Opposition-led Assembly passes W13tr cash handout bill

A bill to dole out cash-equivalent vouchers universally to every South Korean citizen gained parliamentary approval at the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Friday, about four months after opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung proposed the scheme. The 13 trillion-won ($9.4 billion) bill, designed to offer 250,000 won cash coupons to the entire 50 million population across the country, won 186 votes from 187 lawmakers present at the National Assembly. In South Korea's political lands

PoliticsAug. 2, 2024

Shin Yu-bin reaches women's singles semifinals in table tennis

PARIS -- Shin Yu-bin advanced to the semifinals of the women's singles table tennis tournament at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, moving within a win of grabbing her second medal in the French capital. Shin, world No. 8, edged out 13th-ranked Miu Hirano of Japan 4-3 (11-4, 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11, 13-11) in the quarterfinals at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris. Shin, who won the mixed doubles bronze medal on Tuesday, will next play world No. 4 from China, Chen Meng, in the semifinals on Fr

More SportsAug. 1, 2024

Samsung labor union demands chief step in

Samsung Electronics’ labor union protested in front of Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s residence in Seoul on Thursday, calling on the Samsung chief to step in over their stalled wage talks with management. The National Samsung Electronics Union, which accounts for about 24 percent of the total workforce of the tech giant, launched an indefinite strike on July 8. “We ask Chairman Lee to come forward and show his position to resolve the full-scale strike,” the union said at a press

IndustryAug. 1, 2024

Military exemption, irresistible perk for young Korean male Olympians

The South Korean duo of Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon took the bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, ending the country's 12-year Olympic table tennis medal drought. The win over Hong Kong not only extended the medal streak for the Koreans but also had a personal significance for 27-year-old Lim, who will now be exempted from his mandatory military service that was to commence next month. "I tried to think of it (bronze medal match) as

More SportsJuly 31, 2024

Tall tales and theories on S. Korea's dominance in archery

South Korea on Monday notched its third-straight gold medal in the Olympic men’s team event, defeating host nation France and completing a sweep of the women's and men's team events at this year's Paris Olympics. Kim Woo-jin, Kim Je-deok and Lee Woo-seok hoisted the national flag after securing the 5-1 victory in the French capital. Since their more dominant female compatriots won the country’s 10th-straight gold in the women's team event on Sunday, Koreans have

More SportsJuly 30, 2024

S. Korean women archers dominate Olympics for 36 years

Since the women’s archery team event was introduced at the Olympics in 1988, South Korean women have never failed to win gold. On Sunday in Paris, they demonstrated once again their dominance, winning the 10th consecutive gold. The South Korean team, consisting of Lim Si-hyeon, Nam Su-hyeon and Jeon Hun-young, defeated China in a shoot-off to win 5-4 in the women's archery team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The match took place at Les Invalides in Paris on Sunday. President Yoon

More SportsJuly 29, 2024

Oh Sang-uk honors ex-teammates

South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday by becoming the first South Korean to win the men’s sabre individual final. But at the moment of victory, Oh's mind was not just on gold, but also on his two retired teammates who had shared so much of his journey with him. "I grew up eating from the same pots with them, and their departure brought significant changes,” he said. "With the change in team members, we really faced a lot o

More SportsJuly 28, 2024

IOC chief apologizes to President Yoon over opening ceremony gaffe

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach apologized to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday over an incorrect introduction of the South Korea delegation as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Yoon's office said. In their 10-minute phone conversation, Yoon expressed his regret over the incident and asked Bach to prevent a recurrence of similar cases. "As people of the country that has hosted the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games, alo

More SportsJuly 28, 2024

'Games Wide Open': 33rd Summer Olympic Games kick off in Paris

PARIS -- The first Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 100 years kicked off Friday with a one-of-a-kind opening ceremony held on the city's main artery celebrating the cultural diversity of France, a marathon of a show that pushed the boundaries of what is possible in Olympic ceremonies. Some 6,800 athletes from 205 national delegations, including the Refugee Olympic team, marked the start of the 17-day competition by riding boats equipped with cameras on a 6-kilometer floating parade on the

More SportsJuly 27, 2024

Actor’s excessive airport security sparks probe into human rights violations

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Friday that it launched an investigation into allegations of excessive security measures involving actor Byeon Woo-seok. The investigation follows a complaint submitted on July 14, accusing the security measures during Byeon’s recent travels of infringing on human rights. The NHRCK will examine whether the airport's security team was complicit in the actions of a private security firm, which included blocking gates and conducting ticket an

Social AffairsJuly 26, 2024

SK hynix Q2 earnings soar to record high on AI chip boom

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip maker by revenue, said Thursday it logged all-time-high sales of 16.4 trillion won ($11.8 billion) in the April-June period this year, riding on the robust demand for artificial intelligence chips. Reporting the second quarter's earnings, the company said it will supply the cutting-edge 12-layer HBM3E chips to customers before the end of the year, keeping its dominance in the burgeoning AI chip market. The operating profit posted 5.46 trilli

IndustryJuly 25, 2024

North Korean trash balloon falls on Seoul presidential office

At least one North Korean balloon carrying trash landed on the grounds shared by the South Korean presidential office and the National Defense Ministry in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Wednesday morning. South Korea’s Presidential Security Service said that some trash dropped by the North Korean balloon was identified on the grounds of the Yongsan presidential office and the adjacent defense ministry. The balloon contained mostly scraps of paper and plastic, according to the South Korean mili

PoliticsJuly 24, 2024

What are the charges faced by Kakao founder?

The founder of South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp. was detained Tuesday on charges of stock price manipulation related to the firm's takeover of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment last year, prosecutors said. The Seoul Southern District Court granted the prosecution’s request for a pretrial detention warrant for Kim Beom-su, also known as Brian Kim, on charges of violating the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act, citing concerns about evidence destruction and flight r

Social AffairsJuly 23, 2024

Kamala Harris, trailblazer eying America's last glass ceiling

WASHINGTON (AFP) - For years Kamala Harris faced criticism that she was not up to the job of being a heartbeat away from the US presidency. Now, she finds herself feted by Democrats as their best hope to stop Donald Trump's comeback. Despite blazing a trail as the first woman, Black and South Asian vice president in the nation's history, the 59-year-old Democrat long struggled with approval ratings as bad or worse than President Joe Biden's. The last 12 months, however, have revea

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2024

[AtoZ into Korean mind] How to say 'no'

After a second date, Lee Tae-hyung, 26, wanted to ask the woman out again. He sent her a KakaoTalk message saying, “Do you have time this weekend?” and the reply he received was, “I don't think I can make time. I have plans this weekend.” “The message made me wonder. Is she politely saying, ‘No, I don’t want to go on another date with you,’ or does this mean that I can ask her again next week?” Lee said. Lee asked his friends and fou

Hashtag KoreaJuly 21, 2024

Parent threatens teacher's daughter, accuses teacher of child abuse

The parent of an elementary school student recently filed a child abuse claim against her child's former teacher, a Seoul teachers' union said Thursday, after sending a threatening letter to the teacher regarding the teacher's daughter. The parent in question filed the complaint over alleged child abuse Wednesday, two days after being questioned by police for the threat letter sent last year, according to the Seoul branch of the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions. She claimed

NewsmakerJuly 20, 2024

Major US carriers including American, UAL ground flights citing comms issue

Major US carriers including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines issued ground stops on Friday morning citing communication issues, less than an hour after Microsoft resolved its cloud services outage that impacted several low-cost carriers. It was not immediately clear whether the call to keep flights from taking off were related to the earlier Microsoft cloud outage. Apart from American and Delta, UAL and Allegiant Air too grounded flights. The FAA did not immediately respond

Foreign AffairsJuly 19, 2024

Political blame game intensifies in Seoul over Sue Mi Terry row

The recent indictment in the US of Sue Mi Terry, a North Korea expert who formerly worked for the US Central Intelligence Agency, is feeding the political blame game between the ruling bloc and opposition here over which administration is responsible for what is perceived as South Korea's spying blunder. A South Korean liberal lawmaker who formerly served as the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol's office for "creating an inte

PoliticsJuly 19, 2024

Over 40 North Korean trash balloons detected overnight: JCS

Over 40 balloons carrying trash flew across the border from the North and fell in northern Gyeonggi Province overnight, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Friday. The JCS detected at least 200 balloons flying from North Korea from 5 p.m. Thursday until 5 a.m. Friday, and one-fifth of them dropped in South Korea. Residents of Seoul received an alert at around 5:50 p.m. Thursday that a North Korean balloon had entered South Korea's territorial airspace. The balloons mostly carried paper

PoliticsJuly 19, 2024

S. Korea brings largest-ever 'Korea House' to Paris Olympics

South Korea will operate its largest-ever "Korea House" during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics to promote its culture and serve as a support base for its athletes, the culture ministry said Friday. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee, the facility will run from July 25 to Aug. 11 at Maison de la Chimie (House of Chemistry), an international conference center in the heart of Paris. The Korea House has been a tradition since

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2024