Yoon clarifies his vision for reunification at nationwide televised press conference

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - During a press conference on Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol reiterated that South Korea's path to reunification with North Korea should be peaceful. His comments referred to the vision for reunification he proposed in his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15. The vision outlines three key principles: "freedom-based values," "changes in the North Korean populace," and "international solidarity." These principles aim to guide S

August 29, 2024

Court declares Korea's climate goals partially unconstitutional, calls for longer-term target

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) – The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday Korea's climate change policy is partially unconstitutional, ordering the government to supplement it with a longer-term emission reduction goal. In a ruling on four constitutional petitions filed by young environmentalists, the court said that the government's omission of greenhouse gas reduction targets beyond 2030 fails to adequately protect citizens' basic rights. In the first such cas

August 29, 2024

Supreme court upholds life sentence for brutal murder convict

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - The Supreme Court of Korea upheld a life sentence for a man convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman in Seoul last year. Choi Yun-jong, 30, brutally attacked a total stranger, attempting to rape and severely beating her on a hiking trail in southern Seoul in August of last year. The victim, an elementary school teacher was taken to a hospital but died two days later. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in both the first and second tr

August 29, 2024

Baseball attendance set to reach 10 million this season

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - The number of spectators for this year's professional baseball league is on the brink of reaching a new milestone of 10 million. According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the cumulative number of baseball fans who have visited stadiums across the country has surpassed 9 million as of early this week. Many baseball fans were undeterred by this summer's record heatwave, as attendance reached 8.48 million last Sunday, surpassing the previou

August 29, 2024

Large sinkhole injures elderly couple in Seoul

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - A large sinkhole suddenly opened up on a busy four-lane road in Yonhui-dong, western Seoul on Thursday. The sinkhole suddenly appeared around 11:20 a.m., swallowing a Tivoli vehicle. The unexpected collapse caused a car to plunge into the hole, which measured 6 meters wide and 4 meters long, leading to serious injuries for the driver and a passenger. The female passenger in her late 70s was found in cardiac arrest but was revived through immediate CPR eff

August 29, 2024

Nurses' nationwide strike averted at eleventh hour

SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Just hours before their planned nationwide strike, nurses and other medical workers called it off after reaching an agreement through last-minute negotiations on Thursday. Their major walkout was averted as some 59 out of 62 medical institutions under Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) accepted a proposal over wages and working conditions. The decision just came after a bill, which legalizes the medical practice of Physician Assis

August 29, 2024

Number of students at high risk of suicide rises for second straight year: survey

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - The number of Korean students at high risk of suicide has increased for two consecutive years, according to data from the Ministry of Education submitted to the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) on Wednesday. The survey, conducted annually, shows a worrying trend among elementary, middle, and high school students. South Korea's youth suicide rate stood at 25.2 per 100,000 people in 2022, more than double the OECD average of 10.7 per 100,000. Go

August 28, 2024

Street in New York to be renamed in honor of Otto Warmbier

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - A stretch of road in front of the North Korean mission to the United Nations in New York is expected to be renamed in honor of Otto Warmbier, an American college student. Warmbier, a student of the University of Virginia, was imprisoned and tortured in North Korea in 2016 on an unclear charge of subversion. He died shortly after being released in a vegetative state in 2017. The Manhattan Community Board 6, a New York city community board, said on Tuesday

August 28, 2024

Foreign Ministry warns Korean religious group to evacuate from Israel amid escalating tensions

SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Amid rising conflicts between Israel and militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Tuesday issued an urgent evacuation warning for a religious group of 180 Koreans currently in Israel. Israel is a key pilgrimage destination for Korean Christians, who visit holy sites such as Jerusalem, believed to be the location of Jesus' crucifixion and tomb, and Bethlehem, regarded as His birthplace. The country attracts around t

August 27, 2024

South Korea to increase financial aid for North Korean defectors

SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korea will boost financial assistance for North Korean defectors, as part of its budget plans for next year. The Unification Ministry said Tuesday that its proposed budget stands at 1.55 trillion Korean won (US$1.17 billion), down 3.7 percent from this year. However, the proposal includes a 50-percent increase in the initial lump-sum payment given to North Korean defectors to help them settle and adapt to their new life in South Korea. The proposal,

August 27, 2024