The U.N. World Food Program has extended its food assistance plan for North Korea by another year to the end of 2024, according to an updated document on its website Saturday. The revision extends the one-year duration of the interim country strategic plan for North Korea until Dec. 31, 2024, the document showed. The amount of budget for the project has also increased to US$247.7 million from $214.9 million. The revised assistance plan is expected to benefit some 5.2 million North Korean people,

Space has emerged as an extended battlefield for the rival Koreas as they have successfully launched their own spy satellites into orbit and are gearing up to send more to better monitor each other amid an intensifying arms race, analysts said Saturday. South Korea's first homegrown spy satellite was launched from U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday (local time). It successfully entered orbit and communicated with a ground station a little ov

South Korea successfully launched its first indigenous military spy satellite from a U.S. military base in California Friday (local time), the defense ministry said, in a culmination of Seoul's quest for space-based intelligence capabilities amid growing North Korean threats. The launch of the satellite atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base came after Pyongyang claimed success in its own spy satellite launch last week -- a move that underscored a growing inter-Kor

The national security advisers of South Korea, Japan and the United States will meet in Seoul next week, government sources said Friday, amid escalating threats from North Korea following its launch of a military satellite. The three-way meeting is set to be held for two days starting next Friday, they added. It will be held between South Korea's Cho Tae-yong, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Japan's National Security Secretariat Secretary-General Takeo Akiba. Ch

The United Nations Command said Friday it is monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula amid escalating tensions in the region, including the rearmament of North Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. "The Joint Security Area remains a neutral ground for dialogue and de-escalation," the UNC said, noting its intent is to maintain "peace" and "security" in the area. The UNC added its mission has remained unchanged for 70 years

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday vetoed a new pro-labor bill and three broadcasting law revisions passed by parliament last month. Yoon's decision came mere hours after the Cabinet officially filed a request for him to reject the bills that were unilaterally passed by the National Assembly on Nov. 9, despite the ruling People Power Party’s strong opposition. The opposition parties, including the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, currently holds the controlling majority of se

South Korea's Supreme Court belatedly revealed that it had confirmed the infection of computers used in courts with malware earlier this year. However, the court said it could not conclusively determine the connection of cyberattacks to North Korea. "Earlier this year, a malware infection was detected during a routine cybersecurity scan," the Office of Court Administration of the Supreme Court said in a statement issued Thursday. "During our response to the malware detection,

To tackle the hike in bedbug infestations in single-room residences, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it would increase inspections of such homes as nearly half of all bedbug reports came from there. The plan comes after 39 reports out of 89 came from “goshiwon,” a type of budget accommodation consisting of one small studio room with no separate kitchen or bathroom. The city government will assign personnel dedicated to overseeing goshiwon in each autonomous distric

A disability rights advocacy group said Friday it will temporarily halt subway protests, calling for budget increases to expand mobility rights for individuals with disabilities. The Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, one of South Korea's prominent disability rights groups, announced that instead of conducting its regular rush-hour subway protests, it will initiate daily silent protests at Line No. 4's Hyehwa Station starting from Monday. The temporary suspension will persis

South Korea is moving to permit telemedicine services for first-time patients residing in regions categorized as "medically vulnerable areas" during the nighttime and holidays, starting from mid-December, the Ministry of Welfare and Health announced Friday. The initiative aims to enhance patient accessibility to essential medical care, especially during emergencies. The temporary allowance of non-face-to-face medical services, commonly referred to as telemedicine, was first introduced

South Korea’s two major umbrella labor organizations disclosed their revenues for the first time since their establishment, Thursday. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions announced an annual revenue of 39.25 billion won ($30.16 million) for 2022, according to the Labor Union Accounting Disclosure System administered by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. In detail, the FKTU revealed that 22.9 billion won was carried over from the previous year. They further said that 5.99 billion won ca

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday granted his approval for the resignation offered by the state broadcasting watchdog chief, effectively derailing the main opposition party's plans to proceed with an impeachment motion originally scheduled for later in the day. Yoon's approval followed a surprising turn of events, when Korea Communications Commission Chairman Lee Dong-kwan reportedly submitted his resignation to Yoon late Thursday. "President Yoon has approved KCC Chairman Lee Don

In an unprecedented move, South Korea, the United States, Australia and Japan collectively and consecutively declared the imposition of unilateral sanctions on North Korea on Thursday and Friday. The united front is a direct response to North Korea's launch of a purported "military reconnaissance satellite" on Nov. 21, highlighting the coordinated efforts of like-minded countries in the face of a notable absence of actions at the United Nations Security Council. South Korea has im

Following back-to-back incidents of public servants illegally going on livestreaming platforms to create sexual content, the government has rolled out a set of guidelines for public officials’ duties to prevent such incidents from happening, according to reports on Friday. On Monday, the Ministry of Personnel Management reportedly distributed a document to all ministries on the ethical conduct of national public service officials and specified guidelines for public officials’ persona

President Yoon Suk Yeol has conveyed a message of condolences following the passing of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the South Korean presidential office said on Friday. Yoon called Kissinger the "strategist and international political scholar who laid the foundation for US foreign policy, and I deeply appreciate his lifelong dedicated efforts toward global peace and freedom" in his message. "I cherish the memory of your unwavering support for the South Korea-US allia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on the air force to enhance its combat posture to immediately respond to military threats by enemies, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday. Kim's remarks came amid fresh tension on the Korean Peninsula following the launch of a North Korean military spy satellite. South Korea partially suspended a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction deal in response to the satellite launch, condemned as a violation of U.N. Security Council resoluti

The United States on Thursday sanctioned a North Korean cyber espionage group and eight foreign-based agents of the reclusive regime in response to Pyongyang's spy satellite launch last week, the Department of Treasury said. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added to its sanctions list KIMSUKY, a cyber incursion group, and the individuals who facilitated sanctions evasion to support the North's weapons of mass destruction programs, the department said. OFAC enforce

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will preside over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting this week over proposals requesting President Yoon Suk Yeol exercise his veto power against four contentious bills unilaterally passed by opposition parties earlier this month, his office said Thursday. The meeting, scheduled for Friday, is expected to handle the motions asking Yoon to reject a pro-labor bill, commonly known as the "yellow envelope bill," and three other bills on broadcasting laws. The &

Korean American singer Steve Yoo, known here as Yoo Seung-jun, won the final trial that overturned the initial denial of his visa and passport issuance, according to legal professionals on Thursday. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the disgraced K-pop singer in his case against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, which turned down his request for an F-4 visa issuance, upholding an appellate court’s ruling. The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Yoo in July. The court judg

A tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border has been suspended again as safety concerns increased due to North Korean soldiers armed with pistols in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the unification ministry said Thursday. The government partially resumed the tour program on Nov. 22, after it had been halted since mid-July following US Army private Travis King crossing the border into North Korea. But the ministry said it has recently decid