NK paper warns youngsters against 'bourgeois' culture and 'individualism'

North Korea's official newspaper on Friday urged young people to tighten their ideological discipline, expressing concerns that "bourgeois" culture and "individualism" could make it hard to safeguard socialism. "In a country where younger people stay morally sound and civilized, the country would not wobble under any circumstances but if younger people go corrupt, there would be no future," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said. The paper

North KoreaMay 21, 2021

S. Korea to extend current social distancing measures for 3 weeks: PM

South Korea will extend its current social distancing measures for another three weeks, the prime minister said Friday, amid continued cluster infections and spreading variant cases. "The number of new daily average patients as of late remains in the 500 level, not budging below that point, and infections are continuing from all quarters in our daily lives," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said as he announced the extension of virus curbs during a regular COVID-19 response meeting in Seou

Social AffairsMay 21, 2021

Biden signs Asian hate crimes act

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law an anti-Asian hate crimes act, enabling expedited federal government investigation into hate crimes targeting Asian and Pacific Islander communities. The signing of the law came one day after the House of Representatives voted 364-62 to pass the bill. The Senate had voted 94-1 to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act on April 22. "For centuries, Asian Americans, native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, diverse and vibrant communitie

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2021

New cases back under 600; virus curbs extended for 3 weeks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 600 on Friday, as health authorities decided to extend the current distancing rules for another three weeks amid continued cluster inflections and spreading variant cases. The country reported 561 more COVID-19 cases, including 542 local infections, raising the total caseload to 134,678, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's daily caseload compares with 646 on Thursday, 654 on Wednesday and 528 on Tuesday. Th

Social AffairsMay 21, 2021

US welcomes chance to discuss vaccine cooperation with S. Korea: White House

WASHINGTON -- The United States welcomes the opportunity to discuss ways to help South Korea's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and how they can work together to help the rest of the world, a White House spokesperson said Thursday. Jen Psaki made the remarks one day before President Joe Biden was set to hold a bilateral summit with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in. "We certainly expect that the leaders will discuss ways the United States can support South Korea in its fight ag

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2021

Korean captain and four others of fishing boat kidnapped near Ghana: report

WASHINGTON -- A Korean captain and four crew members of a fishing boat have been kidnapped in waters off Ghana, in west Africa, a report said Thursday. The five crew members of the Atlantic Princess, a tuna boat, were kidnapped on Thursday (local time), according to the report from Dryad Global, a maritime security and intelligence provider. "The vessel is understood to have been approached by one speedboat with 8 pirates onboard," it said, adding the incident reportedly took place 6

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2021

US lawmaker proposes bill calling for declaration to end Korean War

WASHINGTON -- A US lawmaker proposed a bill on Thursday that calls for US efforts to declare a formal end to the Korean War and exchange liaison offices with North Korea. The bill, proposed by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), also seeks to require the State Department to consider lifting its travel ban on North Korea for Korean Americans with separated families in the North. "The United States should pursue a sustained and credible diplomatic process to achieve an end to the Korean War, and ever

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2021

Moon, Biden set for talks on vaccine, N. Korea, economic ties

WASHINGTON/SEOUL-- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold one-on-one talks with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday (local time), as the allies have a range of pending issues to coordinate, especially on North Korea, COVID-19 vaccines and global supply chain resilience. It will mark their first face-to-face summit, though they already had a phone conversation and a virtual meeting. The summit's outcome is expected to heavily affect the overall Seoul-Washington relationship

PoliticsMay 21, 2021

Moon meets Pelosi, discusses alliance, N. Korea, vaccines

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to a stronger alliance with Washington during a meeting with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders Thursday. In the session held on Capitol Hill, he described the bilateral alliance as "the world's most exemplary" one, according to Chung Man-ho, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication. "I promise that we will continue to go together in the same direction

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2021

Moon visits US military cemetery in show of commitment to stronger alliance

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, kicking off his official schedule in the United States. Moon laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the cemetery in northern Virginia, just south of the US capital. The monument is dedicated to fallen American service members whose remains have not been identified, including many killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. The president paid his respects to all soldiers who dedicated the

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2021

'Ghost building' in Sejong comes under scrutiny

A state agency affiliated with the Korea Customs Service (KCS) has come under probe from the prime minister's office over its alleged construction of a "ghost" building in the central administrative city of Sejong, informed officials said Thursday. The Office for Government Policy Coordination sent its inspectors to the Customs Valuation and Classification Institute (CVNCI), a KCS affiliate headquartered in Daejeon, central South Korea, to look into its controversial construction of a

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

New US policy on NK designed to be 'flexible' to enable 'best chance of diplomatic success': official

The new North Korea policy of the Joe Biden administration is designed to be flexible to enable the "best chance of diplomatic success" by learning from past unsuccessful efforts, a senior US administration official said Thursday. "We are not going to lay out exactly our diplomatic strategy here and now, I would simply say that we've tried to design it to be flexible," the official told reporters while speaking on condition of anonymity. "We understand where previous e

Foreign AffairsMay 20, 2021

Moon to meet US political leaders ahead of summit with Biden

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Capitol Hill for a meeting with Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, and other leaders of the chamber, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. He is expected to request congressional support for the Korea peace process and Seoul’s bid to emerge as a global vaccine production hub. Moon will hold a summit with Biden at the White House on Friday afternoon. It will mark their first face-to-face meeting. The two plan to

Foreign AffairsMay 20, 2021

S. Korea reiterates concerns over Israeli-Palestinian conflict, backs mediation efforts

South Korea reiterated concerns Thursday over the worsening humanitarian crisis from the fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group, backing international efforts to broker a ceasefire. Since May 10, Israel and Hamas militants have launched deadly rocket attacks against each other. The United States, the United Nations and others have beefed up mediation efforts to stop the conflict from escalating into a full-blown war. "Our government again expresses deep concerns over the rap

Foreign AffairsMay 20, 2021

DP's real estate policy review runs into internal resistance

The ruling Democratic Party's (DP) push for the sweeping revision of its real estate policy has hit a snag due to strong opposition from its hard-line members who are against "cutting taxes for the rich." The party's new leadership led by Rep. Song Young-gil has set out this week to alter the policy widely blamed for its crushing defeat in the latest local elections seen as a key barometer of public sentiment ahead of the presidential election next year. DP's newly refurbished specia

PoliticsMay 20, 2021

Two dead, six injured in car crash, building collapse

Two people were killed and six others injured in a car crash and subsequent building collapse in Seoul on Thursday, officials said. The accident occurred on a road in southwestern Seoul at around 11 a.m. when two trucks collided and one of them ran into a nearby five-story building, according to police and firefighters. An explosion and fire broke out at the building after gas leaked from a pipe hit by the five-ton freight vehicle, they said. An adjoining single-story building collapsed appar

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

Ex-German leader ordered to compensate wife's ex-husband for derailing marriage

A Seoul family court on Thursday sided with the ex-husband of Gerhard Schroeder's South Korean wife and ordered the former German chancellor to partially compensate the man for destroying his marriage. The man, whose identity was withheld, filed a lawsuit in 2018 seeking 100 million won ($81,708) in compensation, claiming Schroeder was responsible for the destruction of his marriage with the woman, Kim So-yeon. The Seoul Family Court on Thursday partially accepted the claim and ordered Schroed

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

S. Korea to hold climate change sessions in run-up to P4G summit

South Korea will hold a series of climate change forums next week in the run-up to a global summit on climate change and sustainable development set for late this month, its preparatory committee said Thursday. A total of 10 sessions will take place during the "Green Future Week" from Monday to Saturday to enhance the international community's awareness and resolve to fight climate change ahead of the virtual Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) summit slated for May

Foreign AffairsMay 20, 2021

Unification minister calls for nonpartisan support for ratification of 2018 summit agreement with NK

Unification Minister Lee In-young called Thursday for nonpartisan parliamentary support for the ratification of a 2018 inter-Korean summit agreement, saying such cross-border issues should be shielded from "wasteful" political controversies. Lee made the remark during a forum in Seoul, saying that the government will soon officially ask for the ratification of the "Panmunjom Declaration" signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their first su

North KoreaMay 20, 2021

NK refuses COVAX monitoring, causing delays in vaccination

North Korea is reportedly refusing to cooperate with monitoring by the UN-backed vaccine-sharing program COVAX, which could further delay the supply of vaccines. 　 Early this year, North Korea requested coronavirus vaccines from COVAX, a multinational program that provides the vaccines to developing countries. 　 Pyongyang was to receive 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of May through COVAX, but the plan has been delayed as the regime is unwilling to abide by COVAX&rsquo

North KoreaMay 20, 2021