President Yoon Suk Yeol's old high school suspends uniform policy to protect students

The high school President Yoon Suk Yeol and his key aides graduated from has decided to suspend its uniform requirement to protect students from possible abuse from an angry public. In a letter to students and parents on Thursday, Choongam High School said the decision aims to prevent their students from facing “unfair treatment by certain inconsiderate individuals" on the way to and from school. "We will allow them to wear casual attire (instead of school uniforms) starting Mo

Dec. 7, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's address may have improved his chance of surviving impeachment vote

President Yoon Suk Yeol's first national address after the martial law declaration on Saturday morning looks to have improved his chances of surviving an opposition-led impeachment vote later in the day. In a televised address at 10 a.m., Yoon apologized vowing to never give such orders again. He also said he would entrust his powers to his party to "stabilize the political situation." It came as he faces a critical juncture on his fate, with a vote on his impeachment at the Nat

Dec. 7, 2024

Natl. archives agency requests preservation of martial law documents

The state-run archives agency on Friday requested the presidential office and the defense ministry to preserve all documents related to this week's botched martial law declaration. The National Archives of Korea (NAK) said it has also sent the notice to the interior ministry, the police agency and other related organizations. In the notice, the NAK, responsible for preserving government documents, called for the thorough preservation of all materials, including Cabinet meeting minutes, inst

Dec. 6, 2024

[Photo News] Suneung scores are out. These reactions say it all

Two third-year students at Sajik Girls’ High School in Busan celebrate their Suneung results with an enthusiastic double high-five on Friday morning. The state-administered College Scholastic Ability Test, held on Nov. 14 this year, had 522,670 participants, including high school seniors and graduates -- up 18,082 from last year. Two third-year students at Sajik Girls’ High School in Busan pump their fists in joy after checking their scores. A third-year student at Daegu Girls&rsq

Dec. 6, 2024

Daylong strike disrupts lunch plans at 220 schools

A total of 1,610 school workers with non-guaranteed contracts across the country participated in a one-day strike Friday, disrupting lunch plans at 220 schools, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. The strike, led by an umbrella group of unions representing "non-regular" workers, was held in protest of their wage disparity with school workers with guaranteed contracts. Korean companies usually sign permanent employment contracts with their "regular workers,&quo

Dec. 6, 2024

Choongam High School official slams president, ex-defense minister as ‘shameful alumni’

The chair of the Choongam High School's foundation publicly criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol and other former pupils for their involvement in Tuesday's declaration of martial law. Chair Yoon Myung-hwa denounced members of the government's "Choongam faction," including the president and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, calling them “shameful alumni.” The chair expressed her frustration on Facebook, writing, “The school office has been bombarded w

Dec. 6, 2024

Prime Minister orders public servants to remain at posts, carry on their duties

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday urged all Cabinet members and public servants to remain at their posts, as the conservative bloc has been grappling with chaos from the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law decree early this week. "I ask all Cabinet members and public officials of ministries to fulfill their assigned duties at all times to ensure the nation's safety and that people can carry on with their everyday lives without (concerns)," Han said in a wri

Dec. 6, 2024

SNU med profs urge Yoon's impeachment

Amid growing calls for President Yoon Suk Yeol to be suspended, the emergency medical professors at Seoul National University and Seoul National University Hospital on Friday were set to hold a press conference at the school at 2 p.m. to urge Yoon's impeachment. This marks the first action among the medical circles calling for the unpopular president's impeachment. "Dear South Korean citizens, are you not afraid that the martial law declaration grants the president the power to wi

Dec. 6, 2024

Special Warfare Commander says no more martial law, vows to refuse such order

Kwak Jong-geun, the Special Warfare Commander who led special forces into the Assembly on Tuesday evening, said Friday that there would be no additional martial law and that he will refuse any such orders in the future. Speaking at a YouTube live show hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Sun-won and Kim Byung-joo, members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, Kwak said he received orders from Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to drag lawmakers out of the Assembly, 20 minu

Dec. 6, 2024

NK defector dies in accident 1 year after daring escape to South Korea

A North Korean defector who escaped the communist state with eight other members of his family last year has died, a fellow defector said through his YouTube channel Thursday. Kim Yi-hyeok, who made headlines in May 2023 with the dramatic escape, died in a sea diving accident on Wednesday, another defector, Lee Cheol-eun, said on an online community. "The tragic news of Kim Yi-hyeok, who left repressive North Korea and only had happy days to live in democratic South Korea, breaks my heart

Dec. 6, 2024

Last-minute agreement averts Seoul subway strike

The operator of the Seoul subway system reached a last-minute deal in wage negotiations with unionized workers early Friday, avoiding an all-out strike that was slated to begin the same day. Seoul Metro inked the deal with all three of its labor unions, which took the 2.5 percent wage increase based on the government guidelines. The two parties also compromised on the state-run company's plans to reduce staff, with Seoul Metro pledging to hire some 630 new employees instead of the initially

Dec. 6, 2024

Some train, subway lines disrupted amid railway workers' strike

Some train and subway lines across South Korea experienced delays and cancellations Thursday after unionized workers of the national railway operator launched an indefinite general strike. Subway Lines 1, 3 and 4 in the capital area, as well as high-speed KTX trains and regular trains, were being delayed or canceled as workers of the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) began a strike to demand better pay and additional hiring, the first such walkout since September 2023. At Seoul Station, passengers w

Dec. 5, 2024

6 Constitutional Court justices sufficient to carry out trial, says acting chief

Acting Constitutional Court President Moon Hyung-bae said the current "six-member system" is sufficient to begin an impeachment trial on President Yoon Suk Yeol over his controversial martial law decree, but would need "further discussions" to hand down a final verdict. "I do not believe that three more judges (need to be appointed) for the trial to kickoff," Moon told reporters as he entered the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Thursday. His comments, h

Dec. 5, 2024

Han increases influence after Yoon Suk Yeol debacle

Since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration Tuesday, ruling People Power Party chair Han Dong-hoon has publicly denounced Yoon and his decree, unlike the majority of his party. “Those responsible for unsettling the public and causing harm through unconstitutional martial law, including the president, must be held strictly accountable,” Han stated during Thursday’s party meeting. Though Han stated that he would work to block the impeachment motion

Dec. 5, 2024

Seoul Metro strike likely to expand Friday

Employees of South Korea’s major railway system were headed toward a general strike on Thursday, as the operator of the Seoul's subway system struggled to settle their differences with labor unions over salaries and layoff plans. The employees of Seoul Metro were to go on a strike starting Friday if negotiations fall through, which will mark the third year straight since 2022. Subway users in the nation's capital region are already experiencing delays and cancellations, amid th

Dec. 5, 2024

Martial law chaos hampers travel, tourism

The emergency martial law declared Tuesday night by President Yoon Suk Yeol lasted just six hours, but the aftermath is still being felt by both Koreans travelling abroad and those visiting the country. As of Thursday, several countries across the world have issued travel advisories of varying levels for those seeking to travel here. The US government, in an alert issued late Tuesday following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, which remained in effect as of Thursday af

Dec. 5, 2024

Ship captain who brutally murdered crewman sentenced to 28 years in prison

A captain of a fishing boat was sentenced to 28 years in prison for murdering one of his crew and discarding the body at sea, after subjecting the victim to over a month of abuse. The Mokpo Branch of the Gwangju District Court said Thursday that it found the 45-year-old defendant guilty of murder and abandonment of a corpse. Another 48-year-old crew member, the vessel's chief cook, was also found guilty of abandoning a corpse and inflicting violence upon the victim. The three men had crew

Dec. 5, 2024

Deja vu all over again? Is Korea reliving 2016?

The US saw Donald Trump elected president in 2016 and again 2024. South Korea is seeing its president, though not same person, facing impeachment in both 2016 and this year. Is history repeating itself? An intriguing online theory is gaining attention, claiming that South Korea is caught in a historical loop, eerily mirroring the events of 2016. A viral post, along with numerous others sharing similar content, titled “foretold future” lays out a “parallel theory” linkin

Dec. 5, 2024

7 in 10 Koreans want Yoon Suk Yeol impeached: survey

More than 70 percent of South Koreans want President Yook Suk Yeol removed from office over the martial law fiasco, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, 73.6 percent of 504 Koreans aged 18 and older nationwide supported the president's impeachment, while 24 percent opposed the idea, and 2.4 percent said they were unsure. Yoon, in a move that plunged the nation into turmoil, declared emergency martial law late Tuesday

Dec. 5, 2024

Health minister denounces martial law amid uproar in medical community

President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration spilled over into the health care sector on Thursday, facing harsh criticism from the medical community and the nation's top health and welfare official. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, who attended the Cabinet Meeting just before the martial law announcement was made late Tuesday, said during the National Assembly's health and welfare committee meeting on Thursday that he "does not agree with the martial law decl

Dec. 5, 2024