US policy not aimed at hostility, but reducing tension with N. Korea: Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- The US policy toward North Korea is not aimed at hostility but reducing tension, the top US security adviser said Sunday, adding the ultimate goal of the policy is to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan added the United States is prepared to engage with North Korea to discuss "practical" steps toward denuclearization. "Our policy towards North Korea is not aimed at hostility. It's aimed at solutions. It's aimed at u

North KoreaMay 3, 2021

5-term lawmaker, ex-Incheon mayor elected new ruling party chairman

Five-term legislator and former Incheon Mayor Rep. Song Young-gil was elected the new chairman of the ruling Democratic Party Sunday as it seeks a major reform drive following a recent election defeat. Song earned 35.6 percent of the ballots cast before and during the party's congress held at its headquarters in Seoul earlier in the day, defeating Reps. Hong Young-pyo and Woo Won-shik, both in their fourth terms. The election of Song comes as the DP, which commands 174 of the 300 parliamentary

PoliticsMay 2, 2021

Pyongyang slams Washington, Seoul after US completes NK policy review

North Korea lashed out at South Korea and the US, upping the ante as the Biden administration announced the completion of its monthslong policy review on how to deal with a nuclear-armed Pyongyang. 　 The North released three heated statements directed at the allies on Sunday via its state-run Korea Central News Agency. It attacked US President Joe Biden for labeling North Korea a serious threat, calling the remark a “big blunder,” while condemning South Korea for failing to stop ac

North KoreaMay 2, 2021

S. Korea faces looming COVID-19 vaccine shortage

South Korea may soon face a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as less than 10 percent of the country's AstraZeneca vaccine doses are left, the health authority said Sunday, raising concerns over delays in the nation's immunization schedule. The nation has secured 2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses so far, and 1.82 million have received their first jab of the two-shot regimen as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccination management task force said. There are only 166,716 shots left, or 8.8 percent of t

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

[News Focus] Korea’s 7 major cities lose 120,000 in population in 3 months

SEJONG -- South Korea’s seven major cities are leading the nation’s population decline, with the nation’s largest and second-largest cities -- Seoul and Busan -- particularly posting negative growth in the demographic tally for several years. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the nation’s seven major cities saw the population decrease by 122,083 collectively for the first three months of the year. This marked the highest decline since the nation faced a

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

[News Focus] Delivery workers to vote on strike against ‘gapjil’

Parcel delivery workers are mulling whether to stage a full-scale strike later this month as they ask logistics firms to step in and resolve an ongoing conflict with some apartment complexes and their residents over a ban on ground-floor parking. A delivery workers’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said Sunday that 76 percent of its 371 lead members agreed to start a vote within the union on a full-scale walkout. The vote will take place Thursday for all delivery worke

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

Moon offers condolences to Israel over deadly stampede

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday sent a letter of condolence to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin over last week's stampede tragedy at a religious festival that killed 45 people, his office said. "President Moon expressed words of prayer for the victims and condolences for the bereaved families, and hoped for an early recovery of the injured and a prompt management of the aftermath of the accident," Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The deadly incident occ

Foreign AffairsMay 2, 2021

KATUSA soldier tests positive for virus after J&J vaccine shot

A Korean Augmentation to the US Army (KATUSA) soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus after receiving a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine shot, officials said. The soldier, stationed at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Thursday upon returning to duty from leave. The soldier reportedly received the single-dose Janssen vaccine in early April. The service member last visited Camp Casey on Wednesday and is cur

DefenseMay 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Unseasonal snow falls in May, first in 22 years

Unseasonal snow fell on parts of Gangwon Province over the weekend, an unlikely event for May, when early summer weather is typically seen across the country. It is the first time in 22 years that it has snowed in South Korea in the month of May. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday that up to 18.5 centimeters of snow blanketed Gangwon Province from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. An influx of strong wind from the east concentrated a pack of rain clouds in mountainous regions

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

FM Chung departs for London to attend G7 meeting

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong left for Britain on Sunday to attend a Group of Seven (G7) meeting for discussions on access to COVID-19 vaccines, climate change and other global issues. The first in-person gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years is slated to take place in London from Monday to Wednesday. Though not party to it, South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have been invited as guests

Foreign AffairsMay 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police arrest 94 suspects over deepfake crimes in 5 months, with 70 percent teenagers

Police said Sunday they have arrested 94 suspects over allegations of creating or distributing illegal deepfake content in the past five months amid calls for tightened scrutiny over crimes using the deep learning technology. Deepfake content refers to digitally manipulated images or videos that could lead viewers to wrongly perceive the processed media to be real, often becoming a source of fake news, fraud and defamation. Of the arrested suspects, 65, or 70 percent, were teenagers, while 17

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

'Conflict of interest prevention bill' poised to improve public sector work ethics, transparency

The recent parliamentary passage of the so-called conflict of interest prevention law, which took eight years since its first proposal, is expected to bring about a vast change of culture in the public sector in terms of improved transparency and work ethics. The National Assembly on Thursday passed the bill that prohibits public officials, including lawmakers, from seeking personal gain using information related to their job responsibilities. Similar anti-graft bills were proposed over the pa

PoliticsMay 2, 2021

Climate change makes summers longer, winters hotter and shorter in Korea

Human-caused climate change has brought about extensive meteorological changes on the Korean Peninsula over the past century, making summers longer and winters hotter and shorter and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy downpours, a report said Sunday. The report from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that the number of days of precipitation has decreased on the peninsula in the past 100 years but the intensity of precipitation has in

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

New virus cases above 600 for 4th day; further surge in offing

South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed in the 600s for the fourth consecutive straight day Sunday as sporadic cluster infections popped up across the nation, complicating antivirus efforts. The country reported 606 more COVID-19 cases, including 585 local infections, raising the total caseload to 123,240, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added two more deaths, raising the total death toll to 1,833. The tally of new patients was down from 627 Saturd

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

NK leader's sister warns S. Korea of consequence for failing to stop propaganda leaflets

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed South Korea for failing to stop anti-Pyongyang leaflets flown by a defector group last week, calling it an "intolerable provocation" and warning of "corresponding action." Kim Yo-jong made the remarks in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, saying that the South Korean government "again did not stop the reckless acts" and expressed "displeasure" over the matter. "'Defec

North KoreaMay 2, 2021

N. Korea says Biden 'made big blunder,' warns of 'worse crisis beyond control'

North Korea said Sunday that US President Joe Biden made a "big blunder" after he called Pyongyang's nuclear program a serious threat, warning the US will face a "worse and worse crisis beyond control." Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the Department of US Affairs of the North's Foreign Ministry, made the remarks after Biden pledged in his first congressional address last week to work with allies to address "serious threats" from the North and Iran through diplom

North KoreaMay 2, 2021

S. Koreans bid farewell to Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk

South Koreans bade farewell Saturday to the country’s second Roman Catholic Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk in a funeral Mass at Seoul’s landmark cathedral. Cheong, who was given the title of cardinal in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI, died Tuesday night at a Seoul hospital at the age of 89. He served as the Catholic archbishop of Seoul for 14 years from 1998, before becoming archbishop emeritus of Seoul. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, the Catholic archbishop of Seoul, recalled th

Social AffairsMay 1, 2021

New virus cases above 600 for 3rd day; another wave of pandemic worrisome

South Korea's daily new virus cases remained in the 600s for the third straight day Saturday as sporadic cluster infections were reported across the nation amid concerns of another wave of infections. The country reported 627 more COVID-19 cases, including 593 local infections, raising the total caseload to 122,634, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally was down from 661 new cases Friday and 680 Thursday. The number of locally transmitted cases fell below 600

Social AffairsMay 1, 2021

[Photo News] Korea to roll out coronavirus self-test kits at pharmacies

At SD Biosensor’s factory in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, the South Korean drugmaker producing COVID-19 self-test kits and its staff conduct a final inspection before the products go on sale at local pharmacies and online channels.  The test kits of SD Biosensor use a sterile nasal swab by which people can detect specific antigens of COVID-19 present in specimens collected from the nasal cavity.  Those who use the home test kits are able to see the test results in 15 to

Social AffairsMay 1, 2021

[Photo News] South Korean civic groups’ strong petition against Japan’s Fukushima water release

Following Japan’s announcement that it will release contaminated wastewater in the Pacific Ocean, civic groups all around the nation expressed strong concern on the decision, denouncing the action as a threat. Weeks after the initial announcement, civic groups are still acting strongly to portray their rage in petitions.  Concerns are especially high on Jeju Island, as it is the first province to be affected by the released water. In front of the Consulate General of Japan on Jeju, r

Social AffairsMay 1, 2021