Seoul's southern district to provide interpretation services for medical tourists in nine languages

SEOUL -- A total of 39 interpreters will help foreign medical tourists accurately communicate with doctors and nurses in Gangnam, a southern district in Seoul well known for rapper Psy's 2012 song "Gangnam Style." The district office will provide an interpretation service in nine languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic for foreigners visiting hospitals and clinics. According to data released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, about 248,000 forei

May 8, 2023

​Japanese leader discusses with S. Korean business leaders for economic cooperation

SEOUL -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has met with South Korean business leaders to discuss methods to expand the scope of the economic cooperation between South Korea and Japan. At the meeting at a hotel in Seoul on May 8, the Japanese leader had a tea time with the heads of six South Korean business organizations including SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won who is also in charge of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Kishida has agreed with South Korean President Yoo

May 8, 2023

Japanese leader agrees to strengthen cooperation with S. Korea at summit meeting in Seoul

SEOUL -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the South Korean government at a summit meeting held in Seoul. He has become the first Japanese leader to visit South Korea since Yoshihiko Noda, a former Japanese prime Minister who visited Seoul in October 2011. "I am happy that shuttle diplomacy has started in a decisive manner," the Japanese leader said, adding that dialogues have been moving dynamically in less than

May 7, 2023

Seoul starts demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell-based road sweeper truck

SEOUL -- Seoul City's facility management operator has started the demonstration of a hydrogen-powered road sweeper truck to remove extremely small dust particles generated by exhaust gas or car parts from roads in the capital city. The eco-friendly truck that can also help reduce air pollution will be tested in various areas including Olympic-daero, an eight-lane urban expressway that penetrates southern districts in the capital city from west to east. According to data rele

May 4, 2023

Japan could provide support for victims of forced labor issues during colonial era: report

SEOUL -- Japan's major news agency Kyodo News analyzed that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has the intention to provide support for South Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial rule era (1910~1945). Since the liberation after World War II, South Koreans have demanded a sincere apology and rightful compensation from the Japanese government. Although South Korean civic movement groups have demanded an apology, Tokyo has insisted colonial-era issues w

May 3, 2023

S. Korea warns state science institutes about data leak risk of using Chat GPT

SEOUL -- South Korea's science ministry has sent out an official document to its sub-organizations including state research institutes to warn that using generative artificial intelligence services including Chat GPT could lead to disastrous situations such as data leaks. Chat GPT is an AI-based chatbot service that engages with users in a natural conversation. The AI robot provides on-demand answers and solutions for various demands by users in surprisingly accurate and effici

May 3, 2023

Japanese Prime Minister to visit Seoul for summit meeting on May 7

SEOUL -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be in Seoul for two days for a summit meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on May 7, the presidential office said. Kishida will be the first prime minister to visit South Korea since Yoshihiko Noda, a former Japanese prime Minister who visited Seoul in October 2011. According to the presidential office on May 2, Kishida will visit Seoul with his wife Yuko Kishida for two days starting May 7. Yoon and Kishida will disc

May 2, 2023

​Vietnamese envoy participates in lecture designed to encourage interpreter trainees in S. Korea

SEOUL -- At a lecture designed to encourage interpretation school students, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung lectured that trust between humans plays a key role in interpretation even in an era in which translator devices are gaining popularity. The ambassador interacted with students majoring in Korean-Vietnamese at a graduate school in eastern Seoul. "The ambassador told students that demands for talented human interpreters will be still high as artificia

April 28, 2023

President Yoon pledges S. Korea would play role of 'compass for freedom' at US Congress

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol has told members of the U.S. Congress that South Korea would play the role of "compass for freedom" along with the United States. The statement was made during a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress designed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the two nations' alliance in Washington, DC. The keyword of Yoon's speech on April 27 was "freedom," which was mentioned a total of 45 times. Yoon said during the speech: "T

April 28, 2023

S. Korea recovers number of domestic travelers 1Q 2023 compared to pre-pandemic era: survey

SEOUL -- A survey showed that the number of South Koreans who traveled to at least one tourist spot in South Korea in the first quarter of 2023 has recovered to the level of the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period while the number of those who have traveled overseas has not reached the half of the people who traveled abroad before the pandemic in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Consumer Insight, a domestic market research firm, analyzed that overseas travelers' satisfaction rate was also low due to

April 27, 2023