N. Korea says US offer to explain outcome of policy review 'well received'

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is said to have acknowledged a recent US offer to explain the outcome of its policy review on Pyongyang after earlier overtures from the administration of Joe Biden went unanswered. In response to the US offer last week, the North has reportedly said the proposal has been "well received," a different reaction from when the first dialogue offer was made. Last month, the US said it had sought to engage with the North in mid-February, but the regime remained &qu

North KoreaMay 11, 2021

Source, destination of illicit weapons seized at sea still under investigation: Kirby

WASHINGTON -- The source and destination of illicit weapons seized over the weekend in Arabian waters are still under investigation, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, adding the US does not exclude North Korea from its list of potential destinations. The US Navy earlier said it has seized thousands of illicit weapons from a stateless dhow in international waters in the North Arabian Sea. John Kirby, the Department of Defense spokesman, said the seized weapons included Russian-made anti-tank mi

Foreign AffairsMay 11, 2021

S. Korea working closely with US to secure COVID vaccines before June: ambassador

WASHINGTON -- South Korea is closely consulting with the United States to quickly secure COVID-19 vaccines, South Korea's ambassador to the United States said Monday, adding the United States understands the difficulty South Korea faces. Amb. Lee Soo-hyuck also expressed hope that the US will soon expand exports of vaccines by US manufacturers. "The embassy is doing its utmost by contacting the White House and the State Department to have vaccines supplied before June. (We) are hearing f

Foreign AffairsMay 11, 2021

Three more S. Koreans test positive for COVID-19 after returning home from India

Three South Koreans who arrived from India on the third special flight tested positive for the new coronavirus, health authorities said Monday. Of 164 people brought home from the virus-ravaged country on Sunday, three tested positive, 146 tested negative, and the results for the remaining 15 have yet to be confirmed. The latest cases raised the total number of infections among evacuees from India to 14. South Korea has operated three chartered flights to bring 540 citizens home from the coun

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021

Independent panel recommends indictment of Seoul prosecution chief for power abuse

An independent panel created to review the validity of an ongoing investigation into the Seoul prosecution chief recommended Monday that he be indicted on charges of abuse of power. The 15-member panel reached the conclusion by 8 to 4, with one abstention. Two members were unable to attend for unspecified reasons. Lee Sung-yoon, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, is being probed over allegations he exercised undue influence in 2019 to stop an inquiry into the allegedly ill

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021

Defector activist grilled by police over anti-NK leafleting

A vocal North Korean defector and activist known for flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North by balloon was questioned by police on Monday over his recent claim to have sent leaflets, in the first violation of South Korea's anti-leaflet law that took effect in March. Park Sang-hak, the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, a North Korean defectors' group, arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 2 p.m. to be grilled as a suspect about his April 30 claim that his organizat

North KoreaMay 10, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Safety is taking a back seat in Korea’s vaccine rollout’

South Korea’s COVID-19 vaccination program has on critical occasions disregarded evidence-based approach and principles of safety first, a top infectious disease epidemiologist and vaccine expert said. “In a race to vaccinate Koreans as quickly as possible, safety concerns went unaddressed, costing in the process what is most integral to any successful vaccination program -- public trust in the system,” Dr. Chun Byung-chul, a professor at Korea University’s preventive

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon’s approval ratings inch up to 36%

President Moon Jae-in’s approval ratings inched up to 36 percent in a weekly poll, while 60.3 percent disapproved of his presidential performance. In a survey of 2,015 adults nationwide conducted by Realmeter on May 3, 4, 6 and 7, approval ratings went up by 3 percentage points from the week before. Those who gave the president a thumbs-down slid 2.3 percentage points. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points and a confidence level of 95 percent. Compared to

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021

Gen Z call for fairness puts military in focus

South Korea’s military is looking to revamp living conditions for conscripts as soldiers of Generation Z – those born between mid-1990s to early 2010s – have hit out at the military over subpar living environments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks ago, Korea’s National Human Rights Commission said it will launch an investigation into allegations that the military violated rights of conscripts in quarantine. The soldiers posted on Facebook that they had been fed poorl

DefenseMay 10, 2021

Moon, entering final year, pledges last-ditch efforts to revive NK diplomacy

President Moon Jae-in on Monday said he would not be pressed by time in reviving the collapsed diplomacy with North Korea but pledged last-ditch efforts to make a breakthrough in the remaining year of his presidency. “If there is a will, there is a way. It is the aspiration of 80 million Koreans to end the era of confrontation and conflict on the Korean Peninsula and usher in an era of peace and prosperity,” the president said in a speech marking his fourth year in office. His ter

PoliticsMay 10, 2021

Police seek arrest warrant for man for alleged abuse of 2-year-old adopted daughter

Police said Monday they have sought an arrest warrant for a man suspected of abusing his 2-year-old adopted daughter to the point she fell unconscious with bleeding in her brain. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency said the suspect, who is in his 30s, admitted to hitting the child with his hands on Saturday morning because she "kept whining." According to the man, the girl then fell asleep, but when she didn't wake up several hours later, he took her to a hospital near his home in Hwase

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021

Presidential race begins in Korea

South Korea’s presidential race kicked off Sunday with an announcement from two-term lawmaker Park Yong-jin that he intended to run for president in next year’s election, while heavyweights geared up for the election by rallying supporters. Rep. Park of the ruling Democratic Party held a ceremony to announce his candidacy outside the National Assembly on Sunday. “The figures and forces responsible for disappointing and angering the younger generation with outdated and estab

PoliticsMay 10, 2021

5-term opposition lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo seeks return to party

Five-term legislator and ex-South Gyeongsang Province Governor Rep. Hong Joon-pyo said Monday he will take steps to return to the main opposition party. "I think it's time to return to the (People Power) Party," Hong, currently an independent based in the southern city of Daegu, said in a press conference at the National Assembly. The lawmaker said he will soon submit an application for party membership and take other necessary steps. Last year, Hong defected from the main oppositi

PoliticsMay 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea denounces bomb attack in Afghanistan

South Korea strongly denounces last week's bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 68 people and wounded over 160, mostly young schoolgirls, the foreign ministry said Monday. "Our government strongly denounces the attack that occurred near a school in the Afghan capital of Kabul on May 8. We also extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their bereaved families," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary. The car bombing came amid escalating tensions

Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2021

[Video] Inside Asia’s first underground seed vault

Six hundred meters up a mountain in the southern part of the country’s longest range, Baekdu-daegan, stands a building in a clearing with a seed-shaped roof. But the above-ground structure of the Baekdu-daegan Seed Vault belies the true size of this sprawling underground structure. The idea of building a Seed Vault in South Korea initially began with the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing in 2010. Officially launched in 2016 and designated a national security facility since

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021

Defense ministry to look into 21 officials over suspected real estate speculation

The defense ministry said Monday it will look into 21 officials over suspected real estate speculation amid public fury in the wake of massive speculation cases involving employees of the state land developing firm. The ministry has been looking into thousands of employees since late March after some of its officials were suspected of exploiting undisclosed information related to the relocation or development plans of military bases for their personal real estate transactions. After looking i

DefenseMay 10, 2021

Moon's approval rating rebounds from record low as presidential

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has seen a slight rebound from last week's record-low figure according to a poll released Monday, the fourth anniversary of his inauguration. In a four-day weekday poll by Realmeter on 2,015 voters nationwide conducted last week except on the Children's Day holiday, Moon gained support from 36 percent of respondents, up 3 percentage points from the all-time low of 33 percent recorded the previous week. Moon's disapproval rating fell 2.3 percentage point

PoliticsMay 10, 2021

Moon says real estate policy is key reason for by-election rout

President Moon Jae-in on Monday agreed to modify some of his real estate policies, calling them a main reason for voters' "severe punishment" for his party in recent local by-elections. "(My government) has failed to achieve the aim of stabilizing property prices and (the party) received a severe punishment for that," Moon said during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae held to mark the fourth anniversary of his inauguration. He picked the real estate problem when asked by

PoliticsMay 10, 2021

S. Korea seeks to develop advanced robot for ground surveillance

South Korea is seeking to develop an advanced robot to conduct surveillance missions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and other risky regions, the arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Administration (DAPA) began receiving applications from companies and research institutes for advanced technologies and ideas to build a small surveillance robot, agency officials said. The new platform will be designed to be capable of conducting surveillance missions in areas where troops

DefenseMay 10, 2021

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shows 94% efficacy, eligible for approval: panel

A South Korean panel of experts said Monday that the vaccine for the novel coronavirus by US pharmaceutical company Moderna Inc. showed more than a 94 percent efficacy rate and is eligible for use. The advisory board consisting of outside experts announced its review on the efficacy and safety of the Moderna vaccine, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The panel's review is the first step of three separate independent evaluations before the ministry gives final approval. The p

Social AffairsMay 10, 2021