alternative sites, including the defense ministry compound in Yongsan. Yoon pledged during the presidential campaign that if elected, he would set up his office in the Seoul government complex in Gwanghwamun and open the Cheong Wa Dae compound to the public. Since his election, the transition team has been scouting alt

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook plans to meet his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart later this week to discuss defense cooperation, his ministry said Wednesday. Suh will meet Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, the UAE's minister of state for defense, Friday during his three-day visit to South Korea, the ministry said. The two ministers also plan to visit the Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, in Sacheon, 440 kilometers south of Seoul, as part of efforts to

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo said Wednesday he will faithfully carry out his duties, after a key aide to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol urged him to decide his course of action in apparent pressure on him to step down voluntarily. Speculation about Kim's possible resignation emerged after Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, a close confidant of Yoon, said in an interview Tuesday that Kim should decide on his "own course of action" if he is to repeat the "same behavior as shown so far." &qu

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday asked health officials to consider adjusting the infectious disease level of COVID-19 to better cope with surging cases. The novel coronavirus is currently classified as "Class 1 infectious disease," the highest in the four-tier classification that falls under the same category with diseases like the Ebola virus and the Middle East respiratory syndrome. The Class 1 infection diseases require high-level isolation, such as negative pressure isolat

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit yet another somber milestone of more than 400,000 on Wednesday, driven by the dominant omicron variant spreading at an overwhelming speed. The country added 400,741 new daily COVID-19 infections, mostly locally transmitted, raising the total caseload to 7,629,275, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It's an all-time high since South Korea reported the first COVID-19 case on Jan. 20, 2020, and a big jump from Tuesday's 362,338. The pre

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the site of a major housing project in the country's capital ahead of its completion, state media reported Wednesday. Kim inspected the construction of 10,000 apartments in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Pyongyang that is nearing completion after a groundbreaking in March last year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "He noted with pleasure that the architecture of the country has developed onto a higher plane through the c

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will visit Turkey and Qatar later this week to discuss ways to strengthen diplomatic ties and expand economic cooperation, his office said Wednesday. Kim will be in Turkey from Thursday to Saturday during which he will attend the opening ceremony of the 1915 Canakkale Bridge following an invitation from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The 1915 Canakkale Bridge in northwestern Turkey is the world's longest suspension bridge with a 2,023-meter span between its towers

 A planned meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has been called off as working-level, pre-meeting discussions have not been completed yet, both sides said. Moon and Yoon had been scheduled to hold a one-on-one lunch at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday in their first meeting since Yoon won the election last week, though the two spoke by phone a day after the election. "As working-level consultations have not been completed, we decided to reschedule the mee

Australia’s Victorian government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Health Industry Development Institute to expand cooperation in mRNA vaccine research and manufacturing capabilities. Under the deal inked on March 11, both parties agreed to make joint efforts to explore potential research collaboration and investment opportunities that may lead to the development of RNA ecosystems in their respective jurisdictions. “Victoria has Australia’s largest biomedic