President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Tuesday efforts to establish norms in emerging trade sectors, such as digital trade, in a meeting with Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organization in Seoul. Okonjo-Iweala arrived in South Korea on Monday for a three-day stay for talks with senior government officials and business leaders on the roles of the WTO and South Korea in revitalizing the multilateral trading system and addressing other challenges to global trade. During the...
Mount Palgong, a 1,193 meter-high mountain lying between the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province, was granted national park status Tuesday, becoming Korea's 23rd national park. The Ministry of Environment approved the designation in a meeting of its national park committee, two years after the city of Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and North Gyeongsang Province, made the recommendation, ministry officials said. It marks the first designation of a natio
South Korea and the US announced fresh sanctions on North Korean IT workers and groups believed to be bankrolling the isolated country’s nuclear and missile programs in the latest round of bans that last took place a month ago. In a statement Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul singled out seven North Koreans and three entities, saying the individuals were responsible for overseeing North Korean information technology workers earning and laundering money overseas. “The three group
On Saturday evening, two people of foreign nationality collided with a truck while riding skateboards down Gyeongnidan-gil in Itaewon-dong, Seoul. A video clip recorded by their friend and uploaded online shows the two skateboarding the opposite way down a sloped one-way street marked "no entry," and crashing into a truck approaching from the other side. "Neither the skateboarders nor the truck driver suffered serious injuries," stated police who were called to the scene. &qu
Political bigwigs on Tuesday flocked to Bongha, a neighborhood in South Gyeongsang Province some 290 kilometers south of Seoul, to honor the late President Roh Moo-hyun who took his own life 14 years ago today. President Yoon Suk Yeol sent flowers, his office said, and the previous President Moon Jae-in attended the memorial ceremony held in Bongha -- Roh’s hometown where he returned after the end of his presidential tenure in 2008. Leaders of both the ruling People Power Party and the Dem
Stray Kids will hold its third fan meet event in Seoul on July 1-2, announced label JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. Titled “Pilot: For Five-Star,” the eight bandmates will meet fans in person over two days, and the second day’s live performance will be broadcast online as well. Its last fan meeting was held around 1 1/2 years ago. The event was named after its third studio album, “Five-Star,” which is due out on June 2. The album consists of 12 tracks including main
Demand for cold medicines has increased recently, as the seasonal flu has continued longer than usual. With the spurt in cold and flu cases, sales of cold medicines have increased while some pharmacies face shortages, according to data from the government and local pharmaceutical companies on Tuesday. “Demand for over-the-counter cold medicines seems to be higher than usual, and some prescription medications for cold and flu are difficult to get,” a pharmacist operating a pharmacy in
Thirty-two Buddhist relics that were once stolen from temples across the country will finally return to their rightful homes, after some of which had been gone for more than three decades. The 21 Buddhist statues and 11 Buddhist paintings were put on display at the Korean Buddhism History and Culture Memorial Hall in Jongno, central Seoul, Tuesday, and a ceremony was held to celebrate their homecoming. The relics, which were taken from 14 different temples between 1988 and 2004, will go to...
South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee pledged on Tuesday to make South Korea a bucket list destination for travelers in the world, stressing a need of offering cultural experiences to visitors. "More of the world's travelers are enjoying the emerging trend of soaking themselves in the mood of being in Korea with Korean foods, cultural elements, artworks and traditional forms of architecture," she said. "I will do my best to make the world's travelers add 'K-Tou
Two hundred and twenty-five freshmen at Seoul National University took a leave of absence in their first semester, with most of them believed to be preparing to take the college entrance exam again this year. According to data provided by SNU to Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the People Power Party, the number is equivalent to 6.2 percent of all first-year enrollees at the nation’s top university. The number of SNU freshmen taking time off right after enrolling at the university has more than trip
The South Korean military will implement mandatory drug testing for all prospective and current enlistees and military officials, as part of efforts to combat the increasing drug-related crimes within and outside of the barracks. The Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced the new set of measures aimed at fostering a "drug-free, healthy barracks culture." The ministry recognizes the pressing need to formulate and implement measures in light of a continuing rise in drug-related crimes, pr
A former South Korean ambassador for representing the interests of 7.5 million overseas Koreans is the top candidate to lead a new agency to be set up early next month for exclusively overseeing such roles, according to reports quoting senior officials at the presidential office Tuesday. Lee Ki-cheol most recently served as secretary-general of UNICEF Korea and was ambassador to the Netherlands, followed by consul general in Los Angeles. The move to establish an independent government body to...