[Newsmaker] S. Korea, US closely watching N. Korean moves on SLBMs, new submarine: JCS

South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's military moves in coordination with the United States, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, amid signs of activity at the North's main shipyard used to develop submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). According to 38 North, commercial satellite imagery of the North's Sinpo Shipyard indicates that a missile canister for the submarine missile test barge has likely been removed, possibly for maintenance or for the replacement of a new c

North KoreaApril 12, 2021

Military extends antivirus scheme for three weeks

The defense ministry on Monday extended the current social distancing rules for the military, which allow service members to take vacation in a limited manner, for three weeks. The Level 2 scheme, which was supposed to expire Sunday, will be in place until May 2 in line with the government's guidance, according to the ministry. Under the Level 2 scheme, troops are allowed to go on vacation while strictly adhering to antivirus measures, such as a mandatory quarantine and coronavirus tests. Up t

DefenseApril 12, 2021

Nearly 2,000 LH employees buy or lease public housing provided by their company: lawmaker

Nearly 2,000 employees at a state housing developer have signed contracts for public housing provided by their own company over the last 10 years, data showed Monday. According to the document that Rep. Kwon Young-se of the opposition People Power Party received from the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), 1,900 workers at the company signed such contracts between 2011 and 2020. The company is at the center of the ongoing government-led investigation into alleged land speculation involving its

Social AffairsApril 12, 2021

[Graphic News] Half of younger Koreans see no need to have kids after marriage: report

　More than half of South Koreans in their teens and 20s think it is not necessary to have kids after marriage, a report showed, adding to concerns about the country’s chronic low birth rate. 　As of 2020, 32 percent of Koreans aged 13 or older said it is not necessary to have children after getting married, up from 30.4 percent two years earlier, according to the report on social indexes by Statistics Korea. 　All age groups felt less need to have kids after marriage, but in particular

NationalApril 12, 2021

N. Korea urges 'cell secretaries' to spearhead efforts to strengthen Kim's leadership

North Korea urged grassroots leaders of the ruling Workers' Party to be at the forefront of efforts to strengthen the leadership of Kim Jong-un, state media said Monday. During a workshop of the secretaries of party cells held from Friday to Sunday, the North also called for rooting out anti-socialist practices, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The lecturers said that the work of establishing the unified leadership system of the General Secretary is the most i

North KoreaApril 12, 2021

New virus cases back under 600 on fewer tests; curbs extended amid spring resurgence

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 600 for the first time in six days Monday partly due to fewer tests over the weekend, amid looming concerns over the fourth wave of the pandemic. The country reported 587 more COVID-19 cases, including 560 local infections, raising the total caseload to 110,146, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure was down from 614 the previous day, but it was still high given fewer tests conducted over the week

Social AffairsApril 12, 2021

N. Korea urges economic guidance organs to take full responsibility in implementing development plans

North Korea urged economic guidance organs to take full responsibility in implementing economic development plans as it held a Cabinet meeting to review the country's first-quarter production results, state media said Monday. The enlarged session of the plenary meeting of the Cabinet took place via video links Sunday, with Premier Kim Tok-hun presiding over the meeting and Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun making a report on the economic performance in the first quarter, according to the Korean Central

North KoreaApril 12, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae denies report US requested S. Korea join Quad

South Korea's presidential office on Sunday denied as "incorrect" a Japanese report that the United States asked Seoul to join the US-led Quad forum. The Yomiuri Shimbun, a major Japanese daily, reported earlier in the day that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had strongly requested Seoul join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue group, also known as Quad, during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Suh Hoon early this month. "(The newspaper's) citation is very i

PoliticsApril 11, 2021

N. Korea may be modifying submersible missile test barge: 38 North

New satellite images show that North Korea may be modifying its submersible missile test barge at a shipyard on its east coast, a US expert website monitoring the communist country said Sunday. 38 North said commercial satellite imagery taken Saturday (US local time) indicates that a missile canister for the submersible missile test barge has likely been removed. The removal is "possibly for maintenance, or for the replacement with a new canister or launch frame to accommodate larger subm

North KoreaApril 11, 2021

Seoul mayor faces bumpy road ahead to stabilize housing market

New Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, whose main pledge was to stabilize the city’s housing market, faces a difficult task of winning support from a ruling party-led government and lawmakers, on top of having to curb soaring property prices that have risen in anticipation of promised policy easing. Oh’s real estate policy focuses on revitalizing private-led development and urban redevelopment with various deregulation policies. Through this, he aims to provide 360,000 housing units in five

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] N. Korea preparing to launch ballistic missile submarine: report

North Korea has built a new submarine believed to be capable of carrying at least three ballistic missiles and is gauging the right time to unveil it, a local news outlet said Sunday, citing anonymous Seoul officials familiar with the matter. “South Korea and the US believe North Koreans have finished building one that they revealed in 2019,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the officials as saying. The North’s state media released a photograph at the time, in which leader Kim Jong-u

North KoreaApril 11, 2021

Korea resumes AstraZeneca vaccinations for people 30 and up

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine will not be given to anyone under the age of 30 in South Korea, as growing evidence points to possible associations with a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder. The government’s advisory committee on immunization practices said in a news briefing Sunday that AstraZeneca vaccinations will resume Monday after a partial suspension for the last four days. In an emergency announcement Wednesday evening, the immunization advisory committee said it wou

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

[News Focus] 60-somethings outnumber 30-somethings for 1st time

SEJONG -- People in their 60s outnumbered those in their 30s in South Korea for the first time ever this year, state data showed. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, those aged 60-69 outnumbered those aged 30-39 at 6.87 million versus 6.81 million in March. That put the aged 60-69 category in third place among 11 age groups, from those under 10 to centenarians. The top two groups were people in their 50s (8.61 million) and 40s (8.25 million). The change can be attributed to

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korean PM arrives in Iran: report

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun arrived in Iran on Sunday, a report said, as Seoul seeks to improve relations with Tehran amid lingering tension over Iranian funds frozen in Korea under US sanctions. Chung's three-day trip to Tehran came days after Tehran released a Korean oil tanker and its captain three months after its seizure over alleged oil pollution, paving the way for better bilateral relations. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Chung is slated to meet wi

PoliticsApril 11, 2021

Jeju stuck in dilemma over tourism recovery and spread of COVID-19

A rapid growth in tourist numbers is bringing joy to and causing concern among residents of Jeju, the southern holiday island increasingly favored by locals as an alternative to overseas travel amid the COVID-19 outbreaks. Tourist arrivals on Jeju Island have rapidly recovered to pre-coronavirus levels in recent months to the delight of its tourism sector, but residents are concerned about growing COVID-19 cases among visitors. According to Jeju provincial authorities on Sunday, the number of

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

N. Korea marks 9th anniversary of Kim Jong-un's leadership with call for loyalty

North Korea urged its people to stay faithful to leader Kim Jong-un as it marked the ninth anniversary of his assumption of top posts of its ruling party and the state amid economic woes from crippling sanctions. It, however, did not have any major events, including the national ceremony, to celebrate the anniversary apparently because of the new coronavirus pandemic and as Pyongyang tends to mark only every fifth or 10th anniversary with large-scale events. "We celebrate the 9th annivers

North KoreaApril 11, 2021

New virus cases in 600s for 3rd day amid extended social distancing scheme

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the third consecutive day Sunday amid looming concerns over the fourth wave of the pandemic, with authorities struggling to contain sporadic cluster infections nationwide. The country reported 614 more COVID-19 cases, including 594 local infections, raising the total caseload to 109,559, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. South Korea reported 677 new cases Saturday, which marked a slight rise from 671 ta

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

Man sentenced to 6 years in prison for trafficking marijuana

A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for selling marijuana he smuggled in from the United States using an unmanned parcel locker, judicial sources said Sunday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Court recently handed down the prison term to a 29-year-old man, whose identity has been withheld, on charges of violating the Narcotics Act. He is accused of buying marijuana from US-based drug dealers he met on the dark web, an area of the internet that is not accessible

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

Sea-parting festival in Jindo to be held only online this year

A world-famous sea-parting festival hosted annually by the southwestern South Korean island county of Jindo will be held only as an online event this year, officials said Sunday. The 42nd edition of the Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival, described worldwide as the "Korean version of Moses' miracle," will be held only online from April 27-29, the officials said, in accordance with authorities' campaign for non-face-to-face events to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Around this time of y

Social AffairsApril 11, 2021

[Photo News] The morning after

With the by-elections in Seoul and Busan over, workers get busy cleaning up the remains of the election campaigns.  Thousands of campaign banners and posters were installed throughout both cities during the campaign. After the results are announced, public workers get ready to take them down, signaling an end to the by-elections. Two public servants are hard at work removing campaign banners on the streets near Jamsilsaenae Station and Ihwa-dong in Seoul for disposal. By Gha Hee-sun (li

Social AffairsApril 10, 2021