1st conscientious objector recognized on ethical grounds

A conscientious objector received approval on Wednesday to perform alternative service instead of undergoing mandatory conscription. He is the first conscientious objector in South Korea to qualify for the program because of a personal belief in nonviolence, rather than on religious grounds. South Korea, which conscripts all able-bodied men for about two years to maintain defense readiness against North Korea, introduced the program in October to honor a court ruling that the country stop penal

DefenseFeb. 24, 2021

Why North Korea replaced its ambassador to China after 11 years

North Korea recently appointed a former trade minister as its new ambassador to China, entrusting him with the crucial mission of reviving trade with the country’s closest ally amid deepening COVID-19 woes. According to the North’s Foreign Ministry on Feb. 19, Ri Ryong-nam, 61, will be replacing Ji Jae-ryong, 79, who has served as the top envoy to Beijing since 2010. Ri served as trade minister from 2008 to 2016, during which time the Trade Ministry was renamed the External Econo

North KoreaFeb. 24, 2021

Star football player accused of sexually, physically assaulting teammates in elementary school

A former South Korean national football team player is facing accusations of sexually and physically assaulting teammates while in elementary school more than 20 years ago. Park Ji-hun, attorney for the Seoul-based firm Hyun Law, put out a press release on Wednesday detailing allegations put forward by two clients. Both of them are one year younger than the accused player, who, according to Park, is "a star player who recently joined a club in the greater Seoul area." The players att

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

More schoolchildren want to be doctors amid COVID: poll

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors beat teachers in an annual survey of elementary schoolchildren on what they want to become when they grow up. In an online poll conducted for three months through Oct. 15 last year by the government, 7.6 percent of first through sixth graders said they want to be medical doctors, making it the second most popular career after professional athletes. Content creators such as Youtubers and professional gamers were also among the top five careers chosen by the

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

Population mobility declines in Jan. amid fall in housing transactions

The number of South Koreans who moved to different parts of the country declined in January amid a decrease in housing transactions, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences fell 2.2 percent on-year to 633,000 in January, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The tally declined last month after rising for the seventh straight month in December 2020 amid skyrocketing home prices. The population mobility rate -- the number of those relocating per 10

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

S. Korea suffers 1st population decline last year on record low births

The number of South Koreans who moved to different parts of the country declined in January amid a decrease in housing transactions, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences fell 2.2 percent on-year to 633,000 in January, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The tally declined last month after rising for the seventh straight month in December 2020 amid skyrocketing home prices. The population mobility rate -- the number of those relocating per 10

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

Spring blossom, cultural festivals canceled or downsized over COVID-19 fears

Spring is just around the corner, but almost all spring blossom and cultural festivals across the country are likely to be called off for the second consecutive year amid little signs of a letup in coronavirus outbreaks, officials said Wednesday. Many local governments have already decided to cancel their annual spring flower festivals again this year due to fears of COVID-19 transmission, though some others are considering holding festivals on a sharply reduced scale or in a non-face-to-face m

PoliticsFeb. 24, 2021

Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tests positive for new coronavirus

A military officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. It is the second COVID-19 case among JCS members so far, after a civilian employee was confirmed to have been infected last week. He undertook a virus test to exit quarantine, as he has been in isolation since Feb. 10 at his residence in Seoul after one of his family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. "We are taking necessary measur

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

S. Korea investigating new suspected bird flu case, total now at 101

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is investigating yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu traced to poultry farms, with the total caseload reaching 101. The latest suspected case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Wonju, 132 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. South Korea confirmed its 101st case of seriously contagious bird flu from another egg farm in Icheon, sout

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

1st batch of COVID-19 vaccines shipped in S. Korea ahead of public inoculation program

Shipments of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for South Koreans began Wednesday as health authorities gear up to launch a public inoculation program later this week. The inaugural shipments of vaccines developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca were made at a drug manufacturing plant of SK Bioscience Co. in Andong, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The delivery began as the country was preparing to begin a public vaccination program on Friday using AstraZeneca vaccines

PoliticsFeb. 24, 2021

[Graphic News] N. Korea ranks lowest in world democracy index: poll

　North Korea ranked the lowest in a world democracy index last year for the 16th consecutive year, a recent report showed. 　North Korea placed at the bottom among the 167 countries polled, with an overall score of 1.08 out of a total of 10, according to the Democracy Index 2020 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the research division of the British weekly The Economist. 　The North has ranked the lowest in the EIU index since the agency began compiling the data in 2006. 　South K

North KoreaFeb. 24, 2021

New virus cases rebound to over 400 ahead of 1st rollout of vaccine this week

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday on continued cluster infections across the country ahead of the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout this week. The country reported 440 more virus cases, including 417 local infections, raising the total caseload to 88,120, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's daily caseload is a sharp rise from 357 cases amid unrelenting group infections. The figures hovered above 600 las

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

NK paper warns against relying on outside help to achieve five-year economic plan

North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday called for greater efforts to realize a self-reliant economy without outside help amid struggles to accomplish key goals unveiled in a rare party meeting last month. "When we face difficulties in the process of achieving our tasks, we must not depend on help from outside or from the top but rather solve the problems in close cooperation with the production, research and development sector," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's rulin

North KoreaFeb. 24, 2021

N. Korea to convene labor union congress to lend support to party decisions

North Korea will convene a congress of the country's largest labor union in May for the first time in about five years to lend support to the decisions and plans unveiled by last month's congress of the ruling Workers' Party, state media said Wednesday. At the congress of the Workers' Party in early January, the North unveiled a new five-year economic development plan with a focus on self-reliance and other policy directions against the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its regime.

North KoreaFeb. 24, 2021

US, S. Korea may discuss Iran sanctions but no money transferred yet: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea may discuss the proposed release of Iranian funds held in South Korea, but no money has yet been transferred, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday, noting the allies often discuss such issues. Ned Price said it would not be a surprise if the allies are already in such discussions, but noted no money has been transferred yet. "We don't have a comment precisely on that, precisely because there has been no transfer of funds," the depa

Foreign AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

Vice FM says 'comfort women' tragedy must be addressed as 'universal human rights issue'

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has said that the tragedy surrounding victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery must be addressed as a "universal human rights issue," vowing to continue Seoul's efforts to restore their dignity. Choi made the remarks in a prerecorded speech for the virtual high-level segment of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday (Geneva time), as the issue of the wartime sexual slavery resurfaced with a Harvard professor's much-criticized claim that the

Foreign AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

US missile defense 'clearly focused' on N. Korea: Gen. Hyten

WASHINGTON -- The United States' missile defense capability is "clearly" focused on North Korea and must continue to advance to meet evolving threats from the country, the vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday. Gen. John Hyten argued the North poses one of the most immediate threats to the US in that the country has a real potential of using its weapons against the US. "Our national missile defense capability is clearly focused on North Korea right now, not

Foreign AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Britain discuss bilateral cooperation, G7 summit

The top diplomats of South Korea and Britain spoke over the phone Tuesday and discussed joint efforts to expand bilateral cooperation in climate change and other areas, the foreign ministry said. In the phone talks, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong agreed with his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, to use upcoming events, like the Group of Seven (G7) summit and the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G), as occasions to further strengthen cooperation. It was the first phone co

Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2021

Vice FM urges N. Korea to return to nuke dialogue at UN disarmament conference

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun urged North Korea on Tuesday to return to denuclearization talks, saying that the peace process on the Korean Peninsula is the path that must be taken, the foreign ministry said. Choi made the remark in a speech he delivered virtually for the high-level segment of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, as he explained Seoul‘s ongoing efforts to engage with Pyongyang toward the goal of building a nuclear-free peninsula and lasting peace in t

Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2021

Google Korea reviews lowering planned in-app commission rate: lawmakers

The South Korean unit of US tech giant Google Inc. is considering lowering its planned commission rate for in-app purchases, lawmakers said Tuesday, amid complaints from local software developers over steep commission costs. According to lawmakers from the parliamentary committee on science and technology, Google Korea representatives have told committee members that they were persuading the company headquarters to lower its planned 30 percent commission on in-app purchases. Google has announ

PoliticsFeb. 23, 2021