Yoon heads to Washington for NATO summit

SEOUL, July 8 (AJU PRESS) - President Yoon Suk Yeol left for the U.S. on Monday to attend a NATO summit in Washington. He was invited to the summit for the third consecutive year as Korea was included as one of four Indo Pacific partners, dubbed IP4, along with Australia, Japan and News Zealand. Yoon's itinerary begins with a stopover in Hawaii, where he is scheduled to visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and the United States Indo-Pacific Command. Upon arriva

July 8, 2024

Cuba's K-pop fan community leader visits Korea amid renewed bilateral relations

SEOUL, July 8 (AJU PRESS) - Cultural exchanges between Korea and Cuba are showing signs of growth following the recent normalization of relations between the two countries. Last week, a dinner hosted by the Korean-Cuban Friendship Association brought together Han Byung-kil, head of the Korean Council on Latin America and the Caribbean (KCLAC) with several Cuban officials and others. Among the guests was Marta Maria Cabrera, president of ArtCor, a Cuban-based K-pop fanbase with about

July 8, 2024

Gov't to come up with new measures as doctors' strike persists

SEOUL, July 8 (AJU PRESS) - The government is set to come up with new measures for trainee doctors who continue their strike against the government's radical medical reform plans, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday. Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong is expected to announce the government's final decision regarding trainee doctors and how to handle their resignations. In an attempt to resolve the prolonged strike, the ministry lifted all administrative restriction

July 8, 2024

More Koreans suffer from mental illness, survey reveals

SEOUL, July 5 (AJU PRESS) Seven out of every ten Koreans experienced mental illness such as severe stress, insomnia and depression over the past year, a recent survey reveals. The online survey, conducted by the National Center for Mental Health, polled 3,000 people nationwide aged between 15 and 69 and found that some 73.6 percent suffered from such symptoms, showing an increase of nearly 10 percentage points from 63.9 percent in the same survey in 2022. Despite the increase, o

July 5, 2024

Expo in Seoul showcases Korea's tourist attractions

SEOUL, July 5 (AJU PRESS) - A tourism expo kicked off its three-day run at COEX in Gangnam, southern Seoul on Thursday. Participated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the expo aims to attract tourists from both home and overseas, by showcasing major tourist destinations in Korea and promoting various tour services. With participation from over 120 government agencies, tour operators, and other related companies, the

July 5, 2024

Court rejects arrest warrant for driver in deadly car crash in Seoul

SEOUL, July 04 (AJU PRESS) - A court has dismissed an arrest warrant for a 68-year-old driver involved in a deadly car crash that killed nine people and injured seven in central Seoul on Monday night, police said Thursday. The tragic accident occurred around 9:27 p.m. (1227 GMT) at an intersection near City Hall in Seoul. A Genesis luxury sedan, driven by the man identified by his surname Cha, was traveling the wrong way on a one-way, four-lane street. Cha lost control of the car,

July 4, 2024

Korea to conduct survey on individuals with borderline IQ

SEOUL, July 04 (AJU PRESS) - Korea will conduct a survey on individuals who face difficulties in daily life due to their lower-than-average intelligence, the Ministry of Education said Wednesday. These individuals are often excluded from various government support programs, as they are not classified as intellectually disable. People with borderline intellectual functioning, defined as having an intelligence quotient (Q) between 71 and 84, require government support, but accurate

July 4, 2024

High school student booked for selling explicit deepfake content

SEOUL, July 03 (AJU PRESS) - A high school student was booked for allegedly creating explicit deepfake images and videos using schoolmates' faces and selling them through social media, police said Wednesday. Deepfake is an artificial intelligence-based technique that alters images or videos, typically by replacing one person's face with another's. Those proficient in this technique can manipulate faces in media content, often using it for criminal purposes to deceive v

July 3, 2024

Driver booked as police investigate possible acceleration in fatal car crash in Seoul

SEOUL, July 3 (AJU PRESS) - The driver of a deadly car crash in central Seoul on Monday has been booked for investigation and police are reportedly seeking an arrest warrant for him. Police have apparently determined that the 68-year-old man had pressed the accelerator pedal of his Genesis luxury sedan at the time of the accident, which resulted in the deaths of nine people and injuries to seven others. The tragic incident occurred at an intersection near Seoul City Hall around

July 3, 2024

Korea sees consumer prices slow to 11-month low in June

SEOUL, July 2 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's consumer price index, a key indicator of consumer sentiment, stood at 113.83 in June, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. But the figure was the lowest over the past 11 months. The pace of increase has remained below three percent for the third consecutive month. The rise in consumer prices in June was driven primarily by higher prices for fresh agricultural produce. Seasonal fruits were particularly sharp i

July 2, 2024