m1tank

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired several cruise missiles from its east coast on Sunday, the South Korean military said, days after Pyongyang test-fired new strategic cruise missiles from the west coast.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North's launch took place around 8 a.m. in waters off Shinpo Port, but did not elaborate, citing an ongoing analysis.

"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea's provocations," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.

It marks the North's second cruise missile launch this year after it test-fired strategic cruise missiles, named Pulhwasal-3-31, toward the Yellow Sea on Wednesday.

South Korean court has granted a request to seize funds deposited by Japanese shipbuilder Hitachi Zosen Corp., made by a plaintiff who seeks compensation related to a wartime labor lawsuit, a lawyer in the case said Wednesday.

Last month, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered the company to pay the plaintiff 50 million won ($37,400) for damages over forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule, and the plaintiff filed the request with the Seoul Central District Court on Jan. 10 as the firm has not complied.

The Seoul High Court has upheld the 220 billion won fine imposed by the Fair Trade Commission on Google for prohibiting smartphone manufacturers, such as Samsung Electronics, from utilizing mobile operating system (OS) aside from Android, which was legal. On Jan 24, Seoul High Court's Administrative Division 6-3 ruled that the plaintiff lost the lawsuit filed by Google against the Fair Trade Commission, requesting to reverse the fine and order the correction of the practice.

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's customs agency said Thursday it has caught two South Koreans for allegedly smuggling semiconductor chips produced by an American manufacturer to China worth more than 10 billion won (US$7.49 million).

The two officials of a foreign electronics distributing company, both in their 40s, were accused of exporting 96,000 U.S.-made computer chips worth 13.9 billion won combined to China without a customs declaration, according to the Korea Customs Service.

SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea continued to experience a natural decline in it population in November as deaths continued to outnumber births, data showed Wednesday.

A total of 17,531 babies were born in November, down 7.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

https://opennet.or.kr/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Alissa-Starzak_Cloudflare.pdf

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/11067778

“I would rather give up another year of my youth studying and trying again if I don’t make it ‘in-Seoul.'”

Kim Tae-yoo, is set to graduate high school in just a month, but he says he would rather endure another year of studying if he is not accepted to a Seoul university.

Koreans divide the country's 335 colleges in two: those "in-Seoul," and the rest.

“Going to university outside of Seoul has never been an option. Even if the schools in other provinces offer full-time scholarships, I would not enroll there. I never considered graduating from a school in other provinces or living there,” Kim said.

'In-Seoul' or nothing

Even before graduation, students flocked to private cram schools that help students prepare to retake the Suenung, the national exam that plays a key role in university admissions.

As a student at a prestigious private high school in Seoul, Kim said half of his classmates were preparing to study another year to improve their Suneung score, rather than accepting a place at a lower-ranked college.

Education Ministry data shows an average of 20 percent of high school graduates opt to study for at least another year. At major schools in Gangnam, an area famous for its focus on education, the proportion rose to 47.7 percent.

“I would rather give up another year of my youth studying and trying again if I don’t make it ‘in-Seoul.'”

Kim Tae-yoo, is set to graduate high school in just a month, but he says he would rather endure another year of studying if he is not accepted to a Seoul university.

Koreans divide the country's 335 colleges in two: those "in-Seoul," and the rest.

“Going to university outside of Seoul has never been an option. Even if the schools in other provinces offer full-time scholarships, I would not enroll there. I never considered graduating from a school in other provinces or living there,” Kim said.

'In-Seoul' or nothing

Even before graduation, students flocked to private cram schools that help students prepare to retake the Suenung, the national exam that plays a key role in university admissions.

As a student at a prestigious private high school in Seoul, Kim said half of his classmates were preparing to study another year to improve their Suneung score, rather than accepting a place at a lower-ranked college.

Education Ministry data shows an average of 20 percent of high school graduates opt to study for at least another year. At major schools in Gangnam, an area famous for its focus on education, the proportion rose to 47.7 percent.

The Defense Ministry said Friday that it will seek to remove a requirement that transgender women must have received hormone therapy to qualify for alternative forms of national service.

According to ministry officials, the ministry submitted a proposal on Dec. 13 to amend its ordinance on pre-service physical examinations, which are used to sort conscripts into ranked categories of physical fitness that determine the forms of service in which they can enlist.

In its proposal, the ministry seeks to allow transgender women, even if they have not undergone six months of hormone therapy, to enlist in alternative service, also known as public service, which includes three weeks of basic military training.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10982341

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) said Thursday it has created a cyber investigation team to step up monitoring on those who attempt to evade mandatory military service and crack down on draft dodgers.

The MMA said the new team will look into those who post information on how to evade compulsory military service and individuals avoiding service through fraudulent screening and other measures. It is tasked with collecting and analyzing digital evidence.

Under a revised military service law, which goes into effect in May, those who post and spread information regarding draft evasion will be subject to up to two years in prison or a fine of 20 million won (US$15,270).

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10988693

Losses from equity-linked securities (ELS) tied to the performance of the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) sold by Korea's top five commercial lenders have almost reached 230 billion won ($171 million) for this year, market watchers said Sunday. The high-risk, high-volatility index encompasses 50 shares of Chinese firms traded outside mainland China.

More investors will incur losses in the coming months as the three-year securities mature, compounded further by the index plunging 11.12 percent since the beginning of the year. The HSCEI was among the few global benchmark indexes that recorded double-digit year-to-date declines.

Losses from equity-linked securities (ELS) tied to the performance of the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) sold by Korea's top five commercial lenders have almost reached 230 billion won ($171 million) for this year, market watchers said Sunday. The high-risk, high-volatility index encompasses 50 shares of Chinese firms traded outside mainland China.

More investors will incur losses in the coming months as the three-year securities mature, compounded further by the index plunging 11.12 percent since the beginning of the year. The HSCEI was among the few global benchmark indexes that recorded double-digit year-to-date declines.