South Korea

[Domestic] : Anchor: A government-led campaign that began in the new year inviting people to make a donation to help revitalize their hometowns and achieve balanced development has gained much traction with the participation of major celebrities and publi...

[Economy] : The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index(KOSPI) rose 60-point-22 points, or two-point-63 percent, on Monday, closing the day at two-thousand-350-point-19.The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also rose, gaining 12-point-27 points, or one-point-78 perce...

[Politics] : President Yoon Suk Yeol has emphasized the necessity of speedy reforms in the labor, education and pension systems for the future of South Korea.Presiding over a meeting with his senior secretaries on Monday, Yoon said the reforms could not b...

[Domestic] : Higher food prices this year are expected to impose a burden ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday as families prepare to visit relatives and pay respects to ancestors.According to the Korea Price Research Center on Monday, the cost of setting ...

[Inter-Korea] : North Korean state media have yet to report on regime leader Kim Jong-un's 39th birthday on Sunday.On its front page, the ruling party's mouthpiece, the Rodong Sinmun praised him for symbolizing the communist state's strength a...

[Economy] : A deputy governor of the Bank of Korea(BOK) called on the country to avoid amplifying economic risks by over-interpreting them or underestimating the nation's response capacity.BOK Deputy Governor Lee Jong-ryeol made the call on Monday in ...

[Domestic] : The national pension benefits will rise five-point-one percent this year to reflect inflation.According to the health ministry on Sunday, the upward adjustment for around six-point-22 million pensioners will take effect this month.Those who r...

[Politics] : The rival political parties clashed on the first day of January's extraordinary session on Monday, which was requested unilaterally by the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) with its majority in parliament.Referring to North Korea's...

[Domestic] : The nation's chief adviser on infectious diseases said talks on lifting the indoor mask mandate could begin next week if the rate of critical COVID-19 cases stabilizes this week.In a press briefing on Monday, Jung Ki-suck said about half ...

[Politics] : Military authorities have admitted that there were insufficiencies in information sharing and cooperation between the Army's First Corps that first detected last month's North Korean drone incursion and the Capital Defense Command(CDC...

[Politics] : Three-term lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo has declared his bid for the chairmanship of the ruling People Power Party(PPP).In a press conference at the National Assembly on Monday, the doctor and tech entrepreneur-turned politician said he will be a c...

[Domestic] : The upper limit of the basic pension for seniors aged 65 and older in the bottom 70-percent income bracket will increase to 323-thousand-180 won a month starting from this month.The health and welfare ministry said on Sunday that it will issu...

[Economy] : New data finds that the overall prices of apartments in the capital fell nearly three percent last year with the exception of three districts.According to housing price statistics released by KB Kookmin Bank on Sunday, Seoul apartment prices s...

[Domestic] : A fire occurred at a 23-story officetel building in Busan early Monday morning, forcing some 30 residents to evacuate.The fire started at around 6:30 a.m. in the building's parking tower and spread to the top stories of the building locat...

[Sports] : Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan scored his first goal of the season in his club's third round FA Cup match against Liverpool.Hwang scored an equalizer with the score at 2-1 for Liverpool after coming on as a substitute in the...

[Domestic] : New COVID-19 cases fell below 20-thousand amid a respite in the winter resurgence.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Monday that 19-thousand-106 infections were reported throughout the previous day, bringing the count...

[Domestic] : A South Korean researcher has reportedly identified over 700 Koreans forced to work at a Japanese mine that Tokyo is seeking to register as a UNESCO global cultural heritage.Jung Hye-kyung, a leading researcher of a civic group focused on Jap...

[Domestic] : The number of coffee shops in South Korea has more than doubled in four years to nearly 100-thousand.According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation on Monday, the number of shops selling coffee and beverages stood at 99-thou...

[Politics] : The defense ministry rebuked the opposition bloc for criticizing its response measures to North Korea's drone incursion last month.A spokesperson for the ministry said in a written statement sent to reporters on Sunday that flights into t...

[Politics] : A senior U.S. official handling Washington's economy-related diplomacy is set to visit South Korea amid the controversy surrounding U.S. legislation considered by many foreign automakers to be discriminatory.Under Secretary for Economic G...

[Science] : The Ministry of Science and ICT has warned of the possibility that a defunct U.S. satellite may crash near the Korean Peninsula on Monday.The ministry issued a readiness alert at 7 a.m. on Monday and convened a meeting of its space risk manage...

[Politics] : Ruling People Power Party(PPP) Representative Ahn Cheol-soo is scheduled to declare his bid for the party chairmanship on Monday.According to party officials, the former head of the presidential transition committee will hold a press conferen...

[Domestic] : An earthquake with a magnitude of three-point-seven struck off Incheon early Monday morning. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA), the earthquake was reported at 1:28 a.m. in waters about 25 kilometers west of Ganghwa Cou...

[Inter-Korea] : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reportedly ended North Korea's suspension of qualification, opening the door for the North to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Saturday that the I...

[Domestic] : Fire authorities on Sunday responded to a report that witnessed fire and explosive sounds from a thermal power plant in the Taean area in South Chungcheong Province at 8:46 a.m.Regional fire authorities issued a Level One emergency response o...

[Economy] : The state-run Korea Development Institute (KDI) said that the Korean economy is showing signs of slowdown amid a deepening slump in exports and sluggishness in the service industry.In its January economic report released on Sunday, the KDI ass...

[Science] : Most parts of the nation remain blanketed by high levels of ultrafine dust.According to the weather agency, fine dust levels are forecast to be "bad" in most parts of the nation except eastern Gangwon Province and South Gyeongsang Prov...

[Domestic] : The number of passengers at Incheon International Airport rebounded for the first time in three years with the lifting of COVID-19 entry restrictions.According to the Incheon International Airport Corporation on Sunday, nearly 17-point-87 mil...

[Domestic] : Cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) have been confirmed at a chicken farm in Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province.The city confirmed on Saturday evening that the cases detected in a preliminary test earlier that day at the egg-lay...

[International] : China lifted quarantine requirements for inbound travelers on Sunday, ending the entry restrictions that have been in place for two years and ten months.Under the move announced by Chinese health authorities on December 26, inbound trave...

[Domestic] : New COVID-19 cases registered in the 40-thousands as a winter resurgence subsides.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Sunday that 46-thousand-766 infections were reported throughout Saturday, bringing the country's...