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Latest in K-Sports

2025/05/16 14:00

It's time for the latest in the world of K-sports, with Korean athletes' growing presence on the global stage be it baseball, football or golf, we've got a lot of sports news happening overseas to talk about today. And, for that, we're joined by our sportscaster Jason Lee in the studio. Hello Jason! Q1. Lots of news surrounding some of Korea's biggest athletes abroad, but let's start with baseball because Lee Jung-Hoo has been red hot as of late Q2. And you said Kim Hye-Seong would likely join the Dodgers in late April or early May and indeed that's what happened. How has he been doing since being called up? Q3. Continuing with Korean athletes abroad, Son Heung-Min is finally back in action! Q4. Son Heung-Min has also been in the news lately regarding a blackmailing case ? Q5. Another big Korean soccer player, Lee Kang-In has been talked about a lot lately he's basically been benched by PSG with his team now in the Champion's League final but it's the team they beat that's actually been linked to Lee Kang-In, what's going on with that? Q6. And in golf, Korea already has a 3rd win on the LPGA tour this year thanks to Ryu Hae-ran! Q7. Jason, just before we let you go, a brief update of domestic baseball, we're about a quarter of the way through the KBO season, what are the biggest stories as of late?

[K-enter] Korean stars shine on Forbes '30 Under 30 Asia 2025'

2025/05/16 14:00

Time for some K-entertainment news with Bella Kim. Let’s kick off with an impressive story on Korean stars making it onto this year’s Forbes list! On Wednesday, American magazine Forbes announced the list of ‘30 Under 30 Asia 2025’ and number of Korean stars were selected on the list under the Entertainment & Sports category, including Stray Kids. Forbes noted that Stray Kids are the third K-pop group to top the Billboard main album chart ‘Billboard 200.’ It also stated that Stray Kids gained worldwide popularity by creating rock hits that follow their instincts. Along with Stray Kids, actors Go Min-si and Ha Ye-rin, boy group Big Ocean, and chef Kwon Seong-jun, the winner of Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars” Season 1, also made it onto the list. ‘30 Under 30 Asia’ is a list where Forbes select 30 leaders under the age of 30 each year in 10 different sectors, such as finance, art, entertainment and sports, across the Asia-Pacific region. Great to see some familiar names on the list! For our next story, we move onto a collaboration between K-pop and classics? SM Classics, a classic and jazz label under SM Entertainment, announced that it will hold a K-pop orchestra concert in collaboration with the world-renowned symphony orchestra Vienna Symphony. This performance is a special project included in the regular concert lineup of Vienna Symphony for the 2025/26 season. It is set to take place on February 16th of next year at Vienna Concert House. This collaboration is significant as it combines SM Classics, which captures the essence of K-pop through classical reinterpretation, with the world-class performance of the Vienna Symphony, providing a highly immersive experience. Not only that, it’s the very first attempt to bring K-pop to the European classical stage in a standalone concert format. Meanwhile, SM Classics plans to actively pursue the performance and score intellectual property(IP) licensing business, aiming to spread its original IP worldwide. They will meet with domestic audiences at a concert in Seoul in August. Wow, excited to see how the two sound together. Bella yesterday, you introduced two upcoming Korean streaming series and both were on the genre of thriller and crime. We have another series coming up of the same genre? The upcoming series “Hunter with a Scalpel” has revealed its teaser poster. The newly released poster immediately grabs attention with the intense visuals of Park Ju-hyun, Park Yong-woo, and Kang-hoon, setting a thrilling tone. The new series is a psychological crime thriller that follows the story of Se-hyun, a brilliant yet troubled forensic pathologist. While conducting an autopsy, Se-hyun uncovers evidence linking her father to a murder. To protect her dark past from being revealed, Se-hyun embarks on a race against time to catch her father before the police. “Hunter with a Scalpel” is set to be released on U+tv, U+mobile tv, and Disney+ on June 16th. Excited to see these "series" of thriller series in the coming weeks. Thank you Bella for today’s stories.

[Features reporter] King Sejong and Hangeul go global: First National Day in his honor

2025/05/16 14:00

Soo-hyung, as we all know May 15th, yesterday was Teachers' Day here in South Korea. But I heard that from now on, it will also be celebrated together with King Sejong's birthday? That’s right. As you mentioned, starting this year, for the first time, Teachers' Day is also being marked as King Sejong's Birthday, or Sejongdaewang nashin nal in Korean. I went to the very first celebration event yesterday, and many people enjoyed experiencing one of his greatest achievements, the creation of Hangeul the Korean letter. Let's do take a look. People press a seal engraved with Korean letters, Hangeul. They also try printing Hangeul, made up of consonants and vowels, by themselves. This is Hunminjeongeum, the original Hangeul created in 1443. "We just came to look around and then we just witnessed it and we started to do Hangul and it was really nice actually it was so fun to do." "I think if you want to try it out you can learn it easy." "She learned Korean like for three months now. So Hangul was really easy." "Yeah, and it was for me at least it was easy." Born on May 15, 1397, King Sejong the Great is regarded as one of the greatest monarchs in Korean history. He made important contributions to Korean culture, including in science, the arts and agriculture. Among his contributions is Hangeul, the Korean letters. "May 15th is National Teachers' Day. Last November, the government also designated it as a day to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of King Sejong, the “teacher” of the Korean nation, and honor his achievements." The first official celebration of the newly designated day was held at Gyeongbokgung Palace on Thursday. Many events were held to revive the significance of Hangeul’s creation and his legacy. Modern Hangeul, made up of 24 letters, is easy to learn and has a unique design. As Korean culture spreads around the world, more people are interested in learning it. "Thanks to the global popularity of K-content, Hangeul is gaining attention worldwide. Its simple shapes and small number of characters make it easy to learn, so many people want to study it. But Hangeul is more than just a writing system, its unique design is also admired globally as a form of visual art." More than six centuries since his birth, King Sejong’s legacy spreads across the world through Hangeul. Wow the venue looked so interesting. Then, why was May 15 chosen as the official commemorative day for the birth of King Sejong? Right, we already have Hangeul Day on October 9th, as a national holiday. When people think of King Sejong, they usually remember him as the creator of Hangeul. But actually, he made remarkable achievements across nearly every field. He focused on making life better for his people. This includes many scientific tools for use in agriculture so that farmers could work more efficiently, and improved laws and policies to protect the common people from injustice. That's why the government designated King Sejong’s birthday as the National Day, celebrating the cultural pride he helped build. Right, Soo-hyung, let's hear more details about the Korean letters, Hangeul, a little more, Yes. Cause we know how beautiful and creative Hangeul is but for others who still haven't discovered this yet. Yes, the original version of Hangeul, called Hunminjeongeum, means “the right sounds to teach the people.” At first, it had 28 letters, but over about 600 years, four letters disappeared, and now we use 24 letters. The beauty of Hangeul is that it's a writing system where we know exactly who made it, when, where, why, and how that’s pretty rare. People say Hangeul is easy to learn, but you might not really believe it until you try. Like those two sisters from Germany we met earlier, they told me they took only couple hours to memorize all 24 letters, it was actually pretty easy for them. That's exciting to hear. I always look up to King Sejong, but after this, I admire him even more. Thank you Soo-hyung for interesting report. Yes thank you Soo-hyung for the story.

APEC trade ministers' meeting kicks off in S. Korea amid economic uncertainty from Trump's tariffs

2025/05/16 10:00

Down on South Korea's Jeju Island, trade talks between APEC member states are about to go into full swing. There, South Korea's trade minister Ahn Duk-geun will also pick up on tariff negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Our Bae Eun-ji reports. Top trade officials from 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member states, including the U.S. and China, have gathered on Jeju Island ahead of the APEC leaders' summit later this year. Led by South Korea's Minister for Trade Cheong In-kyo, this is the first time in 20 years that the country is hosting the APEC trade ministers' meeting. "I hope today's meeting will lay a solid foundation for dialogue and collaboration to overcome political and economic challenges as well as uncertainties that we encounter." On the sidelines of the event, Cheong on Thursday held a bilateral meeting with China's top trade envoy, Li Chenggang, and also sat down for talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Seoul's trade ministry said that Cheong asked Greer about how tariff negotiations are going with other countries, and discussed bilateral trade issues. It added that they also agreed to work together for South Korea to produce a meaningful outcome as this year's APEC host. Greer is also set to meet South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, on Friday. The two officials last met in Washington three weeks ago, when South Korea requested exemptions from reciprocal tariffs, while offering cooperation on shipbuilding and energy. Both sides are currently working to produce a package of deals to remove new U.S. tariffs before the July 8th deadline, when the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs is lifted. "This year's event especially drew a lot of attention as major APEC member countries are seeking trade deals with the United States, after President Trump announced a sweeping set of tariffs in April." With trade officials from the U.S. and China both here on Jeju, a meeting between them on Thursday afternoon was also closely watched, as this could be seen as a potential move to make further progress to address trade friction. This comes after the world's two largest economies agreed last weekend in Geneva to temporarily lower most tariffs in a bid to defuse the trade war. Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News, Jeju.

[Weather] Nationwide rain with downpours in southern coast and Jeju

2025/05/16 10:00

It looks like a wet start to the day for many, and we can expect rain or passing showers across the country today. Heavy rain is forecasted for the south coast and Jeju with thick rain clouds approaching this morning. At times, we could see intense downpours of 20 to 30 millimeters per hour there. Mountainous regions on Jeju could receive over 150 millimeters, and the south coast could see up to 100 millimeters. So, further south will be dealing with heavier rainfall possibly into early tomorrow. Meanwhile, central regions will see passing rain of 5 to 40 millimeters along with strong winds and thunderstorms. Afternoon temperatures will be similar to yesterday, topping out at 22 degrees in Seoul, 24 degrees in Daegu. Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do could see afternoon rain tomorrow, then we should see clear skies returning nationwide on Sunday. It looks to be an unsettled day for many today, keep an umbrella handy and take care!

Pope Leo XIV expected to live in traditional papal apartment unused by Pope Francis

2025/05/16 10:00

The new Pope is expected to move into the official papal residence, an apartment on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace, according to an Italian media report on Thursday. Pope Leo XIV , the first American-born pontiff, had reopened the traditional papal apartments on May 11, which had been sealed following the late Pope Francis' death. Pope Leo's decision is a departure from his predecessor's choice to live in the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse and a return to longstanding papal customs. The Apostolic Palace apartments, unused since 2013, have nearly a dozen rooms, including a study, library, and private chapel.

Sao Paulo's lake and wildlife dyed blue in accidental spill, authorities investigate impacts

2025/05/16 10:00

In Brazil, a dye spill accident occurred on Tuesday in Sao Paulo's Jardim das Tulipas neighborhood, approximately 75 kilometers from the central city. According to authorities, some 5,000 liters of chemical dye spilled after a transport truck crashed, contaminating local streets and entering a nearby creek through a manhole. The blue dye changed the colors of the waters and ducks in the area, and some fish were found dead in a lake. Cleanup operations began immediately. However, investigations have begun to assess the environmental impact of the incident.

UK and Germany to jointly develop long-range precision strike weapon

2025/05/16 10:00

In Europe, the United Kingdom and Germany have announced a collaborative effort to boost Europe's self-defense by developing a new long-range precision strike weapon. On Thursday, local time, British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, met in Berlin to sign an agreement for the joint development of a "deep precision strike" missile system. The weapon is designed to have a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers. The plan comes under the Trinity House Agreement on bilateral defense cooperation signed in October 2024. It aims to reduce Europe's reliance on external defense support and address security situations, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine. Joint procurement programs to counter undersea threats have also been agreed upon. Minister Healey stated that both nations are dedicated to "making progress, not just making promises."

U.S. Supreme Court grapples with Trump bid to restrict birthright citizenship

2025/05/16 10:00

Starting in the U.S., the Supreme Court began hearing arguments concerning President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented or temporary immigrant parents. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court started a session on the executive order President Trump signed in January. Trump's order seeks to reinterpret the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause and would deny automatic citizenship to children born on U.S. soil unless at least one parent is a 하a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The directive faced legal challenges from 22 states and civil rights groups, with several federal judges issuing nationwide injunctions to stop its enforcement. The case taken by the Supreme Court centers on whether lower courts have the authority to issue such injunctions. During the session, justices' opinions were divided with arguments saying that allowing the injunctions may overextend judicial authority whereas limiting the injunctions could lead to an inconsistency of laws across states. Meanwhile, protests occurred outside the courthouse, where demonstrators voiced support for birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court's decision is expected by the end of June.

Presidential candidate debates begin May 18, to air live on Arirang TV

2025/05/16 10:00

And Arirang TV will broadcast three live debates featuring the major candidates, beginning this Sunday. Each debate will spotlight a different theme — economy on May 18th, social issues on May 23rd, and politics on May 27th. Four candidates will take the stage: Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok from the Reform Party, and Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party. All three debates will begin at 8 PM Korea Standard Time.

Latest polls on S. Korean Presidential Election: Do conservatives stand a chance?

2025/05/16 10:00

We saw official campaigning for the June 3rd election kick off this Monday, following a tumultuous weekend, during which a highly anticipated merger fell through. We have our correspondent Oh Soo-young to fill us in on how the race looks in the latest opinion polls, less than three weeks until the election. Good morning, Soo-young. 1. Last weekend, we saw the main conservative ticket finalised, and we now have three leading contenders. That's right. People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo emerged as the leading conservative candidate, since there was no merger with independent contender former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, for a joint conservative ticket against Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, who has led the polls since January. This appears to have somewhat stabilised support for candidates among the electorate,. however, it didn't change the overall landscape of the race. In the latest NBS poll released on Thursday,.. support for Lee Jae-myung increased to 49 percent, up 6 percentage points from the previous week, while Kim Moon-soo's decreased by 2 points to 27 percent, and Lee Jun-seok's remained the same at 7 percent. Gallup Korea's poll on Wednesday showed higher support for Lee Jae-myung with 51 percent support, followed by Kim Moon-soo at 31 percent, and Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party at 8 percent. 57 percent of respondents wanted a change of government from the right to a left-leaning administration,. the highest figure recorded since January,. while 32 percent wanted to retain a conservative administration. So despite the candidate swap controversy that erupted last week, the public opinion trend hasn't shown much deviation after the final race lineup was confirmed. Bad news for conservative candidates. 2. The liberal contender has been far ahead in the polls, but there is still over two weeks left in the race. In politics, anything can happen during that time. Yes, Lee Jae-myung does very much lead the polls but pundits aren't ruling out the possibility of swing voters changing the equation of this three-way race. While Gallup's survey indicates around 8 percent of voters are undecided or aren't sure who to back, the NBS poll shows a higher figure, at 16 percent. 17 percent of those surveyed say they might change the candidate they support. The group most open to changing their support were voters in their 20s at 42 percent, and 30s at 30 percent. This is notably the same bracket that determined the outcome of the previous 2022 Presidential Election where the recently-removed Yoon Suk Yeol won with a 0.78 percent lead over Lee Jae-myung. These shifts are significant because other age brackets have remained relatively stable in their support --the 40s and 50s still lean heavily toward a change from a conservative to progressive government, while the 60s and 70s favour continuity. So it seems that if those undecided voters favor Kim Moon-soo over Lee Jae-myung, this presidential election, just like the last one, could come down to a 1 to 2 percentage point margin. That's why we've seen the candidates targeting centrist voters over the past week, with the two right-leaning contenders Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok trying to solidify their conservative base as well. 3. So third party candidate Lee Jun-seok is now perceived as a potential factor for the conservative ticket. Yes. Over the weeks, there's been a slight but significant increase of support for the right-leaning candidate, who is presenting himself as a youthful and forward-looking conservative candidate. However, his support base is precarious as half of those who back him say they might vote for another candidate. This potential shift actually gives him the power of alignment. If he merges with the leading conservative candidate PPP's Kim Moon-soo, they could together have roughly 40 percent support. Lee has so far loudly criticised the PPP's push to join forces, and it seems half of his supporters don't want a merger. "A merger might happen under this scenario: If Kim Moon-soo's approval rating rises significantly, and if Lee Jun-seok can add even a little bit to that, then there's a chance they can win. Because Lee Jun-seok is still young, if he doesn't agree to unify under those circumstances, he risks being blamed for the conservatives losing so he has to avoid that. But if support for Kim Moon-soo doesn't rise that much while Lee Jun-seok's support actually surpasses 10 percent, a merger is unlikely." Well, we'll see how the first TV debate between the contenders this Sunday might sway the voters. Thanks for coming in today Sooyoung.

Reform Party candidate calls for higher inmate productivity, slams conservatives calling for merger

2025/05/16 10:00

And Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok took the time to sit down with students marking Teachers' Day on Thursday. The talks took place over lunch at Seoul National University of Education, as he continued his campus cafeteria outreach to college students. Also on the same day, he announced prison reform proposing inmates participate in higher value labor such as machinery assembly and digital operations rather than tasks like sewing and cleaning. In response to inquiry about a coalition with the main conservative camp, he condemned those seeking "political engineering".

PPP's Kim calls martial law declaration 'inappropriate' and apologizes amid calls to expell Yoon

2025/05/16 10:00

The conservative party's Kim Moon-soo kicked off Friday morning by reaching out to commuters again. On Thursday, he spent the day apologizing to the South Korean people for the failed martial law order by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Our Kim Do-yeon reports. Returning to Seoul on Thursday after a three-day tour of the southeast, People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo kept a low profile — with no major rallies — possibly taking time to regroup at his campaign headquarters. But attention quickly turned to a familiar issue: the legacy of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol and his declaration of martial law. Kim, at a press conference, issued a second public apology. "So I sincerely and respectfully apologize — to those struggling to make a living outside of the capital region, to many whose lives have become more difficult, to those feeling weighed down or disheartened, and to all affected by the deepening divisions in public opinion." Kim was also asked about whether Yoon should be expelled from the party. He responded that the decision to leave rests solely with Yoon. That came after newly appointed interim leader Kim Yong-tae said in a morning interview that expulsion could be on the table and that he plans to personally suggest that Yoon step down. Some in the party agree, arguing that distancing from Yoon is critical to winning over undecided voters, who are largely critical of the martial law controversy. Meanwhile, the PPP continued its attacks on rival Lee Jae-myung, this time by protesting outside the Supreme Court. The party accuses the Democratic Party of pressuring the judiciary branch after the Supreme Court ruled against Lee in his election violation case and sent it back to a lower court for a guilty verdict. The DP has since moved to summon Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae for a hearing, started pushing for a special probe, and is even reviewing a possible impeachment. "They say democracy is about the rule of law — but have you ever seen anything so absurd? A criminal threatening a judge, summoning a judge for a hearing, launching a special investigation into a judge, or even trying to impeach a judge? Have you ever heard of such madness?" On the policy front, Kim marked Teachers' Day by unveiling his education pledges — including bringing AI into classrooms and restoring teachers' authority, saying excessive student protections have weakened discipline while also strengthening public education. He also appealed his diplomatic skills, as he met interim U.S. Ambassador Joseph Yun. While the discussion remains private, Kim's chief of staff said they talked candidly about the Korean Peninsula and tariff issues. Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.

DP's Lee Jae-myung campaigns in liberal stronghold; pledging to foster renewable energy industry

2025/05/16 10:00

The liberal party's Lee Jae-myung will continue to solidify the party's traditionally firm grip in the Jeolla-do provinces on Friday. Yesterday, in Jeollanam-do Province, he vowed balanced regional growth. Our Shin Ha-young has the wrapup. After spending the past few days trying to win support in traditionally conservative strongholds, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung focused on rallying support in his party's stronghold. Lee's campaign on Thursday took him through Jeollanam-do Province, including the cities of Gwangyang , Yeosu , Suncheon and Mokpo. Kicking off his tour of this region, Lee pointed to the concentration of power in the capital area as the biggest problem South Korea was facing. He emphasized balanced regional development, which is one of his 10 major campaign pledges. In line with this, he highlighted fostering the renewable energy industry as a pledge tailored to the Jeolla-do provinces, saying the southwest coast holds great potential for renewables. "We don't have a clear plan for renewables yet as we move away from fossil fuels due to global warming. Energy prices are likely to go up, so we need to develop our own resources. That's why I think we should actively grow the renewable energy industry, especially along the southwestern coast and in the Jeolla-do provinces." During his visit to Yeosu, Lee outlined his energy plan, pledging to turn the Jeollanam-do coast into a global renewable energy hub by building a so-called "energy highway". He said the region has plenty of resources but lacks transmission lines, promising to fix the issue and unlock the area's full energy potential. "Why can't we build a country with balanced regional development, where companies come for local renewable energy? With Lee Jae-myung's leadership, we can change the nation just like we saw in Seongnam and Gyeonggi-do, and just like the DP has changed." Ahead of his rally in the party's stronghold, Lee visited Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, near the border between Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do provinces. There, he met with young people at Hwagae Market to discuss concerns about jobs, housing and child care. The choice of location and participants from different regions reflected Lee's intention to promote regional harmony. Lee will continue his campaign on Friday in Jeollabuk-do Province, visiting the cities of Iksan and Jeonju. Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.

Trump touts US$ 200 bil. deal with UAE which includes AI cooperation

2025/05/16 10:00

The White House announced on Thursday that the U.S. and the UAE have agreed on 200 billion U.S. dollars worth of deals during President Donald Trump's Middle East trip, including cooperation in the AI sector. Washington says the two sides agreed on AI cooperation, including a promise to invest in data centers in the U.S. The U.S. and UAE will partner up on a massive AI campus, which is being touted as the largest such facility outside of the U.S. The Abu Dhabi data center will have a 5-gigawatt capacity and cover almost 26 square kilometers. The AI cooperation deal will also allow the Middle Eastern nation to import up to 500-thousand cutting-edge AI semiconductors annually from Nvidia starting this year.

Trump touts 'freedom zone' plan for Gaza as scores killed in Israeli airstrikes on enclave

2025/05/16 10:00

Scores of people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his plan of turning the enclave into a "freedom zone." Trump was speaking during his trip to the Middle East, which did not include a stopover in Israel. Lee Seung-jae has more. With ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas stalled, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on dozens of sites in Gaza from Wednesday night and into Thursday. The latest barrage of airstrikes killed at least 114 Gazans, with witnesses saying the Israeli military targeted medical facilities, including pediatric clinics. The airstrikes were also carried out as U.S. President Donald Trump was on his tour of the Middle East. Israel was excluded from his itinerary. However, Trump on Thursday doubled down on his proposal to displace Gazans, stressing again that the enclave should be made into a "freedom zone." Speaking to reporters after a round table with business leaders in Qatar, Trump said that "Gaza has been a territory of death and destruction for many years," adding that the U.S. should "get involved and make it a "freedom zone." All Arab states have rejected his plan, with Hamas calling it "ethnic cleansing." Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that ceasefire talks mediated by the U.S. have not made any progress due to differences in opinion between Israel and Hamas. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.

Negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations delayed by a day

2025/05/16 10:00

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Russia for not taking peace talks seriously by sending a delegation that he said lacked decision-makers. The peace talks which were scheduled for Thursday but have reportedly been delayed until Friday without a face of between Ukraine and Russia's leaders. Our Kim Bo-kyoung reports. All eyes were fixed on the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years, which were supposed to take place on Thursday but are now expected to happen on Friday in Istanbul. However, the negotiations failed to materialize amid criticism over the standard of the Russian delegation. Russian President Vladimir Putin was a noticeable absence on Moscow's list of attendees despite proposing the talks and a challenge from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face to face. While making his announcement regarding the team headed by his defense minister to Istanbul for the peace talks, Zelenskyy criticized Moscow for not taking the negotiations seriously. "After we understood the level of the Russian delegation, we see that, unfortunately, they are not taking the real negotiations very seriously. So far, we do not see among those present anyone who actually makes decisions." The sides have also been separated with regard to the outcomes they each want from the direct talks. While Ukraine's top priority is a ceasefire, the Russian delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, said their goal was to "eliminate the basic root causes of the conflict", and to sooner or later establish long-term peace. He added that these negotiations are a continuation of the peace process that fell through in 2022, when Ukraine saw Russian demands as a threat to its sovereignty. Regarding the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday expressed limited optimism, saying Washington frankly does not have high expectations of the negotiations. Speaking to reporters in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, he said only the direct engagement between the U.S. and Russia could result in a breakthrough. "And frankly at this point I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin." Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.

DP's Lee Jae-myung campaigns in liberal stronghold; pledging to foster renewable energy industry

2025/05/15 20:00

Thank you for joining us. I'm Yoon Jung-min. On the fourth day of official campaigning, liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung continued his trek across the country, this time, to his party's stronghold. His message there was directed towards balanced regional growth. Our correspondent Shin Ha-young reports. After spending the past few days trying to win support in traditionally conservative strongholds, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung focused on rallying support in his party's stronghold. Lee's campaign on Thursday took him through Jeollanam-do Province, including the cities of Gwangyang , Yeosu , Suncheon and Mokpo. Kicking off his tour of this region, Lee pointed to the concentration of power in the capital area as the biggest problem South Korea was facing. He emphasized balanced regional development, which is one of his 10 major campaign pledges. In line with this, he highlighted fostering the renewable energy industry as a pledge tailored to the Jeolla-do provinces, saying the southwest coast holds great potential for renewables. "We don't have a clear plan for renewables yet as we move away from fossil fuels due to global warming. Energy prices are likely to go up, so we need to develop our own resources. That's why I think we should actively grow the renewable energy industry, especially along the southwestern coast and in the Jeolla-do provinces." During his visit to Yeosu, Lee outlined his energy plan, pledging to turn the Jeollanam-do coast into a global renewable energy hub by building a so-called "energy highway". He said the region has plenty of resources but lacks transmission lines, promising to fix the issue and unlock the area's full energy potential. "Why can't we build a country with balanced regional development, where companies come for local renewable energy? With Lee Jae-myung's leadership, we can change the nation --just like we saw in Seongnam and Gyeonggi-do, and just like the DP has changed." Ahead of his rally in the party's stronghold, Lee visited Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, near the border between Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do provinces. There, he met with young people at Hwagae Market to discuss concerns about jobs, housing and child care. The choice of location and participants from different regions reflected Lee's intention to promote regional harmony. Lee will continue his campaign on Friday in Jeollabuk-do Province, visiting the cities of Iksan and Jeonju. Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.

[Weather] Strong rain in south of the country, showers in central areas

2025/05/15 20:00

Early summer-like heat eased off a bit with some rain today. This rain will continue mainly in the south tomorrow. In particular, heavy rain will be concentrated around Jeju Island and the south coast. In the mountainous areas of Jeju Island, there will be strong rain of around 20 to 30 millimeters per hour. Showers are forecast around the central parts of the country tomorrow afternoon. The amount of rainfall is not large with around 5 to 20 millimeters, but there is a possibility of sudden heavy rain or gusty winds, thunder, lightning, and hail. Tomorrow morning, Seoul and Chuncheon will start off at 16 degrees Celsius, Busan and Gyeongju at 17 degrees. Highs will move up to 24 degrees in Seoul and Chuncheon, 20 degrees in Busan. Clear and warm spring weather will come back on Sunday throughout the country. That's all for Korea. Here are the weather conditions around the world.

S. Korea fines Temu 1.37 billion won for transferring personal data overseas

2025/05/15 20:00

South Korea's data protection authority has fined Chinese e-commerce platform Temu for transferring user data overseas without prior notification. The Personal Information Protection Commission fined Temu some 1-point-37 billion won, or about 980-thousand U.S. dollars, on Thursday. Temu shared personal information such as names, addresses, purchase histories, and customs codes required for customs clearance to companies in 10 countries, including China and Singapore. Under the Personal Information Protection Act, if a company needs to entrust or store personal information overseas to fulfill a contract, it must either disclose this in its privacy policy or notify the user by email.