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☆ North Korea knows its troops could desert in Ukraine. It has chilling ways to keep them in line.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US says North Korean troops are in Russia, possibly bound for the war in Ukraine. AdvertisementAny North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine would be subject to harsh measures to ensure they don't desert, observers have told Business Insider. On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said "there is evidence" that North Korean troops were training in Russia. Scattered reports have claimed that smaller numbers of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine. Bennett said that the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine could offer a rare opportunity to reach high-placed North Korean citizens.

Persons: —, Lloyd Austin, Hromadske, Kim Jong Un, Joseph S, Bermudez Jr, Kim Jong, It's, Mark Collins, Kim, Bermudez, They're, Bruce W, Bennett, they've, Kim's, Kim Yo Jong, we've Organizations: North, Service, US, Business, Center for International, Strategic Studies, National Intelligence Service, South, Workers ' Party of Korea, RAND Locations: Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, South Korea North Korea, North Koreans, Pyongyang, Korea, Nazi, Soviet, South Korea

☆ A North Korean defector who struggled in South Korea stole a bus and tried to drive across the border, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul CNN —A North Korean defector who escaped to the South more than a decade ago was detained after attempting to cross back into North Korea on a stolen bus, police said. Since moving to South Korea in 2011, the 35-year-old man had been working day-to-day jobs without a stable home. More than 34,000 North Korean defectors have arrived in South Korea since fighting ended in the Korean War in 1953, according to official data. Defectors and advocates say the fact that some North Korean defectors try to return home points to how difficult it can be for them to assimilate into South Korean society. The man had previously crossed the border into North Korea via China but was returned by North Korean authorities.

Persons: “ He’s, ” Organizations: Seoul CNN, Korean, Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police, CNN, National Security, Joint, South Korean, North Locations: Seoul, North Korea, Gyeonggi, South Korea, South, Korean, North, China

☆ South Korea was the world’s biggest ‘baby exporter.’ New evidence shows some mothers were forced to give up children
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea has for decades been known as the world’s largest “baby exporter” – sending hundreds of thousands of children overseas after the country was ravaged by war and many mothers left destitute. Searching for their rootsMore than 200,000 South Korean children have been adopted overseas since the 1950s following World War II and the Korean War, according to authorities. While adoptions continue today, the trend has been declining since the 2010s after South Korea amended its adoption laws in an effort to address systematic issues and reduce the number of children adopted overseas. “It’s truly terrifying to hear how systemic these issues were, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily surprising,” said Susanné Seong-eun Bergsten, who was adopted from South Korea and grew up in Sweden. “There is still much about Korean adoption that has not been formally acknowledged.”

Persons: ”, adoptees, “, Susanné Seong, Mark Zastrow, Bergsten Organizations: South Korea CNN, Commission, CNN, Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Korean, Daegu, Sejong, United States, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Europe, It’s, Sweden, adoptees

☆ As Many South Koreans Shun Marriage, Two Women Try to Redefine Family
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The event was to celebrate and discuss the book written by Hwang Sunwoo and Kim Hana, both 47, about their life together as single women in South Korea. He told the two women that they were making the country’s birthrate, already the world’s lowest, even worse. But with millions of South Koreans shunning the institution of marriage, the family-centered support system is rapidly unraveling. The nation’s quality of support network — measured by whether people have someone to rely on in a time of need — is the lowest among developed nations. South Korea also has the highest suicide rate among those nations.

Persons: Hwang Sunwoo, Kim Hana, ” Ms, Hwang, “, ” Locations: South Korea

The echoes of well-known North Korean songs celebrating friendship spilled into nearby neighborhoods, as families filled booths serving both North and South Korean treats such as the deep-fried confection yakgwa, and fruit punch, or hwachae. A booth at the Defectors' Day festival sells North Korean styles of traditional treats, including watermelon punch (hwachae) and the deep-fried sweet yakgwa. Maybe there (are) many thousands of thousands of North Korean defectors who want to come to (South) Korea and have a prosperous life. “We express our respect and applause to the 34,000 North Korean defectors who are pioneering new lives every day (in South Korea), he said. “I didn’t know that a day like Defectors’ Day would happen, but now that it has been established, I feel like I have to work harder,” she said.

Persons: ’, Kim Jong Un, Mike Valerio, ”, resettling, –, Daeheyon, ‘, ’ ”, “, Kwon Ji, Yoonjung Seo, Yoon Suk Yeol, ” Yoon, “ It’s, Han Bong, he’d Organizations: South Korea CNN —, North, South, CNN, ”, Sunday, Blue House Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, North, South, Korean, China, Asia, South Koreans, Korea, North Koreans

Millions around the world caught a glimpse of the North Korean men’s team in two World Cups. The secrecy surrounding the North Korean national team was also evident in the case of star player Han Kwang Song. Carl Recine/Action Images/ReutersEarning respectWhen An joined the North Korean national team upon receiving a call-up letter in 2002, he remembers not being immediately accepted by teammates. To be accepted by the squad, newcomer An had to prove himself to the other North Korean players. Although, as fate would have it, An met his former teammate and current manager of the North Korean national team, Sin Yong Nam, last March.

Persons: –, Yong Hak, Han Kwang, Han, “, ”, Yong, Son Heung, Pak Kwang, Choe, I’ll, ” Han, Yong Nam, ‘ It’s, ’ ”, “ Han’s, ‘, …, Kim Jong Hun, Jong Tae, Philip Fong, Kim, Jong Tae Se, Carl Recine, didn’t, Sin Yong Nam, Sin Organizations: CNN, Korean men’s, CNN Sport, North, Korean, Juventus, Qatari, Al, UN, North Korean, –, SC, Cagliari, South, Tottenham Hotspur, Radio Free Asia, Tokyo's, Getty, Portugal, DPRK, Thailand Locations: North Korea’s, East, Italy, Middlesbrough, England, South Africa, Portugal, North Korean, Japan, Qatar, North Korea, Myanmar, China, Pyongyang, South Korea, Austria, Tokyo, DPRK, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Korean, AFP, Korea

☆ Radical Christians in South Korea Are Spreading a Homophobic Conspiracy Theory - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Raphael Rashid | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since South Korean voters delivered a full-throated rebuke of their conservative president this month, a small but influential group has been on edge. The country has no national law that explicitly prohibits unfair treatment based on race or ethnicity, language or sexual orientation. The bylaws’ critics argue that the so-called student human rights ordinances overemphasize students’ rights and downplay the rights of teachers. The conservative campaign must be seen for what it is: part of a concerted effort to erase L.G.B.T.Q. visibility from schools and ultimately, South Korean society.

Persons: it’s Organizations: South, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development Locations: Korea, Japan, Turkey, South Korean

☆ Sketches from US animation studios found on North Korean computer server
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The revelation comes from a trove of documents recently discovered by US researchers inside a computer server housed in North Korea. Logs from the North Korean computer server showed multiple visits from internet connections in northeast China, the US cybersecurity firm Mandiant told CNN. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects an artillery firing drill of the Korean People's Army on March 7, 2024. Barnhart, the Mandiant researcher, said any company that hires a North Korean IT worker runs the risk of being targeted by North Korean hackers because of the close relationship between the two. Heinz Insu Fenkl, an expert in North Korean comics, said that animation and comics have been prominent in North Korean society since the country’s founding in 1948.

Persons: “, Nick Roy, Roy, Mandiant, Michael Barnhart, ”, Max ., Hannah Cosgrove, ” Cosgrove, Max, Lion Forge, Martyn Williams, Williams, ” Williams, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Barnhart, ” Barnhart, CNN wouldn’t, Heinz Insu Fenkl, ” Fenkl, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Mike Conte Organizations: CNN, North, US, Amazon Prime, Max, Warner Bros ., Korean, Stimson, FBI, Treasury, North Korean, Entertainment, Amazon, ”, Skybound, YouNeek Studios, Forge Entertainment, Lion Forge Entertainment, South Korean, South, US Treasury Department, Treasury Department, Korean People's Army, State, United Nations, North Korean Embassy Locations: North Korea, Korean, Boston, Washington, State, North Korean, China, CNN , California, Maryland, South Korea, Koreans, Pyongyang, Korea, California, New York, London, cybercrime

☆ South Koreans are dealing with burnout and loneliness by getting pet rocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

South Korean millennials are turning to pet rocks to combat loneliness and burnout at work. Originally a 1970s joke gift, pet rocks can give a low-maintenance sense of companionship. AdvertisementAdults in South Korea are using pet rocks to help with loneliness and burnout at work. The Journal's Jiyoung Sohn spoke to millennials turning to pet rocks to help them through difficult periods in their careers. Related storiesThe coronavirus pandemic prompted a pet-rock boom in South Korea, according to a July 2023 report by Korea JoongAng Daily.

Persons: —, Gary Dahl, Bettmann, Jiyoung Sohn, Koo Ah, Sohn, Koo, Yoon Jeonghan, Gen Z Organizations: Service, Street, Business, South Korea's Ministry of Interior, Safety, The Korea Herald, South Korea's Ministry, CNN, Bloomberg, Companies Locations: South Korea, Asia, Seoul, Korea

☆ South Korea digital nomad visa: what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

According to a report in the Korea Herald, South Korea’s Justice Ministry says the digital nomad visa will make remote work and vacations smoother for visitors. The site ranks South Korea highly for nightlife and youth culture, but gives lower marks for LGBT acceptance and English-language accessibility. Meanwhile, South Korea places 49 out of 113 countries on the English Proficiency Index, which puts it in the “moderate” category. Still, Humphries is undeterred in his quest for the South Korea “workation” visa and plans to base himself in Seoul if approved. “The South Korean digital nomad visa is a great step forward for allowing foreigners to reside in the country,” he says.

Persons: Ashley Humphries, he’s, Humphries, Jungho Suh, ”, Suh, ” Jeong Hyun Cho, Jeong, Ed Jones, Gawon Bae, Veronica Lin Organizations: CNN, South Korean, Korea Herald, Korea’s, Ministry, Korean Management Institute, George Washington University, Korea –, Statistics Korea, Human Rights Commission, South Korean Society, Digital Nomads Korea WhatsApp, Getty, Foreigners, South Locations: South Korea, Asia, Dubai, Cayman Islands, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesian, Bali, South, Seoul, AFP, Korean, expats, Turkey, Norway, Kuwait, North America, Singapore, Japan

☆ How a Dior bag shook South Korean politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is months out from a crucial election seen as a barometer of his mid-term popularity, but surveys show he has a big problem – the latest scandal surrounding his wife. “But with the Dior bag, there is this powerful visual evidence.”South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, attend an Independence Movement Day event in Seoul on March 1, 2023. The channel also provided Choi with the wristwatch and the Dior bag, according to the pastor. By appearing to not reject the bag, Kim gave ammunition to critics who have long accused her of using her position for personal gain. In a Gallup Korea survey last month, 56% of respondents said Kim should apologize for allegedly receiving the Dior bag.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, Yoon, Kim, Dior, “, ”, Cho Hee, Jung Yeon, Choi Jae, Choi, Yoon Suk, ” Yoon, Shin Pyeong, ’, Cho, it’s, Hongik University Choi, Kim Yun, Park, hye, Patrick van Katwijk, Marie Antoinette, Han Dong, Han, he’d, Leon Neal, ” Kim, ” Kim Yun, Kyung Hee University “ She’s, Deutsch, Kim’s Organizations: South Korea CNN — South, CNN, Hongik University, “, Getty, of, KBS, Kyung Hee University . South, Gallup Korea, Gallup, Power Party, Democratic Party, PPP, South, Kyung Hee University, Kookmin University, Deutsch Motors, BMW Locations: Seoul, South Korea, American, of Seoul, North Korea, Pyongyang, Netherlands, Gallup Korea, Bali , Indonesia, Korea

☆ A rare North Korean video shows teenagers sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching South Korean 'K-dramas'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A video shows two North Korean teenage boys being sentenced to hard labor for watching K-dramas. AdvertisementRare video footage shows two teenage boys being sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching K-dramas, which are South Korean TV shows. In North Korea, viewing or distributing foreign media, especially from South Korea, is considered a serious offense. 🚨🇰🇵RARE FOOTAGE FROM NORTH KOREA: TEENS PUNISHED FOR WATCHING SOUTH KOREAN TVChilling footage from North Korea allegedly shows two teenage boys handcuffed in front of hundreds of students and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching South Korean 'K-dramas.' One North Korean defector told the BBC that punishment is harsher for watching South Korean media compared with other foreign media.

Persons: —, 🚨🇰, CnEO6HL —, sy Organizations: Service, South, BBC Locations: Korean, North Korea, South Korean, South Korea

Seoul, South Korea CNN —When fighting broke out in Kang Hyeon-joo’s elementary school classroom, her heart would beat so fast she could not breathe and her vision would blur. Tens of thousands of teachers have been protesting in recent months, calling for more protection from students and parents. But we couldn’t do anything, if we teach them, we could be accused,” said Ahn Ji-hye, an elementary school teacher who helped organize previous protests. Mourners lay flowers in front of a memorial altar for an elementary school teacher who died in an apparent suicide in July at an elementary school in Seoul on September 4, 2023. South Korea’s education minister Lee Ju-ho initially warned teachers that a mass strike would be an illegal act.

Persons: Kang Hyeon, ”, Kang, ” Kang, Charles Miller, Sung Youl, kwan, “, Ahn Ji, Ahn, Jung Yeon, Lee Ju, Sung, Chung Sung, –, ” Sung Organizations: Lifeline, South Korea CNN, CNN, Police, Kyung Hee University, “, Getty, National Assembly, Child Welfare, ”, Federation of Teachers ’ Labor Union Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korean

[1/6] Park Young-soo, whose son died in the Halloween crowd crush a year ago, visits the memorial park where her son's ashes were buried in Pocheon, South Korea, October 24, 2023. She says she may not be able to move on with her life until she sees some kind of accountability from the government. Park is one of more than 100 family members who say the authorities have done little to hold those responsible to account. Relatives of the victims want a special law that would allow an independent and comprehensive investigation into the cause of the crush. "Nothing is reported to us nor communicated to us," said Nari Kim from Austria, who lost her younger brother in the crush.

Persons: Kim Soo, soo, Lee Nam, Lee, Yoon Suk, Lee Sang, Kim Young, Kim, Nari Kim, Jong, Woo Paik, Hyunsu Yim, Daewoung Kim, Heejung Jung, Jimin Jung, Josh Smith, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Interior, National Assembly, Power Party, Korean Society, Thomson Locations: Pocheon, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Itaewon, Hamilton, Seoul, North Korea, Seoul's, U.S, Japan, Iran, Austria, Korea

Seoul/Hong Kong CNN —When Hwang Ji-sun, 52, first joined the assembly line at South Korean carmaker Hyundai 22 years ago, women like her had it tough. A wider problemDespite the incremental improvements, South Korea still has widespread problems of gender-based exclusion and low pay, researchers say. Gita Gopinath, first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has proposed South Korea adopt new measures to help keep women in the workforce. Making childcare more affordable, lowering the number of working hours or allowing more flexible arrangements is key, she told a South Korean forum last September. In a culturally conservative society like South Korea, much more needs to be done to change perceptions about women in male-dominated professions, according to Hwang.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Hwang Ji, Hwang —, ”, Jung Sungmi, Hwang, Yasuyoshi Chiba, PIIE, Gita Gopinath, Roh Helena, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hyundai, Korea Metal Workers ’ Union, CNN, ”, Economic Co, Development, Korean Women’s Development, Getty, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, country’s Ministry of Employment, Labor, Peterson Institute for International Economics, International Monetary Fund, South, “, Korean Women Workers Association, Hyundai Motor Locations: Seoul, Hong Kong, South Korea, Ulsan, United States, Turkey, India, Indonesia, AFP, South, Korea, South Korean

☆ S.Korean experts seek to verify room-temperature superconductor claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Aug 3 (Reuters) - South Korean experts said on Thursday they would set up a committee to verify claims that a room temperature superconductor has been discovered, which has driven investor frenzy as well as peer skepticism since. The researchers that made the claim did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Shares in the U.S., China and South Korea have gained since the claim of a practical superconductor was made public, as investors made early bets despite skepticism among some scientists. The global frenzy had been further stoked after a Chinese university published a video replicating the experiment. An index tracking Chinese superconductor-related stocks has surged since late July, when the South Korean researchers published their papers, rising as much as 22%, though it gave up a large chunk of those gains on Thursday.

Persons: Joyce Lee, Brenda Goh, Mark Potter Organizations: Korean Society, Quantum Energy Research Centre, Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, Pohang University of Science, Technology, South, Jiangsu Etern Co, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, U.S, China, South Korea, Jiangsu

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For years, South Korea’s biggest annual LGBTQ pride celebration has been held in the same grassy square in central Seoul, which fills up with performers and joyful participants decked out in rainbow costumes. Organizers for both the festival and the Christian concert applied to use the Seoul Plaza venue from June 30 to July 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said in a statement Thursday. The foundation is linked with the Christian broadcaster CTS, which has vocally opposed homosexuality and the pride festival, according to Reuters. The tension between South Korea’s LGBTQ community and their conservative, often Christian critics is clearly displayed at each pride festival, where both groups show up. At last year’s SQCF festival, opponents and religious groups gathered outside the venue, displaying protest messages on banners and shouting anti-LGBTQ slogans through loudspeakers.

April 28 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Friday it was necessary to ensure Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not succeed and that Seoul was considering its options when it came to lethal aid to Kyiv. "If we were to accept nuclear weapons by North Korea, South Korea may have to possess nuclear weapons... and this would lead to a situation of disarmament. Yoon said the Washington Declaration required Seoul to keep respecting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and not acquire its own nuclear weapons. He said there were opinions in South Korean society that said Seoul should acquire nuclear weapons and had the technological capabilities for this, but it was complex equation about politics and economics too. "Those opinions saying that we need to have our own nuclear arsenal are not considering all these things."

The South Korean government was this week forced to rethink a plan that would have raised its cap on working hours to 69 per week, up from the current limit of 52, after sparking a backlash among Millennials and Generation Z workers. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s senior secretary said Wednesday the government would take a new “direction” after listening to public opinion and said it was committed to protecting the rights and interests of Millennial, Generation Z and non-union workers. “My own father works excessively every week and there is no boundary between work and life,” he said. South Korean people will (remain) vulnerable to deadly overtime work.”Pedestrians in downtown Seoul. Even when the limit was cut to 52 hours, cases of “gwarosa” continued to make the headlines.

☆ Despite stark gender inequality in South Korea, hostility to feminism is growing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Haeryun Kang | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Lee Yunju has poked her head in the feminism aisle of the library at her university in Daegu, South Korea. President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol. In South Korea, it’s the gender issue.”To some, the gender ministry is a symbol of what they see as the excesses of feminism. The gender ministry was founded in 2001 under the Kim Dae-jung administration, South Korea’s first left-leaning government. The gender ministry aims to protect the marginalized in our society.

SEOUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - South Korea will offer "tailored" incentives to encourage Tesla to set up an electric vehicle gigafactory in the country and will minimise any risks posed by militant unions, President Yoon Suk-yeol told Reuters. Yoon held a video call with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk last week and Yoon's office cited Musk as saying South Korea is among the top candidate locations for a new Tesla factory. Yoon said South Korea offers highly skilled workers and his government would ensure regulations align with international standards so that foreign firms do not face unexpected financial or regulatory hurdles. Yoon credited his government's tough response to labour union strikes this year for starting the process of establishing a rule of law in industrial relations for both management and labour. About 9,600 truckers have joined the strike organised by the truckers' union, demanding a permanent guarantee of a minimum freight rate to protect against rising and unpredictable fuel costs and overwork.

☆ Kim Jong Un's daughter makes her second public appearance
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father’s “most beloved” or “precious” child. Others showed Kim’s daughter clapping her hands, exchanging handshakes with a soldier or talking to her father as people cheered in the background. “Kim Ju Ae is expected to appear occasionally at Kim Jong Un’s public events and take a succession training.”Revealing the young Ju Ae came as a huge surprise to foreign experts, as Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il were both first mentioned in state media dispatches after they became adults. Cheong, however, said Kim Jong Il had Kim Jong Un in mind as his heir when his son was 8 years old. Cheong cited his conversations with Kim Jong Un’s aunt and her husband, who defected to the United States.

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