National
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Police step up readiness for Yoon's impeachment ruling on the horizon
SEOUL, March 19 (AJP) - Police are ramping up security measures with plans to mobilize nearly all available resources in central Seoul as the Constitutional Court of Korea is shortly expected to deliver its final verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial over his botched martial law debacle late last year. According to police sources on Wednesday, the highest-level security alert will be issued on the day of the court's ruling, which will decide Yoon's fate
March 19, 2025 -
Activists urge referral of North Korean leader to international criminal court
SEOUL, March 19 (AJP) - Human rights groups called for North Korea to be held accountable for human rights violations and other alleged crimes against humanity at a forum in Geneva earlier this week. Hosted by Seoul-based non-profit organization People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE) and other advocacy groups, the event as part of this year's regular session of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday shed light on the North Korean regime's heinous and brutal crim
March 19, 2025 -
Foreign ministers of South Korea, China, and Japan to sit for talks in Tokyo this weekend
SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - The foreign ministers of Korea, China, and Japan will hold talks in Tokyo this weekend, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Minister Cho Tae-yul will leave for the island country on Friday to sit for a trilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, slated for Saturday. The upcoming meeting comes more than a year after the last one, which took place in the southern port city of Busan in November 2023.
March 18, 2025 -
Attempted leak of nuclear-related software possible cause behind South Korea's inclusion in 'sensitive country' list
SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - The recent revelation that South Korea has been classified as a "sensitive country" by the U.S. appears to have been triggered by an attempted leak of nuclear reactor design technology. A semiannual report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) disclosed that an employee at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was caught attempting to board a flight to South Korea with software related to nuclear reactors, resulting in the termination of
March 18, 2025 -
South Korea ranks 41st in global democracy index
SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - South Korea ranked 41st overall in an index gauging the level of democracy worldwide, according to an annual report compiled by a Sweden-based research institute and released on Monday. The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden surveyed some 179 countries to assess their levels of democracy for last year and South Korea was among five countries "in a substantial decline" along with Hong Kong, Indonesia, M
March 18, 2025 -
Advisory issued as rare spring snow blankets Seoul
SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - Spring is just around the corner, but a snow advisory was issued as a heavy snowfall blanketed Seoul and other metropolitan areas overnight. It was the latest-ever snow advisory issued for late March in the capital since accurate observations began in 1999. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), an unseasonal cold snap brought about up to 11.9 cm of snow to Seoul as of early Tuesday, 13.8 cm to Uijeongbu, and 12 cm to Pocheon in Gyeong
March 18, 2025 -
South Korea belatedly scrambles to avoid fallout from inclusion on US 'sensitive country' list
SEOUL, March 17 (AJP) - Last week's abrupt revelation of South Korea being classified as a "sensitive country" has sent shockwaves through political circles and government agencies here, with key diplomatic figures and senior officials scrambling to assess its implications and potential fallout. Such a classification by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which could restrict cooperation in advanced technologies, may reflect a shift in U.S. policy toward South Korea,
March 17, 2025 -
Number of young unemployed people reaches 1.2mln
SEOUL, March 16 (AJP) - The number of unemployed young people in South Korea, including those who lost their jobs, are job-seeking, or are simply staying at home without employment, reached 1.2 million last month, government data showed Saturday. Even among those who managed to find jobs, one in four were classified as short-term workers with limited working hours. According to data from Statistics Korea's National Statistics Portal (KOSIS), 269,000 people aged 15 to 29 w
March 16, 2025 -
78 percent of workers support reducing working hours this year
SEOUL, March 16 (AJP) - More than three out of four South Korean office workers believe that working hours should be reduced within the year and that a cap on overtime work should be established, survey data showed Sunday. Gapjil119, a South Korean online-based labor rights advocacy group, commissioned polling firm Global Research to conduct a survey from Dec. 2 to 11 last year, targeting 1,000 office workers aged 19 and older nationwide. The survey found that 77.9 percent of respon
March 16, 2025
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Marriages surge to over 200,000 for first time since pandemic
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Scrutiny intensifies on MBK Partners chief amid Homeplus crisis
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PHOTOS: Spring in Seoul
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China's Temu expands in South Korea with major logistics hub
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PHOTOS: Lotte World Adventure, Korea's premier theme park
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National debt of South Korea surpasses 6,000 trillion won for first time
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Indian embassy in Seoul hosts briefing on WAVES 2025 summit
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K-beauty on budget: Daiso's affordable finds for tourists, locals
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North Korea given exemption for medical supplies from WHO
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Korean pharma leader Celltrion's biosimilar push gains momentum