Page 26 - South Korea

Electric vehicle industry continues to lose charge on localisation woes

Poses a hurdle as cells, which account for half the EV price, continue to be imported

India, South Korea, and Japan to stay busy with IPOs while China stalls

While IPOs returned to major venues in Europe and the US, the slowdown in Asia was mostly due to Beijing's decision to ramp up scrutiny of domestic new share sales as it tries to boost confidence

S Korea's President Yoon vows not to back down in face of doctors' strike

South Korea's president vowed Monday not to back down in the face of vehement protests by doctors seeking to derail his plan to drastically increase medical school admissions, as he called their walkouts an illegal collective action that poses "a grave threat to our society. About 12,000 medical interns and residents in South Korea have been on strike for six weeks, causing hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments at university hospitals. In support of their action, many senior doctors at their teaching schools have also submitted resignations though they haven't stopped treating patients. Officials say they want to raise the yearly medical school cap by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to create more doctors to deal with the country's rapidly aging population. Doctors counter that schools can't handle such an abrupt increase in students and that it would eventually hurt the country's medical services. But critics say doctors, one of the best-paid professions in South Korea,

South Korea's production of semiconductors rises by most in 14 years

The memory-chip market that underpins South Korea's semiconductor industry is notorious for its boom-and-bust cycle

South Korea firm to give workers $75,000 bonus to have babies, help country

Korean construction giant Booyoung announced the financial incentive as the country is faced with falling birth rates amid rising cost of rearing a child

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group to invest $51 bn won over 3 years

Hyundai Motor Group includes flagship Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia, which together are the world's number three automaker by sales

Doctors in South Korea submit resignations, widening medical school dispute

Senior doctors at major hospitals in South Korea began submitting their resignations en masse Monday in support of medical interns and residents who have been on a strike for five weeks over the government's push to sharply increase medical school admissions. The senior doctors' action won't likely cause an immediate worsening of hospital operations in South Korea because they have said they would continue to work even after submitting their resignations. But prospects for an early end to the medical impasse were also dim, as the doctors' planned action comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for talks with doctors while suggesting a possible softening of punitive steps against the striking junior doctors. About 12,000 interns and medical residents have faced impending suspensions of their licenses over their refusal to end their strikes, which have caused hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments at their hospitals. They oppose the government's plan to increase the ..

Senior doctors in South Korea to submit resignations amid deepening dispute

Senior doctors at dozens of hospitals in South Korea planned to submit their resignations Monday in support of medical interns and residents who have been on a strike for five weeks over the government's push to sharply increase medical school admissions, their leader said. The senior doctors' action won't likely cause an immediate worsening of hospital operations in South Korea because they have said they would continue to work even after submitting their resignations. But prospects for an early end to the medical impasse were also dim, as the doctors' planned action comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for talks with doctors while suggesting a possible softening of punitive steps against the striking junior doctors. About 12,000 interns and medical residents have faced impending suspensions of their licenses over their refusal to end their strikes, which have caused hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments at their hospitals. They oppose the government's plan to

Kim visits tank unit, touts war preparations amid tensions with Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a tank exercise and encouraged his armoured forces to sharpen war preparations in the face of growing tensions with South Korea, the North's state media said Monday. Kim made those comments Sunday while visiting his top tank group, the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division. The unit's name marks how it was the first North Korean military unit to reach the South Korean capital in 1950 when a North Korean surprise attack triggered a war that dragged on for almost four years. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened after Kim in past months dialled up his military demonstrations, including tests of nuclear-capable missiles designed to target South Korea, the United States and Japan, while issuing threats of nuclear conflict against its rivals. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and updating their deterrence plans built around strategic US assets. Photos published by No

Doctors in S Korea facing license suspensions, all you need to know

South Korea is poised to start suspending the licenses of thousands of striking junior doctors as a punitive measure against their weekslong walkouts that have shaken hospital operations. Starting next week, the government said it will inform the striking medical interns and residents of its final decision to suspend their licenses for missing a government-imposed February 29 deadline to return to work. It's still unclear whether the move will prompt the doctors to end their strikes, and the standoff could still deepen as some senior doctors plan to submit resignations on Monday in a show of solidarity with the junior strikers. Here are the latest developments on the strikes touched off by the government's announcement in early February that it would recruit 2,000 more medical students yearly. WHY ARE THEIR LICENSES BEING SUSPENDED? Since early March, the South Korean government has been taking a series of administrative steps to suspend the licenses of about 12,000 junior doctors

Will suspend licence of striking junior doctors starting next week: S Korea

South Korea's government said on Thursday it will start suspending the licenses of striking junior doctors next week. Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo made the comments during a briefing as he repeated demands for the doctors to return to work immediately. More than 90 per cent of the country's 13,000 medical interns and residents have been on strike for about a month to protest the government's plan to sharply increase medical school admissions. Their strikes have caused hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments at hospitals. The government has been taking a series of administrative steps to suspend their licenses after they missed a government-set, February 29 deadline to return to work. Officials say the recruitment plan is aimed at adding more doctors to prepare for South Korea's rapidly aging population in a country whose doctor-to-population ratio is one of the lowest in the developed world. But doctors say schools can't handle an abrupt, steep increase in student

Kim Jong Un supervised tests of artillery systems targeting Seoul: N Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of nuclear-capable "super-large" multiple rocket launchers designed to target South Korea's capital as he vowed to boost his war deterrent in the face of deepening confrontations with rivals, state media said Tuesday. The report came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said they detected North Korea firing multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast, adding to a streak of weapons displays that have raised regional tensions. Experts say North Korea's large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundaries between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery. The North has described some of these systems, including the 600 mm multiple rocket launchers that were tested Monday, as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads. Photos published by the North's official Korean Central News Agency showed at least six ..

S Korea to suspend 2 sr doctors in first punishment for doctors' walkouts

South Korean authorities will suspend the licenses of two senior doctors for allegedly inciting the weekslong walkouts by thousands of medical interns and residents that have disrupted hospital operations, one of the doctors said Monday. The impending suspensions are the punishments against physicians after more than 90% of the country's 13,000 doctors-in-training walked off the job last month to protest the government's plan to sharply increase medical school admissions. Officials say the recruitment plan is aimed at adding more doctors to prepare for South Korea's rapidly aging population in a country whose doctor-to-population ratio is one of the lowest in the developed world. But doctors say schools can't handle an abrupt, steep increase in students, and that it would ultimately undermine the country's medical services. In early March, the government began taking steps to suspend the licenses of striking junior doctors after they refused its orders to return to work by the end o

North Korea supplied 7,000 containers of munitions to Russia, says Seoul

North Korea has shipped around 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year to help support its war in Ukraine, South Korea's defense minister said Monday. Shin Won-sik shared the assessment at a news conference hours after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters, adding to a streak of weapons displays amid growing tensions with rivals. Since the start of 2022, North Korea has used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to ramp up its weapons tests and has also aligned with Moscow over the conflict, as leader Kim Jong Un tries to break out of diplomatic isolation and join a united front against the United States. U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other equipment in recent months to help fuel its war on Ukraine, saying that such arms transfers accelerated after a rar

Why is South Korea hosting a 'Summit for Democracy', all you need to know

This year's summit agenda focused on digital threats to democracy, including misinformation, artificial intelligence, and deep fakes

N Korea conducts short-range ballistic missile tests, raises tensions

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Monday morning, its neighbours said, days after the end of the South Korean-US military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary session that North Korea fired "a number of" ballistic missiles into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. He said the missiles fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and no damage or injuries has been reported. Kishida denounced North Korea's repeated ballistic missile tests as acts "that threaten the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international society". He said Japan strongly protested against North Korea over its testing activities, saying they violated UN Security Council resolutions that ban the North from engaging in any ballistic activities. South Korea's military said it also detected "several" suspected short-range ballistic launches by North Korea on ..

India, US, South Korea explore cooperation in tech sector including AI

Ways to bolster cooperation in areas of semiconductor supply chains, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, critical minerals and production of military hardware figured prominently at a trilateral dialogue among India, the US and South Korea. According to a readout by the US, the meeting in Seoul was the first such trilateral dialogue among the three nations. The meeting committed to coordinate measures to protect sensitive technologies and build trusted technology ecosystems in the region and globally, the US embassy said on the meeting held this week. "In this first trilateral technology meeting, the United States, Republic of Korea, and India discussed opportunities to cooperate on semiconductor supply chains, telecommunications and digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum, space, advanced materials, clean energy and critical minerals," it said. The meeting also deliberated on possible cooperation in defence industrial

S Korea criticises senior doctors who are joining their juniors in walkout

South Korea's government criticized senior doctors at a major hospital for threatening to resign in support of the weekslong walkouts by thousands of medical interns and residents that have disrupted hospital operations. About 12,000 junior doctors in South Korea have been off the job for a month to protest a government plan to sharply increase medical school admissions. Officials say the plan is meant to add more doctors to deal with the country's rapidly aging society, but doctors say universities can't handle an abrupt, steep increase in the number of students, and that would eventually hurt the quality of South Korea's medical services. The government began steps a week ago to suspend the licenses of the striking doctors, after they missed a government-set Feb. 29 deadline for their return. The walkouts now threaten to enter a critical phase as senior doctors at the Seoul National University Hospital decided Monday to resign en mass if the government doesn't come up with measure

South Korea deploys military, public doctors to strike-hit hospitals today

Twenty military surgeons along with 138 public health doctors will be assigned to 20 hospitals for four weeks, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said at a meeting on Sunday

N Korea responds to S Korea-US military training with artillery firing

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised artillery firing drills aimed at boosting combat readiness, state media reported Friday, days after his country vowed to take corresponding military steps against the ongoing South Korean-U.S military trainin g that it regards as an invasion rehearsal. Thursday's drills involved frontline artillery units, whose weapons place Seoul, the South Korean capital, in their striking range, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim said artillery units must take the initiative with merciless and rapid strikes at the moment of their entry into an actual war, KCNA said. North Korea's forward-deployed long-range artillery guns pose a serious security threat to Seoul, a city with 10 million people which is about 40 to 50 kilometers (25 to 30 miles) from the border with North Korea. North Korea's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it would conduct unspecified responsible military activities in response to the annual South Korea-U.S. military