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  • Politics

    Lee proposes golf meeting with opposition lawmakers: PPP officials

    President Lee Jae Myung has proposed a golf meeting with senior lawmakers from the People Power Party (PPP) as part of an effort to improve communication with the opposition, PPP officials said Thursday. They said a senior presidential official called three-term PPP lawmaker Shin Sung-bum in mid-June and invited him to join the president for a round of golf. The official said the meeting was intended to give Lee an opportunity to hear candid views and criticism from opposition lawmakers. The presidential office did not confirm the report. Shin, nevertheless, said, "I received a call from a senior Cheong Wa Dae official inviting me to play golf with the president." "The official said the purpose was for the president to meet opposition lawmakers and listen to their criticism," the lawmaker added. Shin said he declined the invitation because he does not play golf, but welcomed the idea. He added that he told the presidential official it would be worthwhile for the president to meet opposition lawmakers and hear their views on pending issues, including concerns over the government's handling

    1 MIN READBy Yi Whan-woo
    Lee proposes golf meeting with opposition lawmakers: PPP officials
  • Education

    Hate speech seeps into Korean classrooms

    3 MIN READBy Bahk Eun-ji
    Hate speech seeps into Korean classrooms
  • Society

    Hanwha Aerospace explosion likely occurred while cleaning explosive waste: police

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Hanwha Aerospace explosion likely occurred while cleaning explosive waste: police
  • Environment & Animals

    Lee orders thorough readiness against heavy rains

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee orders thorough readiness against heavy rains
  • Defense

    Marine Corps conducts regular live-fire drills on western border islands

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Marine Corps conducts regular live-fire drills on western border islands
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Campus

Sejong University combines fitness, cultural heritage in course for int'l students

Sejong University’s Daeyang Global College is offering a hands-on course for international undergraduate and exchange students during the first semester of the 2026 academic year, blending physical activities with learning Korean culture. The course, titled “Running & Korean Culture,” is designed to combine physical activity with firsthand exposure to everyday Korean life and urban environments, with the aim of improving students' physical fitness and deepening their understanding of and adaptation to Korean society. Classes are held at Seoul Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin District, directly across from the Sejong University campus. Students run and engage in outdoor activities amid a green urban setting, allowing them to encounter Korean leisure and lifestyle culture naturally. Last week, the sessions took place amid cherry blossoms in full bloom, with activities including running, the “Red Light, Green Light”— a traditional Korean children's tag game famous for featuring on Netflix show “Squid Game” — and a police-and-thief chase game, giving participants a chance

Apr 13, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Sejong University combines fitness, cultural heritage in course for int'l students
Law & Crime

Data shows students' persistent violence against teachers in Gyeonggi Province

About 150 cases of physical assaults by students on teachers are reported each year in Gyeonggi Province alone, authorities said. According to the Gyeonggido Office of Education on Sunday, cases of students undermining teacher’s authority and the school system across 2,700 schools in Gyeonggi Province were recorded at 1,213 in 2023, 947 in 2024 and 442 during the first half of 2025. Of these cases, there were 164 incidents of students physically assaulting teachers in 2023, 148 in 2024 and 69 during the first half of 2025. The findings indicate an overall downward trend in incidents of students undermining teachers’ authority following the death of an elementary school teacher in 2023 and subsequent set of laws enacted to protect teachers’ authority. The number of physical assault cases against teachers, however, does not reflect the same trend, with the most recent incident occurring just last month in a middle school in Gwangju, where a student pushed a teacher and inflicted injuries needing two weeks of hospital stay. Last year, a middle schooler swung a baseball bat at a teache

Apr 13, 2026By Hankookilbo
Data shows students' persistent violence against teachers in Gyeonggi Province
Society

Busan to open temple stays, retreat centers to BTS fans at budget prices

Busan is rolling out public support measures ahead of the BTS world tour in the southeastern port city in June, bracing for an influx of international visitors and looking to boost its profile as a tourist destination. Busan Metropolitan Government said Monday it will hold an interdepartmental meeting next week ahead of the concerts, focusing on accommodation price gouging and related issues. Scheduled for June 12 and 13, the K-pop group's Busan concerts are drawing high fan anticipation, especially as the second day marks the group's debut anniversary and the city is the hometown of members Jimin and Jung Kook. Accommodation prices surged early, according to a January survey by the Korea Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency. The survey — based on rates from 135 properties, including 52 hotels, 39 motels and 44 vacation rentals listed on major booking platforms — found that the average one-night rate for the concert weekend was 433,999 won ($291), 2.4 times higher than the weekends before and after. To ease pressure on accommodation, the city will house around 400 for

Apr 13, 2026By Park Ung
Busan to open temple stays, retreat centers to BTS fans at budget prices
Others

Why Korean engineering professor assigned his students to photograph cherry blossoms

“Take and submit pictures of cherry blossoms.” An engineering professor drew attention on social media after giving his students that unusual assignment. Later, he explained why he had been giving out the assignment seemingly unrelated to his field for six straight years. “My heart ached seeing young students so weighed down by worries about the future,” he said. According to posts on social media, the assignment was given by Kang Dong-woo, a professor in the department of engineering chemistry at Chungbuk National University, to students taking his Engineering Mathematics course this semester. “Visit cherry blossom spots in Cheongju or other areas where you live during the April blooming season, take photos and submit them,” the notice said. It also explained the purpose of the assignment: to nourish the souls of engineering students worn down emotionally, while adding, “Shouldn’t we take at least one day off from studying and enjoy the warmth of spring for once?” The notice then gave one strict instruction: students were not allowed to visit cherry blossom spots on camp

Apr 13, 2026By Hankookilbo
Why Korean engineering professor assigned his students to photograph cherry blossoms
Politics

BOK chief nominee vows to sell foreign assets amid controversy

Shin Hyun-song, the Bank of Korea (BOK) governor nominee, said Monday he has already sold a significant portion of his foreign currency-denominated financial assets and plans to further reduce his exposure. Shin made the remarks in written responses submitted to the National Assembly ahead of his confirmation hearing scheduled for Wednesday, after critics said his portfolio, heavily weighted toward foreign assets, could pose a potential conflict of interest for a future head of the foreign exchange authority. The nominee earlier reported combined assets of 8.24 billion won ($6.1 million) held by himself, his spouse and his eldest son, with 55.5 percent of the total consisting of overseas financial assets and real estate. "I fully understand the concerns that have been raised," Shin said. "A conflict of interest must never occur, and all policy decisions will be made for the interests of the public as a whole." Shin said he has already sold a significant portion of his foreign assets and will gradually reduce the remainder. The won-U.S. dollar exchange rate has been a key policy focus for

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
BOK chief nominee vows to sell foreign assets amid controversy
Politics

PPP leader to meet US lawmakers, Trump administration officials in Washington

The leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) plans to meet with U.S. lawmakers and Trump administration officials during his weeklong trip to the United States, a PPP lawmaker said Monday. Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, who has been traveling in the U.S. since Saturday, is scheduled to visit the White House in Washington on Wednesday (local time) to meet senior officials, PPP lawmaker Kim Dai-sik told reporters, without elaborating. When asked whether Jang would meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Kim declined to comment, saying the U.S. side had requested that the meeting be held behind closed doors. On Tuesday, Jang is scheduled to meet Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Young Kim (R-CA), a Korean American who chairs the House Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Joe Wilson (R-SC), a member of the Congressional Korea Caucus. The following day, the PPP leader will deliver a speech on the Seoul-Washington alliance at a roundtable discussion at the International Republican Institute and meet Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ). Later on Wednesday, Jang is scheduled t

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
PPP leader to meet US lawmakers, Trump administration officials in Washington
Politics

PM pays respects to 2 killed firefighters in Wando

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Monday paid his respects to two firefighters killed in a warehouse fire the previous day in the southwestern county of Wando. The firefighters, aged 44 and 30, died Sunday while carrying out rescue operations inside a cold storage warehouse that caught fire earlier in the day. Kim visited their funeral home in Wando, some 360 kilometers south of Seoul, and paid his respects, his office said in a press release. The prime minister also conferred orders of merit for civil service to both men. "(Kim) expressed his deep respect for the noble dedication and sacrifice of the deceased, who headed to the most dangerous site to protect the people's lives and safety," the office said. The prime minister offered his deep condolences to the bereaved families and promised the government's full support for funeral services, which are scheduled to be held Tuesday. He also vowed the government's utmost efforts to prevent a recurrence of similar tragedies.

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
PM pays respects to 2 killed firefighters in Wando
South Korea

Korea launches online hub to recruit more international students

The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the National Institute for International Education, launched a year-round online promotion hub and a series of live admissions webinars as part of a broader effort to widen access to information for students considering study in Korea. They said the new promotion hub is available through an online portal, a government-run website established in 2012 for international students. The portal provides information on universities, scholarships, visas and employment in one place, while supporting education fairs, online applications and scholarship notices. It draws about 12 million visits annually. Officials said the promotion hub, which opened Wednesday, replaces last year’s short-term online fairs with a permanent format, allowing prospective students to access information at any time. Universities and local governments can also maintain continuous outreach to potential applicants. The hub is organized into four sections: Korean language training programs offered by university-affiliated institutes; English-track degree programs; junior colleg

Apr 13, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea launches online hub to recruit more international students
Law & Crime

Most revoked state honors in Korea remain unreturned

A significant number of state honors revoked by the Korean government over the past decades have not been returned, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the current system. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Sunday, only 260 of the 833 government awards revoked since the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948 have been returned. Excluding 42 cases revoked this year that are still undergoing recovery procedures, the return rate of canceled state honors stands at just 32.9 percent over the past 78 years. Of the hundreds of awards that have yet to be recovered, about 25 percent involve deceased recipients, around 28 percent were reported lost or destroyed, 16 percent are linked to unknown addresses and the rest, 31 percent, fall under other categories, such as loss of contact. Concerns are being raised about the effectiveness of the system, as a significant number of revoked state honors remain unrecovered. In reality, there are few viable means to forcibly retrieve the awards if recipients refuse to return them. Still, recent trends show notable improvem

Apr 13, 2026By Anna J. Park
Most revoked state honors in Korea remain unreturned
Global Community

Korea to annually provide over $2 bil. in EDCF over 2026-2028

Korea plans to provide about 3 trillion won ($2.01 billion) per year in low-interest loans for new overseas development projects over the next three years, the finance ministry said Monday. Under the 2026–2028 plan for the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), the government set a target of approving an annual average of 3 trillion won for new projects designed to support the economic development of developing or less developed countries. Seoul launched the EDCF program in 1987, providing long-term, low-interest loans to help spur economic and industrial growth in recipient countries. "Based on public trust, the vision seeks to contribute to shared growth between Korea and partner countries," Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said of the latest plan, while attending a meeting of the EDCF management committee held in Seoul on the day, according to the finance ministry. In line with the plan, authorities will introduce artificial intelligence (AI) elements into infrastructure projects financed by the EDCF. The government said it will first develop successful cases to improve operatio

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
Korea to annually provide over $2 bil. in EDCF over 2026-2028
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