Policy & regulation, Games, Other, Climate & environment
288 storiesSouth Korea re-designates 92 population decline regions, adding Busan Geumjeong, Dongducheon and Tongyeong
South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety re-designated 92 cities, counties and districts as population decline regions on Oct. 7, up from 89 in the first designation five years ago. Busan's Geumjeong-gu, Gyeonggi's Dongducheon and …
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
South Korea culture ministry issues director-level personnel notice
South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released a personnel appointment notice on 5 October 2026, carried by Newsis, Yonhap, Seoul Economic Daily, Asia Economy, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo. Yonhap's summary described …
Korea to draw up guidelines for medical accident investigations after ER search
Police searched the pediatric emergency medical center and pediatrics department at Ajou University Hospital on September 30 as part of an investigation into the July death of an infant. After medical groups and lawmakers from both main par…
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 …
Asian Games gold row widens as parties in South Korea seek exemption review
South Korea beat Japan 1-0 on October 3 to win a fourth consecutive Asian Games men's football gold, a result that exempts most of the squad from military service. A locker-room photo of Park Seung-su in a discharge hat, captain Lee Ki-hyuk…
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'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…
Inaugural Suwon major crimes investigation chief begins duties
Kim Hyeong-geun began official duties on 6 October as the first chief of the new Suwon District Central Investigation Office for Major Crimes, saying the office would overcome the limits of existing investigative agencies while inheriting t…
President Lee vows to keep pledge to end “real estate speculation republic”
President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 5 in a post on X that his government will keep its promise to escape the “real estate speculation republic,” saying the country cannot be made to face a “lost 30 years” from real-estate bomb-passing even…
Asian Games exemption row: Ahn Cheol-soo urges review, defense ministry regrets remarks
People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the military service exemption for Asian Games gold medalists should be reviewed for abolition starting with this tournament, noting the rule is a presidential decree that Pre…
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…
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…
South Korea refers 170 scalping suspects to police under new ticket law
The Culture Ministry said on Oct. 7 that it had referred 170 people suspected of ticket scalping to police, the first such referrals since revised performance and sports laws took effect on Aug. 28. The suspects, 121 in professional sports …
Netherlands proposes civilian reserve of 150,000 for emergencies
The Netherlands has proposed creating a civilian reserve for crises, with RTL reporting a target of 150,000 reservists for emergency situations, according to TASS. The reported roles include drivers, security guards and mechanics. RBC repor…
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…
Korea tightens monitoring of cross-border crypto transfers in FX decree
South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance gave public notice on October 7 of a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, a follow-up to the law revised in June. The draft would define a regist…
NC's Aion 2 tops 400,000 concurrent players on global launch day
NC began global service for its MMORPG Aion 2 on 5 October through Steam and its own Purple platform, and the company said peak concurrent players passed 400,000 on the first day. Early access had run from 30 September for five days for buy…
Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation, women's policy institute win top grade
Gyeongbuk province gave its top S grade to the Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation and the Gyeongbuk Women's Policy Development Institute in its 2026 evaluation of 18 public institutions, based on 2025 performance. The foundation also too…
S. Korea land minister vows to clear obstacles slowing redevelopment, housing supply
Land minister Hong Ji-seon told a National Assembly audit on Oct 7 that the government will actively remove factors slowing redevelopment and reconstruction projects and give incentives to sites that proceed quickly. He said a shortest-star…