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President Lee calls joint Korean War remains repatriation 'testament' to S. Korea-U.S. alliance

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday called joint efforts by South Korea and the United States to recover and return the remains of troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War the "most powerful testament" to the alliance. Lee made the remarks during a joint repatriation ceremony for the return of the remains of 10 fallen South Korean service members from Hawaii to Korea and the repatriation of those of three U.S. soldiers back home. "Today's repatriation marks a meaningful milestone that further d

New Assembly speaker elected; 14 new lawmakers make Assembly debut

The National Assembly on Friday elected six-term liberal lawmaker Rep. Cho Jeong-sik as its new speaker of the country's unicameral legislature. Cho, who was selected in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's internal contest on May 13, won 267 votes out of 276 at the plenary session held Friday. Cho will hold the post for the 22nd National Assembly until May 2028. Cho, 62, replaces five-term Rep. Woo Won-shik, whose two-year term as the speaker ended on May 29. In his acceptance speech, Cho ple

We are hard-wired to crave connection. Why is it so hard to unite?

Why are communities so fragile? And why, despite that fragility, do we continue to long for connection? Those are the questions at the heart of "Assembly Hall," the latest work by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, winner of the 2025 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. The work arrives in Seoul this week for performances Friday through Sunday at the LG Arts Center Seoul, presented by Kidd Pivot, the company Pite founded in 2002. One of the most acclaimed choreographers working today,

Police Retrieve Ballot Boxes from Jamsil Voting Station, Disperse Protesters after 35 Hours

[Domestic] : Anchor: Police have broken through the crowd that was blocking access to a polling station in Seoul’s Songpa District in protest of ballot shortages during the local elections earlier this week. On Friday morning, after about 35 hours, the officers were able to remove two boxes containing the ballots of ... [more...]

Police Break through Protesters in Jamsil to Collect Remaining Ballot Boxes from June 3 Local Elections

[Politics] : Authorities have collected the remaining ballot boxes at a polling station in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, 35 hours after demonstrators barred election officials from removing them to protest a shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections. Police broke through the crowd of protesters to remove the ... [more...]

China’s Xi to visit North Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on Monday, at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, China’s Foreign Ministry announced Friday. According to reports citing the ministry, Xi will make a two-day trip to North Korea starting June 8. The meeting comes as North Korea seeks to strengthen ties with China and Russia, both of which have shown signs of providing more support for the reclusive regime. The latest signs came after a summit between Xi and Russian President Vlad

Samsung's top union loses majority status after chip-heavy bonus deal

Samsung Electronics' largest labor union has lost its majority status just two months after winning legal recognition, as workers in the company's non-chip division quit to protest a wage deal that favored semiconductor employees. The Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group Employees' Union had 58,270 members as of 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to the union. That is down by nearly 18,000 from more than 76,000 at the end of April, when it held a rally to vote on a strike. Samsung Electron

갈수록 솔직해지는 홍상수의 영화를 알고 싶다면

리오넬 메시를 예로 들어보겠다. 축구선수 메시의 전성기 경기를 단 한 번만 봤다면 알 것이다. 그는 특별하다. 압도적이다. 재능이 있다. 세상 모두에게 다 나름의 재능이 있다고, 재능이란 일부일 뿐이라고, 노력이 재능을 따라잡고 심지어 뛰어넘을 수가 있다고, 그런 말이 반 푼어치의 위안에 불과하단 걸 알 수가 있겠다. 당시 메시의 경기력은 가장 적대적인 안티팬조차 두려워 떨게 할 만큼의, 또 지지자를 축구경기장에선 기대한 적 없을 황홀경에 빠지게 할 만큼 힘이 있었다. 그래서 그는 펠레와 마라도나, 베켄바워며 미셸 플라티니 같은 전대의 영웅들을 훌쩍 뛰어넘어 GOAT(Greatest Of All Time·역대 최고)라 불리는 사나이가 됐다. 자 그 메시가 23살쯤에 은퇴를 발표했다 치자. 맨체스터 유나이티드의 전설로 불리던 에릭 칸토나가 갑자기 영화배우가 되겠다며 충격적 은퇴 선언을 했을 때도 내리막에 접어든 서른 줄이었다. 그런데 메시가 아직 정점이 어디인지도 알 수 없는 20대 초반에 은퇴를 발표했다면, 사람들은 어떤 느낌을 가졌을까. 그가 가진 역량을, 그가 도달한 경지를, 이룰 수 있고 이뤄 마땅한 위업을 모조리 잃은 듯한 느낌을 맛볼 수밖에 없지 않았을까. 물론 선택은, 그 선택이 자리하는 인생은 오롯이 메시 자신의 것이지만, 아깝다고 느끼는 건 어쩔 수 없는 일이었을 테다. 나 또한 두고두고 메시의 이른 은퇴가 아깝고 또 아깝다고 말하고 다녔을 터다. 지난 시대 마이클 조던의 첫 은퇴를 본 이들이 그러했듯이. 보는 내내 카메라 뒤 홍상수가 보인다 홍상수 감독의 27번째 장편 에도 그런 순간이 있다. 영화 속 배우 길수(김민희 분)는 꽤 오래 연기 활동을 하지 않고 있는 모양이다. 한때는 꽤 큰 영화에 자주 출연하던 잘 나가는 배우였던 모양인데, 어느 순간부터 활동이 끊기고 어디서도 보기 어렵게 되어버린 듯하다. 우연히 공원에서 마주친 영화감독 박모(권해효 분)가 근황을 묻자 그녀는 독립영화도 조금 하고 이것저것 하면서 쉬고 있다고 말한다. 그런 그녀에게 박 감독은 그녀를 아까워하는 사람들이 참 많다고, 재능이 있기에 그렇다고, 아깝다고 말한다. 함께 있던 소설가 준희(이혜영 분)가 대체 뭐가 그리 아깝냐고 말한다. 당신들이 뭔데 이 사람 보고 아깝다 마다하느냐고. 본인이 안 하겠다는데 왜 재능을 썩히니 뭐니 하면서 함부로 재단하냐고. 본인의 선택이고 존중하면 그뿐 아니냐고. 그렇고 그런 말들을 거세게 쏟아내는 것이다. 우연히 박 감독 부부와 어느 전망대에서 마주쳐 공원까지 함께 왔던 준희는 앞선 장면들에서도 박 감독이 마치 돈만 좇는 상업영화 감독이라는 듯 무시하며 달갑지 않게 대했던 터다. 많은 이들이 가 홍상수 감독 본인의 삶과 작가관이 노골적으로 투영된 작품이라 말한다. 더불어 애인이자 반려자인 김민희에게 바치는 연서이기도 하다고 이야기한다. 과연 영화엔 그리 이해할 수 있는 장면들이 꽤나 등장한다. 그중 하나가 바로 이 장면일 테다. 더는 상업영화 판에서 연기 활동을 하지 않고 작은 독립영화에나 간간이 출연하는 길수에 대해 '아깝다'고 말하는 사람, 한 명의 팬이자 동료 감독으로 말하는 그를 주인공인 소설가 준희는 너무나 가혹하게 대한다. 는 준희가 영화를 만드는 이야기다. 박 감독과의 협업으로 제 작품을 영화화하려는 시도가 한때 있었으나, '대빵'인 투자자들의 거부로 무산됐던 이력이 있는 그녀다. 이제 와 직접 영화를 한 편 찍어보겠다는 그녀는 찍고 싶은 무언가가 제 마음 안에 분명히 있지만, 그게 무엇인지를 언어로써 설명할 수는 없다는 듯 말한다. 출연할 배우가 먼저 정해져야 이야기를 쓸 수 있다는 계획으로부터 시작해 사람과 사람이 만나 어떤 일을 하고 그로부터 빚어지는 무언가를 카메라로 캡처하듯 포착해 내는 것이 제가 찍고 싶은 영화라고 말한다. 대단한, 영화적인 서사 같은 건 그녀의 영화에선 필요하지 않다. 모든 것이, 무엇이든 영화가 될 수 있다. 좋은 배우가 있고, 그 삶을 진실한 카메라로 잡아챌 수만 있다면. 듣다 보면 그건 그대로 홍상수의 영화관이 아닌가 그런 생각이 든다. 홍상수가 관객 그리고 대중에게 하고픈 말 전체 내용보기

Police disperse protestors at polling station, acquire ballot boxes

South Korean police on Friday dispersed hundreds of demonstrators at a polling station in southern Seoul who had blocked access to ballot boxes to protest the ballot shortage during Wednesday's local elections. Mobile police units were dispatched at around 7:30 a.m. to Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, where citizens had been at a stand-off with authorities since Wednesday evening. The number of protestors reached as high as 1,400, according to police estimates shared at 11 p.m. Thursday.

Police Dispatch Riot Squads to Songpa Voting Center to Disperse Protesters after Ballot Shortage

[Politics] : Police have dispatched riot squads to a voting center in the Jamsil-7 area of Seoul’s Songpa district, where protesters there have blocked election authorities from taking out two ballot boxes from Wednesday’s local elections following a ballot shortage. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency issued an ... [more...]

[Column] Naming the enemy: The unsettling return of ideological litmus tests in Korea

NK leader inspects new material plant, calls for rapid expansion of arsenal

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a newly opened nuclear material production facility and called for a faster expansion of the country’s nuclear arsenal, state media said Thursday. The move appeared to be the latest indication of Pyongyang's intention to press ahead with its weapons program despite international pressure. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited the facility on Wednesday, accompanied by senior officials from the ruling Workers’ Party’s munitions industry departmen

Protests against Election Watchdog Continue in Wake of Unprecedented Ballot Shortages

[Politics] : Anchor: An unprecedented shortage of ballots in Seoul during the local elections has resulted in backlash against South Korea’s election watchdog. Hundreds of people have gathered in front of the National Election Commission’s headquarters as well as a polling station in Seoul’s Songpa District, ... [more...]

Centre Pompidou Hanwha opens in Seoul amid art-washing criticism

Centre Pompidou Hanwha opened its doors Thursday amid controversy over allegations of art-washing, with domestic and international civic groups and arts organizations criticizing Hanwha Group's partnership with the Paris-based Centre Pompidou. The criticism gained momentum after protesters staged a demonstration during the museum's press opening on May 19, raising questions about the defense conglomerate's growing involvement in the cultural sector through the Hanwha Foundation of Culture, estab

Single vote decides local council seat in South Chungcheong Province

The single closest contest in Wednesday's local elections unfolded in South Chungcheong Province, where Democratic Party of Korea candidate Gi Ho-yeop edged out his conservative rival by just one vote in a race for a provincial council seat. According to the National Election Commission on Thursday, Gi received 11,594 votes in the Nonsan City No. 1 constituency for a seat on the South Chungcheong Provincial Council, defeating People Power Party candidate Yoon Gi-hyeong by a single vote. The two

Unification Ministry: N. Korean Leader’s Nuclear Facility Visit Signals Continued Nuclear Buildup

[Inter-Korea] : A unification ministry official says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s latest visit to a newly opened nuclear material production facility demonstrates North Korea’s continued commitment to building stronger nuclear capabilities while reaffirming its claim to nuclear-armed state status. The official ... [more...]

Former Justice Minister Choo makes history as Korea's first female governor

Veteran liberal politician and former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, 67, shattered another political glass ceiling, becoming South Korea's first woman elected to lead a provincial or metropolitan government after winning the Gyeonggi governorship. The Democratic Party of Korea heavyweight secured victory defeating People Power Party candidate Yang Hyang-ja in a rare contest between two female candidates. Choo won 55.04 percent of the vote, comfortably defeating Yang, who secured 39.37 percent. The

Votes Cast by Over 2,000 People Held at Seoul Polling Station amid Protest over Ballot Shortage

[Politics] : Votes cast by more than two thousand people remained inside a polling station in Songpa District in southern Seoul on Thursday after protesters angered by a ballot shortage blocked election officials from transporting ballot boxes to a counting center. According to the National Election Commission(NEC) on ... [more...]

Ruling DP Sweeps 12 of 16 Seats as Opposition PPP Defends Seoul, Conservative Strongholds

[Politics] : Anchor: The ruling Democratic Party has swept the June 3 local elections with a commanding majority of the country’s 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races. The party clinched 12 of those key constituencies, while the main opposition People Power Party won the highly contested race for Seoul and ... [more...]

Ballot shortage adds to election watchdog’s woes

The country's election watchdog is defending itself against a national furor after a ballot shortage on Wednesday forced a temporary suspension of voting at some polling stations and left some voters waiting for hours. The unprecedented incident was the latest in a series of mishaps and disputes surrounding the National Election Commission, which has faced criticism over what some call poor election management. A separate incident during Wednesday’s local elections occurred when a Seoul voter wa