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South Korea Introduces New Residence Cards for Foreigners with Enhanced Features
The Ministry of Justice in South Korea announced on Tuesday that it will be issuing a new type of identification card for foreigners staying in the country for more than 90 days, beginning this Saturday. This marks the first redesign of the Residence Card, previously known as the Alien Registration Card, in 12 years. The updated Residence Card will include a larger, full-color photograph of the cardholder, which is a 35% increase in size compared to the current black-and-white photo. Additional
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Rural South Korean Cities Turn to Unconventional Solutions to Combat Population Decline
Taebaek and Namwon Embrace Prisons to Revitalize Local Economies and Stem Population Loss As the population decline in rural areas across South Korea continues to exacerbate, cities like Taebaek and Namwon are exploring unconventional solutions to address this pressing issue. The construction of prisons is becoming an increasingly popular choice for these cities, as they aim to revitalize their economies and attract new residents. Taebaek, a former coal-mining town, has seen a drastic reductio
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Uncertainty Looms as Korea's FTC Delays Decision on Hanwha Group's DSME Acquisition
Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has unexpectedly delayed its decision on Hanwha Group's acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), causing growing uncertainty about the timeline for the takeover's approval, say industry insiders on Friday. Hanwha Group inked a deal in late 2021 to acquire DSME from the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB). It was initially expected that the FTC would greenlight the takeover before other countries' antitrust regulators, given that Hanw
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The Netherlands and Norway Join TikTok Ban on Government Devices: A Deep Dive into Global Concerns
The Netherlands and Norway have joined a growing list of countries that have recently issued orders banning the use of TikTok on government-issued devices, as concerns grow over the app’s privacy, security, and potential ties to the Chinese government. This decision reflects a growing global trend of governments becoming increasingly cautious about the use of Chinese technology and apps. The Dutch interior ministry issued a statement discouraging the use of apps from countries with an aggressiv
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South Korean Fried Chicken Prices Soar Amid Rising Food and Operating Costs
Kyochon Chicken Increases Prices by up to 3,000 Won, Consumers Face Higher Costs for Popular Dish South Korea - In response to the sharp increase in food prices and operating costs, the price of fried chicken in South Korea is also skyrocketing. Gyochon F&B, the company operating the popular Kyochon Chicken chain, announced on Thursday that it will raise its recommended prices for consumers starting from the 3rd of next month. This move is expected to further burden the spending of ordinary peo
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South Korea's Constitutional Court upholds legislation limiting prosecutorial powers
South Korea's Constitutional Court has rejected petitions to nullify revisions to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act, which significantly reduce the prosecution's investigative powers. The legislation was designed to limit prosecution probes to only two types of crime: corruption and economic crime. Critics argue that these changes have led to the "complete deprivation of the prosecution's investigative power." The prosecution service in South Korea has a long history of
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South Korea's Record Low Birthrate Sparks Controversial Proposals and Debate
South Korea's world-record low birthrate, with a total fertility rate of 0.78 last year, has prompted the ruling People Power Party to consider unconventional measures, including exempting men who have three or more children before the age of 30 from mandatory military service. The number of births in January also marked an 86th consecutive month of decline on a year-on-year basis. Critics argue that such proposals are unrealistic and ineffective in addressing the root causes of low birthrate.
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Korean Shipping Industry Confronts Fourfold Crisis Amid Rising Costs, Environmental Regulations, and Falling Freight Rates
The Korean shipping industry is facing a fourfold crisis as it contends with plummeting freight rates, soaring shipbuilding prices, surging ship capacity, and the imposition of stricter environmental regulations by governments worldwide. In March, the Shanghai Export Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), a critical indicator of global trade activity, recorded a value of 909.72— a stark contrast to its peak of 5,109.6 in January last year. This decline in freight rates is exacerbating the challeng
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Controversy and Challenges Surround Korea Aerospace Administration's Formation
The controversy surrounding the formation of the Korea Aerospace Administration (KAA), Korea's equivalent to NASA, continues to escalate. The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) is advocating for the passage of the 'Special Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Aerospace Administration' and aims to launch the organization by the end of the year. However, the proposal faces significant obstacles, with suggestions such as creating a separate, independent, and ministerial aerospace adm
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Debate Over Law Amendment to Allow Low-Cost Foreign Housekeepers Ignites Controversy
A heated debate has arisen over a proposed law amendment that would allow hiring foreign housekeepers at a low price of 1 million won (approx. $840 USD) per month without applying the legal minimum wage. The employment market for domestic workers is currently limited to Koreans and Korean-Chinese compatriots, resulting in a shortage of domestic helpers, especially for young couples raising children. To address this issue, the introduction of foreign domestic workers is being seriously considered
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Illegal Streaming Site Noonoo TV Poses Major Challenge to South Korea's OTT Platforms
South Korean over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Wavve, Tving, Coupang Play, and others are experiencing significant losses due to the illegal streaming site Noonoo TV. The pirated site offers paid content from these platforms for free, which poses a significant challenge to the country's growing media industry, according to industry officials. As per the officials, this has resulted in a loss of around 4.9 trillion won ($3.7 billion) for the industry. To address this
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Japan's population decline is a much bigger risk to civilization
Japan's population decline has once again caught the attention of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who tweeted about it, warning that the "rest of the world is trending to follow." Musk cited a U.S. report on the Japanese health ministry's preliminary data showing that the number of babies born in Japan in 2022 slipped below 800,000 for the first time since such data became available in 1899. This is not the first time Musk has tweeted about depopulation in Japan. In May last year, he made a much talked-ab
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