Author: Jae young

August 26, 2025SEOUL – US President Donald Trump expressed his anticipation to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, hopefully this year, during a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House on Monday local time.Describing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as “very good,” Trump said he would meet with him “in an appropriate future,” which could be as early as this year.“Well, I’m meeting a lot of people. I mean, it’s hard to say that, but I’d like to meet him this year,” Trump told reporters, describing North Korea as “a country of…

August 25, 2025SEOUL – The National Assembly on Sunday passed a contentious labor bill championed by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, despite fierce objections from the opposition and warnings from the business community.The amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, widely known as the “Yellow Envelope” bill, was approved in a 183-3 vote during a morning plenary session. The legislation is designed to expand labor protections for all categories of workers while limiting companies’ ability to seek compensation for losses caused by strikes.The bill is set to take effect in March…

August 25, 2025SEOUL – Samsung Electronics’ flagship Galaxy lineup has dominated the South Korean smartphone market. Yet despite its market share, consumers in their teens, 20s and 30s who favor Apple’s iPhone have given the brand an unflattering tag: the “ajeossi phone.”Recently, however, slimmer designs and stronger artificial intelligence features have helped Galaxy phones gain traction with younger users, a shift increasingly visible on social media.A YouTube video featuring a female singer went viral recently, racking up over a million views in a month for its witty and addictive lyrics praising the Galaxy.Under the title “To all friends using Galaxy,”…

August 25, 2025SEOUL – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that the country’s first driverless, self-driving shuttle is scheduled to begin operating at Cheonggyecheon, a stream in central Seoul, as early as late September.According to the city government, two 11-seater shuttles will be in service, driving on a 4.8-kilometer circular route from Cheonggye Plaza, near Gwanghwamun Station on Subway Line No. 5, to Cheonggye 5-ga, a street near one of Seoul’s iconic tourist destinations, Gwangjang Market.The self-driving buses will be available on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.But they will not operate on weekends and public holidays, when Cheongyecheon…

August 25, 2025SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung flew to Washington on Sunday to meet US President Donald Trump in a summit expected to address tariffs, troop deployments, North Korea and nuclear cooperation while charting the future of the decadesold alliance.In his first summit with Trump since taking office two months ago — scheduled for Monday — the South Korean leader is expected to focus on contentious trade issues, including cooperation in shipping, semiconductors, nuclear reactors and batteries. Officials say the meeting could also provide a broader glimpse into the future of the bilateral alliance.“The agenda for the…

August 25, 2025SEOUL – The top leaders of South Korea and Japan announced the first joint statement between their countries in 17 years, pledging to build “future-oriented ties” during their second summit, as part of President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Tokyo, which resumed the lapsed “shuttle diplomacy.”At the joint press conference following the summit held at Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s official residence, the two leaders agreed to establish consultative groups to address common societal challenges such as the demographic crisis and sluggish regional economic growth.Seoul and Tokyo agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of hydrogen, ammonia and…

August 22, 2025SEOUL – Fueled by a surge in the number of visitors, Seoul’s hotel scene is growing more vibrant, drawing in luxury hotel brands and foreign investors looking for a bite of the booming market.Just two or three years ago, many hotel properties had been either converted into office space or closed altogether due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with inbound tourism rebounding, hotels are attracting renewed attention.According to data released by the Korea Tourism Organization on July 31, a total of 8.83 million foreign visitors came to Korea between January and June, up 1.12 million…

August 22, 2025SEOUL – A pet funeral home in the southeastern city of Ulsan is suspected to have conducted unauthorized euthanasia of animals for years, a local media outlet reported Thursday, allegedly including not only sick or injured animals that could have recovered, but also healthy animals.According to the report by broadcaster MBN, the facility is believed to have injected lethal drugs into at least 90 animals from 2020 to 2023. The head of the funeral home, who closed the business last year, is currently under police investigation for violating the Animal Protection Act.Former employees said several animals that were…

August 22, 2025SEOUL – President Lee Jae Myung has said he will pursue a three-stage denuclearization plan for North Korea, with Seoul approaching such a strategy via active efforts for dialogue with Pyongyang based on the solid alliance with the United States.In an interview with Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun ahead of his visit to Tokyo for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Lee said he will seek to freeze North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs in the first stage.In the second and final stage, Lee said he will seek to reduce and dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program, according to…

August 22, 2025SEOUL – Though Saturday marks “cheoseo” — South Korea’s seasonal marker that traditionally signals the end of summer — extremely hot temperatures, accompanied by heat wave watches and tropical nights, are expected to continue into next week.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heat wave watches were in effect in most parts of the country, excluding mountainous regions, as of 4 p.m., Thursday. Nationwide apparent temperatures reached as high as 36 degrees Celsius that day.Heat wave watches and warnings in Korea are issued when the maximum apparent temperature is expected to remain above 33 C and 35 C, respectively,…