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

[Newsmaker] Soldiers given substandard clothing, berets

South Korean soldiers have been using substandard exercise clothes and berets for years, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said amid continued reports about poorly fed troops. According to DAPA data released by Rep. Yoon Joo-kyung of the main opposition People Power Party on Thursday, eight of the 18 companies that provide apparel for the military has supplied substandard exercise clothes and berets. The total cost of the faulty products supplied by the eight firms over the past

DefenseMay 20, 2021

Should young people who’ve had one AZ shot switch to Pfizer for second?

Young South Koreans who have received their initial shots of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine are calling for access to the Pfizer vaccine for their second shots, now that people under 30 are no longer eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine over rare blood clot risks. Of the around 135,000 people in their 20s who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, most are health care workers. As such, they were at the top of the vaccine priority list when the immunization campaign kicked off in late Fe

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

[Exclusive] Korea has no tests to diagnose rare blood clots linked to COVID-19

South Korea does not have test kits to diagnose a form of blood clot that is now listed as a rare side effect of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, sources in the health care sector told The Korea Herald. Health officials said in recent government briefings that the country has yet to confirm any cases of the post-vaccination blood-clotting syndrome termed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS. But Korea is still waiting for an immunological test that is used in a TTS diagno

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

Local offices seek subsidies for foreign kindergarteners

Education superintendents of 17 cities and provinces across the country have called on the central government to provide subsidies for kindergarteners of foreign nationality. The National Council of Governors of Education passed the proposal to offer financial support for foreign kindergarteners in its regulatory meeting on May 13, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Monday. The government currently covers tuition for elementary, middle and high school students of foreign national

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

35.8% of workers lost income during COVID-19 pandemic: survey

More than a third of South Korea’s working population saw their incomes fall last year, a survey showed Thursday, continuing to showcase the deepening polarization in the job market from the pandemic. According to a survey of 16,244 workers from 537 occupations by the Korea Employment Information Service conducted from August to November last year, 35.8 percent of the respondents said their overall income or monthly wages fell since the pandemic started in January 2020. Some 2.9 percent

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

Moon's push for engagement with N. Korea could create tension with US: CRS report

President Moon Jae-in's calls for aggressive engagement with North Korea could create tension with the United States, a recent congressional report said. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report comes as Moon is in Washington this week for his first in-person summit talks with US President Joe Biden to discuss North Korea and alliance issues, as well as COVID-19 vaccine cooperation. "Although Moon has welcomed the mention of diplomacy, his preference for more aggressive engagement

North KoreaMay 20, 2021

Govt. vows active communication with residents near THAAD base

The defense ministry said Thursday it will communicate more actively with residents around the US THAAD missile defense base as clashes continue to happen every time supplies are brought onto the base. Residents in the central county of Seongju have long opposed the US Forces Korea (USFK) base in their town where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is deployed, and they have clashed with police when the ministry brought construction equipment and other items for troops onto t

DefenseMay 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] Defense minister convenes meeting over soldiers' meal quality

Defense Minister Suh Wook convened a meeting of top military commanders Thursday to discuss troops' living conditions, his office said, amid continued complaints over poor meal quality, especially for those under coronavirus quarantine. Earlier this month, the defense ministry unveiled a set of measures to improve service members' living conditions, including a plan to raise the average daily meal cost, following a series of complaints over the quality of meals. Yet questions were raised over

DefenseMay 20, 2021

Ban on collection of shellfish by unlicensed people faces backlash

JEJU -- A ban on unlicensed harvesting of marine life at night has invited strong protest from a group of hobbyists who called the move "unconstitutional." Dozens of hobbyists and leisure industry workers held a press conference on the island earlier this week to demand the provincial government of Jeju scrap the ban immediately. The measure "seriously constrains the constitutional rights to pursuit of happiness of non-fishermen," they said. Last month, the island banned u

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

All 13 NK ships inspected last year had safety deficiencies: port control agency

Thirteen North Korean ships underwent safety inspections while docked at ports in the Asia-Pacific region last year and all of them were found to have defects, an intergovernmental port control agency said Thursday. A total of 64 safety deficiencies were discovered with the vessels, and two ships with serious defects were banned from sailing until the problems are fixed, according to the annual report on Port State Control (PSC) by Tokyo MOU. It also placed North Korea on its blacklist, along

North KoreaMay 20, 2021

9 soldiers, military civilian employee test positive for COVID-19

Nine Army soldiers and a military civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. Of them, eight soldiers were from a unit in Hongcheon, about 100 kilometers east of Seoul, where a COVID-19 case was reported earlier. Around 390 members of the unit received virus tests after the initial case was reported, and around 70 of them are still waiting for their test results, according to the ministry. Separately, another soldier in the southwestern

DefenseMay 20, 2021

New cases stay above 600 for 2nd day; virus curbs likely to be again extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose above 600 for the second day Thursday amid continued cluster inflections and spreading variant cases. The country reported 646 more COVID-19 cases, including 619 local infections, raising the total caseload to 134,117, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's daily caseload compares with 654 on Wednesday, 528 on Tuesday and 619 on Monday. There were four additional virus deaths, raising the total to 1,916. South Ko

Social AffairsMay 20, 2021

N. Korea opens regional hospital for better medical service amid coronavirus concerns

North Korea has opened a large hospital in an eastern province to provide better medical service to the people outside its capital, state media said Thursday as the country continues its fight against the global coronavirus pandemic. An opening ceremony took place Wednesday for the hospital renovated from the People's Hospital of South Hamgyong Province, with provincial party leaders in attendance, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The hospital "has been turned into a comprehen

North KoreaMay 20, 2021

Moon to visit US military cemetery in Virginia

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday in his first official activity of a five-day trip to the United States, according to Cheong Wa Dae. He arrived in Washington D.C. on Wednesday afternoon for summit talks with President Joe Biden on such issues as North Korea, COVID-19 vaccines and bilateral economic cooperation. Moon is scheduled to pay tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, located on t

PoliticsMay 20, 2021

Biden to award Medal of Honor to US Korean War veteran: White House

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden will award the highest military medal to a Korean War veteran this week in a ceremony that will also be attended by his visiting South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, the White House said Wednesday. "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., will award the Medal of Honor to Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr., United States Army, Retired, for conspicuous gallantry during the Korean War. President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea will join this ceremony," it said

Foreign AffairsMay 20, 2021

US goal remains complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States' goal is to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday, ahead of an upcoming summit this week between the leaders of South Korea and the United States. The summit between President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, is expected to partly focus on ways to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. "When it comes to DPRK. I can't underscore enough that our goal remains clear -- that

Foreign AffairsMay 20, 2021

'USFK can support out-of-area contingencies'

US Forces Korea commander nominee Gen. Paul LaCamera said he will advocate for inclusion of the USFK in contingency plans in the Indo-Pacific region, if it is confirmed he will take up the post. “Given the global role of the US military and, increasingly, the international reach of the South Korean military, opportunities are emerging for (Korea-US) alliance cooperation beyond the Korean Peninsula,” LaCamera said in his answers to advanced policy questions ahead of his confirmation

PoliticsMay 19, 2021

[#WeFACE] Earth has deadline, but also many lifelines: Climate Clock creator

The Climate Clock on the roof of Herald Corp.’s headquarters in Seoul showed, as of May, that there were about six years and 235 days left to prevent global warming from becoming irreversible.   Since the first Climate Clock was introduced in Berlin in 2019, the countdown has continued in a chilling reminder that the Earth is hurtling toward catastrophe. Despite the grim reality, Gan Golan, one of the clock’s creators, said in a video interview with The Korea Herald that many

Social AffairsMay 19, 2021