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☆ A South Korean firm is offering to pay its workers $75,000 each time they have a baby
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul CNN —A South Korean company is ready to pay millions of dollars to help fix the country’s abysmally low birth rate. Booyoung Group, a construction firm based in Seoul, plans to pay employees 100 million Korean won ($75,000) each time they have a baby, it said in a press release Monday. It will also pay a total of 7 billion Korean won ($5.25 million) in cash to employees who have had 70 babies since 2021, the company added. Countries like South Korea, Japan and China, however, have shied away from mass immigration to tackle the decline in their working age populations. The South Korean government and other private companies already offer financial perks to encourage people to have more children, but none on the scale of Booyoung Group’s benefits.

Persons: Group’s, Lee Joong, keun, ”, “, ” Lee, China’s Trip.com Organizations: Seoul CNN, CNN, Statistics Korea, Booyoung, South Locations: Seoul, Korean, South Korea, Korea, Japan, China

☆ Explainer-Why Is North Korea Testing Hypersonic Missiles and How Do They Work?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The United States, China, Russia and other countries have also been developing hypersonic weapons in recent years. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), by contrast, carry nuclear warheads on ballistic trajectories that travel into space but never reach orbit. During a rare trip to Russia last September, Kim inspected Moscow's hypersonic missiles, among other weapons. "North Korea appears to be trying to develop hypersonic missiles and intermediate range ballistic missiles based on solid propellant rocket boosters," said Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University. "In particular, mid- to long-range hypersonic missiles would be useful for striking Guam while evading the U.S. missile defence system."

Persons: Shin, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Sunday's, Kim, Chang Young, Hyonhee Shin, Ed Davies, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korean, Intercontinental, WHO, THE, United, Workers, Party, Korea Aerospace University, U.S Locations: Shin SEOUL, North Korea, United States, China, Russia, Korean, Moscow, Seoul, Korea

☆ What to know about North Korea's spy satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

WHAT ARE THE CAPABILITIES OF NORTH KOREA'S ON-ORBIT SPY SATELLITE? To launch a more-capable satellite, North Korea will most likely need to develop a larger rocket, which it appears to be doing, he said. South Korea's spy agency has said North Korea may have overcome technical hurdles with the help of Russia, which in September publicly pledged to help Pyongyang build satellites. The United States and its allies called North Korea's latest satellite tests clear violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which prohibit development of technology applicable to North Korea's ballistic missile programs. "North Korea is no longer shy about testing ICBMs, so no - this really is an SLV," he said.

Persons: Jonathan McDowell, Hong Min, Kim Jong Un, Vann Van Diepen, Van Diepen, Jeffrey Lewis, Chang Young, Lee Choon, Pyongyang’s, Lewis, Hyun Young Yi, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, U.S . Space Force, Korea Institute for National Unification, Stimson, North, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Korea Aerospace University, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy, United Nations, Thomson Locations: North Gyeongsang Province, North Korea, Rights SEOUL, North, Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, South Korea, RUSSIA, Russia, Moscow, United States

☆ South Korea to ban eating dogs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Nov 17 (Reuters) - South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to the controversy over the ancient custom amid growing awareness of animal rights, a ruling party policy chief said on Friday. The government and ruling party would introduce a bill this year to enforce a ban, Yu said, adding that with expected bipartisan support, the bill should sail through parliament. First lady Kim Keon Hee has been a vocal critic of dog meat consumption and, along with her husband, President Yoon Suk Yeol, has adopted stray dogs. Eating dog meat has been an age-old practice on the Korean peninsula and is seen as a way to beat the summer heat. A Gallup Korea poll last year showed 64% opposed dog meat consumption.

Persons: Yu, Chung Hwang, keun, Kim Keon Hee, Yoon Suk, Ed Davies, Robert Birsel Organizations: Power Party, Agriculture, Humane Society International, Gallup, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Korea, South Korea, Gallup Korea

☆ South Korea to Ban Eating Dogs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Ju-min ParkSEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to the controversy over the ancient custom amid growing awareness of animal rights, a ruling party policy chief said on Friday. The government and ruling party would introduce a bill this year to enforce a ban, Yu said, adding that with expected bipartisan support, the bill should sail through parliament. First lady Kim Keon Hee has been a vocal critic of dog meat consumption and, along with her husband, President Yoon Suk Yeol, has adopted stray dogs. Eating dog meat has been an age-old practice on the Korean peninsula and is seen as a way to beat the summer heat. A Gallup Korea poll last year showed 64% opposed dog meat consumption.

Persons: Yu, Chung Hwang, keun, Kim Keon Hee, Yoon Suk, Ed Davies, Robert Birsel Organizations: Power Party, Agriculture, Humane Society International, Gallup Locations: SEOUL, Korea, South Korea, Gallup Korea

SEOUL, Aug 24 (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have made progress in its space program, despite a second rocket failure on Thursday, but its unusually quick launch pace may be causing problems, analysts said. North Korea's second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit failed after the booster experienced a problem with its third stage, state media reported. South Korea scheduled nearly a year between each of the three launches of its new Nuri rocket, none of which failed as spectacularly as the North Korean attempts. North Korea plans to launch the Chollima-1 three times in less than six months. "I am not sure if North Korean leadership knows the characteristics of large-scale science," he said.

Persons: Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, Chang Young, Kim Jong, Yang Uk, Nuri, Yang Moo, Kim, Lee Choon, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation, Korea Aerospace University, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, University of North Korean Studies, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy Institute, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, Pyongyang, Seoul, Korea, Korean

Rescue workers are seen at a scene where, according to media reports, nine people have been stabbed and four others hurt by a car driven by the suspected attacker in Seongnam, South Korea, August 3, 2023. The unexplained rampage came days after another rare stabbing attack in Seoul which killed one person and wounded three others. "I've been telling my families and friends to stay home," a 31-year-old Seoul resident said. Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun on Thursday warned South Koreans to be on guard for such attacks and told officials to be vigilant. Experts said there was a risk similar crimes could follow, and urged authorities to swiftly analyse patterns in recent rampage crimes to come up with countermeasures.

Persons: I've, Lee Young, Choi Jun, Choi, Yoon Suk, Yoon Hee, Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Lincoln Organizations: Yonhap, REUTERS, Reuters, Police, South, Kyungnam University, Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, REUTERS SEONGNAM, Seoul, Minwoo

☆ 14 Injured in Stabbing and Car Rampage Near Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( John Yoon | More About John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The police in Seongnam did not respond to phone calls seeking details about the incident and the suspect or suspects. Stabbings and car rampages are rare in South Korea. But the incident on Thursday shocked the nation less than a month after another stabbing at a subway station in Seoul left one person dead, three others injured and the public questioning its sense of safety. The Seoul police identified the suspect in that attack as Cho Sun, 33, and arrested him on charges of murder and attempted murder, as well as theft and fraud. “We hope that the full range of possible punishments, including imprisonment, will be applied.”

Persons: Cho Sun, Yoon Hee Keun, ”, ” Mr, Yoon Organizations: National Police Agency Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Seoul

[1/3] A policeman stands next to a scene where, according to media reports, nine people have been stabbed and four others hurt by a car driven by the suspected attacker in Seongnam, South Korea, August 3, 2023. Yonhap via REUTERSSEOUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A man in a South Korean commuter town rammed his car into passers-by on Thursday then got out and stabbed some, wounding 14 people in the incident near the capital Seoul, police said. The unexplained attack in Seongnam came days after another rare stabbing attack in South Korea which killed one person and wounded three others. Media reports described him as a man in his 20s with a delivery job and suffering from some mental health issues. Police and firefighting officials said by telephone on Friday that 14 people had been hurt in the incident - nine stabbed and five hit by the car.

Persons: Yoon Hee, Hyonhee Shin, Choi, Andrwe Cawthorne, Ed Davies Organizations: Yonhap, REUTERS, Police, Media, Reuters, South, Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, REUTERS SEOUL, Korean, Seoul, Seohyeon

☆ South Korea to help Africa cut dependence on rice imports - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 6 (Reuters) - South Korea is set to sign an agreement next week with eight African nations to help boost rice production and cut their dependence on imports, Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun told Reuters, amid concerns over food security on the continent. The minister said during several visits to Africa starting late last year officials told him they desperately needed help. Rice prices had almost doubled due to supply chain disruptions," Chung said, noting how food imports had squeezed the countries' foreign exchange reserves. South Korea has been able to produce enough rice to meet more than 90% of local demand, though still depends heavily on some other food imports. "The K-Rice project will bring outstanding rice varieties and hope to the small farmers in Africa suffering from the climate crisis," Marian Sunhee Yun, the director of WFP Korea Office, said.

Persons: Chung Hwang, keun, Yoon Suk Yeol, Chung, Rice, Yoon Suk, Marian Sunhee Yun, 1,302.3500, Soo, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Sonali Paul Organizations: Agriculture, Reuters, Economic, West African States, United Nations, Food, WFP Korea Office, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Ghana, Guinea, Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Africa, West Africa, Seoul

☆ South Korea to issue soon response to Japan's Fukushima discharge plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A discharge outlet being constructed to release Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water into the sea stands in the water, at the disabled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoSEOUL, July 5 (Reuters) - South Korea will issue its own response as soon as possible after the U.N. nuclear watchdog approved Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima plant into the ocean, a government official said on Wednesday. Seoul would give its assessment of IAEA's examination of Japan's wastewater discharge plan when it announces its own review, Park said. South Korea's Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun said on Tuesday the country will not lift a ban on Japanese food products from the area around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant until public concern over contamination ease. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, now in Japan, will visit South Korea from July 7 to 9 to explain the organisation's findings on Japan's planned discharge of water.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Japan's, Chung Hwang, keun, Rafael Grossi, Soo, Choi, Ed Davies Organizations: Processing, REUTERS, International Atomic Energy Agency, South Korea's, IAEA, Korea's Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, SEOUL, South Korea, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ South Korea shoppers buy up salt before Japan's Fukushima water dump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Hyun Young Yi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Lee Young-Min and her children pose for photographs during an interview with Reuters in Seongnam, South Korea, June 28, 2023. The release of the water from huge storage tanks into the Pacific is expected soon though no date has been set. The rush to stock up contributed to a nearly 27% rise in the price of salt in South Korea in June from two months ago, though officials say the weather and lower production were also to blame. South Korean fisheries authorities say they will keep a close eye on salt farms for any rise in radioactivity. South Korea has banned seafood from the waters near Fukushima, on Japan's east coast.

Persons: Lee Young, Min, Kim SEOUL, Song Sang, keun, Japan's, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kim Myung, Hyun Young Yi, Jack Kim, Robert Birsel Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Fisheries, ., Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Japan, Tokyo, Seoul, Korea, Fukushima, Japan's, China

The Defense... Read moreSEOUL, June 16 (Reuters) - South Korea has recovered from the sea part of a rocket used in North Korea's failed attempt to launch its first military satellite last month, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday. The announcement came about two weeks after North Korea unsuccessfully tried to launch its first spy satellite, with the booster and payload plunging into the sea. South Korea began retrieving debris shortly after the launch, and had already recovered smaller parts. Lee Choon-geun, a honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the newly retrieved object appeared to be a fuel tank. On Friday, the U.S. guided-missile submarine USS Michigan arrived in South Korea for the first time since 2017 for joint special warfare exercises aimed at improving responses to North Korean threats, the South Korean navy said.

Persons: North Korea's, Lee Jong, Lee Choon, Chang Young, Chang, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korean, The Defense, Joint Chiefs, Staff, North, Korea's Defence, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy Institute, Korea Aerospace University, North Korean, Thomson Locations: Korea, South Korea, SEOUL, North, North Korea, United States, Seoul, Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Michigan

☆ Mental illness may mean higher heart attack, stroke risk for people under 40
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Those people younger than 40 with a mental disorder were 58% more likely to have a heart attack and 42% more likely to have a stroke than those with no disorder, the study found. That could point to a greater need for managing psychological conditions and monitoring heart health in those at risk, Park added. It is important to note that the findings do not show that mental illness causes heart attacks or stroke, she added. Choi recommends that people with mental health conditions receive regular checkups as well. “Many individuals with mental illness suffer from social isolation and loneliness, and for years researchers have been sounding the alarm that loneliness is detrimental for physical health,” Ehrlich said.

SEOUL, April 27 (Reuters) - For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) will visit South Korea to help demonstrate Washington's resolve to protect the country from a North Korean attack. The visit was announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday. "That could be a huge pressure on North Korea, because usually they don’t share where those submarines are," said Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader. The United States has pledged to deploy more so-called "strategic assets" such as aircraft carriers, submarines, and long-range bombers to South Korea to deter North Korea, which has developed increasingly powerful missiles that can hit targets from South Korea to the mainland United States. The submarine visit is also seen as a way to reassure South Korea and quell talk in Seoul of developing homegrown nuclear weapons.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: More revelations emerge from leaked U.S. intelligence documents; Ukrainian prime minister arrives in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration is working to mend ties among some key allies who are upset over revelations from recently leaked U.S. intel documents. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a phone call with South Korea's defense minister, after lawmakers in Seoul were angered over reports of the CIA spying on their discussions about arms sales to Washington. Another report from the leak is a purported CIA update from early March saying that Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, encouraged its officers to join local protests against controversial reforms being pushed by the Israeli government. The Israeli administration denied Mossad had any part in the protests. — Natasha Turak

☆ South Korea's Yoon arrives in Tokyo hours after North's missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2023. Before Yoon's flight, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, emphasising both the urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea. "There is an increasing need for (South) Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time," Yoon said in a written interview with international media on Wednesday, calling both North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and supply chain disruptions a "polycrisis". South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.

☆ North Korea calls U.S. pledge of tanks to Ukraine 'unethical crime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - North Korea on Sunday criticized for a second day a U.S. decision to send tanks to Ukraine, calling it an "unethical crime" aimed at perpetuating an unstable international situation. Washington's allegations that North Korea has provided arms to Russia are a "groundless rumor" to justify its own military aid to Ukraine, Kwon Chung-keun, director of U.S. affairs at North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. "This is an unethical crime aimed at keeping the international situation unstable." Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The White House said in December that North Korea completed an initial arms delivery of infantry rockets and missiles to a private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, to shore up Russian forces in Ukraine.

☆ South Korean police seek manslaughter charges over deadly Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Police in South Korea are seeking charges of involuntary manslaughter and negligence against 23 officials, including law enforcement officers, for a lack of safety measures they said were responsible for a crowd surge last year that killed nearly 160 people. Despite anticipating a Halloween weekend crowd of more than 100,000, Seoul police had assigned 137 officers to the capital’s nightlife district Itaewon on the day of the crush. Those officers were focused on monitoring narcotics use and violent crimes, which experts say left few resources for pedestrian safety. Son Je-han, who headed the National Police Agency’s special investigation into the incident, said Friday his team will now send the case to prosecutors. However, Son said the special investigation team will close its investigations of the Interior and Safety Ministry, the National Police Agency, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, saying it was difficult to establish their direct responsibility.

☆ North Korea performs key test to build more threatening ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Some experts say North Korea would eventually use an expanded arsenal to seek sanctions relief and other concessions from the United States. “Unlike liquid propellant missiles, solid propellant missiles are fueled at the time of manufacture and can thus be released far more quickly in a war, all else being equal,” Panda said. North Korea already has a growing arsenal of short-range, solid-fueled ballistic missiles targeting key locations in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there. “Testing a gimbaled nozzle could therefore represent an important technological waypoint toward North Korea’s stated goal of a solid motor ICBM,” Dempsey said. If North Korea uses the technology to build an ICBM-class missile that can be fired from a submarine, that would equip the North with a threatening secondary, retaliatory attack capability against the United States, he said.

Ye-jin was among 158 people who died in the disaster on narrow lane in Seoul on Oct. 29. "Children who lost their parents are orphans, but there's no word for parents who lost their children. Dressed as Princess Jasmine from the Disney animated film "Aladdin", Ye-jin had gone for the night out in the capital Seoul with two friends. Last week, some relatives of victims held a news conference demanding a government apology and a thorough investigation. Lee Ju-hee, from a collective of human rights lawyers called Minbyun, said nearly 60 families have joined a campaign for justice.

☆ Tesla safety at centre of South Korean trial over fiery, fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

SEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - In an upscale Seoul neighbourhood two years ago, a white Tesla Model X smashed into a parking lot wall. The criminal trial about to begin in South Korea hangs on questions about the safety of Tesla cars, at a time when the EV maker faces a range of lawsuits and increased scrutiny by regulators. A lawyer for the family of Yoon Hong-geun, who owned the car and died in the crash, declined to comment. Tesla sold 17,828 vehicles in South Korea in 2021, registration data shows. Judge Park Won-gyu said that he plans to call Tesla engineers to testify and that the safety of Tesla vehicles would be examined at trial.

☆ South Korea police official found dead amid scrutiny over Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A South Korean police official being investigated over the deadly Halloween crush was found dead at his home in Seoul on Friday, the Yonhap news agency reported. Telephone calls by Reuters to the Yongsan station were unanswered. Jeong, 55, faced accusations that he had deleted intelligence reports warning of a serious accident, after an investigation began into police responses to the crush. Lawmakers slammed the suspected removal of the documents at a parliamentary session on Monday, and urged the arrest and punishment of those in charge. National Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun told lawmakers that the intelligence chief at the Yongsan station had ordered the records to be deleted and would be investigated.

☆ South Korea steps up monitoring in crowded subways after Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A police officer stands guard at the exit of a subway station as people gather to pay their respects following a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo/File PhotoSEOUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) - South Korea is beefing up monitoring at crowded subway stations following a deadly Halloween crush that killed more than 150 people in Seoul, officials said on Friday. It was the first Halloween event in three years virtually free of COVID-19 restrictions. Starting on Friday, police will be deployed to subway stations in the capital to join metro officials in crowd control activities, the prime minister said. Proper crowd and traffic control by the authorities could have prevented or at least reduced the surge of Halloween partygoers in alleys, experts said.

SEOUL, South Korea — The first warning came around four hours before the crush turned deadly in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood as revelers celebrated Halloween. Emergency workers aid victims of the crush in the Itaewon district of Seoul on Sunday. Two women console each other near a memorial outside a subway station in Seoul, two days after the deadly Halloween surge. Yoon said police have launched an internal probe into the officers’ handling of the emergency calls and other issues, including the on-the-spot response to the crowd surge in Itaewon that night. Noting that screams were heard over the phone, the transcript of the call says: “We are going to be crushed to death here.

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