South Korea suspends new downloads of DeepSeek over privacy concerns

SEOUL, February 17 (AJP) - New downloads of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek have been temporarily suspended due to excessive data collection and privacy concerns, South Korea's data protection watchdog said on Monday. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said it decided to suspend the service here since last Saturday, after a probe raised concerns over the app's compliance with data protection regulations. The suspension applies to Apple

February 17, 2025

Around 2,000 teachers take sick leave every year

SEOUL, February 17 (AJP) - Nearly 2,000 teachers in South Korea take a leave of absence from school every year due to illness, a report reveals. According to the report submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Education on Monday, 1,973 full-time teachers took sick leave between April 2023 and April 2024. More than half of them were teachers from primary schools, with 412 from middle schools and 289 from high schools. Despite the number of those taking sick leave ste

February 17, 2025

Another former sex slave dies, leaving only seven survivors

SEOUL, February 17 (AJP) - Gil Won-ok, one of the last surviving victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II, died on Sunday. She was 97. Gil was only 13 years old when she was forced to serve as a sex slavery by imperial Japan during the war. With Gil's passing, only seven survivors now remain. "Gil was an active advocate for raising awareness about sex slavery both domestically and internationally. We hope she finds peace," said Shin Young-

February 17, 2025

China expresses concern over attempted break-in by costumed pro-Yoon protester

SEOUL, February 15 (AJP) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Korea expressed "concern and regret" on Saturday over an attempted break-in by a supporter of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was dressed as the Marvel character "Captain America." The incident occurred on Friday evening when a man in his 40s, identified only by his surname Ahn, tried to enter the embassy in Seoul's Myeongdong district as its doors were briefly opened. He was immediately arrest

February 15, 2025

South Korea adds one more gold on last day of Winter Asiad in Harbin

SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - South Korea added one more gold in the women's curling on the last day of this year's Winter Asian Games in Harbin on Friday. Led by skip Gim Eun-ji, the South Korean curling team defeated China, earning the country's 16th and final gold medal at the quadrennial sporting event. But the men's curling team settled for silver after a loss to the Philippines, while the men's ice hockey team claimed bronze by defeating China. South Kor

February 14, 2025

Six dead in construction site fire in Busan

SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - A fire broke out at a construction site in Busan, leaving six workers dead and about 25 others injured with smoke inhalation and other minor injuries. According to firefighters, the fire started around 10:50 a.m. on the first floor of the luxury Banyan Tree Hotel, which is slated to have its grand opening in the southern port city later this year. Firefighters rescued about a dozen trapped inside using helicopters from the roof, while more than a hundre

February 14, 2025

Acting president says US reciprocal tariffs will have limited impact

SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - Acting President Choi Sang-mok said Friday that U.S. plans for reciprocal tariffs would likely have limited impact on the Korean economy due to existing free trade agreements, but warned that non-tariff barriers require close monitoring. The remark follows U.S. President Donald Trump's signing of a memorandum on reciprocal trade and tariffs that would examine not only tariffs but also non-tariff barriers and exchange rates of trading partners. The

February 14, 2025

Constitutional Court to hold two additional hearings for Yoon's impeachment trial next week

SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea said on Friday that it will hold one more hearing session for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial over his botched martial law debacle in December last year. This follows the court's earlier announcement that the trial's ninth hearing will be held on Tuesday, meaning that there will be two additional hearings scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday next week. The court also accepted a request from Yoon

February 14, 2025

South Korea, US to hold ministerial talks in Germany

SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul is set to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany. The three-day conference, one of the world's largest annual security forums, kicked off on Friday. Their first one-on-one meeting scheduled for Saturday comes about a month after U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. The two are expected to discuss various topics incl

February 14, 2025

Constitutional Court sets additional hearing date for Yoon's impeachment trial

SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea on Friday scheduled an additional hearing for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial over his botched martial law debacle last December. The hearing, the ninth of its kind will be held at 2 p.m. next Tuesday. Yoon's legal representatives complained that the court is rushing the proceedings "unlawfully and unfairly" without providing sufficient time for his defense. They also made repeated reque

February 13, 2025