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  • Society

    Paichai High School baseball team suspended 6 months over 'Tank Day' chant against Gwangju school

    The Paichai High School baseball team has been suspended from national tournament play for six months after a chant evoked Starbucks Korea's controversial "Tank Day" promotion during a national tournament match against a school from Gwangju. The Korea Baseball Softball Association held a sports fair play committee meeting Wednesday to review the incident and imposed the suspension after determining the chant violated the spirit of sportsmanship and disrupted order on the field. During Monday's match against Gwangju Jeil High School at the 81st Cheongnonggi National High School Baseball Championship in Seoul's Mokdong Baseball Stadium, some Paichai players repeatedly chanted “Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks” in unison. One student even shouted “Tank Day.” The chant was a direct reference to Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion launched on May 18 — the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising — which used the phrase in a reference widely condemned as denigrating the pro-democracy movement. The backlash at the time drew responses from consumers and politicians alike

    2 MIN READBy Park Ung
    Paichai High School baseball team suspended 6 months over 'Tank Day' chant against Gwangju school
  • Society

    Korean high school where 1 in 4 graduates heads straight to Samsung Electronics

    3 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Korean high school where 1 in 4 graduates heads straight to Samsung Electronics
  • Society

    New PM orders thorough measures with heavy rain forecast to hit southern region

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    New PM orders thorough measures with heavy rain forecast to hit southern region
  • Politics

    Presidential unification body adds over 2,000 advisers, plans overseas expansion

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Presidential unification body adds over 2,000 advisers, plans overseas expansion
  • Defense

    Navy chief to visit Hawaii this week for RIMPAC exercise

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Navy chief to visit Hawaii this week for RIMPAC exercise
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Law & Crime

Special counsel team raids Coast Guard over alleged martial law role

A special counsel team raided the Coast Guard's offices Friday, reopening an investigation into the agency's suspected involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in 2024. The team, tasked with investigating uncovered allegations surrounding Yoon and his decree, said it sent investigators to carry out a search and seizure at the Coast Guard's offices in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province. The team is looking into allegations that a former senior Coast Guard officer called for personnel to carry firearms and dispatched officials to a joint investigation headquarters after Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. A previous special counsel team had cleared the Coast Guard planning and coordination official after failing to find signs he took part in planning for Yoon's decree and determining that he did not have authority to dispatch personnel. The earlier investigation also did not find evidence the Coast Guard took specific action in line with the official's calls.

Apr 17, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel team raids Coast Guard over alleged martial law role
South Korea

Lee hails Korean oil tanker exiting Red Sea

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday shared a news report that a Korean oil tanker exited the Red Sea, marking the first shipment of crude oil to the nation since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier in the day, the nation's fisheries ministry reported that the tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia exited the Red Sea, as the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed amid the prolonged war in the Middle East. "It is good news that our vessel is transporting crude oil via the Red Sea for the first time since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz," Lee wrote in his social media post. He described the safe passage as a "valuable achievement" made possible through close coordination among relevant ministries and the dedication of seafarers under difficult circumstances. "The government is mobilizing all available resources to address the crisis stemming from the war in the Middle East," Lee said, pledging to safeguard people's livelihoods and national interests. Korea has been exploring ways to ship crude oil via the Red Sea, an alternative route, as the Strait of Hormuz, a criti

Apr 17, 2026By Yonhap
Lee hails Korean oil tanker exiting Red Sea
South Korea

Universities showcase talent pipeline for advanced industries

Korea’s top universities are stepping up efforts to train workers for semiconductors, batteries and biotech, as the government moves to expand a flagship program aimed at meeting rising industrial demand. The Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology said they are hosting an event in Seoul Friday to present outcomes from the “advanced industry specialized university” initiative. The program, launched in 2023 with a focus on semiconductors, has since expanded to secondary batteries and biotech, and will add robotics in 2026 to support next-generation technologies in the era of physical artificial intelligence (AI). A total of 33 project groups are supported this year — 20 in semiconductors, five in batteries, five in biotech and three in robotics — with a funding worth 120.9 billion won ($90 million) in 2026. Participating universities worked with 693 companies in 2025 to develop or upgrade 434 courses, including 232 industry-linked classes, and trained 3,576 students, the organizers said. At Friday’s event, four universities — Kyungpook Nati

Apr 17, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Universities showcase talent pipeline for advanced industries
Society

Seocho District's mobile repair service wins global green award

In an era of disposable electronics and fast fashion, a local district office in Seoul is earning international recognition by looking backward — to the age of the traveling repairman. Seocho District, an affluent area in the Korean capital, received a silver prize for innovation at the Green World Awards in Cardiff, Wales, last week. The honor, presented by the U.K.-based Green Organisation, marks the third consecutive year the district has been recognized for its environmental initiatives, a first for any Korean local authority. The award-winning project, the “Mobile Seocho Umbrella and Knife Repair Service,” is a simple response to the global waste crisis. Rather than allowing dull blades or broken frames to be discarded, the district deployed a fleet of one-ton trucks converted into mobile workshops. By bringing repair services directly to residents’ doorsteps, the program has revived a culture of reuse once common in Korean neighborhoods. The impact has been striking. After an upgrade to improve accessibility, knife-sharpening cases surged from 587 in 2024 to nearly 12,000

Apr 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seocho District's mobile repair service wins global green award
Society

Seoul city gov't seeks to cultivate new cohort of urban farmers

Seoul Metropolitan Agricultural Technology Center is accepting applications through April 27 for its urban farming specialist training program, the center said Friday. The center is recruiting 30 participants for the 26th cohort of the program, which has produced 1,070 graduates since its launch in 2012. Past graduates have gone on to serve as instructors at school and community gardens and as volunteers at urban agriculture exhibitions. The 80-hour course runs free of charge for approximately one month beginning May 12. The curriculum covers the fundamentals of urban farming, soil and fertilizer science, eco-friendly cultivation techniques by crop type, pest management, and both outdoor vegetable gardening and indoor horticulture. Participants who complete at least 80 percent of the coursework and pass a written exam will receive a certificate of completion. Applicants must be Seoul residents who meet at least one of the following criteria: graduation from an agricultural school, possession of an agriculture-related certification, at least three years of registered farming experience, c

Apr 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seoul city gov't seeks to cultivate new cohort of urban farmers
Law & Crime

Mother faces child abuse charges over feeding rice cake soup to 2-month-old

A Korean woman in her 30s has been referred to prosecutors on child abuse charges after allegedly feeding her two-month-old infant tteokguk (rice cake soup), with the case coming to light through photos she posted online. The dish, commonly eaten to mark the new year in Korea, is considered inappropriate for infants, whose digestive systems are not yet developed enough to process semisolid foods. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, the unidentified woman is being investigated for violating the Child Welfare Act. She is accused of feeding her infant son foods such as tteokguk, yogurt and strawberries between January and February at her home in Incheon. Police said they determined such foods were unsuitable for a baby of that age and could pose health risks. The case was revealed to the public after the mother uploaded a photo to social media in February. The image showed a small bowl of tteokguk placed alongside a baby spoon. In a separate post, she shared a photo of the infant with visible scratches on his face, accompanied by a caption containing profanity. Con

Apr 17, 2026By Anna J. Park
Mother faces child abuse charges over feeding rice cake soup to 2-month-old
Politics

Economic policy expert appointed as new Korean ambassador to Britain

A former head of a state-affiliated economic policy think tank was appointed as the new Korean ambassador to Britain, the foreign ministry said Friday. Kim Heung-chong, former president of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), is known for his role on the Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) economic advisory council, which was relaunched in 2024 by President Lee Jae Myung, who was then the DPK leader. During Lee's presidential campaign, Kim headed the global economic strategy committee of the campaign team. Kim has also worked on the advisory committee for free trade agreement negotiations between Korea and the European Union.

Apr 17, 2026By Yonhap
Economic policy expert appointed as new Korean ambassador to Britain
South Korea

2.6-centimeter-long fish hook discovered in captured wolf's stomach

A young wolf that broke out of a zoo in the central city of Daejeon was captured Friday, nine days after its escape, and returned to its enclosure, city officials said. The wolf, named Neukgu, was captured at 12:44 a.m. near an interchange in the city some 140 kilometers south of Seoul and taken to the zoo inside the Daejeon O-World theme park, according to the officials. Search authorities received a tip around 5:30 p.m. Thursday that the wolf was seen near a park in the city and located him hours later near the interchange. Officials shot Neukgu with a tranquilizer dart and captured him alive. "We have safely moved him to O-World," a search official said. "He is well so far, and we are monitoring him until he wakes up from anesthesia." Neukgu dug out of his enclosure on April 8, leading to an extensive search involving military drones and the police, as well as widespread media coverage. He was spotted several times following his escape but disappeared each time before being caught. At a press briefing later in the day, a Daejeon metropolitan government official said a 2.6-centimeter-long

Apr 17, 2026By Yonhap
2.6-centimeter-long fish hook discovered in captured wolf's stomach
Global Community

Seoul-based ambient musician Peachy! offers escape from rat race at 'empty airports'

Peachy! is a musician with a shocking amount of versatility. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, the artist and audio engineer has already produced pop hits and critically acclaimed chill-hop, all while being the guitarist of a hardcore band. His recent album, “The Third Story: Empty Airports,” yet again, explores new territory — the quiet reflection of minimalist ambience. Peachy! has spent the last several years building a life and a career in Seoul, running a small studio, producing records for other artists and carving out a sound that resists easy categorization. He first started taking music seriously as a teenager in Atlanta, teaching himself Ableton and attending Controllerise, a local event for hip-hop producers and DJs, instead of doing homework. "I wasn't the best or very creative," he admitted, "but I had fun." At 16, things moved quickly. A collaboration with singer-songwriter Mxmtoon on the song "Falling For U" found a large audience, and suddenly, there was pressure. "My music first blew up when I was 16, and things escalated so fast that I never really had the time

Apr 17, 2026By Jamie Finn
Seoul-based ambient musician Peachy! offers escape from rat race at 'empty airports'
South Korea

IMF says S. Korea has 'substantial' energy buffers despite vulnerabilities

WASHINGTON — An official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday that South Korea has "substantial" energy buffers although it has vulnerabilities stemming from energy supply disruptions caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Thomas Helbling, deputy director of the IMF's Asia-Pacific Department, made the remarks on the regional economic outlook for the Asia-Pacific, as economic concerns continued over ongoing disruptions to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil, gas, fertilizer and other commodities. "The (South Korean) government has been very proactive trying to mitigate the impact of the (energy) shock," the official said. "It benefits (from the fact) that it has substantial energy buffers. It has been proactive (in) encouraging other sources of energy," he added. He also pointed out South Korea's vulnerabilities in the midst of the war. "On Korea, as for the vulnerability, I think it's ... we see Korea in line with Asia as a whole. It's (an) energy importing region," he said. Concerns over the economic repercussions of the

Apr 17, 2026By Yonhap
IMF says S. Korea has 'substantial' energy buffers despite vulnerabilities
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