South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Italian President Sergio Mattarella met in Rome on Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties and ways to expand cooperation on regional and global issues.The meeting took place a day after the Korean president arrived in the Italian capital for an official visit. Moon was set to hold a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later in the day. (Yonhap)“In the meeting with President Mattarella, the two presidents discussed a wide range of issues, includin

The Unification Ministry on Monday told a journalist who had defected from North Korea that he is not allowed to cover the inter-Korean high-level talks scheduled later in the day at Panmunjeom.Journalists from four news organizations were set to cover the event on behalf of the South Korean Joint Press Corps, but one of them -- Kim Myung-sung of Chosun Ilbo -- was excluded just an hour before his scheduled departure from Seoul.The ministry said at 6:30 a.m. on Monday that it would exclude Chosu

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said Friday that the US was blocking South Korean efforts to provide medical aid to North Korea.In response to a ruling party lawmaker’s question during a parliamentary audit session on why the government was hesitant to provide medicine to treat tuberculosis and other diseases in the North, Park asked for understanding of the circumstances in which the ministry is “waiting for something bigger.” “(The ministry) wishes and is taking steps to provide medicine to Nor

Prosecutors are expected to grill former police chief Cho Hyun-oh, who was arrested last week over allegations that he masterminded online public opinion-rigging in favor of the Lee Myung-bak government in 2010-2012.A special investigation team under the National Police Agency put their former boss behind bars on Oct. 5 upon a court warrant, the first time ever a former National Police Agency commissioner has been held in detention at a police station.Cho faces charges of abuse of authority and

Gen. Park Han-ki, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday he will push to reinforce advanced military capabilities as they prepare for the envisioned transfer of wartime operation control to South Korea. “The security situation of the Korean Peninsula is now at a major historical turning point as we proceed towards peace and prosperity after long periods of confrontation,” Park said in his inaugural ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense on Thursday morning.“The people

The number of travelers who made visa-free entries through Jeju Island and overstayed in Korea increased by about 18 percent in the first seven months of this year.As of the end of July, 11,979 migrants who overstayed after entering Jeju Island without visas were remaining in the country, up 2,133 from December last year, according to Ministry of Justice data released Tuesday by Rep. Lee Eun-jae of the opposition Liberty Korea Party.(Yonhap) Jeju Island (Yonhap)Last year, 2,058 migrants overstay

Only 3 in 100 heads of companies funded by metropolitan or provincial governments are women, according to a report released Tuesday.Of the 396 chiefs of corporations funded by local governments, only 11 were women as of September, Rep. Yoon Jae-ok of the Liberty Korea Party said in his analysis of the data received from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.Only 5 percent, or 81 of the 1,534 executives, were women. (123RF)By region, the CEOs of companies funded by the metropolitan or provincia

The presidential office is expected to announce its stance on revenge porn as more than 200,000 people have signed an online petition calling for heavier penalties for the crime.More than 214,000 Koreans have signed a petition titled “Please put revenge porn offenders in jail,” posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website last Thursday.The presidential office is required to issue a formal response if an online petition on its website garners more than 200,000 signatures in 30 days.“Over the several decad

Any civil servant sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more for sex offense will automatically lose his job, and those expelled for sex crimes against minors will be permanently barred from public office from April next year.Under the revised rules on state public officials, persons preparing for civil service exams will also be barred from getting appointed to public office for three years if they are fined 1 million won or more for a sex offense. Those who receive jail term or medical treat

One in 3 top government officials own at least one residential property in Seoul’s three most expensive residential districts, Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa, according to a report released Tuesday.Of the 639 level one officials at the presidential office, central government ministries and agencies under the ministries, 210 people owned residential properties in the three districts in southeastern Seoul, according to a report by Rep. Shim Sang-jung of the minor Justice Party.The report showed 46 per

Education authorities in Incheon are scrambling to deal with social media posts alleging sexual misconduct in the city’s schools. The #MeToo reports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are mostly posts by students accusing teachers of verbal sexual harassment or sexual assault. They also say the schools are abetting such behaviors.When the #MeToo reports about Incheon schools first appeared on social media in early September, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education said it only looks into of

Prosecutors investigating judicial power abuse allegations under former Supreme Court chief justice Yang Sung-tae found a thumb drive containing crucial evidence at his residence.The team handling the case at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday they confiscated a USB drive at Yang’s study during a raid of his home.  Yang Sung-tae (Yonhap)The prosecution had requested for a court warrant to search both Yang’s residence and vehicle, but was issued a warrant for only Yang’s v

Police are investigating Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong over allegations of bribery and elections law violations.The Seogwipo Police Station on Jeju Island questioned Won for over three hours on Thursday, focusing on allegations that he had violated the election law by asking for support at a gathering of about 150 people in Seogwipo before registering as a preliminary candidate in May.The Jeju arm of the ruling Democratic Party filed a complaint against Won, an independent, accusing him of speaking ab

An official at the South Korean Embassy in Malaysia received a jail term for issuing fraudulent visas to Pakistanis for nearly three years.The Seoul Central District Court said on Friday that it had sentenced the embassy official to 18 months in prison for falsifying official documents and violating the immigration law.The embassy official was found to have issued fraudulent visas to Pakistanis who lacked the required documents on 20 occasions from April 2015 to January this year. (Yonhap)To rec

Seoul City said Thursday it would provide subsidies for eco-friendly vehicles this year as it aims to support the purchase of 80,000 electric cars by 2022.The city government said it will spend 17.9 billion won ($16.2 million) to help procure and supply 1,690 electric cars and 50 hydrogen cars.The city began receiving applications from individuals, businesses, corporations, organizations and public institutions that wish to purchase electric cars.(Yonhap)Seoul residents aged 18 or above, busines