South Korea

The defense ministry said Sunday it has warned or sought disciplinary action against some 10 people involved in a military transport plane's unauthorized entry into Japan's air defense identification zone (JADIZ) last month. On July 13, a C-130 aircraft en route to Guam for a military exercise was forced to take a longer route due to failure to win prior […]

A record 2,502 South Korean military officers applied last year for early honorable discharge, a program that allows service members to leave the service before reaching mandatory retirement, according to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to the National Assembly. The exodus of experienced military personnel presents a significant challenge […]

Fire trucks from across the country pour water into the Hongje Water Purification Plant in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sunday. The facility supplies 87 percent of the city’s household water. The Obong Reservoir, the main source for the city's water, fell to a record low of 14.9 percent amid a prolonged drought, prompting authorities to tighten […]

Gripped by an unprecedented drought, the coastal city of Gangneung in Korea’s northeastern Gangwon Province has imposed severe water restrictions after the level of its main reservoir fell below a critical threshold, prompting the government to declare a state of natural disaster. The measures, which cut water to 75 percent of households, were enacted as […]

Korean tuna longline vessels will now be permitted to hire one foreign shipboard officer if no Korean sailors are available, a move aimed at addressing a growing labor shortage in the country’s deep-sea fishing industry. A foreign shipboard officer on a Korean tuna longline vessel would carry out the same duties as their Korean counterparts, overseeing […]

Gaelic football, often described as a cross between football and rugby, may not be well-known in Korea, but it has a dedicated community of players excited to introduce the sport to more people. The Seoul Gaels GAA Club will host a Gaelic Football Community Day Saturday in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, offering the chance to experience a sport that has been […]

Nearly 60 percent of people who reported workplace harassments to authorities saw less-than-satisfactory responses, a survey showed Sunday. According to the survey conducted on 1,000 office workers from June 1 to 7, 14.2 percent of respondents experienced workplace harassment in the past year and reported it to the authorities. Of them, 59.2 percent said […]

Trainee doctors who quit their jobs in protest of the previous administration's increase of medical school admissions are set to return to hospitals this week, raising hopes of easing the medical service vacuum, industry sources said Sunday. Their return on Monday comes after the second-half recruitment process mostly wrapped up last week, with the exact […]

A woman in her 40s has been apprehended after entering the home parking lot of BTS member Jungkook, police said Sunday. The woman, a South Korean national, was booked on suspicion of housebreaking after trespassing on the parking lot of Jungkook's home in Seoul's Yongsan district at 11:20 p.m. Saturday, according to the police. The police have been […]

Seoul has no shortage of kebab stands of varying quality. In smaller supply are more formal Middle Eastern restaurants, and most of the ones I've tried were slight letdowns. Babylon Restaurant, a newly opened Iraqi eatery nestled in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, raises that bar. Babylon is owned by Abdulkareem Adnan, who has been in the restaurant […]