Police claim NK hackers stole cryptocurrency worth W58b

Hackers linked to North Korea’s military intelligence agency were found to be responsible for extorting ethereum cryptocurrency worth 58 billion won ($41.5 million) back in 2019, according to the National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency, Thursday. According to the KNPA, North Korea’s state-sponsored hacker groups Lazarus and Andariel were found to be involved in the theft of 342,000 ethereum tokens from the South Korea-based cryptocurrency exchange Upbit

Nov. 21, 2024

Seoul to host winter festival from Dec. 13

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will host a large-scale, city-wide winter festival next month, accompanied by media art and radiant sculptures decorating the city. Also known as Seoul Winter Festa, the city government combined several winter-themed events into one large-scale festival for the first time in 2023. According to the city government, the event saw around 7.4 million visitors. This year’s event will kick off on Dec. 13 and run until Jan. 5 at six location

Nov. 21, 2024

Binding plastic pollution treaty unlikely: ministry

With less than a week left for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution at its fifth and final session, the Ministry of Environment told the press Wednesday that reaching a deal “could be difficult.” "Out of the five scheduled rounds of negotiations, four have been completed,” said an Environment Ministry official. “However, the process remains deadlocked due to sharp conflict between cou

Nov. 20, 2024

Police to push for licenses for personal mobility devices

Police are pushing to introduce driver’s licenses dedicated specifically for personal mobility devices, such as electric scooters or motorized bicycles, according to the Korean National Police Agency. “The agency is planning to derive a reasonable proposal by January next year at the latest, after conducting surveys and consultations with related agencies and organizations by the end of this year,” a KNPA official told the press on Tuesday. Currently, three methods are being co

Nov. 19, 2024

‘Hangang River,’ not 'Han River': Seoul city

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated on Tuesday that the correct English name for the river running through the capital city, commonly referred to as the “Han River,” is the “Hangang River.” The recent announcement comes as the city government aims to address the ongoing confusion caused by the mixed usage of both terms. Known as Hangang in Korean -- "gang" meaning "river" -- the 508-kilometer-long waterway is a major national landmark and a popula

Nov. 19, 2024

Seoul mulls hiring foreign nationals as local bus drivers

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that it is pushing to hire foreign nationals as bus drivers on local community routes as the city struggles to deal with a chronic manpower shortage in the transportation sector. The city government requested last month that the Office for Government Policy Coordination expand the E-9 visa program to include the transportation sector and to extend the employment period for E-9 visa holders from three to five years. Currently, E-9 visas are is

Nov. 18, 2024

Cold wave alerts issued, below-zero temperatures through Wed.

Most regions were issued cold wave alerts Monday as South Korea saw a 10-degree drop in average temperatures compared to the previous day, with the cold expected to continue into Wednesday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, most parts of Korea saw temperatures dip below freezing, with average morning temperatures reaching as low as minus 5 degrees Celsius and daytime temperatures ranging between 6 C to 13 C, which is 1 C to 3 C lower than previous years. With Seoul seeing mor

Nov. 18, 2024

Court halts Yonsei University admissions process over exam leak

The Seoul Western District Court on Friday accepted an injunction filed by students and parents to suspend the validity of Yonsei University’s early admissions entrance exam in October, following allegations that exam questions were leaked prior to the test. The court ruled to “suspend the continuation of subsequent procedures” related to the early admissions exam until a ruling is made in a lawsuit demanding the exam be readministered. The decision effectively halts the announ

Nov. 15, 2024

Seoul to stay committed to Paris climate pact through Trump’s 2nd term

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration will uphold its commitment to the Paris Climate Accord throughout Donald Trump’s second term, despite mounting global concerns that the US president-elect may once again withdraw his country from the agreement, according to the Environment Ministry. Son Ok-ju, deputy minister of the Environment Ministry’s Planning and Coordination Office, stated, “Even with the Trump administration’s stance toward the Paris Agreement, the international ord

Nov. 15, 2024

Police bust $2.8b gambling ring that used deepfake video to lure gamblers

South Korean police have dismantled a massive online gambling ring worth 4 trillion won ($2.84 billion), apprehending 50 suspects accused of running the online operation since 2019 and employing deepfake technology to lure new users, according to the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday. According to police, out of 50 suspects, 13 have been arrested, including the website operator in his 40s. The remaining 37 have been forwarded to prosecutors. From October 2019 until March 2024, the 50 su

Nov. 15, 2024