SEOUL– President Yoon Suk-yeol has nominated an infectious disease expert to head the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) following the resignation offer of its current chief, his office said Friday. Jee Young-mee, CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, is set to replace Peck Kyong-ran as commissioner of the public health agency, the presidential … Read more
SEOUL– Six university students affiliated with a progressive group were arrested Friday for trespassing at the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), police said. The members of the Korean University Progressive Union were caught at the site for illegally entering the PPP head office, located in Yeouido in Seoul, around 1 p.m., … Read more
SEOUL– Innospace, a South Korean space startup, said Friday that it is planning to launch its suborbital test launch vehicle, HANBIT-TLV, next week. “If there’re no problems in preparation and weather conditions, we will push for the launch on Monday 6 a.m. (local time) at the Alcantara Space Center,” the company said in a … Read more
SEOUL– The Seoul Metropolitan Council on Friday approved the metropolitan government’s record budget bill worth 47.19 trillion won (US$36.13 billion) for next year. The budget passed by a vote of 70 to 15 during the council’s plenary session represents a decrease of 14.7 billion won from the amount requested by the city government but … Read more
SEOUL– South Korean stocks finished slightly lower Friday as investors worried about a global economic slowdown amid the Federal Reserve’s continued push for aggressive monetary tightening. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 0.95 point, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,360.02, extending a losing … Read more
SEOUL– Hanwha Group signed an agreement with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) on Friday to take over the embattled shipbuilder, officials said, paving the way for a smooth privatization after multiple unsuccessful attempts. Under the deal, Hanwha Aerospace and five other Hanwha affiliates will acquire a 49.3 percent stake and managerial control … Read more
SEOUL– The presidential office on Friday stressed the importance of lowering corporate tax, a key sticking point that has hindered the National Assembly from handling the state budget proposal for next year, while calling for bipartisan cooperation over the budget bill. “Our companies cannot compete with global companies while shouldering the burden of a … Read more
SEOUL– South Korea issued a “strong” protest Friday over Japan’s revised national security strategy repeating its sovereignty claim to the South’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, calling for its immediate deletion. Seoul’s foreign and defense ministries called in a senior diplomat and a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, respectively, to lodge a … Read more