Flu season hits early and hard; cases double in a week

Seasonal influenza is spreading rapidly among children and teenagers in Korea, with cases more than doubling in just one week. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Friday, about 51 out of every 1,000 outpatients visiting 300 monitoring hospitals between Nov. 2 and 8 showed influenza-like illness, defined as having a fever of 38 degrees Celsius or higher accompanied by symptoms such as a cough or sore throat. The figure marks a 122.4 percent increase from the previous w

Nov. 14, 2025

Highlights from Korea-US joint fact sheet

South Korea and the United States on Friday released a joint fact seet on trade and security agreements, concluding months of negotiations. Here are the key points from the document, agreed upon by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, unveiled on the webite of the White House. • $150 billion of Korean investment in the US shipbuilding sector • $200 billion in additional "strategic" Korean investment, under an MOU expected to be signed by both countries • Korea's an

Nov. 14, 2025

Gwangju district criticized for using female officials as mayor’s backup dancers

A district office in Gwangju is under fire after eight female civil servants appeared as backup dancers during a performance by Gwangju Buk-gu District Mayor Moon In. The performance took place on Nov. 6 at Donggang University during filming for the KBS program “National Singing Contest,” which drew more than 1,000 audience members. Moon took the stage to sing Yoon Soo-il’s 1985 hit “Apartment,” with the officials dancing behind him. The women, wearing sunglasses and headscarves and holding pomp

Nov. 14, 2025

Full text of joint fact sheet on Korea-US agreements

Nov. 14, 2025

'Kant took Suneung, too': Test-takers tormented by 18th-century philosopher

“Do you think (Immanuel) Kant knows? That centuries later he is inflicting so much pain on students in an East Asian country? In the Korean, English and electives sections. Do you think Kant knows?” read a post uploaded by a test-taker to Orbi, an online community for college admissions, on Thursday after the annual College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, ended. Immanuel Kant is the 18th-century German philosopher whose work on ethics, metaphysics and human reason fundamentally reshaped mod

Nov. 14, 2025

Lee announces joint fact sheet on trade, security agreements with US

South Korea and the United States on Friday released a joint fact sheet on their trade deal outlining Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge and security agreements, including Washington's approval of South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine. President Lee Jae Myung made the announcement more than two weeks after he concluded the trade deal during his summit with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea on Oct. 29. Th

Nov. 14, 2025

English section of Suneung deemed tougher than last year: Can you solve these questions?

This year’s English section on the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, was more difficult than last year, according to teachers and education experts. “(The English section) was a bit more difficult than last year’s Suneung and similar to the September mock exam,” said Kim Ye-ryeong, a teacher at Daewon Foreign Language High School, who appeared on the state-run Educational Broadcasting System on Thursday after Suneung ended. Kim noted that while this year’s exam contained no so-called

Nov. 14, 2025

[Breaking] S. Korea, US sign joint fact sheet on trade, security

South Korea and the United States finalized a joint fact sheet on trade and security, concluding months of fraught negotiations, President Lee Jae Myung told reporters Friday. “We have finalized the Korea–US trade and security consultations, which had been the biggest variable,” Lee said in Seoul, expressing gratitude to US President Donald Trump for his “rational decision,” which played a major role in reaching the agreements. The Korean leader said, -South Korea and the US have agreed to move

Nov. 14, 2025

S. Korea, US Navy chiefs set to discuss cooperation in shipbuilding, MRO

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kang Dong-gil will meet with his US counterpart in Seoul on Friday to discuss ways to strengthen military cooperation between their navies, including in the shipbuilding sector. Kang was to meet Adm. Daryl L. Caudle, the US chief of naval operations, who is arriving in South Korea on Thursday for a four-day trip, to discuss cooperation in the field of shipbuilding and maintenance, repair and operations. The US Navy chief will also meet with US Forces Korea Commande

Nov. 14, 2025

India installs its first envoy in N. Korea since pandemic

A new Indian ambassador to North Korea has taken office, marking the return of an Indian envoy to Pyongyang for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the North's state media on Friday. Aliawati Longkumer, India's new ambassador to North Korea, presented his letter of credence to parliamentary standing committee chairman Choe Ryong-hae in Pyongyang the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency reported. It marks the first time an Indian ambassador has been present in North K

Nov. 14, 2025

N. Korea denounces G7 call for Pyongyang's denuclearization

North Korea on Friday denounced a recent call by the Group of Seven countries for Pyongyang's complete denuclearization, saying the regime's will to retain its nuclear arsenal is "firm and unwavering" amid external nuclear threats. "I express strong complaint and regret over the G7 foreign ministers' explicit hostility that directly infringes upon our constitution, and I resolutely denounce it in the strongest possible rhetorical terms," the North's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statem

Nov. 14, 2025

Court again denies arrest warrant for ex-justice minister

A court again denied a warrant Friday to arrest former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae on charges of involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. Park has been accused by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team of playing a key role in an insurrection by calling a meeting of senior justice ministry officials following the martial law declaration Dec. 3, ordering the possible dispatch of prosecutors to a martial law-related organ, directing the Korea Correctional Se

Nov. 14, 2025

Trump govt. directs visa officers to mull obesity, diabetes, other conditions as reasons to deny visas: report

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told overseas diplomatic missions that the United States will consider obesity, diabetes, cancer and other health conditions as grounds to deny visas, a report said Thursday, as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to reduce immigration. Citing a Nov. 6 State Department cable, The Washington Post reported that Rubio told US consulates and embassies about the directive -- a move expected to toughen screening procedures for visa applicants, including

Nov. 14, 2025

Lee's aide on trip to Middle East to forge strategic cooperation

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik on Thursday flew to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as President Lee Jae Myung's special envoy for strategic cooperation. According to an official of the presidential office, Kang is to "discuss ways to establish a new model for strategic economic cooperation." The field of cooperation would encompass artificial intelligence, defense, advanced manufacturing, culture, food and medical services, according to the presidential office. While Kang was set to

Nov. 14, 2025

Defense ministry carries out major reshuffle of 3-star generals

The defense ministry said Thursday it has promoted 20 military generals to three-star posts, a sweeping reshuffle aimed at restructuring the military leadership after last year's botched martial law bid. Under the move, 20 military generals -- 14 from the Army and three each from the Navy and the Air Force -- were promoted to lieutenant generals, according to the ministry. It marked the biggest promotion of three-star generals in the past decade. "The latest reshuffle focused on overcoming the D

Nov. 13, 2025