SEJONG -- South Korea is projected to see the portion of foreign population increase by 1.2 percentage points to 4.3 percent by 2040, state demographic data showed Thursday. The data also forecast that the portion of Korean seniors, aged 65 or over, will far outstrip that of elderly foreigners residing in the nation in 2040, suggesting that local people are aging faster than foreign residents. ...

The Institute of Basic Science has identified the scientific mechanism of post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for the first time in the world through animal experiments, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday. According to the ministry, the researchers used the PTSD treatment NYX-783, which is currently under clinical trials by the US biopharmaceutical company Aptinyx, for animal exp...

During his visit to Israel in March at the government’s invitation, Rev. Park discussed mind education with Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin, government officials and lawmakers. Rev. Park visited the city of Ashdod and signed a memorandum of understanding with Deputy Mayor Eli Nacht.

The number of severe COVID-19 cases dropped to three digits for the first time in almost six weeks, according to government data Thursday. The number of critically ill patients, as of midnight Wednesday, marked 962, down 52 from the previous day, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency figures showed. It was the first time for the figure to drop below 1,000 since March 7, when the country r...

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced the final two minister nominees on Thursday, finishing up the first round of nominations for his incoming Cabinet. Yoon announced his choices for the other 16 ministerial posts in the past two rounds of announcements. In the press briefing, Yoon tapped Lee Jung-sik for minister of employment and labor. Lee formerly served as secretary general of the Korea ...

The ruling and opposition parties are clashing over a plan to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers and the new administration’s nominee for justice minister. On Thursday, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo met Park Kwang-on, head of the parliament’s legislation and judiciary committee, to express objection to the ruling party’s move to enact legislation to deprive it of its remaining inves...

South Korea‘s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a two-and-a-half-year jail term for both ex-health minister Moon Hyung-pyo and Hong Wan-sun, former head of the National Pension Service, over their role in the controversial $8 billion merger of Samsung affiliates in 2015. The final ruling came over five years after the two were indicted on charges of abuse of power and crimes of obstructing anothe...

An embedded SIM service launched by local mobile carrier LG Uplus since last year for foreign visitors to South Korea saw a 44 percent increase in the number of customers this year, the company said Thursday. The service became available since May to offer convenience to short-term foreign visitors to South Korea. More foreign visitors have been purchasing the service this year, the company said...

South Korea’s central bank on Thursday raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 1.5 percent, with an official warning of growing inflationary pressure and slower-than-expected economic expansion. The Bank of Korea’s six-member monetary policy board unanimously voted to raise the base rate to 1.5 percent -- the highest level since July 2019 –- during a rate-setting meet...

The unification minister nominee said Thursday that progress toward denuclearization was essential to normalizing inter-Korean relations, but he would strive to create new momentum for dialogue to that end. Rep. Kwon Young-se, the four-term lawmaker of the People Power Party, said the denuclearization process by itself is the “same path to normalize inter-Korean relations,” reiterating that the ...

A concert seeking to shed light on the musical talent of King Sejong the Great will take place next week at the National Gugak Center. King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) was the fourth ruler of the Joseon era, whose remarkable legacy includes, most notably, the creation of Hangeul, the Korean writing system. The Court Music Orchestra of the National Gugak Center will celebrate one of King Sejong...

Gyeonggi governor hopeful Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party has said that voting rights of Chinese nationals with permanent residence here should be restricted on the grounds of reciprocity. “Over 120,000 foreigners, among which are nearly 100,000 Chinese people, will have voting rights in the upcoming local election,” the politician said in a Facebook post on Thursday. “If our citizens can...

“I once heard that although I am acting, my brain can conceive the situation as real. But I think I am pretty good at switching from my character to me in real life. I think that it is an important quality that you need as an actor to work healthy and also perform well,” she said. Her character in the movie sees hallucinations after witnessing the dead body of Mi-so, which she said might look di...

After two years of human devastation, the world is learning to live with COVID-19 while trying to balance the protection of public health and livelihoods. For countries in Asia and the Pacific, this is challenging not only because national coffers are heavily strained by record public spending to mitigate pandemic suffering, but also due to deeper structural economic issues. COVID-19 has expose...

Now in her 11th year as an independent artist, singer and songwriter Fromm’s her unbounded music style, charming low-pitched voice and poetic lyrics have earned here the nickname “Goddess of Hongdae” amongst her fans. With her stage name signifying “the music story that starts from me,” her music tells a story that is easy to relate to. “I think musicians are like novelists. After all, they are...