Climate & environment, Policy & regulation, Culture & entertainment
482 storiesSouth Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
Rublev’s Trinity icon returned to iconostasis at Trinity-Sergius Lavra
The «Trinity» icon painted by Andrei Rublev was returned to the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra on 5 October, according to sources cited by RBC. A printed copy had stood in its place while the icon was chec…
Korean trainer Yang Chi-seung says gym fraud losses reached nearly 2 billion won
Trainer Yang Chi-seung said he lost nearly 2 billion won in the fallout of a 기부채납 (donation-for-public-use) fraud case involving the gym he ran for years, up from earlier reports of about 1.5 billion won. He disclosed the figure and his emo…
South Korea's Lee chairs public report on K-GX green transition strategy
President Lee Jae-myung chaired a public report in Seoul on October 7 presenting the Korean-style Green Grand Transition (K-GX) strategy and the K-GX Signature Project private investment plan. About 80 people attended, including Deputy Prim…
Supreme Court hears Boulder climate suit as justices question both sides
The Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of arguments Monday on whether the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, can sue Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy in state court to recover costs tied to climate change. Conservative justices questioned…
FT: EU weighs universal corporate levy to raise taxes on US tech giants
The European Commission is considering a new mechanism to raise more tax revenue from large US technology companies without singling them out as a separate category, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources. Under discussion is …
Army study found ICE shock gloves cause pain, compliance and fear, AP reports
A previously unreleased Army study found that shock gloves now purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement caused intense pain, immediate compliance and fear of further shocks during a 2024 military exercise. Records obtained by t…
Culture minister: creativity must not be constrained amid 'Assassin(s)' dispute
Culture minister Choi Hwi-young told a National Assembly audit of his ministry on Oct 7 that “imagination and creation should not be constrained,” saying the question of historical distortion in the film “Assassin(s)” was for audiences to j…
Police begin protection for actor Yoo Hae-jin amid ‘Assassin(s)’ controversy
Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul began safety measures for actor Yoo Hae-jin on Oct 6 after his agency requested protection, issuing him a smartwatch, registering him in the 112 emergency system and strengthening patrols near his home. The …
South Korea forecasts a cold, windy Oct. 6 with a 15C day-night temperature gap
South Korea's weather agency forecast a chilly, clear Oct. 6 with morning lows of about 3-14°C and a day-night temperature gap of roughly 15°C in most regions. Gangwon's inland and mountain areas were expected near or below 5°C, with winds …
Busan International Film Festival opens 31st edition with 247 invited films
The 31st Busan International Film Festival opened on the evening of Oct. 6 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae district and runs through Oct. 15. Organisers invited 247 films from 59 countries, with 316 screenings in all including the co…
S. Korea farm minister says minor farmland survey violations won't be punished
Agriculture minister Song Mi-ryung told a parliamentary audit on Oct 7 that most ordinary, customary violations found in the government's full farmland survey would not be punished, and that the government has no plan or reason to confiscat…
Defense minister: arts, sports military service exemption to be cut and abolished
South Korea's defense minister said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it, after controversy over remarks by Asian Games football gold medallists about the exe…
Korea's top individual tax delinquent Kwon Hyuk to pay 393.8 billion won
The National Tax Service said on Oct 7 that Kwon Hyuk, chairman of Sido Group and the country's largest individual tax delinquent, has submitted a plan to pay his personal back taxes of 393.8 billion won in full, 15 years after the tax was …
South Korea unveils 1,000 trillion won green transition plan to 2035
South Korea announced a “Korean-style Green Transition” (K-GX) strategy on Oct 7, pledging about 1,000 trillion won over ten years to 2035 — 200 trillion won in fiscal support and more than 790 trillion won in climate finance through five p…
Busan film festival opens 31st edition; Michelle Yeoh takes Asian Filmmaker award
The 31st Busan International Film Festival opened on the evening of October 6 with a red-carpet ceremony at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, and runs until October 15. Actress Kim Min-ha hosted the opening ceremony, and Michel…
Land minister says Gangnam, Yongsan home prices have turned negative
Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Hong Ji-seon told a National Assembly audit on Oct 7 that home prices in Seoul's Gangnam three districts and Yongsan have turned negative, and said price growth should ease with the market stabili…
South Korea weighs ending military service exemptions for athletes and artists
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on October 6 that it is considering tightening or abolishing the military service exemption granted to athletes and artists, after some Asian Games gold medalists said exemption mattered more to them than…
Nine crested ibis released in Ishikawa in second Honshu release
Nine crested ibis were released on Oct. 7 in Nakanoto Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, the second release of the birds on Japan's main island of Honshu. A temporary cage was opened at about 11:30 a.m. under the “soft release” method; Nippon TV Ne…
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar Winner for ‘On the Waterfront,’ Dies at 102
Eva Marie Saint, an Oscar-winning actor known for “On the Waterfront” and “North by Northwest,” died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles at 102. Her publicist, Jeff Sanderson, said the cause was natural causes and that she was surrounded by …