Seoul

All you need to know about martial law, effort to impeach S Korea's prez

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing possible impeachment for sending heavily armed soldiers into Seoul's streets with a baffling declaration of martial law that reminded many of the country's past military-backed dictatorships. Lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against Yoon just hours after parliament unanimously voted to cancel martial law, forcing the president to lift his order about six hours after it began. Opposition parties are pushing for a vote on Saturday on the impeachment motion, which needs support from two-thirds of the National Assembly to advance to the Constitutional Court, which would decide whether to remove Yoon from office. In a surprising turnaround, the head of Yoon's governing party expressed support for suspending the president's powers, making Yoon's impeachment more likely. Here's what to know about the situation: Will Yoon be impeached? Opposition parties are pushing for a parliamentary vote on Yoon's impeachment on Saturday, calling hi

Lonely deaths rise in South Korea: Can a $327 mn plan end the isolation?

Seoul's new initiative offers 24x7 access to loneliness counsellors via hotline, online platform, and follow-up visits for those needing extra support

N Korea prepares to destroy northern sides of roads no longer in use: Seoul

South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un's push to cut off ties with South Korea and formally cement it as his country's principal enemy. South Korea's military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens. They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads, Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolitions could be carried out as early as Monday. Lee said that the South Korean military believes that the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by th

South Korea's central bank raises interest rates to strengthen economy

South Korea's central bank on Friday cut its policy rate for the first time in more than four years as pressure to revive a sluggish economy outweighed concerns about the country's level of household debt. The Bank of Korea lowered its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.25% following a meeting of its monetary policy committee, in its first move to lower borrowing costs since May 2020, when the economy was weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. The bank raised the rate by a quarter percentage point in August 2021 over concerns about inflation and soaring household debt, driven in part by skyrocketing house prices, and then froze rates for over three years. The bank said in a statement that domestic demand is making a slow recovery, bogging down the pace of economic growth. It said there was room for a rate cut because inflation is showing signs of stabilizing and household debt is also increasing more slowly as the housing market in the greater Seoul area cools down. So

South Korea summit to target 'blueprint' for use of AI in military

At the first summit was held in Amsterdam last year, where the United States, China and other nations endorsed a modest "call to action" without legal commitment

North Korea again launched trash-carrying balloons across border: S Korea

North Korea is flying more trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea, officials said Thursday, in the latest round of Cold War-style psychological warfare between the rivals. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected more balloons launched from North Korea on Thursday morning following launches the previous evening. The joint chiefs said North Korea launched around 420 balloons from Wednesday evening to early Thursday and about 20 of them had been discovered so far in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and nearby Gyeonggi province. It said the balloons that landed were filled with paper waste, plastic bottles and other trash but contained no hazardous materials. The joint chiefs said North Korea was launching another set of balloons as of 9 a.m. It advised people to report to the police or military if they see any fallen balloons and not to touch them. Seoul's city government issued text alerts Wednesday evening as the North Korean balloons began appearing over South Kore

Uber CEO says growth in South Korea promising despite 'underdog' status

Uber first entered the South Korean market in 2013, but pulled out due to regulations that only allow companies with taxi licenses to offer ride services

N Korea shows new drone attack as Seoul, US hold military exercises

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a demonstration of new exploding drones designed to crash into targets and pledged to spur development of such weapons to boost his military's war readiness, state media said Monday. Kim has been flaunting his growing military capabilities amid tensions with Washington and Seoul. North Korean photos of the test showed a white drone with X-shaped tails and wings supposedly crashing into and destroying a target resembling South Korea's main K-2 battle tank. Most combat drones stand off from targets and fire missiles. The test, which state media said took place Saturday, came as the U.S. and South Korean militaries are conducting a large-scale exercise aimed at enhancing their combined capabilities to defend against growing North Korean nuclear threats. The allies said the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which continue through Thursday, are focused on enhancing their readiness against North Korean threats and will also reflect lessons learned fro

South Korea police blames quality failure for fatal fire at battery maker

The Labour Ministry and police had sought arrest warrants for several executives including the CEO for alleged safety violations and negligence, officials said at a news conference

S Korean hotel fire kills 7, matters made worse by lack of sprinklers

A fire that killed seven people in a South Korean hotel was possibly made worse by the lack of sprinklers, fire officials said Friday, as they investigated the cause of the blaze. At least 12 people were being treated for injuries related to the fire that broke out Thursday evening at the nine-story property in the city of Bucheon, just west of the capital, Seoul. Officials say the fire didn't spread broadly after starting in an unoccupied room on the 8th floor. But with the room was unprotected by sprinklers and toxic smoke quickly filled the upper floors. Most of the victims were found in the rooms and hallways of the eighth and ninth floors. Lee Sang-don, an official with the Bucheon Fire Station, said the hotel, which was built in 2003, wasn't mandated to have a sprinkler system. While South Korea began requiring sprinklers on all buildings with more than six floors starting in 2017, the requirement wasn't retroactively applied to most older buildings, except for some medical ..

S Korea unveils housing supply measures in an attempt to curb price rises

The government plans to loosen regulations on reconstruction projects and simplify the process, to release "green belt" areas near Seoul for new projects, and raise the limit on loan guarantees

N Korea's trash balloons fall on South Korea's presidential office compound

Yonhap news agency says North Korean trash-carrying balloons have fallen on the compound of South Korea's presidential office. Yonhap gave no further details. But other South Korean media reported the balloons have caused no damages. South Korea's military earlier said North Korea flew more balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea on Wednesday. It said the North Korean balloons were flying north of Seoul on Wednesday morning after crossing the border. North Korea flew more balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea on Wednesday, Seoul officials said, days after South Korea boosted its frontline broadcasts of K-pop songs and propaganda messages across the rivals' heavily armed border. The tit-for-tat Cold War-style campaigns between the Koreas are inflaming tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with the rivals threatening stronger steps and warning of grave consequences. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the North Korean balloons were flying north

North Korea says it tested multiwarhead missile, Seoul tags it as failiure

North Korea said Thursday it had successfully tested a multiwarhead missile in the first known launch of a developmental weapon coveted by leader Kim Jong Un to overwhelm US and South Korean missile defences. South Korea quickly dismissed the claim as deception to cover up a failed launch. North Korea's state media said the launch Wednesday tested the separation and guidance control of individual mobile warheads to ensure the capability of the Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles. It said the separated warheads were guided correctly to the three coordinate targets" and a decoy that separated from the missile was verified by radar. If confirmed, it would be North Korea's first public launch event related to the development of a multiwarhead missile, though at a preliminary stage. South Korea's military said later Thursday that a joint analysis by South Korean and US authorities assessed that the North Korean missile launch failed. Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon

Seoul activists develop 'smart balloons' to send messages into North Korea

Built using 3D printers and components sourced online and sometimes equipped with GPS-tracking, these so-called "smart balloons" can cost up to $1,000 each

Samsung Electronics' union set to stage 1st walkout over pay in South Korea

The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), which has about 28,000 members, or more than a fifth of the company's total workforce, has said it will stop work for a day as part of broader protest me

S Korea to nullify peace deal to punish N Korea over balloon launches

South Korea announced Monday it'll suspend a rapprochement deal with North Korea to punish it over its launches of trash-carrying balloons, even after the North said it would halt its balloon campaign. Over several days, North Korea flew hundreds of balloons to drop trash and manure on South Korea in an angry reaction against previous South Korean civilian leafleting campaigns. On Sunday, South Korea said it would take unbearable retaliatory steps in response, before North Korea abruptly announced it would stop flying balloons across the border. On Monday, South Korea's presidential national security council said it has decided to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean agreement aimed at easing frontline animosities, until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored, according to the presidential office. The security council said the suspension would allow South Korea to resume military drills near the border with North Korea and take effective, immediate responses to provocations by North

Leaders of S Korea, China, Japan to resume trilateral meeting in Seoul

Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan were set to meet Monday for their first trilateral meeting in more than four years as they seek to improve long-complicated relations that are key to regional peace. No major breakthrough was expected during the gathering in Seoul. But experts said just restarting the countries' highest-level annual meeting was a positive sign for cooperation among the three Northeast Asian neighbours. On the eve of the meeting, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had rounds of bilateral meetings among themselves to discuss how to boost economic and other cooperation. But some thorny topics were also brought up, like North Korea, Taiwan and the South China Sea. After meeting with Li, Kishida told reporters that he expressed serious concerns about the situations in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and China's northwestern Xinjiang region. He said Japan was closely monitoring developments on ...

Trilateral talks: South Korea, Japan push China on SCS, Taiwan issues

Chinese and Japanese leaders were set to arrive in Seoul and meet with South Korea's president separately on Sunday, a day before they gather for their first trilateral meeting in more than four years. No major announcement is expected from Monday's trilateral South Korea-China-Japan meeting. But just resuming their highest-level, three-way talks is a good sign and suggests the three Asian neighbours are intent on improving their relations. A trilateral leaders' meeting was supposed to take place annually following their inaugural gathering in 2008. But the meeting has stalled since the last one in December 2019 in Chengdu, China because of the COVID-19 pandemic and complex ties among the three countries. After their arrivals in Seoul on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are to hold bilateral talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss ways to promote cooperation and other issues, according to South Korean officials. Li and ...

Kim visits tank unit, touts war preparations amid tensions with Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a tank exercise and encouraged his armoured forces to sharpen war preparations in the face of growing tensions with South Korea, the North's state media said Monday. Kim made those comments Sunday while visiting his top tank group, the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division. The unit's name marks how it was the first North Korean military unit to reach the South Korean capital in 1950 when a North Korean surprise attack triggered a war that dragged on for almost four years. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened after Kim in past months dialled up his military demonstrations, including tests of nuclear-capable missiles designed to target South Korea, the United States and Japan, while issuing threats of nuclear conflict against its rivals. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and updating their deterrence plans built around strategic US assets. Photos published by No

A happy life: 2 movies on pursuit of happy life and distractions in between

'Past Lives' and 'Three of Us' celebrate the pragmatism of love over the heady impulsiveness of romance