Doctors and medical professors announced a decision Friday not to join a consultative body proposed by the government and the ruling party to resolve the monthslong medical standoff, saying that it is "premature" to do so unless the government changes its course. Earlier this month, the government and the ruling People Power Party proposed the establishment of a joint consultative body involving rival parties and the medical community to discuss the government's medical reform plan tha

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol visited hospitals in Seoul on Friday to encourage medical staff and reaffirm the government's commitment to carry out health care reform measures to enhance essential medical services. The visit to two public emergency hospitals, the Seoul Medical Center and National Medical Center, came a day before the five-day Chuseok holiday to address concerns about potential disruptions in medical services amid a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors. It marks his second hospita

Politics Sept. 13, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell to 20 percent, marking its lowest level since he took office in May 2022, a poll showed Friday. The survey, conducted by the polling agency Gallup Korea, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's performance plunged 3 percentage points from the previous week, while his negative assessment reached an all-time high of 70 percent, up 3 percent from a week earlier. Yoon's handling of medical school quotas, the economy, and lack of com

Politics Sept. 13, 2024

The South Korean economy continues to show signs of recovery, driven by strong exports and manufacturing output, with consumer prices showing signs of stabilization, the finance ministry said Friday. The Ministry of Economy and Finance made the assessment in the Green Book, its monthly economic report, noting that domestic demand is also recovering, led by facility investment and the service sector. "The South Korean economy is experiencing a recovery trend amid the stabilization of consume

Economy Sept. 13, 2024

Naver Corp., the operator of South Korea's largest internet platform, has signed an initial agreement with Saudi Arabia's artificial intelligence (AI) agency to jointly develop an Arabic language-based large language model (LLM), company officials said Friday. During the Global AI Summit hosted by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh earlier this week, Naver and the SDAIA signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in various

Industry Sept. 13, 2024

A high-ranking official at the Presidential Security Service has been arrested on charges of illegally taking personal profits while supervising the relocation of the presidential office, sources said Friday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office arrested a presidential security official, identified by his surname Jeong, and a construction broker, surnamed Kim, after obtaining arrest warrants the previous day, the legal sources said. In October last year, the Board of Audit and Inspectio

Politics Sept. 13, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for increasing the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment in order to increase its nuclear weapons for self-defense, the state media said Friday. Kim made the call during a visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the "production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials," according to the Korean Central News Agency. The dispatch did not release the location of the facility or date of the visit. "He went round the control room of the

North Korea Sept. 13, 2024

Seoul shares opened higher Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, as investors expect the Federal Reserve will cut rates next week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.17 percent, or 4.43 points, to 2,576.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In August, the US core consumer price index and producer price index rose slightly from a month earlier, dashing hopes for a big cut by the Fed next week. But market participants expect the US central bank to cut rates by at le

Market Sept. 13, 2024

With South Korea having notched their first win in the ongoing Asian World Cup qualification round, head coach Hong Myung-bo on Thursday pushed back against the notion that he is relying too heavily on a few star players without doing much tactical work. Hong returned home Thursday evening after coaching South Korea to a 3-1 victory over Oman in a Group B match of the third Asian World Cup qualification round in Muscat on Tuesday. It came on the heels of a goalless draw against Palestine in Seou

Soccer Sept. 12, 2024

Seoul shares closed higher, snapping a seven-day losing streak, on Thursday led by tech gains, with investors expecting the Federal Reserve's rate cut next week after the release of US inflation data. The Korean won traded higher against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 2.3 percent, or 58.72 points, to close at 2,572.09. Trading volume was moderate at 334.63 million shares worth 11.04 trillion won ($8.2 billion), with decliners far exceeding gainers 762 to

Market Sept. 12, 2024

South Korea will provide Vietnam with $2 million in humanitarian assistance to help cope with the aftermath of a strong typhoon that killed more than 150 people, the foreign ministry said Thursday. The government hopes that the provision will help with the recovery efforts and help the affected residents be able to quickly return to their daily lives, the ministry said in a release. Typhoon Yagi, Asia's most powerful typhoon this year, swept through the northern part of Vietnam, bringing he

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 12, 2024

A court on Thursday approved a bail request by Hur Young-in, the chair of bakery giant SPC Group, who is currently standing trial on charges of coercing bakers to quit their labor union. The 74-year-old bakery mogul was arrested in April and has since been standing trial in detention on charges of pressuring some 570 union members at an SPC subsidiary to quit their union between early 2021 and mid-2022 over their labor activities critical of the company. The Seoul Central District Court approved

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2024

Iraq is set to buy South Korea's homegrown medium-range, surface-to-air missile defense system, called Cheongung-II, with a deal expected to be concluded next week, according to Iraqi media reports Thursday. The reports said that Iraq's defense ministry is expected to sign a US$2.5 billion contract with Korean defense firms to purchase eight units of the Cheongung-II system, which is designed to defend against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The decision is part of Ir

Foreign Affairs Sept. 12, 2024

Seoul shares opened higher Thursday, tracking tech-led gains on Wall Street, as investors expect the Federal Reserve's rate cut after the release of US inflation data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 1.2 percent, or 30.17 points, to 2,543.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In August, the US core consumer price index, excluding volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3 percent from July. The inflation data dashed hopes for a big cut by the Fed next week but ma

Market Sept. 12, 2024

US President Joe Biden has nominated Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of I Corps, to lead the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, the Pentagon said Wednesday, a nomination ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. If confirmed, Brunson would replace Gen. Paul LaCamera who has led CFC, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea since July 2021. His Senate confirmation hearing is slated for Tuesday next week. The position for the top US general in South Korea leads the three commands

Foreign Affairs Sept. 12, 2024