South Korea

Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | UndeterminedTrade Issues and Numbers

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with the newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Korea, Gourangalal Das, in Seoul on December 10, 2025, to discuss enhancing bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Both parties agreed on the importance of strengthening the foundation for expanding trade ties by improving and upgrading the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with plans to resume negotiations soon.

Yeo emphasized the need for India's support for Korean companies operating in India, which face nontariff barriers and other challenges. Currently, over 670 Korean firms, including Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics, operate in India. Yeo highlighted India as a key regional partner and expressed hope for deeper cooperation in sectors like shipbuilding and critical minerals.

Ambassador Das committed to actively advancing bilateral economic and trade cooperation during his tenure, signaling a positive outlook for future collaboration between South Korea and India.

코레일 노사, 성과급 정상화 등 잠정 합의…열차 정상 운행

Hankyung | Local Language | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Strikes and Work Stoppages

Korail and the nationwide railway workers' union have reached a tentative agreement on wage negotiations, including the normalization of performance bonuses, leading to the provisional suspension of the railway workers' general strike. As a result, train operations returned to normal on December 11, avoiding the anticipated commuting disruptions. Initial negotiations began late on the 10th but broke down after 30 minutes; however, resumed talks overnight resulted in the union's decision to suspend the strike to minimize public inconvenience while continuing discussions on detailed wage issues.

The union’s key demands included normalizing performance bonuses, integrating high-speed rail operations, and enhancing safety measures. A major contention point centered on the criteria for performance bonuses, which currently reflect only 80% of base pay. The union criticized the Ministry of Economy and Finance for its unresponsiveness and highlighted repeated wage arrears totaling hundreds of billions of won for Korail employees. Although the strike has been suspended, the union’s right to industrial action remains, with a general strike still possible if the Ministry does not address the bonus normalization at the Public Institution Management Committee meeting scheduled for December 24.

Korail announced it had prepared extensive countermeasures for the potential strike, including a 24-hour emergency response headquarters, but normal train service was maintained due to the union’s last-minute suspension of industrial action. The ongoing negotiations reflect heightened tensions over wage and compensation management within public institutions.

“면봉으로 뇌 쑤시는 줄”…코로나검사 쉽고 빨라지는 기술 나왔다

Maekyung | Local Language | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Epidemics and Pandemics

The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) led by Dr. Kang Tae-joon has developed a next-generation COVID-19 diagnostic technology that detects viral RNA without the need for gene amplification, a process typically required in conventional PCR tests. This innovation uses the CRISPR enzyme Cas12a2, which, when combined with four specific crRNAs, enhances detection accuracy and sensitivity by amplifying signals without copying viral genes.

This new method can detect viral quantities as low as 1 femtomolar, approximately 1,000 times lower than previous capabilities, and has demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity in tests involving 245 patient samples and 40 blind samples. It can accurately identify 26 COVID-19 variants, including Alpha, Delta, and Omicron, and distinguishes these from other respiratory viruses, reducing false positives.

Usability improvements include eliminating the need for complex RNA extraction, allowing samples to be tested immediately with simple heat application. This makes the technology suitable for rapid field deployment in settings like airports, schools, and military bases. The researchers plan to expand this diagnostic approach to other infectious diseases, including influenza and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The findings were published on November 24 in the international journal Nucleic Acids Research.