SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s unification minister publicly criticized the United Nations Command (UNC) on Wednesday, revealing that it had recently barred a senior presidential security aide from entering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), reviving long-standing tensions over the scope of the UNC’s authority. Speaking at a National Assembly hearing on legislation to expand [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A major apartment complex in eastern Seoul is facing mounting criticism after unilaterally banning nonresidents from nearly all areas of its property and warning of fines of up to 200,000 won (about $150) for violations. According to the real estate industry on Wednesday, the management of Godeok Arteon, a [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has abolished the statute of limitations for sexual violence committed by family members against children and adolescents, a sweeping legal reform aimed at strengthening protections for young victims and increasing accountability for offenders. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday that the National Assembly passed revisions [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major business lobby warned that companies may face nearly 27 trillion won (US$20.4 billion) in carbon-credit purchasing costs over the next five years under the government’s newly announced emissions trading allocation plan. The climate ministry swiftly rejected the estimate, calling it an exaggerated projection based on flawed assumptions. [...]
President Lee Jae-myung on Dec. 3, marking the first anniversary of the martial-law crisis, declared, “We will complete the Revolution of Light and build a true nation of popular sovereignty.” In a special national address titled “First Anniversary of the Revolution of Light” delivered at the presidential office in Yongsan that morning, Lee said, “I [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the failed Dec. 3 coup attempt by declaring that the South Korean people “have every right to receive the Nobel Peace Prize” for defending democracy against an illegal military intervention. In a nationally televised address titled “First Anniversary of [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea approved a defense budget of 65.9 trillion won, or about $44.8 billion, for next year, a 7.5 percent rise as the government moves to reinforce its three-axis deterrence strategy and accelerate the modernization of its armed forces. The National Assembly passed the 727.9 trillion-won national budget late [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea aims to triple its onshore wind power capacity to 6 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 while lowering generation costs as part of efforts to expand the use of eco-friendly energy and achieve carbon neutrality, the climate ministry said Wednesday. The goal was announced at the inaugural meeting of [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The government will provide 100 billion won (US$68.1 million) in support by 2030 for research and development (R&D) projects aimed at advancing core ceramic technologies, a key material for semiconductors, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The funding plan comes as part of a comprehensive road map on fostering the [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld an Army regulation that restricts officers’ off-base leave to areas from which they can return to their unit within two hours, ruling the policy constitutional amid longstanding security concerns on the peninsula. In a unanimous decision delivered Nov. 27, the court rejected a petition [...]