US alliance with S. Korea key deterrent to N. Korean threats: defense official

WASHINGTON -- A strong alliance between South Korea and the United States is key to deterring threats posed by China and North Korea, a US defense official said Wednesday. Leonor Tomero, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy, said North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities that are designed to strike the US mainland. "North Korea continues its unlawful production of nuclear weapons and ball

Foreign AffairsMay 13, 2021

US will address N. Korean human rights and nuclear issues at same time: official

WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue to tackle the North Korean nuclear issue while at the same time pressing for improved human rights conditions, including freedom of religion, in the reclusive state, a senior US official said Wednesday. Daniel Nadel, a senior official from the US Department of State office of international religious freedom, also argued that a push for improved human rights conditions in the North would ensure "better outcomes" by addressing fundamental pr

Foreign AffairsMay 13, 2021

[#WeFACE] World’s third Climate Clock arrives in South Korea

At a glance, the series of numbers -- six years, 235 days, six hours, four minutes and 55 seconds -- makes little sense. But they are arguably the most important numbers for humanity. They represent the time we have left until the Earth’s deadline: the “point of no return” in the climate crisis. The monument-sized Climate Clock showing the numbers was unveiled Thursday on the roof of the Herald Corp. headquarters in Seoul, sending a chilling warning that the Earth is racing

Social AffairsMay 13, 2021

Blinken offers outcome of N. Korea policy review to Russian counterpart: State

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday explained the outcome of the recently concluded North Korea policy review to his Russian counterpart, the State Department said, amid a continued silence from North Korea to a US offer to do the same for the country. "The secretary provided the minister an overview of US policy toward the DPRK, and the two committed to continued discussion on issues of mutual concern," the department said of a call between Blinken and Rus

Foreign AffairsMay 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korean lawmakers arrive in US for talks on vaccine cooperation

WASHINGTON -- Two lawmakers from South Korea's main opposition People Power Party arrived in the United States on Wednesday for talks on possible US assistance to help relieve South Korea's COVID-19 vaccine shortage. Rep. Park Jin stressed the need to quickly secure vaccines for his country, calling his trip a bipartisan effort. "There is a need to strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and enhance their relations in various areas including vaccine cooperation," he said. "We wil

PoliticsMay 13, 2021

Ex-Kumho Asiana chief arrested over allegedly unfair inter-affiliate deals

Park Sam-koo, former chairman of Kumho Asiana Group, was arrested Thursday on charges of masterminding unfair financial transactions among group affiliates that allegedly resulted in huge gains for him and his family. The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution's request for a warrant to put Park under pre-trial detention after questioning him in the morning and examining all relevant documents presented by prosecutors for hours. The 76-year-old Park resigned as chairman of Kumho

Social AffairsMay 13, 2021

N. Korea continues to strictly restrict religious freedom: US State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- North Korea continues to strictly limit the basic rights of its people, including religious freedom, with up to 200,000 people believed to be held in prison camps because of their beliefs, the US State Department said Wednesday. In its annual report on religious freedom, the State Department also noted the North Korean government continues to actively take part in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom. "Since 2001, the DPRK has been designated as a 'Country of P

North KoreaMay 13, 2021

Vaccine cooperation among key agenda items for Moon-Biden summit: official

Cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines will be a key agenda item during the upcoming summit between the leaders of South Korea and the United States, a senior Seoul official said Wednesday. "One of the main agenda items is vaccine partnership between the two countries," Lee Ho-seung, President Moon Jae-in 's chief of staff for policy, said during a radio interview. Moon and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold an in-person summit at the White House on May 21, focused on North Kor

Foreign AffairsMay 12, 2021

Two foreigners nabbed for threatening French Embassy get suspended sentences

Two foreign nationals arrested for posting threatening flyers at the French Embassy in Seoul last November were released on Wednesday after receiving suspended sentences from a court. The Seoul Western District Court sentenced the two men -- one from Russia and the other from Kyrgyzstan -- to imprisonments of six months each, suspended for one year, on charges of posting threats against the diplomatic mission. The two, both known to be 26-year-old Muslim believers, were arrested for posting fo

Social AffairsMay 12, 2021

S. Korea, Israel ink FTA; cars, auto parts among major beneficiaries

South Korea and Israel on Wednesday signed a free trade agreement (FTA) centered on broadening economic ties, a move that could help Asia's No. 4 economy speed up exports of cars and auto parts. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee officially signed the pact with her Israeli counterpart Amir Peretz during a ceremony in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two sides struck the deal in 2019, three years after they launched negotiations. "The FTA with Israel will not

Foreign AffairsMay 12, 2021

US spy chief visits Seoul ahead of Moon-Biden summit next week

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines arrived in Seoul on Wednesday, ahead of next week’s summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden. According to diplomatic sources, the US spy chief is expected to tour the Demilitarized Zone, including the border village of Panmunjom, on Thursday. Discussions are also reportedly underway for her to meet with Moon and his national security adviser, Suh Hoon. Seoul’s presidential office declined to co

Foreign AffairsMay 12, 2021

Education ministry looks at fully resuming in-person classes in fall

The education ministry is looking at fully resuming in-person classes in the fall, an official said Wednesday, as online classes have been blamed for widening learning gaps between children. Currently, schools follow the government's COVID-19 guidelines in determining how many students are allowed to learn in-person while the rest study remotely. The proportions range from up to two-thirds capacity to online only, depending on the social distancing level in place. The official, who spoke on th

Social AffairsMay 12, 2021

Vaccine shortage stalls Korea’s progress toward herd immunity

A vaccine shortage is stalling Korea’s progress toward herd immunity. Koreans now in line for vaccination -- those aged 65 and up -- have to wait until the last week of May to get their first dose as second doses being are prioritized, health officials said Wednesday. As new vaccination appointments at around 2,000 clinics across the country have been canceled, a senior Ministry of Health and Welfare official Yoon Tae-ho told a press briefing that vaccine shipments were “on their

Social AffairsMay 12, 2021

Local govt. office raided over public servant's alleged land speculation

JEONJU -- Police raided the North Jeolla Province government office Wednesday over alleged land speculation by a public servant. The Jeonbuk Police Agency said it searched the office and the home of the employee hired by the provincial government, located in Jeonju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul. The suspect's computer files, mobile phone and related documents were seized in the process. The police said the public servant is suspected of using insider information to buy a plot of land ne

PoliticsMay 12, 2021

Moon presents new Supreme Court justice with letter of appointment

President Moon Jae-in gave Cheon Dae-yeop, a veteran judge, a certificate of appointment as a new Supreme Court justice on Wednesday. The president took note of Cheon's "firm faith in judicial independence, a guarantee of basic rights and the protection of the socially underprivileged," according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. "As the Supreme Court's ruling has a profound impact on our society and future generations, the burden will be heavy as a Supreme Court jus

PoliticsMay 12, 2021

Teachers worry about students losing social skills during pandemic: survey

Teachers are worried about the effects the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has on their students, a survey showed, as class disruptions continue to take a toll on educators’ well-being. With the 40th Teacher’s Day coming up on Saturday, the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations conducted a survey on 7,991 teachers at kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools and universities across the country from April 26 to May 5. Asked about the worst problem that public educat

Social AffairsMay 12, 2021

Ex-PM asks US for 10 million COVID-19 vaccines

Hwang Kyo-ahn, a former prime minister who once served as acting president, said Wednesday that he had requested 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for South Korea from the US during his meeting with Kurt Campbell, Biden’s point man for the Indo-Pacific region. 　 During his trip to Washington, which began last week, Hwang met key officials in the Biden administration and executives of global pharmaceutical companies to seek vaccine cooperation in response to a looming vaccine shortage.

Foreign AffairsMay 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ruling party presidential hopefuls rally supporters

With a year to go before the presidential election, three political heavyweights from the ruling bloc are rallying supporters, with each of their visions focusing on social welfare policies. Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yon and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, dubbed the ruling party’s Big Three, all launched their own think tanks and began working out their policies and messaging strategies. Front-runner Gov. Lee launched the Korea Growth an

PoliticsMay 12, 2021

S. Korea, US to discuss security amid new NK policy

Senior defense officials of South Korea and the US will hold a two-day dialogue on Korean Peninsula issues as the Biden administration seeks to engage North Korea with a new policy it recently revealed after a monthslong review. The biannual talks, which began Wednesday US time in Washington, are expected to address ways the two allies can coordinate their approach to Pyongyang. Biden’s policy on North Korea, which many see as striking a middle ground between Trump’s “grand b

DefenseMay 12, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 7] Going meat-free troublesome in Seoul where not much is promised

For Kim Seung-mok, a 35-year-old office worker in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, trying to find a restaurant to dine with colleagues for lunch is a hassle to say the least. As a committed vegan, Kim struggles to agree on a lot of menus that his fellow office workers choose for lunch, when almost everything contains meat. After almost three months of trying, he now opts to bring his own tofu salad or self-made lunch box to the office for a midday meal. “It was awkward for me to sit beside my

Social AffairsMay 12, 2021