Seoul and Beijing foreign ministry directors meet in Shenzhen to discuss S. Korea-China relations

SEOUL -- Foreign ministry directors from Seoul and Beijing met in China's southern city of Shenzhen to discuss South Korea-China international relations and other international issues that revolve around the Korean Peninsula. The meeting took place amid a thawing atmosphere between the two countries since Seoul-Beijing relations became frozen after the election of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in May 2022. After taking office, President Yoon aligned South Korea's dipl

December 20, 2023

S. Korea to host Winter Youth Olympics for first time in Asia

SEOUL -- The Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place in South Korea's eastern province of Gangwon, well known for its mountainous and forested landscapes, in January 2024. South Korea has become the first Asian country to host the international sports event that would be attended by some 1,800 athletes from about 80 nations. The Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG), designed for young athletes aged between 15 and 18, is held every four years. The multi-sport event organized by t

December 20, 2023

Number of S. Koreans with families in North continues to decrease

SEOUL -- The number of South Koreans separated from their family members due to the Korean War (1950~1953) dropped to 39,881 as of November 2023, down 32.5 percent from 2017. Divided families have been unable to reunite since the last family reunion event in 2018 due to escalating tensions between the two Koreas. Millions of Koreans were displaced by the sweep of the Korean conflict, which concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas still technical

December 19, 2023

Police on manhunt for male and female vandals who damaged walls of iconic palace

SEOUL -- Police are on a manhunt for two vandals, a man and a woman, who damaged the outer walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul using paint spray cans. Two cases of vandalism took place for two days in a row. The police said that they consider these cases as acts of serious crime. Gyeongbokgung is an iconic palace in Seoul that was visited by some 3.4 million people in 2022. The area near the Blue House, the former presidential office, remains a high-security area with a s

December 19, 2023

S. Koreans choose Gangnam as favorite place to spend end-of-year season in 2022: data

SEOUL -- Gangnam, a southern district famous for rapper Psy's global hit song "Gangnam Style," was the most crowded region in Seoul during the Christmas season last year. The southern district, also known as the capital city's heart of fashion and finance, was the most visited region among people in their teens to 40s. In South Korea, Christmas is regarded as a special day for couples to go on dates and an opportunity for singles to express their feelings to someon

December 19, 2023

Number of working S. Koreans aged 60 and above on par with workers in 40s: data

SEOUL -- Data released by South Korea's national state statistical office has shown that the number of people aged 60 and above was nearly equivalent to that of young people in their 40s between January and November of this year. The number of new businesses established by individuals aged 60 or older has also significantly increased from January to September in 2023. South Korea is an aging country where about 30 percent of the population would consist of people aged 75 years a

December 18, 2023

Seoul's iconic palace walls vandalized despite high security

SEOUL -- The walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty (1392~1897), located in the heart of Seoul were vandalized with spray paint despite the palace area being one of the most heavily guarded areas in the capital city. Gyeongbokgung is an iconic palace in Seoul that was visited by some 3.4 million people in 2022. The area near the Blue House, the former presidential office, remains a high-security area with a score of closed-circuit television (CCTV) came

December 18, 2023

S. Korea to stop operation of COVID-19 screening centers

SEOUL -- South Korea will stop the operation of COVID-19 screening centers, about four years after the country was hit by the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. South Korea operated some 500 screening centers across the country since February 2020 to establish a frontline against the infectious disease that infected more than 34 million people and killed more than 35,000 people. The centers offered free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for anyone who showed s

December 15, 2023

Committee launched to list Korean rice wine Makgeolli as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

SEOUL -- A special committee of 30 specialists from various fields was launched to list Makgeolli, a Korean rice wine, as UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) 's Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2013, Kimjang, the collective process of making and sharing kimchi in South Korea, was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Makgeolli, also known as Korean rice wine or rice beer, is a milky-white alcoholic beverage that was c

December 15, 2023

Indian Embassy holds special event to celebrate 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with S. Korea

SEOUL -- The Indian Embassy in Seoul has held a special event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with South Korea. At the Indian cultural center in Seoul's central district of Yongsan, India's ambassador has reached an agreement with South Korea's deputy minister for political affairs to upgrade strategic cooperation in various sectors. Government data showed that South Korea's exports to India reached $18.8 billion in 2022, up 21 from a year a

December 14, 2023