Category Archives: South Korea

US and South Korea sound warning amid reports Putin is headed to North Korea

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Civilian aircraft have been cleared from Pyongyang’s airport and there are signs of preparations for a possible parade in Kim Il-sung Square

The US and South Korea have warned Vladimir Putin against forging closer military ties with North Korea, as speculation grows that the Russian leader will visit the secretive state in the coming days.

Putin is planning to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in a reciprocal visit following Kim’s weeklong trip to Russia last September, media reports said. During that trip, the two leaders are believed to have agreed that North Korea would receive Russian help with its space programme in return for providing Russia with armaments for the war in Ukraine, in violation of UN resolutions.

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Jin from BTS wraps up military service to the strains of K-pop hit Dynamite

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Jin has finished his stint in South Korea’s military but group won’t be able to reform until RM, Jimin, Jungkook, J-hope and V are discharged in 2025

Jin, the oldest member of the K-pop supergroup BTS, has completed his military service in South Korea, although their legions of fans around the world will still have to wait at least a year until all seven artists are reunited.

The star, who in December 2022 became the first member of the group to begin 18 months of military service, emerged on Wednesday from the 5th Army Infantry Division’s base in northern Yeoncheon province, 60km north of Seoul, to be greeted by fellow bandmates J-hope, RM, V, Jungkook and Jimin.

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South Korea to resume propaganda broadcasts after North sends hundreds more rubbish balloons

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Seoul says it will install loudspeakers on the border with North Korea after detecting 330 more balloons in its territory

South Korea says it will restart loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts into the North, after Pyongyang sent hundreds more rubbish-filled balloons across the border.

“We will install loudspeakers against North Korea today and carry out the broadcast,” the president’s office said in a statement on Sunday.

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South Korea thinktank suggests girls start school earlier to raise birthrate

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Critics label as ‘absurd’ idea from government-backed thinktank as country seeks to address population decline

A government thinktank in South Korea has sparked anger after suggesting that girls start primary school a year earlier than boys because the measure could raise the country’s low birthrate.

A report by analysts at the Korea Institute of Public Finance said creating a one-year age gap between girls and boys at school would make them more attractive to each other by the time they reached marriageable age.

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North Korea sends 600 more rubbish-filled balloons across border, South says

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About 20-50 balloons an hour incoming, warns Seoul’s military, urging public to report but don’t touch

North Korea has sent about 600 more rubbish-filled balloons containing everything from cigarette butts to plastic across the border, Seoul’s military said on Sunday, adding that security personnel were collecting them as they landed.

“North Korea has resumed launching waste balloons towards South Korea” since around 8pm on Saturday, Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said.

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North Korea accused of sending balloons carrying excrement into the South

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South Korea has warned residents to be alert after the military released photos showing inflated balloons with plastic bags tethered to them

South Korea has warned residents living near the border with North Korea to be on alert, after accusing the regime of sending balloons containing what appeared to be rubbish and faeces into its neighbour’s territory.

Photographs released by the South Korean military on Wednesday showed inflated balloons with plastic bags tethered to them. Other images appeared to show trash strewn around collapsed balloons, with the word “excrement” written on a bag in one photograph.

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First companies sign up to AI safety standards on eve of Seoul summit

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Rishi Sunak says 16 international firms have committed, but standards have been criticised for lacking teeth

The first 16 companies have signed up to voluntary artificial intelligence safety standards introduced at the Bletchley Park summit, Rishi Sunak has said on the eve of the follow-up event in Seoul.

The standards, however, have been criticised for lacking teeth, with signatories committing only to work toward information sharing, invest in cybersecurity and prioritise research into societal risks.

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Google / Google DeepMind

G42

IBM

Inflection AI

Meta

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Mistral AI

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Open AI

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Technology Innovation Institute

xAI

Zhipu.ai

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South Korea bans viral song glorifying Kim Jong-un due to ‘psychological warfare’ link

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Song about North Korean leader titled Friendly Father includes lines like ‘let’s brag about Kim Jong-un’

South Korea’s media regulator has banned access to a North Korean propaganda music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong-un as a “great leader”.

The catchy tune titled Friendly Father has become an unlikely social media hit around the world, going viral on short-form video app TikTok and other platforms.

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‘Free Bella’: campaigners fight to save lonely beluga whale from Seoul mall

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Five years after her last companion died and the aquarium’s owner pledged to free her, Bella still languishes in a tiny tank amid shops

In the heart of Seoul, amid the luxury shops at the foot of the world’s sixth-tallest skyscraper, a lone beluga whale named Bella swims aimlessly in a tiny, lifeless tank, where she has been trapped for a decade.

Her plight is urgent, with campaigners racing to rescue her from the bare tank in a glitzy shopping centre in South Korea’s capital before it is too late.

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Weather tracker: heavy snow hits eastern highlands in South Korea

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As much as 40cm fell in less than a day in part of Seoraksan national park. Plus, a powerful tornado in Australia

There was unusually heavy snowfall this week in the highlands of the mountainous region of eastern Gangwon province in South Korea. Between 5.30pm local time on Wednesday and 9am on Thursday, as much as 40cm fell at the Socheong shelter of Seoraksan national park, while 20cm was recorded at its Jungcheong shelter.

This unexpected snowfall has caused damage ahead of a harvest on wild vegetable farms that operate on the mountains. Conditions over the next few days are expected to improve, with warmer and drier weather over the weekend.

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South Korean state-owned nuclear developer in talks to build UK plant

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Kepco has held discussions about developing Wylfa Newydd site on Anglesey

South Korea’s state-owned nuclear developer has discussed building a multibillion-pound power plant in Wales with the UK government, it has emerged.

Kepco, the largest utility provider in South Korea, has held early-stage discussions with Westminster officials about developing the Wylfa Newydd site on the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn), the Financial Times reported.

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South Korea PM offers to resign after heavy defeat in parliamentary elections

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PM Han Duk-soo said the government ‘humbly accepted’ the election result, which severely dents the political power of the president

Senior ruling party politicians in South Korea have offered to resign to take responsibility for its heavy defeat in Wednesday’s national assembly elections – a result that has severely weakened the country’s conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol.

The prime minister, Han Duk-soo, tendered his resignation on Thursday as the scale of the drubbing meted out to the conservative People Power party (PPP) became apparent, according to the Yonhap news agency.

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South Korea’s ambassador to Australia resigns after four weeks amid corruption probe

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Lee Jong-sup is being investigated over allegations he tried to improperly influence an inquiry into death of marine while he was defence minister

South Korea’s ambassador to Australia resigned on Friday as questions about his appointment while he is under a corruption investigation battered President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ruling party less than two weeks from a closely fought parliamentary election.

Lee Jong-sup, who was appointed ambassador to Australia just four weeks ago, is being investigated over allegations he tried to improperly influence a probe into the death of a marine last year while he was defence minister.

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South Korea doctors’ strike widens as medical professors join protests

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Some professors will submit their resignations while others will cut their hours over a government plan to boost medical school admissions

Medical professors in South Korea have said they will reduce the hours they spend in practice, while some say they plan to resign, in a widening of a doctors strike in the country.

The move will begin on Monday in support of trainee doctors who have been on strike for more than a month over a government plan to boost medical school admissions.

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Eight dead after South Korean tanker capsizes off Japan

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Coastguard says chemical tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid but no leaks reported

Eight people died after a South Korean-flagged tanker capsized in rough seas off Japan, the coastguard said.

“They were confirmed dead at a hospital,” a spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday. One other person was in a non-life-threatening condition while two others remained missing.

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Shohei Ohtani: a Japanese baseball star so loved even Koreans flock to him

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The Japanese star is considered one of the most talented players in history. Now he finds himself in an unfamiliar role as a cultural ambassador

The sport is American, the venue South Korean. But when the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres open the Major League Baseball season with two games in Seoul this week, all eyes will be on a Japanese superstar: Shohei Ohtani.

It says much about Ohtani’s singular appeal that South Korean baseball fans are as excited about his imminent presence in the batter’s box at Gocheok Sky Dome as his legions of admirers in Japan.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

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Squid Game actor O Yeong-su convicted of sexual harassment

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The 79-year-old actor who won a Golden Glove for his role as Oh II-nam on the hit Netflix show has been handed a suspended prison sentence

South Korean actor O Yeong-su, who starred in the first season of the hit Netflix series Squid Game, was convicted on Friday on charges of sexual harassment and handed a suspended prison sentence, a court official said.

The Seongnam branch of the Suwon district court sentenced O to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 40 hours of attendance at a sexual violence treatment programme, the court official said by telephone.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.

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South Korea doctors’ strike: government moves to suspend thousands of medical licences

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Almost 12,000 doctors have walked out over planned changes, as the country’s health ministry denies services have descended into chaos

South Korea’s government has started taking steps to suspend the medical licences of thousands of striking doctors, as concern grows that the month-long dispute is affecting frontline health care services.

The walkout by almost 12,000 doctors from 100 teaching hospitals has led to surgery cancellations, longer waiting times and delays in treatment, including for patients seeking emergency care, according to media reports.

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South Korea’s fertility rate sinks to record low despite $270bn in incentives

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Average number of births per woman falls to 0.72 in country that already has the world’s lowest rate, and has spent billions since 2006 to reverse the trend

South Korea’s demographic crisis has deepened with the release of data showing its birthrate – already the world’s lowest – fell to a new record low in 2023, despite billions of dollars in government schemes designed to persuade families to have more children.

Reports that South Korea’s population had shrunk for the fourth straight year came soon after neighbouring Japan reported a record decline in its population last year, along with a record fall in the number of births and the lowest number of marriages since the end of the second world war.

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Seoul police officers sentenced for deleting Halloween crush evidence

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Pair are first police officials to be sentenced over 2022 disaster in which nearly 160 people died

A South Korean court has sentenced two former senior police officers for destroying evidence linked to Seoul’s deadly 2022 Halloween crush.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, had been out on 29 October 2022 to enjoy the first post-pandemic holiday celebrations in the popular Itaewon nightlife district. The night turned deadly when crowds poured into a narrow, sloping alleyway between bars and clubs, leading to nearly 160 people being crushed to death.

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