Korea sees biggest number of international students in 25 years

SEOUL, Sept. 05 (AJP) - Korea has recorded its highest number of international students in 25 years, with over 200,000 enrolled this year—the largest figure since the government began tracking in 1999, the Ministry of Education announced Wednesday. During a ministerial meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul, the ministry reported on the first-year progress of the "Study Korea 300K Project." Launched in August last year, the initiative aims to attract 300,000 in

September 5, 2024

Gov't eyes first pension premium hike in 27 years as part of overdue reform

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) - A set of proposals to revise Korea's national pension was revealed on Wednesday. The proposals, which aim to increase both the contribution rate and the benefits for retirees, were revealed about a week after President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to implement reforms at a press conference last week in response to the aging Korean population and depleting funds. Under the proposals, wage earners' contribution rate will increase from 9 percent to 13 percen

September 4, 2024

Documentary featuring Korea-born panda hits theaters

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) - "My Dearest Fu Bao" featuring Fu Bao, Korea's first panda born here, hit local theaters in Korea on Wednesday. The documentary film explores Fu Bao's 1,354-day stay in Korea, as well as the journey of her parents, Ai Bao and Le Bao, from their arrival in the country. It highlights her emotional bond with her zookeepers and their mutual interactions until their farewell in April this year. Fu Bao left Korea to settle in her new

September 4, 2024

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister to visit Seoul this week

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to visit Korea later this week, the presidential office said on Tuesday. After arriving in Seoul on Friday for a two-day visit, the outgoing Japanese leader will hold talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon and Kishida are expected to "review their bilateral cooperation, assess achievements, and discuss future directions to strengthen regional and global stability." It will be Kishida's 12th me

September 4, 2024

More patients rejected from emergency rooms amid doctors' strike

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) - The number of patients being turned away from emergency rooms (ERs) has more than doubled due to a medical vacuum caused by trainee doctors protesting the government's plan to increase medical school admissions, the National Fire Agency (NFA) said Wednesday. From February to Aug. 25 this year, the NFA redirected some 1,197 ambulances to other hospitals after they were rejected at ERs — a 131 percent increase from 678 cases during the same period

September 4, 2024

Gyeongbokgung Palace invites visitors to experience royal delicacies this fall

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) - Visitors are invited to indulge in a taste of royal cuisine at Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul this fall. A culinary program at the historic palace, which began on Wednesday, runs until the end of October, offering a unique opportunity to savor traditional Korean confectionery and refreshments once served to royal families. "This special experience allows visitors to sample royal court desserts and medicinal teas through the reenactment of the k

September 4, 2024

Hundreds of deepfake crime cases under investigation, police say

SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - Hundreds of deepfake-related crime cases are under investigation with over 120 cases reported just last week alone, the National Police Agency (NPA) said during a parliamentary session at National Assembly on Monday. Deepfake technology, which uses artificial intelligence to swap faces in videos, has been increasingly misused to create illegal explicit content. The NPA's commissioner Cho Ji-ho said, "Approximately 75 percent of those apprehende

September 3, 2024

Yoon's approval rating stuck in doldrums, plummeting below 30%

SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell below 30 percent, according to a survey released on Monday. Pollster Realmeter surveyed 2,513 people aged 18 and older across the country last week and found that some 29.6 percent feel Yoon is doing a good job, a decline of 0.4 percentage points from the previous week and is the second-lowest level since he took office in May 2022. It also marked the first time in nearly two years that his approval rat

September 2, 2024

Health Ministry official tries to alleviate concerns over emergency room crisis

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (AJP) - Korea's intensive care units (ICUs), are not on the brink of a breakdown, despite complaints that many hospitals are struggling to operate emergency rooms properly, a Health Ministry official claimed on Monday. The claims came amid walkouts by trainee doctors protesting the government's radical reform plans over the admission quotas of medical school students. Some 2,645 ambulances were turned away from emergency rooms due to manpower shortages and

September 2, 2024

Naver's map service sees surge among foreign travelers, outpacing Google Maps

SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - Usage of Naver's map service has increased significantly among foreign travelers. The number of daily active users of the service in foreign languages rose by approximately 30.8 percent to an estimated 6.89 million last month, compared to the same period last year, Korea's largest portal said on Sunday. A survey of about 1,200 foreign travelers to Korea, jointly conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organiza

September 2, 2024