Multiple wildfires sweep South Korea, two firefighters perish

SEOUL, March 22 (AJP) - Massive wildfires engulfed multiple regions across South Korea on Saturday, claiming the lives of two firefighters and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes as authorities raised the national crisis alert to its highest level. The most severe blaze in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang Province, entered its second day uncontained, prompting the Korea Forest Service to deploy over 1,300 personnel including specialized firefighting units, police

March 22, 2025

Mass rallies expected in Seoul as impeachment verdict looms

SEOUL, March 22 (AJP) - About 300,000 demonstrators are expected to flood central Seoul on Saturday as South Korea braces for a potential impeachment verdict against President Yoon Suk Yeol in the coming days. Pro-impeachment groups, including the Bisang Action for Yoon Out & Social Reform, have registered rallies with an anticipated attendance of 100,000 people, though organizers claim they will mobilize up to one million supporters. The opposition Democratic Party plans to

March 22, 2025

Yoon's verdict inches closer as Constitutional Court set to decide on PM Han's impeachment

SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) - With the Constitutional Court of Korea set to rule on Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment trial early next week, its verdict to decide on President Yoon Suk Yeol's fate over his botched martial law debacle late last year seems to be on the horizon. While serving as acting president shortly after the debacle, Han has been suspended from his duties due to his refusal to appoint three justice nominees to he highest court along with several other al

March 21, 2025

Constitutional Court to deliver verdict on PM's impeachment

SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea will deliver its ruling on the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo next week. In a notice on Thursday, the court said the verdict will be made at 10 a.m. on Monday, about three months after he was impeached by the National Assembly on Dec. 27 over his refusal to appoint justices and several other allegations related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle late last year. While serving as acting

March 20, 2025

Marriages surge to over 200,000 for first time since pandemic

SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - The number of marriages sharply increased last year, seeing the largest jump in almost three decades, Statistics Korea said on Thursday. About 222,000 couples tied the knot, up 14.8 percent or 29,000 couples from the previous year, seeing the largest increase since 1996 when the number of marriages grew by 36,000. The surge comes as the number of people born in the 1990s reaches their early to mid-30s, which is often considered the prime age for getting ma

March 20, 2025

Police step up readiness for Yoon's impeachment ruling on the horizon

SEOUL, March 19 (AJP) - Police are ramping up security measures with plans to mobilize nearly all available resources in central Seoul as the Constitutional Court of Korea is shortly expected to deliver its final verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial over his botched martial law debacle late last year. According to police sources on Wednesday, the highest-level security alert will be issued on the day of the court's ruling, which will decide Yoon's fate

March 19, 2025

Activists urge referral of North Korean leader to international criminal court

SEOUL, March 19 (AJP) - Human rights groups called for North Korea to be held accountable for human rights violations and other alleged crimes against humanity at a forum in Geneva earlier this week. Hosted by Seoul-based non-profit organization People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE) and other advocacy groups, the event as part of this year's regular session of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday shed light on the North Korean regime's heinous and brutal crim

March 19, 2025

Foreign ministers of South Korea, China, and Japan to sit for talks in Tokyo this weekend

SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - The foreign ministers of Korea, China, and Japan will hold talks in Tokyo this weekend, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Minister Cho Tae-yul will leave for the island country on Friday to sit for a trilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, slated for Saturday. The upcoming meeting comes more than a year after the last one, which took place in the southern port city of Busan in November 2023.

March 18, 2025

Attempted leak of nuclear-related software possible cause behind South Korea's inclusion in 'sensitive country' list

SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - The recent revelation that South Korea has been classified as a "sensitive country" by the U.S. appears to have been triggered by an attempted leak of nuclear reactor design technology. A semiannual report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) disclosed that an employee at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was caught attempting to board a flight to South Korea with software related to nuclear reactors, resulting in the termination of

March 18, 2025

South Korea ranks 41st in global democracy index

SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - South Korea ranked 41st overall in an index gauging the level of democracy worldwide, according to an annual report compiled by a Sweden-based research institute and released on Monday. The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden surveyed some 179 countries to assess their levels of democracy for last year and South Korea was among five countries "in a substantial decline" along with Hong Kong, Indonesia, M

March 18, 2025