GWACHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- South Korea’s defense acquisition minister said the upcoming US administration under returning President Donald Trump could be an opportunity for the country’s defense industry. Seok Jong-gun, who heads the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in charge of arms exports, told reporters Tuesday that Trump decreasing support to US allies could open up a new market for South Korean defense companies to explore. The minister said he sees Trump presiden

Talk of a constitutional amendment to ease the presidential term limit has reemerged in South Korea, with a new proposal allowing a president to seek reelection. Chyung Dai-chul, a former lawmaker who served five terms until 2004, said Wednesday he would work to let either the legislature or the government finalize their proposal of an amendment to the Constitution by the end of 2025. His proposal will allow presidents to serve a second term, while shortening the length of a single term from fiv

The South Korean government will ease visa requirements for skilled workers, and partially lift hiring limits for foreign national workers in the construction industry, according to the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday. Under what it has dubbed its “New Immigration Policy,” industries can propose bringing in foreign workers for specific needs, with requests assessed by government ministries and a committee of experts deciding on adjustments like workforce quotas. Changes will be made

Citizens will be able to issue a mobile ID card, allowing them to conveniently verify their identity using their smartphones without the need for a physical card. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that starting Dec. 27, citizens aged 17 or older who already hold a national ID card can apply for a mobile resident registration card, a digital initiative for the first time in 56 years since the system was in place. Citizens will have two options to apply for a mobile ID card. The fi

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the ruling People Power Party headquarters and its offices in western Seoul as part of an inquiry into claims that a self-proclaimed power broker interfered in the conservative party’s 2022 by-election candidate nominations. The Changwon District Prosecutors' Office conducted a search and seizure based on the allegations that Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, received around 76 million won ($54,400) from former People Power Party Rep. Ki

The owner of a training facility for pet dogs is being investigated following accusations of repeated animal abuse believed to have occurred at his facility, local police said recently. Officials at Yangju Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said a man in his 30s, surnamed Lee, is under investigation for animal abuse allegedly conducted by him and employees at a "dog kindergarten" run by Lee. Dog kindergartens are a type of training facility that offer socialization training for pet do

An umbrella group of local polling companies on Wednesday recommended the government to ban the use of automated response systems in polling for major elections. In a press release, the Korea Research Association said the National Election Commission should no longer use the ARS in opinion polls, saying the system is no longer a scientific method of polling. "There recently have been controversies related to allegations about the opinion polls (of elections) supposedly being rigged, and the

More than half of the participants at the matchmaking program organized by the Seoul city government were paired up, officials said Wednesday. Among the 100 unmarried men and women who participated in the event Saturday on Sebitseom, a floating island on the Han River, 27 couples emerged, achieving a 54 percent matching rate. Picked from a competitive pool with a 33-to-1 applicant success ratio, the 100 attendees took part in a variety of activities, including relationship coaching, yacht rides

Donning red bandanas, launching hunger strikes, raising banners and posters in chants by the crowd in the streets or holding candlelight vigils have long been go-to options for those advocating for change. But South Korea has noticed a slight change in how protests work: they now use funeral wreaths wrapped with sharp words to draw attention to their cause. The term "funeral wreath protest" first appeared in news reports in 2006, when residents who opposed the development of a lake p

Son Joo-eun, CEO of Korea's top online private education company, Megastudy, is facing a backlash for inappropriate remarks during a recent lecture to high school students in Daegu. Speaking to approximately 500 first- and second-year students from a high school in the southern city on Nov. 22, Son called for affirmative action for teenage mothers in college admissions. He called it a “special admissions policy allowing adolescent girls who gave birth to have strong advantages in th

Over half of South Koreans think it is better for couples to live together before getting married, but men and women have differing opinions about living together without agreeing to get married eventually. Local dating app Noondate conducted the survey of 15,000 unmarried adults across the country, showing that 57 percent of male respondents and 52 percent of female respondents said it is better for couples to live together if they have agreed to get married. But when asked about living togethe

Philip Goldberg, the United States ambassador to South Korea, will step down from his post in Seoul next January, concurrently closing the chapter on his diplomatic career, according to a diplomatic source. Goldberg’s departure, concluding more than 3 1/2 decades of service with the US Foreign Service, is set to align with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office. Goldberg officially began his tenure as US ambassador to South Korea in July 2022, ending

The presidential office plans to hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss responses to US President-elect Donald Trump's proposal to impose tariffs on three trading partners, a senior presidential official said. The meeting comes after Trump said on social media that he will use an executive order to levy new tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico on his first day in office. The meeting is expected to analyze the US trade policy in Trump's second term and discuss potential counterme

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party as part of an investigation into an influence-peddling scandal linked to the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. Prosecutors sought to confiscate materials related to the party's nomination of candidates for the 2022 elections but were unable to do so as the relevant office is located in a separate building within the National Assembly compound, according to PPP officials. Authorities are currently working to gai

South Korea's artificial intelligence safety institute officially opened Wednesday to address various risks associated with the rapidly evolving technology, the science ministry said. The new AI Safety Institute follows the AI Seoul Summit held in May, where leaders from South Korea, Britain, and eight other nations adopted a joint declaration on promoting safe, innovative, and inclusive AI, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. Located in Pangyo, just south of Seoul, the institute

The top diplomats of South Korea, Canada, France, and Italy have voiced concerns over the threat posed by North Korea's troop deployment to Russia in its war with Ukraine, pledging to work together for a concerted response, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his counterparts from Canada, France, and Italy raised the issue during separate talks held on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting in Fiuggi,

South Korea unveiled a comprehensive package of support measures for the semiconductor industry Wednesday, with its top economic policymaker highlighting "growing headwinds" amid concerns over potential shifts in US trade policy under the incoming Donald Trump administration and intensifying competition from Chinese rivals. "The next six months will be the 'golden time' that will decide the fate of our industries," Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said during a meetin

A court has rejected an arrest warrant for Sohn Tae-seung, former chairperson of Woori Financial Group, over suspicions of extending inappropriate loans to his relatives, judicial officials said Wednesday. The Seoul Southern District Court made the decision Tuesday night, citing the need to guarantee Sohn's right to defense over alleged complicity. The court stated that it is difficult to conclude there is a risk of evidence destruction or flight simply because some of Sohn's statement

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to hold a meeting with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov as early as Wednesday, sources close to the matter said. The Ukrainian delegation, which arrived in South Korea on Wednesday, is also expected to meet with Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun as early as later in the day, according to the sources. During the meetings, Umerov is anticipated to share intelligence on North Korea's troop deployment to Russia and seek South Korea�

More than 20 centimeters of snow blanketed parts of the capital city overnight, prompting heavy snow alerts in the greater Seoul area and Gangwon Province, the state weather agency said Wednesday. A heavy snow warning was issued in parts of northeastern Seoul, including Nowon, Seongbuk, and Dobong districts, shortly after the city experienced its first snow of the season, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration and the Seoul metropolitan government. An advisory is issued when snowfa