SEOUL– The interior minister and the police chief apologized again Monday over the deadly Halloween crowd crush amid criticism of the way the government and police responded to the tragedy, and vowed to devise measures to prevent similar disasters. Interior Minister and Safety Lee Sang-min told a parliamentary meeting he apologizes for “hurting people’s … Read more
SEOUL– Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming on Monday and stressed the importance of China’s “constructive” role for regional peace in the wake of a series of North Korean missile launches. “The tension on the Korean Peninsula has escalated to a grave situation as North Korea’s military … Read more
SEOUL– The chief of the United Nations refugee agency will visit South Korea this week to meet with scholars and government officials and call for their continuous attention and support for the global humanitarian crisis, its Seoul office said Monday. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on … Read more
SEOUL– Shinsegae Inc., a South Korean retail giant, said Monday its third-quarter net income dropped 50 percent from a year earlier on equity losses from affiliates. Net income came to 94.5 billion won (US$67.3 million) on a consolidated basis for the three months ending in September, compared with 188.9 billion won a year earlier, … Read more
SEOUL– President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged Monday to support the growth of middle-market companies by enacting regulatory and legal reforms. Yoon made the remark in a speech marking the eighth Day of Middle-Market Entrepreneurs, saying these businesses have buttressed the country’s economy at a time of high prices, high interest rates and a weak currency. … Read more
SEOUL– The now-suspended police chief in the district of Yongsan has been booked for an investigation, along with the head of the Yongsan Ward office and two others, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death in connection with the deadly Itaewon crowd crush, officials said Monday. Police and fire authorities, and the Yongsan … Read more
SEOUL– South Korea will beef up monitoring of the money market for property development in a way that instability in the area will not spill over and undermine the health of the overall financial industry, the top official of the country’s financial regulator said Monday. Lee Bok-hyun, head of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), … Read more
SEOUL– South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin agreed Monday to boost climate cooperation between his government and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as he met here with the agency’s chief, the ministry said. Earlier in the day, Park held a luncheon meeting with Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell, who is currently visiting Seoul, … Read more