S. Korea calls for speedy shipment of Pfizer vaccine from EU

South Korea's trade ministry said Thursday it has requested the European Union to continue to lend a hand for the stable shipment of COVID-19 vaccines made in the region without delay, as Seoul moves to speed up its inoculation program. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee made the request to Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis of the European Commission, along with Belgium Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, during her two-day trip to Brussels from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the Ministry

Foreign AffairsApril 29, 2021

S. Korea heading fast toward herd immunity after vaccinating 3m in 2 months

South Korea has inoculated more than 3 million people in two months since its vaccine rollout, health authorities said Thursday, as the country ramps up its COVID-19 immunization drive by providing more shots to create herd immunity by November. An accumulated 3,012,654 people were administered with their first shots as of 3:30 p.m. since the nationwide campaign kicked off on Feb. 26, accounting for roughly 5.6 percent of the country's 52 million population, the Korea Disease Control and Preven

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Independent panel to review power abuse probe of Seoul prosecution chief on May 10

An independent panel created to review the validity of an ongoing investigation into the Seoul prosecution chief on charges of abuse of power will convene on May 10, judiciary sources said Thursday. 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 alleged illegal exit ban imposed on a former senior official. The Supreme Prosecutors Office last week accepted Lee's request for

PoliticsApril 29, 2021

[Video] Seoul’s district office provides free food for residents facing financial difficulties

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has made life harder for most people. But some have borne the brunt of it. In order to help them, the local government of Yeongdeungpo-gu in western Seoul set up three special stores where district residents can get daily necessities without having to pay for them. The special stores are named “zero-cost stores,” according to the Seoul Yeongdeungpo-gu Council of Social Welfare. The stores opened on Jan. 18 to help local residents facing financial dif

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

With open borders and lax social distancing, Korea ‘playing with fire’

COVID-19 cases are surging and hospital beds are filling once again in South Korea, but health officials say they have no plans to reinstate harsher mitigation measures or pause reopenings. This reluctance to adopt stronger restrictions may leave the country another spike in infections, experts warn. Jeong Eun-kyeong, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Commissioner, said in response to a press question during a briefing Thursday that the country “could afford to w

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Watchdog to probe military for abuse allegations in COVID response

South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission said Thursday that it will launch an investigation into allegations that the military violated rights of conscripts who said they had been fed poorly and denied access to bathrooms because of the COVID-19 response. The previous week, an Army conscript prompted public outcry when he revealed on Facebook that he had been given insufficient meals while in quarantine, showing a picture of what appeared to be a nearly empty tray. The militar

DefenseApril 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Youn Yuh-jung says she doesn't 'admire' Hollywood

Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, 73, is loved not just for her acting, but also for her candid and humorous remarks. The veteran actor of over 50 years said on a US television show on Tuesday that she doesn’t “admire” Hollywood. “When some project comes from America, people in Korea think I admire Hollywood,” Youn told NBC Asian America. “No, I don’t admire Hollywood. The reason I keep coming is because if I come to the States and work, maybe I’m ab

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Unification minister pins hopes on Moon-Biden summit to revive diplomacy with North Korea

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Thursday stressed the importance of the upcoming South Korea-US summit, pinning hopes on the meeting as a chance to revive the stalled Korean Peninsula peace process.   　 “I believe the first half of this year, with the US’ policy review on North Korea expected to be completed and uncertainty being cleared up, will be a golden opportunity and the most optimal time for the South, the North and the US to move together toward the Korean Penins

North KoreaApril 29, 2021

Coronavirus self-test kits go on sale in S. Korea

South Korean drugmaker Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday it has started sales of coronavirus self-test kits at local pharmacies and its online channels. SD Biosensor's at home test kits received approval from the nation's drug safety agency last week, and they are now available via Hanmi Pharmaceutical's distribution channels across the nation. Users can collect samples from their noses on their own for testing, and the results come out within 15-30 minutes. If users receive a positive r

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Crested ibis chicks born in the wild 42 years after extinction in Korea

CHANGNYEONG -- Crested ibises, an endangered bird, have been born in the wild in South Korea for the first time after the species went extinct on the Korean Peninsula 42 years ago, officials here said Thursday. Two crested ibis chicks were born safely from two eggs laid by a pair of crested ibises, which were released two years ago in Upo Wetland in Changnyeong of South Gyeongsang Province, 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the county officials said. The two chicks were born from one egg hatc

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Moon’s retirement residence faces resistance from neighbors

Construction of President Moon Jae-in’s post-presidency residence has been halted recently faced with resistance from residents of the area, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources Thursday. Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook plan to relocate to Habuk, a small town in the rural city of Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, after retiring in May 2022. They purchased a 2,630-square-meter property in the area for 1.06 billion won ($870,000) last year. Following the purchase, the Presidential Sec

PoliticsApril 29, 2021

Seoul education office to test-run self-test kits at schools from May

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will offer preemptive virus testing for teachers and students starting next month, as part of efforts to detect transmissions early and contain the spread of the virus, its chief said Thursday. The office also plans to introduce self-test kits at schools, whose use was proposed earlier this month by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, in a "limited" fashion for "more aggressive, proactive measures against the virus," he said. Cho Hee-yeon, su

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

UN committee requests N. Korea provide explanation on human rights violations

A UN committee called on North Korea to provide an explanation on reported cases of human rights violations and to report any progress, its website showed Thursday. The UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) last week urged the North to provide information on whether it has made progress on several human rights issues, including torture and violence against women. The committee asked the North to specify the measures it has taken to ensure that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

North KoreaApril 29, 2021

Single-person households in Seoul outnumber other kinds

Single-person households accounted for 33.3 percent of all households in Seoul, making them the most common type of household in the city. The hardest part of living alone was difficulty coping with sickness or emergencies, a survey showed Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of its 2020 Seoul Welfare Survey, which involved 4,000 households and took place over two months beginning in November. After single-person households, the next most common were two-person h

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Minister calls first half 'most optimal' period for progress in stalled peace process

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Thursday said that South Korea will strive to bring the stalled peace process on the Korean Peninsula back on track, saying that the first half of this year will be the "most optimal" time to realize any possible progress. Lee urged the United States to engage North Korea at the earliest date possible during a press conference in Seoul as the Joe Biden administration is likely to finalize its monthslong North Korea policy review in the weeks to com

North KoreaApril 29, 2021

Military reports 3 more coronavirus cases

The military reported three additional coronavirus cases, the defense ministry said Thursday. Of them, a service member of the armed forces athletic corps in the central city of Mungyeong was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after participating in an international competition abroad, while a soldier in the northeastern county of Inje tested positive after newly joining the Army, according to the ministry. In Yangju, north of Seoul, an officer was found to be infected after a family member

DefenseApril 29, 2021

FM Chung to attend G7 ministerial talks in London next week

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will attend an in-person Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meeting in Britain next week to discuss access to COVID-19 vaccines, climate change and other global issues, a ministry official said Thursday. The first face-to-face gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years is set to take place in London from Monday to Wednesday. Though not party to the group, South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei, the chair of the Association of

Foreign AffairsApril 29, 2021

[News Focus] 7 in 10 foreign students are Vietnamese or Chinese

SEJONG -- South Korea needs to diversify the nationalities of foreign students admitted into its institutions by actively attracting students from a variety of countries and offering more lectures in accordance with globalization, state data suggested. According to the Korean Immigration Service, those from Vietnam and China took up the dominant percentage, 69.8 percent, of 158,923 foreign students staying in the nation as of March. Among the group, 59,876 were Vietnamese and 51,094 Chinese.

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

'Digital Prison' operator gets 3 1/2-year in prison for sharing personal information online

DAEGU -- An operator of the controversial doxing website "Digital Prison" has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for violating privacy law by disclosing personal data of suspected sex offenders and other criminals. The Daegu District Court delivered the prison sentence Wednesday to the website's initial operator and ordered him to pay a forfeiture of 8.18 million won ($7,340). The accused was indicted on charges of sharing personal information of alleged and convicted sex offend

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Biden pledges to work with allies to address NK threats through

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will work with allies to address threats from North Korea and Iran through "diplomacy" and "stern deterrence." Biden made the remark during his first address to a joint session of Congress, calling the nuclear programs of Pyongyang and Tehran "a serious threat to America's security and world security." "We are going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countr

Foreign AffairsApril 29, 2021