IAEA chief 'certainly' hopes S. Korea takes part in Fukushima water monitoring

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said he "certainly" hopes South Korean experts will participate in the UN nuclear watchdog's monitoring of Japan's ocean release of radioactive Fukushima water.  IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency via video link Tuesday, as Seoul is seeking to take part in the IAEA-led verification efforts amid growing health risk concerns over Tokyo's plans to discharg

Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2021

Govt. holds meeting with residents near USFK live-firing range

Defense ministry officials held a meeting with residents near a US Forces Korea (USFK) firing range in the northern city of Pocheon on Wednesday as part of efforts to address safety and other complaints over firing drills, the ministry said. Residents near the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers north of Seoul, have long complained about noise, unexploded ordnances and other damage incurred by the drills. During the meeting in Pocheon, some 40 government officials, inclu

DefenseApril 21, 2021

Moon says public consensus needed for granting pardons to two jailed ex-presidents

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his prudent approach Wednesday toward the issue of whether to grant special pardons to two imprisoned former presidents, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. He emphasized the need to consider public consensus on the politically sensitive matter and its possible impact on national unity during his luncheon meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon at Cheong Wa Dae. Moon was responding to a proposal from the Busan mayor that Moon take the m

PoliticsApril 21, 2021

New virus cases back to over 700; vaccination drive to ramp up

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 700 Wednesday as the country is ratcheting up efforts to boost vaccination rates amid growing concerns over another wave of the pandemic. The country reported 731 more COVID-19 cases, including 692 local infections, raising the total caseload to 115,926, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's daily caseload was sharply up from 532 cases on Monday and 549 cases on Tuesday. It is also the first time

Social AffairsApril 21, 2021

NK leader stresses 'special' relations with Cuba in another congratulatory message to new ruling party chief

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the country's "special" strategic relations with Cuba in another message congratulating President Miguel Diaz-Canel on his election as the new powerful head of its ruling communist party, according to state media Wednesday. The message delivered Tuesday via the Cuban ambassador in Pyongyang came a day after Kim sent another message expressing "absolute support" to Diaz-Canel following his appointment as first secretary of the Communis

North KoreaApril 21, 2021

US keeps travel advisory on S. Korea at Level 2

The United States on Tuesday maintained its travel advisory for South Korea unchanged at Level 2, despite new rules that it said will result in a travel ban for about 80 percent of all countries. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice for South Korea due to COVID-19, indicating a moderate level of COVID-19 in the country," the State Department said in its latest travel advisory. "This update will result in a significant in

Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] N. Korea continues to work on submersible missile test barge at Nampo: report

North Korea is continuing to work on a submersible missile test stand barge at its Nampo shipyard, a US think tank said Tuesday, suggesting the work could be part of preparations for a ballistic missile test. Citing satellite imagery taken Monday, the think tank said the North has positioned a "cylindrical object on the submersible missile test barge at Nampo." It said the image alone could not confirm an imminent missile launch, but noted the round object could be a launch tube for

North KoreaApril 21, 2021

N. Korean missiles and cyber capabilities pose threats to US: generals

North Korea continues to pose threats to the United States both in real life and cyberspace, top US military officials said Tuesday. They also said the North continues to engage in activities that threaten regional security and defy international norms. "North Korea remains a security challenge to the United States and our allies. It continues conducting activities that threaten regional stability and defy international norms," said Adm. Charles Richard, commander of the US Strategic

North KoreaApril 21, 2021

Parliamentary leaders of S. Korea, Europe discuss cooperation in vaccine rollout

South Korea's parliamentary leader on Tuesday asked his European counterpart to work together for stable supply of coronavirus vaccines as they vowed to bolster ties between the two sides. National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug spoke with David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, via a video conference and asked for Europe's cooperation in the vaccine rollout. "The COVID-19 pandemic is something that cannot be solved without cooperation and solidarity," Park said. &quo

Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2021

S. Korean Embassy in Indonesia shuts down temporarily over virus concerns

The South Korean Embassy in Indonesia has shut down temporarily after the ambassador tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday.  The embassy said it will halt operations through Thursday after reporting virus patients, including the South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Park Tae-sung.  Workers at the embassy, as well as those at the South Korean mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, are currently being tested for the novel coronavirus, officials said. According to World Health Orga

Foreign AffairsApril 20, 2021

Vice FM Choi relays S. Korea's concerns over Fukushima water during visit to Colombia

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun has relayed South Korea's concerns over Japan's plan to release radioactive water into the sea during his visit to Colombia early this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.  He explained Seoul's position on Tokyo's planned discharge of the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, when he met with his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Echeverri, the ministry said in a release.  Choi also mentioned t

Foreign AffairsApril 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] When your whole family gets COVID-19

A family of four in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, all came down with COVID-19 in late February, two of them with a foreign “variant of concern” that was still scarce in South Korea at the time. They were “presumptively the first community spread of the variant of COVID-19” in the country, and the “first untraceable variant cases.” The mother in her late 40s was the first in the family to test positive for the disease on Feb. 22, on the final day of her home qu

Social AffairsApril 20, 2021

S. Korea considering various 'vaccine swap' options with US

A "vaccine swap" agreement that South Korea is looking at with the United States could be a loan deal in which the country receives surplus COVID-19 vaccines from the US and gives the same amount back later, sources said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said during a parliamentary session earlier in the day that the country is discussing a "vaccine swap" arrangement with the US "fairly seriously" and the issue was a key focus in his talks with US Special Pr

Foreign AffairsApril 20, 2021

[News Focus] Marriages between Koreans, foreigners at 5-year low

SEJONG -- Of all marriages in South Korea, the percentage of international marriages -- marriages between Koreans and foreign nationals -- plummeted again last year, possibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, government data showed. The percentage of international marriages had bounced back in the years 2016 through 2019 after a decadelong decline. In 2000, when the nation started compiling data on marriages between Koreans and foreigners, international marriages made up only 3.4 percent of al

Social AffairsApril 20, 2021

Negotiations begin on 2022 minimum wage

Negotiations for next year’s minimum wage are expected to be anything but easy, with labor and business representatives again proposing radically different figures from the very start. The Minimum Wage Commission on Tuesday afternoon convened its first plenary meeting with its 27 members -- nine representatives each from labor, business and government. The commission has until mid-July to determine the new rate, which is to be formally announced Aug. 5. The first plenary meeting merely w

Social AffairsApril 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] Too soon to draft women into military: Defense Ministry

Conscripting women into the armed forces now would be premature, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, amid fresh debate about making military service compulsory for both women and men. At present, all able-bodied men in South Korea are required to serve in the military or complete an alternative public service program. Women can join the military as officers or noncommissioned officers. “Expanding conscription isn’t a yes-no, black-and-white question because we need to l

DefenseApril 20, 2021

Biden-Suga summit leaves Moon with few options

Last week’s highly productive US-Japan summit has left few options for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is heading to Washington next month for a summit with the new US president, experts say. US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga presented a united front on China in their first face-to-face meeting on Friday.  The leaders reaffirmed their commitments to countering China’s continuing assertiveness over Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China S

Foreign AffairsApril 20, 2021

City of Seoul toughens rules against sexual crimes in officialdom

The city of Seoul is introducing a new rule under which officials involved in sexual crimes will be expelled immediately, Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Tuesday. Oh made the announcement during a press briefing arranged to formally apologize to the victim of alleged sexual harassment by his predecessor Park Won-soon. Park was found dead last July in an apparent suicide amid allegations that he harassed a female secretary. "I declare the immediate introduction of a 'one-strike-and-you're-out' ru

PoliticsApril 20, 2021

S. Korea confirms 321 cases of emerging COVID-19 variants

South Korea has identified a total of 321 cases of "emerging" variants of the novel coronavirus since December, health authorities said Tuesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said these variants are different from the three most-known mutations from Britain, South Africa and Brazil that are known to be more transmissible. There is no indication yet whether these new strains are more deadly than current circulating variants of the virus, the KDCA said. Of the

Social AffairsApril 20, 2021

FM: Seoul, Washington 'earnestly discussing' COVID-19 vaccine swap deal

South Korea is "earnestly discussing" forging a swap deal with the United States to secure COVID-19 vaccines, the South Korean foreign minister said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong revealed the bilateral consultation under way between Seoul and Washington, during a parliamentary session. "Currently, (South Korea) is discussing (the potential swap deal) with the US side quite earnestly," the foreign minister said, responding to a query by Rep. Park Jin of the main o

Foreign AffairsApril 20, 2021