Moon attends tree-planting day event at historic power plant site

President Moon Jae-in planted trees Monday at a highly symbolic site in South Korea's push for low-carbon, environment-friendly energy use. Marking Korean Arbor Day, called "Sikmogil" here, he reaffirmed the nation's commitment to going carbon neutral by 2050. He joined the official ceremony held at the Dangin-ri power plant site in the western Seoul district of Mapo. Dangin-ri was constructed in the 1930s as the country's first coal-fired power plant. A major remodeling project is u

PoliticsApril 5, 2021

Law against workplace bullying misses the mark, leaves many victims vulnerable: civic group

A legislative revision targeting workplace bullying has missed the mark, one civic group said Monday, as it would not protect subcontractors or address harassment by customers. Pro-labor civic group Gabjil 119 said Monday that the latest legislative revision, which passed in the National Assembly last month, was designed only to further protect directly employed workers from harassment by their employers. It would leave laborers and contract workers vulnerable, the group argues. Lawmakers la

Social AffairsApril 5, 2021

Public opposes Chinatown in Gangwon province

Amid growing anti-China sentiment in South Korea, people are calling for the withdrawal of the construction of a tourist-focused Chinatown in Gangwon province. As of Monday, more than 410,000 people signed up to a petition against the construction of the tourist site on the website of presidential Blue House. This reflects growing anti-China sentiment in the nation as China attempts to rewrite history through its northeastern project -- to make all history within the Chinese border into Chinese

Social AffairsApril 5, 2021

Confirmed cases drop to 400s due to fewer tests; around 1m vaccinated

With the number of new COVID-19 cases hovering in the 400s and 500s for weeks, the authorities have toughened basic quarantine rules, warning there will be zero tolerance for violations. As of midnight, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 473 to 105,752, the government’s central response team said Monday. Although the number dropped by 70 from the previous day’s 543, it is hard to say that the spread has slowed down because fewer COVID-19 tests are carried out on weekends

Social AffairsApril 5, 2021

Contentious US missile shield back in limelight

Delays in building a US base in South Korea to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system have been a fact of life for the past four years. But the two allies may soon find themselves at odds as Washington demands better living conditions for its personnel handling the THAAD system. In April 2017, South Korea brought in a THAAD battery to counter mounting threats from North Korea. But the living accommodations for the soldiers who live at the site remain inadequate, as Sou

DefenseApril 5, 2021

Police seek warrants for arrest of 2 LH officials in land speculation probe

INCHEON -- Police said Monday they have sought warrants for the arrest of two officials of the state housing developer, Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), for the first time since they launched an investigation last month into allegations of land speculation by LH employees. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency said it requested a warrant on Friday for the arrest of an LH official suspected of using insider information to buy multiple plots of land, mostly in Gwangmyeong, southwest of Seoul, before

Social AffairsApril 5, 2021

S. Korea, Indonesia pushing for defense ministerial talks

South Korea is in talks with Indonesia to set up defense ministerial talks on the occasion of an upcoming rollout ceremony showcasing a prototype of South Korea's first indigenous fighter jet this month, the defense ministry said Monday. Whether Indonesia, a partner for the KF-X project, will send senior officials to the rollout ceremony has been a focus of attention as it could be a sign the country remains committed to the joint project amid speculation it is seeking to quit the business. So

DefenseApril 5, 2021

Defense ministry rejects Japan's renewed claims over Dokdo islets

South Korea's defense ministry on Monday flatly dismissed Japan's renewed territorial claims to the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo, saying Seoul does not even have to repeat explanations on the matter. Last week, the Japanese government approved 296 textbooks for first-year high school students, including 30 kinds for social studies subjects, which contain Tokyo's sovereignty claims to Dokdo. "I think it needs no explanations, but Dokdo is South Korea's inherent territory historica

DefenseApril 5, 2021

S. Korea to conduct survey on Korean War-separated families

The unification ministry said Monday that it will conduct a survey of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War to figure out the exact number of survivors and demand for reunions with their relatives in North Korea. The survey will be carried out from Tuesday until the end of October mostly on around 48,000 people who have applied for reunions with their long-lost family members in the North, according to the ministry. South Korea has conducted the survey every five years since 2011 to see

North KoreaApril 5, 2021

N. Korea urges efforts to localize production to develop self-reliant chemical industry

North Korea's official newspaper called Monday for the localized production of industrial catalysts, as the country steps up efforts to resuscitate its chemical industry that has remained listless after a boom in the 1980s. "Until the 1980s when the chemical industry was growing vibrant ... dozens of catalyst types were produced on our own," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party, said. It pointed out that the industry currently faces many challenges due to a lack

North KoreaApril 5, 2021

2 soldiers, arms procurement agency official test positive for virus

Two Army soldiers and an arms procurement agency official have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. A soldier in the southeastern city of Daegu was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while on vacation before discharge, according to the ministry. Over the weekend, another soldier in the border town of Cheorwon tested positive while in quarantine after a vacation, and an official at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in Gwacheon, just south of

DefenseApril 5, 2021

New virus cases back below 500 on fewer tests; tougher curbs under review amid potential upticks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 500 after six days on Monday on fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities warned of enhanced social distancing rules amid growing concerns over a new wave of the pandemic. The country reported 473 more COVID-19 cases, including 449 local infections, raising the total caseload to 105,752, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload has been hovering above 500 since Wednesday. The country ad

Social AffairsApril 5, 2021

NK 'party cell' leaders visit mausoleum of late leaders ahead of conference

Leaders of grassroots units of North Korea's ruing Workers' Party paid tribute to the mausoleum of late leaders in Pyongyang, state media reported Monday, apparently before partaking in their first congress in over three years. State media earlier said that the conference of secretaries of "party cells" was set to take place early this month to discuss "the affairs in prioritizing the position and the role" of the cells without specifying the date. Party cells refer to the p

North KoreaApril 5, 2021

2 S. Koreans killed in construction site accident

A wooden building collapsed during reinforcement work, killing two South Korean workers, in the southern city of Gwangju, police said Sunday.  On Sunday afternoon, four workers were buried under the wreckage of an old wooden house, an official at the Dongbu Fire Station said over the phone. Two of them were killed in the accident and the other two were transferred to a hospital for treatment, the official said. Police are investigating to determine the exact cause of the accident, he

Social AffairsApril 4, 2021

NK’s denuclearization receives fresh attention at top security meetings

As high-level talks by top security officials in the US and China ended with putting North Korea’s denuclearization issue at the fore, all eyes are on what kind of changes it could bring on the Korean Peninsula under the Biden administration amid an intensifying US-China rivalry.  Experts say Seoul’s push for reviving the deadlocked nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang could gain momentum following the meetings, but as to whether the reclusive regime will respond and how South Kor

Foreign AffairsApril 4, 2021

N. Korea slams Japanese textbooks for distorting history, justifying invasion

North Korea on Sunday blasted Japan for approving history textbooks that distort history and glorify Tokyo's imperial past. The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) noted that those school textbooks have left out details of Japanese atrocities during its colonial period while also renewing territorial claims to Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost islets. "The textbooks define Japanese invasions as a step toward civilization and prosperity," the KCNA said. "Japan has establishe

North KoreaApril 4, 2021

High turnout in early voting draws mixed views

High early voting turnout for next week’s by-elections has prompted both the ruling and opposition camps to claim it as an indication that the polls will swing in their favor. According to the National Election Commission, 2.49 million eligible voters, or 20.54 percent of the total 12.16 million, cast their votes during the two-day early voting period that ended 6 p.m. Saturday. The figure is the highest advance voting turnout in South Korea’s by-election history, exceedi

PoliticsApril 4, 2021

Sogang University under fire for forcing students to sign COVID-19 pledge

Sogang University, one of Seoul’s elite schools, has come under fire for forcing students living in dormitories to sign a pledge that would hold them both financially and legally responsible when they are infected with COVID-19 from visiting high-risk areas. According to the school’s online student community, two dormitories started requiring its residents to sign the “agreement” after the first infection case was confirmed in one of the buildings on March 25. “I

Social AffairsApril 4, 2021

[Photo News] Early voting turnout for by-elections

Early voting for next week’s by-elections finished Saturday with a turnout of 20.54 percent, the highest in South Korea’s by-election history, according to election authorities. During the two-day advance voting period that ended at 6 p.m. on the day, 2.49 million of the total 12.16 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the National Election Commission. The previous record high of 19.40 percent was posted in the Oct. 29 by-elections in 2014. (Yonhap)  Presi

PoliticsApril 4, 2021

[News Focus] Gyeonggi Province’s population falls for 1st time since 1980s

SEJONG -- Gyeonggi Province saw the number of its residents decline last month after posting continuous population growth since the early 1990s. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the population of Gyeonggi -- the most populous of South Korea’s 17 provinces and major cities -- fell by 5,921 (200 men and 5,721 women) in March to record 13.46 million people. Its monthly decline is noteworthy, given that Gyeonggi -- alongside Sejong -- had maintained a steady increase in its

Social AffairsApril 4, 2021