S. Korea's online administrative system network goes back online

SEOUL -- After three days of digital blackout, South Korea's administrative system network has gone back online. Government workers and ordinary citizens are now able to access the network and receive administrative help such as issuing birth certificates or registering a new address. South Korea pulled the plug on its unified government administrative service network called "Government 24" at around 1:55 p.m. (0455 GMT) on November 17 after the network started to malf

November 20, 2023

S. Korean hospital succeeds in uterus transplant for first time  

SEOUL -- A major general hospital in Seoul has succeeded in South Korea's first uterus transplant. The medical center treated a 35-year-old woman with an uncommon congenital disorder "Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome." Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a condition in which the uterus and vagina are either absent or underdeveloped, affecting about one in 5,000 women. Because their ovarian function remains normal, women with MRKH syndrome

November 17, 2023

S. Korea temporarily pulls plug on malfunctioning online administrative network system

SEOUL -- South Korea's online general administrative network has temporarily gone offline due to unknown errors. The interior ministry said that the unified government administrative service network called "Government 24" has temporarily gone offline starting 1:55 p.m. on November 17. The ministry did not disclose when the service would go online again but said the service would resume "when problems are fixed." Government 24 is a one-stop government admin

November 17, 2023

Turkish envoy requests S. Korean authorities to act against Islamophobic movement in southern city

SEOUL -- The southern city of Daegu, well known for its culture that cherishes the humble traditional Korean virtues and teachings of Confucious, has been caught up in an uncommon conflict over the construction of a mosque near the central city area. About a dozen of Muslim students at the Kyungpook National University, mostly international students from Pakistan, started their religious gathering in 2012 by renting a small room near the university campus to pray. Five students purc

November 15, 2023

S. Korean President to embark on four-day visit to US for APEC summit  

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will depart for San Francisco to attend a summit meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, an economic forum that involves 21 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region. During the inter-governmental forum, Yoon will engage in discussions focused on strategies to improve South Korea's trade and investment with partner countries in the region. Yoon will depart on November 15 at the Seoul Airport on a presidential jet for his

November 15, 2023

Lumpy skin disease infection case found in S. Korea's largest cattle farm central

SEOUL -- South Korea's animal disease prevention headquarters was put on high alert as a lumpy skin disease case was reported in North Gyeongsang Province, the country's largest cattle farm province, about one month after the first case of the infectious cattle disease was reported in the southwestern region for the first time in South Korea. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral infection that spreads through blood-feeding insects like flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. A cow infe

November 14, 2023

Urban hydrogen-electric tram tested in southeastern industrial city

SEOUL -- An urban hydrogen-electric tram was demonstrated in South Korea's southeastern industrial port city of Ulsan as part of a state program to commercialize hydrogen-powered trains. The project, designed to establish green mobility infrastructure and promote urban trams, is led by Hyundai Rotem, a train-making subsidiary of South Korea's Hyundai auto group. Urban trams disappeared in Korea in 1968. After the first tram line started its operation in Seoul in 1898, tram n

November 14, 2023

S. Korean President and Chinese leader to visit San Francisco for APEC summit

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will embark on a three-day journey to San Francisco to attend a summit meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, an economic forum that involves 21 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The inter-governmental forum will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Tensions between Seoul and Beijing escalated in 2017 due to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system by US troops in South

November 14, 2023

Seoul Mayor shows strong will to push commercialization of commuter water bus

SEOUL -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon showed his strong will to commercialize "Han Gang River Bus," a 199-seater commuter boat designed to carry passengers along the Han River that flows through Seoul from the east and out to the West Sea, also known as the Yellow Sea. In September 2023, Seoul City unveiled a blueprint for the so-called "water bus" that will be commercialized in 2024. The capital city promised that the commuter boat would provide improved services than

November 9, 2023

Worker killed in robot accident at sorting center during test operation

SEOUL -- A male worker in his 40s was killed in an accident that took place inside an automated sorting center when a cooperative robot mistook its human coworker for a box of paprikas. The robot fatally wounded the man when it tried to lift the worker up with its actuators. Cooperative robots are machines that are deployed to a workplace where human workers are present. They collaborate with their human coworkers to carry out chores that need quick and precise handling of products

November 9, 2023