SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Gil Won-ok, a former sex slave for Japanese troops who campaigned to raise awareness of the World War II atrocity, died Sunday, the gender equality ministry said. She was 97. Gil was 13 years old when she was taken from her home in Pyongyang, now the capital of North [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – North Korea demanded during inter-Korean talks in 1990 that South Korea dismantle a barricade it had installed along their border, calling it “a disgrace” to the Korean people, according to an official dossier declassified Thursday. The information was disclosed in the unification ministry’s official documents recording inter-Korean talks held [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — On the eve of Jeongwol Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, communities across South Korea gathered for traditional celebrations, including the centuries-old ritual of Daljip Burning (Sheaf burning). This practice, deeply rooted in Korean folklore, involves setting fire to large structures made of straw and pine branches to [...]
JEJU, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Jeju Island will commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the Jeju Haenyeo Anti-Japanese Movement, the largest women-led independence movement in Korea, with a special ceremony on January 12. The event will honor the courageous haenyeo (female divers) who, in 1932, led mass protests against Japan’s colonial exploitation and ethnic discrimination in [...]
ANDONG, South Korea, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Police will investigate a drama production team from public broadcaster KBS for allegedly hammering nails at a UNESCO World Heritage site to hang a prop, officials said Friday. Gyeongbuk Provincial Police said a complaint was filed earlier in the day by a person known as a citizen [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol on December 14, the streets around Seoul’s National Assembly Station were crowded with citizens clutching special edition newspapers. These publications, known as “hoewae” in Korean, are rare, emergency editions issued to mark significant events. Headlines such as “Citizens Win,” “President Yoon Impeached,” and [...]
TOKYO/SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government held its own ceremony in Japan on Monday to honor Korean forced labor victims from an old Japanese mine complex, after boycotting a Japan-hosted event over Tokyo’s apparent insincerity in delivering on its pledge to remember the victims. Foreign ministry officials from Seoul and nine [...]
TOKYO, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — The Japanese government on Monday expressed regret over South Korea boycotting a Japan-led event honoring wartime forced labor victims, including Koreans, from an old Japanese mine complex. The remark came as South Korea boycotted the memorial held on Sado Island, off Japan’s west coast, on Sunday and held its [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – A memorial ceremony honoring forced labor victims, including Koreans, at an old Japanese mine complex kicked off as planned Sunday, with South Korea boycotting it over Tokyo’s pick to send a senior official with hard-line views on history to the event. South Korea’s foreign ministry did not attend the [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s abrupt decision to boycott a memorial ceremony at Japan’s Sado Mine has ignited controversy, with Seoul accusing Tokyo of reneging on promises to honor Korean forced laborers from Japan’s colonial era. The decision, announced on November 23, underscores tensions over Japan’s perceived backtracking on commitments to address historical [...]