Page 28 - South Korea

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

South Korea regulator likely to sanction Meta over online marketplace

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) had investigated possible violations of the country's e-commerce law and had sent an examination report to Meta late last year, reports say

Kim Jong Un calls for greater fighting power against the US, South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for greater war fighting capabilities against the United States and South Korea, state media reported Thursday, after his defense ministry vowed to respond to ongoing military drills it views as an invasion rehearsal by its rivals. During a visit to a western operational training base on Wednesday, Kim said the military must steadily intensify the actual war drills aimed at rapidly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness, the official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim said the heightened readiness is required to contain the constant threat of the enemies with overwhelming force, KCNA said. It said Kim guided maneuvers of military units at the site but didn't elaborate. Kim has previously made similar calls for a stronger military numerous times. But his latest demand came two days after North Korea's Defense Ministry threatened to conduct unspecified responsible military activities because South Korean-U.S. militar

India, S Korea to collaborate in critical tech, semiconductors: Jaishankar

India wants to expand its strategic partnership with South Korea into new areas like critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors and green hydrogen to make the bilateral ties more contemporary, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. Jaishankar's remarks came as he co-chaired the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul. In his opening remarks, Jaishankar said that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to South Korea in 2015 the bilateral relations were elevated to a special strategic partnership. "It is important that we live up to that. We have grown from strength to strength in the years that have passed. We have become truly important partners for each other and our bilateral exchanges, trade, investments, defence and science and technology cooperation have all seen a steady growth while keeping up the momentum in the traditional areas of cooperation," the minister said. "We would be very much interest

EAM Jaishankar meets S Korean PM; discusses ways to boost bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday called on South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and discussed with him ways to further enhance bilateral ties. Jaishankar is here on the first leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan. He will co-chair the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul during the visit. "Honored to call on @PrimeMinisterKR Han Duck-soo today in Seoul. Appreciated his positive sentiments for India-South Korea ties and value his guidance ahead of the 10th Joint Commission Meeting tomorrow," Jaishankar posted on X. The JCM is expected to comprehensively review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening it. It will also provide an opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of Jaishankar's visit. Earlier, Jaishankar met South Korea's national ...

N Korea threatens to take action in response to US-S Korea military drills

North Korea called the ongoing South Korean-US military drills a plot to invade the country, as it threatened Tuesday to take unspecified "responsible" military steps in response. The North's warning came a day after the South Korean and U.S. forces kicked off their annual computer-simulated command post training and a variety of field exercises for an 11-day run. This year's drills were to involve 48 field exercises, twice the number conducted last year. In a statement carried by state media, the North's Defense Ministry said it "strongly denounces the reckless military drills of the US and (South Korea) for getting more undisguised in their military threat to a sovereign state and attempt for invading it." An unidentified ministry spokesperson said North Korea's military will "continue to watch the adventurist acts of the enemies and conduct responsible military activities to strongly control the unstable security environment on the Korean Peninsula." The spokesperson didn't say

S Korea to suspend licenses of doctors after they refuse to end walkouts

South Korea's government began steps on Monday to suspend the medical licenses of thousands of striking junior doctors, days after they missed a government-set deadline to end their joint walkouts, which have severely impacted hospital operations. Nearly 9,000 medical interns and residents have been on strike for two weeks to protest a government push to sharply increase the number of medical school admissions. Their action has led to hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments and threatened to burden the country's medical service. On Monday, officials were sent to dozens of hospitals to formally confirm the absence of the striking doctors as the government began steps to suspend their licenses for at least three months, Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told a briefing. Park said authorities will later notify the striking doctors of their expected license suspensions and give them a chance to respond. He suggested the license suspensions would take weeks to go into ...

US, S Korea begin large military drills to boost readiness against N Korea

South Korea and the United States began large annual military exercises Monday to bolster their readiness against North Korean nuclear threats after the North raised animosities with an extension of missile tests and belligerent rhetoric earlier this year. The South Korean and US forces began a computer-simulated command post training called the Freedom Shield exercise and a variety of field exercises for an 11-day run, the South Korean Defense Ministry said. North Korea had no immediate response to the major annual drills it regards as a rehearsal for invasion. The North has staged provocative weapons tests in the past in reaction to its adversaries' joint drills. South Korea's military said last week that it would conduct 48 field exercises with the US forces this spring, twice the number conducted last year, and that they would involve live-firing, bombing, air assault and missile interception drills. Since early 2022, North Korea has conducted more than 100 rounds of missile te