The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China announced that Chinese diplomatic officials embarked on their second European tour on March 2nd to mediate in the Ukraine war. Mao Ning, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, stated that this European tour includes vis
Sweden has officially become the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 7th. NATO, established in 1949 by the United States (U.S.), Canada, France, and 12 other countries, is a military alliance that considers an attack on one nation as an invasion against the entire a
North Korea has heightened military threats by conducting various naval missile launches and testing new artillery since the beginning of the year. On January 5th, North Korea fired around 200 coastal artillery shells near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, engaging in violent provocatio
On February 6th, the government announced the plan to increase admissions for medical schools. From the academic year of 2025, the government decided to expand the medical school admission quota by 2,000 students over the next five years, resulting in the admission of 5,058 medical students annually
The Ministry of Commerce of China proposed strengthening graphite export regulations last October, which was implemented on December 1st, 2023. Graphite is a vital material for cathodes, electrodes from which a conventional current flows out, that affects the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries util
Norway declared on January 16th that all international adoptions would be halted for two years, pointing to several charges of illegalities. The Norwegian government explained, “The risk of document forgery is so great that we cannot be sure that the children’s legal security is safeguarded,” as the
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) launched the Climate Card demonstration project on January 27th, with a complete initiation planned for July 2024. The Climate Card provides unlimited use of public transportation within Seoul City, including Ttareungi, the bike-sharing system, at ₩65,000 per
The government hosted an open debate on January 22nd at the Korea Creative Content Agency Education Services Center to announce plans to end the forced shutdowns of hypermarkets on two public holidays every month, which has been in place since 2012. The obligatory closure of hypermarkets was enforce
An armed conflict has broken out between Israel and the Palestinian political and military organization Hamas around the Gaza Strip. This conflict can be seen as a rupture of longstanding tensions that have been brewing for 75 years since the First Arab-Israeli War in 1947. Fighting broke out on Oct
On October 30th, the State Council approved an amendment to the penal code that allows the sentencing of life imprisonment with no parole. The main point of the said amendment is setting a distinction between offenses eligible for parole and those that are not. Previously, offenders who were sentenc
Last October, controversy arose over the proposal to integrate Gimpo City as part of Seoul City. The discussion about integrating Gimpo into Seoul City was first raised in 1995 but was dispersed due to practical difficulties. However, in October, the debate reignited when Gimpo City Mayor Kim Byung-
On October 30th, the Canadian government issued a ban on the Chinese messaging application WeChat on government- owned devices. Canadian authorities cited that, “The Chinese application WeChat poses an unacceptable level of risk to national security and private data protection,” and therefore decide
On September 10th, Joe Biden, the President of the United States (U.S.), visited Hanoi, Vietnam, and held a meeting with the paramount leader, Nguyen Phú Trong. Through this summit, the relationship between the two countries was elevated from a “comprehensive partnership” to a “comprehensive strateg
On September 13th, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, visited the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. United States (U.S.) officials noted that there is a high possibility of an arms deal between the two countries. The U.S. is viewing the meeting as a final st
The Korean Railway (KORAIL) labor union went on a strike from September 14th, 9 a.m., to 18th, 9 a.m., demanding Suseo Korea Train eXpress (KTX) and improvement in working conditions. This is in response to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) reducing the Suseo-Gyeongbu line
Following the suicide of a young teacher from Seo2 Elementary School in Seoul on July 18th, three consecutive suicide incidents emerged in less than two months. The elementary school teachers’ self-destructing actions from Shinmok Elementary School in Gunsan on August 31st, and in Daejeon on Septemb
In August, former United States (U.S.) president Donald Trump, along with 18 defendants, were indicted on charges of attempting to overturn Georgia’s vote in the 2020 presidential election. This was already his fourth indictment, along with previous charges of trying to overturn election results, le
On August 8th, massive wildfires caused by dry winds swept across Maui, Hawaii, causing a significant number of casualties and property damage. The wildfires have left 114 fatalities, 1,300 missing people, and 4,500 homeless. This disaster has been recorded as the deadliest disaster in Hawaii and as
The simultaneous and random knife attacks called Mudjima that happened in July and August have instilled a sense of fear among some citizens. The Mudjima, which means “do not ask why” in Korean, is a particular type of crime towards unspecified individuals without a specific motive or target. On Jul
The 25th World Scout Jamboree was held from August 1st to 12th in Saemangeum, Korea. The Jamboree is a worldwide youth camp held every four years by the World Organization of the Scout Movement to share cultural exchanges and build international friendships. The 25th Jamboree was designed for the sc