1. The Seoul High Court on Thursday rejected a request by doctors group to suspend the government's plan to increase the medical school quota starting next year. In response, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a briefing that the government will "swiftly push for the revision of school regulations." 2. South Korea's Ministry of Economy on Friday released its monthly economic assessment report of the Green Book and stated the domestic market is showing signs of economic recovery on top of...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed Thursday to establish a strategic partnership between their countries and expand cooperation across various sectors. The leaders adopted a joint statement during a summit at the presidential office. 2. The main opposition Democratic Party five-term lawmaker {우원식}Woo Won-Shik on Thursday defeated six-term lawmaker-elect Choo Mi-ae to serve as parliamentary speaker during the first half of the upcoming 22nd National...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday vowed to always keep Buddha's teachings in mind and conduct state affairs "in an upright manner," that will help improve the people's livelihoods. President Yoon made the comments during a celebration of Buddha's Birthday at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul. 2. Reuters reported Wednesday that according to confidential work by United Nations sanctions monitors, North Korea laundered 147-point-5 million U.S. dollars through virtual currency platform Tornado Cash...

1. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, agreed Monday to work together for the successful holding of an upcoming trilateral summit with Japan widely expected to take place in Seoul later this month. The two sides reached the agreement during talks in Beijing. 2. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday proposed a law that will protect the rights of non-union workers and enhance their welfare,... during a town hall meeting, the 25th of its kind, which was...

1. Ruling People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho paid a courtesy call to his main opposition Democratic Party counterpart Park Chan-dae on Monday, and said he had high expectations about working with him. Park said he anticipates that Choo, a former finance minister, would contribute toward resolving economic and livelihood issues. 2. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Monday he will have "frank and in-depth" talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, expecting the meeting will help...

1. The South Korean government held a second meeting of the special medical reform committee on Friday and announced plans to submit documents to the Seoul High Court to verify that the decision to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 was based on scientific grounds. 2. Top nuclear envoys from South Korea, the U.S., China, and Japan held a series of meetings in Tokyo, during the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue to discuss North Korea issues. Nuclear envoys from South...

1. In a press conference Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol laid out priorities for his remaining time in office for the next three years while pledging to improve livelihoods and create a new ministry to boost the country’s low birthrate. 2. According to data released by the Bank of Korea on Thursday, South Korea logged a current account surplus for the 11th consecutive month in March, reaching 6-point-93 billion U.S. dollars, on the back of strong exports of semiconductors. 3. U.S....

1. The Ministry of Government Legislation on Tuesday received from the National Assembly a bill that calls for a special counsel probe into controversies surrounding a military report on the death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun last year. 2. The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it will provide 9.7 trillion won, or roughly 7.1 billion U.S. dollars, in policy financing this year to support the country's battery and automotive industries. The announcement comes as the U.S....

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he has revived the position of senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and appointed Kim Joo-hyun, a former prosecutor who served as vice justice minister in 2015. 2. A senior official at South Korea's Embassy in Beijing said Monday that South Korea and China are in the final stage of talks to set up a visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, that would make him the first South Korean foreign minister to visit the Chinese capital in...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday invited around 360 children and their families to the Blue House, the former presidential office, to commemorate Children's Day. 2. According to Statistics Korea on Monday, the growth of dining out prices surpassed the inflation rate in April for the 35th consecutive month. The average prices of major food items at restaurants increased three percent in April, 0-point-1 percentage point higher than the 2-point-9 percent inflation rate. 3. According to...

1. The ruling People Power Party on Thursday approved the appointment of {황우여}Hwang Woo-yea, a former five-term lawmaker, to head its interim emergency leadership committee. The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday elected {박찬대}Park Chan-dae as its floor leader. 2. South Korea on Thursday launched the "2024 Korea Season," a six-month program to showcase its diverse artistic and cultural landscape in major cities around France, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. 3. According to the...

1. Rival parties on Thursday passed a special bill mandating a new investigation into the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush incident during a plenary parliamentary session. The special bill was passed with 256 voting in favor and three abstentions. 2. According to data from Statistics Korea, South Korea's inflation rose 2-point-9 percent on-year in April, marking the first time in three months that the index fell below 3 percent. Agricultural products spiked 20-point-3 percent on-year last month. 3....

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to protect the "value of labor" at all costs as South Korea marked Labor Day on Wednesday. In a social media post, president Yoon said the government will make active efforts to provide a safer and fairer workplace for laborers. 2. According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Wednesday, South Korea's exports extended on-year gains for seven consecutive months in April on the back of robust chip demand. Outbound shipments climbed...

1. Among Seoul's "Big 5" hospitals, Seoul National University Hospital and Severance Hospital suspended outpatient clinics and surgeries Tuesday, as senior doctors began taking a weekly day off amid a protracted walkout by junior doctors in protest of the government's medical reform. 2. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Angolan President (후앙 루렌쑤) João Lourenço on Tuesday held a summit in Seoul, the first bilateral visit by an Angolan leader since 2001. The two called for expanding...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday sat down for their first-ever meeting since President Yoon came into office in May 2022. The two met over tea at the presidential office, accompanied by three aides each. 2. South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-Pyo and Angolan President Joao Lourenco held a courtesy meeting on Monday. Angola's president is set to hold a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday, during his official three-day visit to...

1. According to a senior presidential secretary on Friday, President Yoon Suk Yeol and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will meet for the first time at the presidential office next Monday. The two sides reportedly agreed on the date following a third round of preparatory talks. 2. Seoul’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have held talks and agreed to bolster cooperation in the fields of export controls and technology protection. 3....

1. A special presidential committee on medical reform launched on Thursday and held its first meeting without the participation of doctors’ groups. The committee’s chairman said the members do not yet plan to discuss the medical school admissions quota. 2. According to data by the Bank of Korea on Thursday, South Korea’s real gross domestic product - a key measure of economic growth - increased 1-point-3 percent on-quarter in the January-March period, on the back of increased construction...

1. South Korea's health ministry on Wednesday expressed regret over medical professors' decision to take a day off on a weekly basis starting next week and urged them to engage in dialogue amid the prolonged medical vacuum in the country. 2. The Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday a South Korean nanosatellite successfully communicated with its ground station after being launched into orbit from a spaceport in Mahia, New Zealand. 3. The Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis agreed Tuesday to boost cooperation in the defense and nuclear energy sectors as part of efforts to strengthen their countries' strategic partnership, during a summit held on the second day of the Romanian leader’s four-day official visit to South Korea. 2. The Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that North Korea has conducted a tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday named People Power Party lawmaker Chung Jin-suk as his new chief of staff, the first personnel replacement since the party's crushing defeat in the April 10 parliamentary elections. President Yoon said the new chief will boost his administration’s communication with the public. 2. According to Nomura Securities of the Global Investment Bank on Monday, South Korea's fruit and vegetable prices have risen the most this year compared to G7 countries or...

1. South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday the government has accepted a request from the chiefs of six national universities for flexibility in expanding the medical school enrollment quota. The decision raised hopes for an end to the protracted walkout by trainee doctors. 2. According to a U.S. official on Friday, Israel carried out a military strike inside Iran, in what appeared to be limited retaliatory action for last week’s drone and missile attack by Tehran. Iran's state...

1. The Presidential office said Wednesday that President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed during phone talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to promote bilateral and trilateral cooperation together with the United States. 2. According to an official at the Presidential office, President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo earlier this week to discuss the direction of state affairs, including the future running of government affairs and personnel appointments, after the ruling...

1. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday held the 2024 growth outlook for South Korea steady at 2-point-3 percent, citing "surprisingly resilient" global economic activity. The latest projection is the same as its forecast made in January. 2. According to a survey conducted by the gender ministry on 12-thousand-44 households nationwide from June 1st to July 31st 2023, an increased proportion of people in their 20s to 30s indicated having plans for children. 3. South Korea's National...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he humbly accepts the public sentiment revealed in the parliamentary elections and will work to improve communication with the people. President Yoon made the pledge in his first public remarks on last Wednesday's general elections. 2. South Korea "strongly" protested against Japan on Tuesday after Tokyo issued an annual diplomatic report renewing its territorial claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. South Korea's foreign ministry called...