​Series of torrential rain takes lives of 43 people in S. Korea over one week period

SEOUL -- A series of torrential rain took the lives of 43 people across South Korea where river banks have collapsed and landslides engulfed small villages due to heavy rain that soaked the country for more than one week, according to South Korea’s main disaster control tower. South Korea is normally soaked by dense rain clouds during “Jangma” (the rainy season in Korean) in July and August. According to data released by the Korea Meteorological Administration, the

July 16, 2023

President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister to hold sixth summit meeting in Lithuania

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold their sixth summit meeting in Lithuania where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's "2023 Vilnius Summit" is currently being held. President Yoon is attending the NATO summit as part of his visit to the Baltic region of Europe. According to the South Korean presidential office, Yoon and Kishida will meet on July 12. Although a presidential office official told reporters at

July 12, 2023

President Yoon embarks on three-day visit to Lithuania for NATO summit meeting

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has embarked on his three-day visit schedule in Lithuania on July 10. The leader will attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit meeting to promote the hosting of the World Expo 2030 in South Korea's southern port city of Busan, cooperate with other leaders to strengthen international security cooperation, and expand supply chain collaboration. An aircraft carrying Yoon and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrived at Vilnius, the capital o

July 11, 2023

President Yoon to visit Lithuania for NATO summit meeting and Poland for state visit

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will depart for a six-day visit to two European nations -- Lithuania and Poland. After attending a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit meeting in Lithuania, the South Korean leader will move to Poland where he would discuss cooperation methods in defense and nuclear power sectors with Polish President Andrzej Duda. According to the presidential office, Yoon and First Lady Kim Geon-hee will depart for Lithuania on July 10 to attend t

July 10, 2023

S. Korea to restrict foreign workers' rights to change workplaces

SEOUL -- Starting on July 9, foreign labor workers in South Korea with the non-professional employment visa "E9" will only be allowed to change their workplaces within the same regional area where their previous workplace was located, except for very few special cases. The country aims to help South Korean employers in rural areas struggling with labor shortages due to the frequent turnover of migrant workers. E9 visa is mainly provided for those in the manufacturing sector.

July 6, 2023

S. Korean foreign minister to meet Japanese counterpart to discuss Fukushima water discharge

SEOUL -- Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will meet his South Korean counterpart Park Jin at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related foreign ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in Indonesia in mid-July to seek understanding of the discharge of contaminated water, referred to as "treated water" by Japan, into the sea of Fukushima, according to Japanese daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. Hayashi will also meet his Chinese counterpart through an individua

July 5, 2023

S. Korean police to provide emergency interpretation service for foreigners

SEOUL -- Police have adopted interpretation services to accurately communicate with foreigners in South Korea. Two English interpreters and two Chinese interpreters will help police officers to handle various types of emergencies. It's been difficult for foreigners to report a crime to the police due to the language barrier. The South Korean police communicated with foreigners through a 3-way phone call which involved a private interpretation company, but the method was not efficie

July 3, 2023

Southern port city to open 'K-pop high school' to nurture young artists

SEOUL -- The southern port city of Busan will embark on a preparation process to open a high school that will focus on the incubation of young K-pop artists including singers, performers, writers, and composers. The high school scheduled to open in 2028 will attract students from South Korea and abroad who wish to become the next-generation BTS and BLACK PINK. K-pop, which started as a sub-culture that was only popular among South Korean music lovers and a small number of foreign peopl

June 30, 2023

S. Koreans choose short affordable trip plans amid high inflation: survey

SEOUL -- In a bid to solve money problems in the era of high inflation, South Koreans chose to go on short, affordable trips rather than to go on luxurious trips that last for days, data released by Consumer Insight, a market research company, showed. According to a weekly survey of 500 consumers, conducted by Consumer Insight, a person who went on a trip in May 2023 spent an average of 230,000 won ($174) during an average trip duration of 2.96 days. The average amount of money spe

June 29, 2023

Seoul to allow passengers to tag out and reboard subway trains within 10 minutes

SEOUL -- Starting in July, Seoulites will be allowed to tag out and reboard subway trains within 10 minutes without paying an extra fare. Currently, passengers must pay for a new trip if they have to move through a toll gate to get to the other side of the platform or go to a toilet. These situations occur occasionally, especially when a person forgets to get off his or her destination station. According to Seoul, there were many complaints regarding the need to pay

June 29, 2023