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