Blinken promotes joint efforts to denuclearize N. Korea at G-7 meeting

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for coordinated efforts to denuclearize North Korea on Monday while the top diplomats from the Group of 7 (G7) countries were later scheduled to discuss the North Korea issue. In his bilateral meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, the top US diplomat highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in dealing with the North. "Secretary Blinken and Minister Chung stressed their commitment to work together to protect and adv

Foreign AffairsMay 4, 2021

Blinken urges N. Korea to engage, saying US seeks practical progress

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged North Korea on Monday to return to the negotiating table, saying his country seeks to make practical progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. The call comes after North Korea threatened the US will face "worse and worse crisis." "I hope that North Korea will take the opportunity to engage diplomatically and to see if there are ways to move forward toward the objective of complete denuclearization o

Foreign AffairsMay 4, 2021

Chung, Blinken agree on close cooperation for peninsula

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, agreed Monday to continue close cooperation for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. The agreement came as they met bilaterally on the margins of a gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in London, after the Joe Biden administration completed its review of policy toward Pyongyang. "Secretary Blinken shared the results of the US' review of policy on

Foreign AffairsMay 3, 2021

Nearly 400 Koreans to return home from virus-hit India this week

Nearly 400 South Korean residents in India will return home this week via non-scheduled flights authorized by the government, health authorities here said Monday, as they plan to safely transport the nation's citizens from the coronavirus-hit country.  The authorities said a Vistara flight carrying 173 people, including workers of Hyundai Motor, will arrive in Incheon on Tuesday after departing from Chennai International Airport in India. Also, a flight by Asiana Airlines is scheduled to

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

South Korea eyes production hub for COVID-19 vaccines

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed South Korea’s possible role as a production hub for COVID-19 vaccines, pledging efforts to ramp up local production, including securing more licensing deals with global vaccine makers. “Our nation, boasting the world’s second-largest production capacity of biomedicines, is getting renewed attention as a potential global hub for vaccine production,” Moon said in an urgent COVID-19 response meeting with related government offices.

PoliticsMay 3, 2021

Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Oh-soo named as new prosecutor general: Cheong Wa Dae

zPresident Moon Jae-in named former Vice Justice Minister Kim Oh-soo as the new chief of South Korea's prosecution service, Cheong Wa Dae said. Justice Minister Park Beom-kye recommended Kim, who was a veteran prosecutor, for the position that has been vacant for two months since Yoon Seok-youl stepped down. The president accepted the recommendation, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Kim is required to go through the National Assembly's confirmation hearing, for which a d

PoliticsMay 3, 2021

Will Korea reach herd immunity by November? Top doctor says no

Korea probably won’t get to herd immunity by November as promised by the government, but “some degree of normal” is likely once vulnerable groups are covered, an infectious disease expert at the National Medical Center said Monday. “Even after 70 percent of Koreans are vaccinated, there might not be herd immunity as we know it,” Dr. Oh Myoung-don, who is leading the state hospital’s clinical committee for emerging infectious diseases, told a news conference

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

Will FM Chung meet with Japan’s Motegi at G-7 in London?

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is in London to attend the Group of Seven meeting, and all eyes are on Chung to see whether he finally gets to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, and set the stage for a thaw in bilateral ties. 　 Chung flew to London on Sunday to attend the gathering of G-7 foreign and development ministers, which will last through Wednesday. During his stay, Chung is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral talks on the margins, with meetin

Foreign AffairsMay 3, 2021

Controversy brews over online quasi-real name system

Controversy is brewing over the pros and cons of a bill that would obligate netizens to fully disclose their usernames in posts and comments online. A National Assembly subcommittee approved an amendment to the information and communications network act late last month, mandating the so-called “quasi-real name system” to protect victims from malicious comments. The bill, proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chool of the People Power Party, calls for the full disclosure of the usernames of t

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Probe underway on med student found dead in Han River

A 22-year-old medical student was found dead in the Han River on Friday after going missing for six days, and his family is awaiting the results of an autopsy to learn how he died. Sohn Jung-min was last seen asleep at the riverside park in Banpo, Seoul, early on April 25 by his friend, who had also fallen asleep. The two had been drinking together. An autopsy was conducted at the request of Sohn’s family, as two wounds were found behind his left ear. Sohn’s father told Yonhap New

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

Task force seeks warrant to arrest ex-senior official over alleged land speculation

A government task force said Monday it has sought a warrant for the arrest of a retired senior government official who is suspected of land speculation. Nam Gu-jun, the task force chief, told reporters the request was sent to the prosecution on Friday as part of his team's ongoing probe into allegations of property speculation by public officials. "We decided this is a case that calls for a warrant. We'll have to wait for the decision of the prosecution and the court," Nam, who is al

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

Police chief orders thorough probe into anti-NK leafleting by defector group

South Korea's police chief has ordered a swift and thorough probe into a North Korean defector group's alleged sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North last week, police officials said Monday. Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong gave the order to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Sunday, hours after the North Korean regime threatened "corresponding action" in response to the "intolerable provocation." "I ask you to strictly handle the sending of anti-No

North KoreaMay 3, 2021

Surviving victims of sexual slavery by Japan reduced to 14

A South Korean woman forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II has died, a civic group said Monday, bringing down the number of registered surviving victims to 14. The woman, identified only with her surname Yoon, died at around 1 p.m. Sunday at the age of 92 in Seoul, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Born in North Chungcheong Province in 1929, she was dragged away to Japan in 1941 at age 13

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

Military closely monitoring NK activities, no unusual signs yet: JCS

The military is closely monitoring North Korea but no unusual signs have been detected so far, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, after Pyongyang warned of "crisis beyond control" and "corresponding action" in a series of statements slamming Seoul and Washington. On Sunday, the North denounced US President Joe Biden for making the "big blunder" of calling its nuclear program a serious threat and criticized Seoul for failing to stop defectors from flying

DefenseMay 3, 2021

Unification minister vows continued efforts for 'meaningful' change in inter-Korean ties

Unification Minister Lee In-young said Monday that tensions should not be heightened under any circumstances on the Korean Peninsula, vowing to make continued efforts to produce a "meaningful" change in stalled inter-Korean relations. Lee made the remarks in a speech at a seminar on cross-border cooperation in the renewable energy sector, a day after Pyongyang slammed the South and the United States in a string of scathing statements. The harsh words appear to be aimed at putting mor

North KoreaMay 3, 2021

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US to hold bilateral talks at G7 session in London

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States are set to hold bilateral talks on the margins of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting in London on Monday, officials said, with their agenda likely to include a coordinated strategy on North Korea. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, are scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. (London time) while they are in the British capital to attend the gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers, which will last through Wed

Foreign AffairsMay 3, 2021

Govt. denies sex crime suspect's request to serve alternative military duty

The government has turned down a conscientious objector's request to perform other public services instead of his mandatory military service following revelations that he has been on trial on charges of digital sex crimes. The decision marked the first rejection of a conscientious objector's request for alternative services since the country allowed conscientious objectors last year to do 36 months of alternative service instead of serving in the military for about two years. According to the

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

New cases back to 400s on fewer tests amid low vaccine supply

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 400s on Monday as fewer people took new virus tests over the weekend with concerns over another round of the pandemic still worrisome amid a low vaccine supply. The country reported 488 more COVID-19 cases, including 465 local infections, raising the total caseload to 123,728, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country added one more death, raising the death toll to 1,834. The fatality rate fell to 0.69 percent from

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

S. Korea launches new frigate with improved anti-submarine capabilities

South Korea was to hold a launching ceremony Monday for a new 2,800-ton frigate with improved anti-submarine capabilities, the Navy said. The new warship Daejeon is the fifth of the country's FFX Batch II frigates to replace the Navy's 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton patrol combat corvettes, according to the military. The ceremony was to be held at its manufacturer Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co.'s Okpo shipyard on the southern island of Geoje, with the attendance of Chief o

DefenseMay 3, 2021

Military extends antivirus scheme for another three weeks

The defense ministry on Monday extended the current social distancing rules for the military for three weeks, which allow service members to take vacation in a limited manner. The Level 2 scheme, which was supposed to expire Sunday, will be in place until May 23 in line with the government's COVID-19 guidance, according to the ministry. It is the third-highest level in the five-tier alert system. Under the scheme, troops are allowed to go on vacation while strictly adhering to antivirus measur

DefenseMay 3, 2021