NSCs of Seoul, Washington to maintain close cooperation

NEW YORK – South Korea’s national security office chief Chung Eui-yong met Robert O’Brien, the recently appointed US national security adviser, on Tuesday, Seoul’s presidential office said. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two met in New York and agreed to continue working closely together on various issues. “(Chung and O’Brien) said that the close communication and cooperation between the two sides’ national security councils will be continued, and that

Foreign AffairsSept. 25, 2019

Korea, Australia seek closer ties

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a summit meeting in New York on Tuesday (US time), expressing hopes for stronger bilateral ties and cooperation in wider range of fields. “The friendship between the two nations has led to active economic exchange, and advanced into a relationship of cooperation in energy resources and infrastructure,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung. “I hope for cooperation t

Foreign AffairsSept. 25, 2019

Moon proposes turning DMZ into ‘peace zone’

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday (US time) proposed transforming the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas into an “international peace zone.”The idea was put forward in Moon’s keynote speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.  “Today I propose making the DMZ that cuts the Korean Peninsula across the middle into an ‘international peace zone’ based on these three principles,” Moon said, highlighting that the idea is based on

Foreign AffairsSept. 25, 2019

FBI director visits S. Korea, meets top prosecutor, police chief

The director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation met with South Korea's top prosecutor and police chief and discussed ways to boost cooperation in the field of criminal investigation, official sources here said Tuesday.Director Christopher Wray met with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl earlier in the day in Seoul, and they shared their assessments on joint efforts and achievements in diverse cases, according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. "The two sides agreed to further exchang

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Trump ordered aid frozen; more Democrats want impeachment

President Donald Trump ordered his staff to freeze nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine a few days before a phone call in which he pressured the Eastern European nation's leader to investigate the family of political rival Joe Biden, a revelation that comes as more Democrats move toward impeachment proceedings.Trump's order was first reported by The Washington Post and was confirmed to The Associated Press by two people familiar with but not authorized to discuss private conversations. They spo

World NewsSept. 24, 2019

Military musical brings K-pop idols back to stage on military terms

A rare military musical brought back to the stage a group of high-profile K-pop stars who went out of the public eye to fulfill their mandatory military service, including members of the popular boy bands SHINee and EXO."Return: The Promise of the Day," commissioned by the South Korean Army, will kick off on Oct. 22 at Olympic Park's Woori Financial Art Hall in southern Seoul. It will run till Dec. 1. The musical's unusually star-studded line-up, which includes EXO's Xiumin and SHINee'

K-popSept. 24, 2019

No decision made yet on Seoul's participation in Japan's fleet

South Korea has not made a decision on whether to attend Japan's fleet review slated for next month as it has not received an invitation, the defense ministry here said Tuesday. According to a Yomiuri Shimbun report, Japan's self-defense force decided not to invite South Korea to its Oct. 14 fleet review to be held in Sagami Bay near Tokyo. Japan holds such a review every three to four years. The last one was held in 2015, and the South Korean Navy sent the Daejoyeong destroyer to

DefenseSept. 24, 2019

S. Korea going all-out to halt further spread of African swine fever

Following the fourth confirmed case of African swine fever (ASF) in a week, South Korea ratcheted up efforts to stem the further spread of the highly contagious disease by expanding the extent of tightly controlled regions and again imposed a movement ban on pigs across the nation.Under the emergency plan, the agriculture ministry revved up quarantine operations for all parts of Gyeonggi Province where ASF cases were confirmed, along with the neighboring Gangwon Province and Incheon.Previously,

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

5 cases of African swine fever detected in a week

SEJONG -- Five cases of African swine fever were confirmed in South Korea in the week from Sept. 17. The incubation period is one week or more.On Tuesday, the fourth and fifth cases of the deadly virus were detected at a hog farm in Gyeonggi Province's Paju and Incheon City's Ganghwa, following the previous day’s case at a farm in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province.Since the first outbreak, Paju has recorded two ASF cases, and Yeoncheon, Gimpo and Ganghwa have seen one each.　Quar

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

[From the scene] Gimpo nursing home fire leaves 2 dead, 47 injured

GIMPO, Gyeonggi Province -- A woman, 90, and a man, 86, were killed and 47 others injured in a fire at a nursing home in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday morning.According to the Gimpo Fire Station, the blaze started at around 9:05 a.m. in the boiler room inside the Gimpo Rehabilitation Clinic, located on the third and fourth floors of a five-story building. The fire, contained in less than an hour, did not spread to other floors, the officials said. The facility had 132 patients at the time of

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of drug offenders on the rise: data

　The number of drug offenders in South Korea has been increasing gradually, data showed. 　According to data obtained from the National Police Agency by Rep. Kim Young-ho for a parliamentary inspection, 40,182 people were arrested for drug offences between 2015 and the first half of this year. 　This consisted of 7,302 arrested in 2015, 8,853 in 2016, 8,887 in 2017, 8,107 last year and 7,033 in the first half of this year. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

N. Korea to host S. Korea in World Cup qualifier as scheduled

An upcoming World Cup qualifier between South Korea and North Korea will take place in Pyongyang on time, the national football governing body here confirmed Tuesday.The Korea Football Association said Tuesday it has been informed by the Asian Football Confederation that North Korea will host South Korea on Oct. 15, as scheduled, for their Group H match in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.According to the KFA, an AFC official and a vice president of the Nor

SoccerSept. 24, 2019

Kim Jong-un may visit S. Korea if denuclearization negotiations work out: spy agency

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may visit South Korea to take part in a multilateral summit if denuclearization negotiations with the US work out, Seoul’s spy agency said Tuesday.In a closed-door session of the parliamentary intelligence committee, South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency chief Suh Hoon told lawmakers that working-level talks between the United States and North Korea are expected to take place in two to three weeks, according to the committee’s lawmakers, who

North KoreaSept. 24, 2019

Intangible heritage of Thailand, Bhutan to be performed in Korea

Traditional mask dances of Thailand and Bhutan will be performed in Korea as part of a cultural exchange program, along with an international conference about the present and future of traditional mask dances in Asia.“Mask Performance in Asia,” hosted by the National Intangible Heritage Center, will be held at the NIHC complex in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, from Oct. 4-5.  The highlights of the event will be the performances of Khon from Thailand and Drametse Ngacham from Bhu

CultureSept. 24, 2019

LG Chem procures cathode materials from Europe’s top supplier

Korea’s leading battery maker LG Chem said Tuesday the company has secured cathode materials for electric vehicles from Europe’s top supplier Umicore with a plan to ramp up its battery production in the region next year. The company signed a contract with the Belgium-based material supplier to procure 125,000 tons of cathode materials -- one of the four key materials for lithium-ion batteries -- starting next year.  The amount of purchased materials is equivalent to manufacturin

TechnologySept. 24, 2019

LG chief highlights speed in preparing for the future

LG Group Chairman and CEO Koo Kwang-mo on Tuesday presided over a meeting of executives of group affiliates for the first time, during which he ordered the top brass to be swifter in preparing for the future. At the annual workshop held for the CEOs of LG affiliates, Koo emphasized that the current crisis facing businesses is different from previous crises, so it is imperative that the group move faster in seeking changes.  “The current L-shape economic downturn is new to us, and we h

TechnologySept. 24, 2019

Samsung SDI to supply EV battery cells for Germany’s Akasol

Samsung SDI said Tuesday it has been picked by German firm Akasol to supply battery cells and modules for commercial vehicles’ power systems. The South Korean battery maker signed an agreement with Akasol, the leading manufacturer of high-performance lithium-ion battery systems in Germany at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt for two large orders for global commercial vehicle makers. Under the agreement, Samsung SDI will supply its battery cells and modules with a total volume of 13

TechnologySept. 24, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] Experiencing deja vu, standing at a cul-de-sac

When I returned to Seoul from New York City to join the faculty of Seoul National University in the early 1980s, South Korea was sharply divided into two mutually antagonizing factions: anti-government left-wing political activists and pro-government right-wing supporters, radicals and conservatives, socialists and. capitalists. In academia and the literary community, scholars and writers were also divided into two factions: national literature and world literature, socially engaged literature a

ViewpointsSept. 24, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Democratizing development in Korean cities

Population density remains one of the most controversial topics when discussing cities. The problems of crowded and empty cities are well known, but the problems are different. Crowded cities face the challenge of providing basic services to residents, who live in cramped and often uncomfortable housing. Empty cities, in contrast, face declining economic fortunes and lack the energetic vibe that defines a city.Global hubs, such as New York, London, and Paris, remain highly dense cities with a ho

ViewpointsSept. 24, 2019