Author: Jae young

July 17, 2025HANOI – Chun Sung Woog, legal representative of Segyung Vina Co., Ltd, the Vietnamese branch of Segyung HiTech Co.,Ltd, has publicly apologised to all parties involved in the incident in which a young Vietnamese woman was assaulted by two South Korean women at a photo booth in Hà Nội.The company also committed to fully compensating the victims.“First and foremost, Segyung Vina would like to extend our sincerest apologies to the Government of Việt Nam, the Vietnamese people, the Korean Association in Việt Nam and all stakeholders related to the incident at the photobooth in Mỹ Đình Ward, Hà…

July 17, 2025SEOUL – President Lee Jae Myung presided over a general meeting of the National Security Council on July 10, three weeks before the US is scheduled to impose tariffs.People expected the meeting to deal mostly with the issue of negotiations with the US over its tariffs.But officials related to trade were absent from the meeting.During the meeting, Lee called for efforts to mend inter-Korean ties. He was also reportedly briefed by the Ministry of National Defense on security issues, including an early transition of wartime operational control.Reportedly, US tariffs, an issue at hand, were barely discussed.A Federation of…

July 17, 2025SEOUL – Former President Yoon Suk Yeol remains in custody, after a warrant for his detention was issued by a local court amid a special counsel probe into alleged abuse of power and attempts to fabricate a martial law document.Despite his detention, however, Yoon has yet to be questioned — and investigators say they are unable to force the issue.The probe, led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, had aimed to interrogate Yoon shortly after his arrest. But the former president has refused to comply with both voluntary and forced summons procedures, citing health concerns.The special counsel attempted a…

July 17, 2025SEOUL – In just a few days, South Korea will officially end its decadeslong practice of allowing private agencies to handle adoptions and begin a new era in which the state takes primary responsibility for the process, grounded in public oversight and the protection of children’s rights.The shift is more than a bureaucratic change. It is a historical reckoning.For over 70 years, beginning in the aftermath of the Korean War, South Korea sent more than 170,000 children overseas for adoption, a number some experts say is closer to 250,000 when unofficial records are considered. This made Korea one…

July 16, 2025SEOUL – Composer-conductor Choi Jae-hyuck and haegeum player-composer Joo Jeong-hyeon have been on the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ radar since the launch of its summer contemporary music series, The Sync Next, in 2022.This year, for the first time, the center brought them together to explore what kind of synergy might emerge.The performance, part of the Sync Next 25 program running from July to September at the Sejong Center’s S Theater, pairs Choi’s ensemble, Ensemble Blank, with Joo, an experimental haegeum player whose work spans performance, composition and video. It also marks their first-ever collaboration.“Joo is an…

July 16, 2025SEOUL – A high school teacher in her 30s was officially detained by authorities on Monday, for allegedly conspiring with a parent of a student to break into her former school and steal final exam papers.The Andong branch of the Daegu District Court issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest, citing concerns of her fleeing or destroying evidence. She is facing charges of accepting bribes in exchange for improper action, intrusion of building, and interference with business.The suspect and the parent are believed to have forced their way into the high school in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, at…

July 16, 2025SEOUL – Chung Dong-young, Lee Jae Myung’s nominee for unification minister, has signaled a sharp turn toward a conciliatory doctrine grounded in engagement, mutual restraint and a softened military posture.The confirmation hearing for Chung on Monday offered more than a preview of his personal stance on inter-Korean affairs — it provided a window into the likely trajectory of Seoul’s North Korea policy under the new liberal government.Chung laid out a vision that departs markedly from the previous conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s hard-line North Korea policy — a shift rooted in his rejection of the prior framing of…

July 16, 2025SEOUL – The Lee Jae Myung government’s sweeping organizational reforms across Korea’s financial and economic agencies are extending into lengthy and complex negotiations, testing the administration’s ability to balance and delineate agency roles.While discussions continue on reallocating responsibilities among key institutions including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, progress has been sluggish in filling top leadership positions.Nominations for the FSC chair and FSS governor remain pending, despite Cabinet appointments having been made across 19 ministries on Friday.Widespread speculation suggests these delays are driven by deeper disagreements over the scope…

July 15, 2025SEOUL – President Lee Jae Myung’s office on Monday introduced the nation’s ‘first dog,’ Bobby.On his Instagram post, Lee unveiled a photo of himself sitting on an armchair along with the dog. Lee said in the post that his family has been raising the dog.“A fourth of South Korea’s population lives with a pet. Through Bobby, who gives us happiness and solace by just being with us, I could understand the minds of people who are living with their pets,” read the post.Lee’s office did not immediately elaborate on how old the first dog was, when Lee’s family…

July 15, 2025SEOUL – Hopes for renewed inter-Korean cooperation grew Monday after North Korea’s Kumgangsan was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris on Sunday.This marks the North’s third entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, following Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong in 2013 and the Complex of Koguryo Tombs inscribed in 2004.In 2021, North Korea submitted its application to have Kumgangsan recognized by UNESCO as a mixed heritage site, reflecting the rich Buddhist mountain traditions and long-standing practice of mountain worship and pilgrimage spanning centuries. However,…