International school teacher recognized as Educator of the Year

Four faculty members at Korea International School were recognized for their efforts and their dedication to the school district and community, the school announced Wednesday. The Korea Overseas Council of Schools this month named design teacher Jeremy Jacobsen Educator of the Year. Three other KIS faculty members were nominated for the award, KIS said. KORCOS is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization of educators from overseas currently located in Korea. For this year’s awards

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae, White House open new hotline to communicate on economy, global issues

Top South Korean and US presidential aides had phone discussions Wednesday on strengthening partnerships on the economy, trade and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the 35-minute talks with Kim Sang-jo, President Moon Jae-in's chief of staff for policy, Brian Deese, top economic adviser for President Joe Biden, took note of South Korea's anti-coronavirus fight and efforts for economic recovery, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Deese, director of the White House Natio

PoliticsFeb. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Another North Korean makes it to South unnoticed

A North Korean who was taken into custody Tuesday is believed to have swum across the eastern maritime border, the military said Wednesday. The military failed to capture him until it spotted him walking along the road on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. The man, who was captured after a six-hour chase on Tuesday morning, reportedly wore a wet suit and flippers, which the military found on the eastern shore in the northernmost region of Gangwon Province.

DefenseFeb. 17, 2021

[News Focus] Will four-day workweek become a reality?

A four-day workweek is emerging as a hot-button campaign issue as Seoul mayoral candidates promise a compressed work schedule ahead of the April by-elections, with debate ensuing as to whether the pledge is realistic and economically viable for South Korea and its capital. Former SMEs Minister Park Young-sun said in a meeting earlier this month that she wants to introduce a 4.5-day workweek for Seoul citizens if she wins the Seoul mayor seat in the coming months. Park has so far been picked as

PoliticsFeb. 17, 2021

[Animals in Korea (2)] Pro bono lawyers sue on behalf of animals in peril

In a country where news reports about animal cruelty and abandonment never stop, a group of pro bono lawyers is working to protect animals by filing suits on their behalf. Among their clients are mountain goats in danger of losing their habitat, and dogs dying in pain at meat farms. Park Joo-yeon is one of 15 lawyers engaged in animal protection activities for the civic group People for Non-Human Rights. PNR was founded in 2017 by lawyers seeking to use their collective voice to improve the l

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

Broker arrested in refugee application fraud involving 80 Pakistanis

A foreign national has been arrested for helping about 80 Pakistanis submit asylum applications to South Korean authorities using forged documents, the immigration office in this southern port city said Wednesday. The Busan Immigration Office said it has referred the foreign refugee broker, whose identity was withheld, to the prosecution to be indicted on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act. The broker is accused of taking about 1 million won ($900) from each of the false asylum s

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Canada hold phone talks on bilateral ties

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke by phone with his Canadian counterpart, Marc Garneau, on Wednesday and discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, the foreign ministry said. During the talks, the ministers agreed to closely work together in tackling global challenges like the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change as "responsible middle powers and strategic partners that share the values of democracy and free trade," the ministry said. The two sides also agr

North KoreaFeb. 17, 2021

N. Korea expands missile facilities, but no unusual signs at nuclear sites: defense ministry

North Korea has been expanding missile development facilities, but has shown no unusual signs at its demolished nuclear testing site or its long-suspended plutonium-producing reactor, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The assessment was made in a report the ministry presented to the National Assembly's defense committee for a policy briefing session. "No special movement has been spotted since May 24, 2018, when the North demolished the Punggyeri nuclear test site. The 5-megawatt nucle

North KoreaFeb. 17, 2021

New Japanese envoy stresses trilateral cooperation with US

New Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Aiboshi has stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation between the two countries and the United States for regional stability, according to its embassy on Wednesday. "Japan and South Korea are mutually important neighbors, whose people share a deep interest in each other's politics, economy, society and culture," Aiboshi said in his first message posted on the embassy's website since his arrival in Seoul on Friday. "To keep th

Foreign AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

Over 110 workers from Namyangju factory infected with COVID-19

More than 110 workers at a factory east of Seoul have tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, becoming the latest in a recent string of mass infections at industrial workplaces. According to the municipal officials of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, as many as 114 employees from a single plastic manufacturing plant in the city's Jingwan General Industrial Complex, about 40 kilometers from Seoul, have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The newest cluster of factory worker in

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

Nation once again gripped by cold weather amid subzero temps

Cold weather once again gripped the country Wednesday, with temperatures dipping into the double digits below zero in Seoul and several other areas. The capital city posted a morning low of minus 10.2 C, while the surrounding cities of Incheon and Suwon saw the mercury drop to minus 9.6 C and minus 9.5 C, respectively, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The weather authorities issued a cold wave advisory for most parts of Gangwon Province in the northeast, one of the c

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

S. Korea, US have 'clear commitment' to conclude defense cost talks before April: source

South Korea and the United States share a "clear commitment" to strike a deal on the sharing of the cost for stationing 28,500 America troops here before April, a diplomatic source said Wednesday. Seoul and Washington have been stepping up final-stage efforts to reach the deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), as South Korean civilians working for the US Forces Korea (USFK) could be forced to go on unpaid leave on April 1 absent a new deal. "We mutually have a clear

DefenseFeb. 17, 2021

No additional COVID-19 cases reported among JCS members

No additional coronavirus cases have been reported among members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) since a civilian JCS employee tested positive earlier this week, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The employee tested positive Monday, marking the first case since November reported from the Yongsan compound where the ministry and the JCS headquarters are located. "Around 80 people, including those who came into contact with the man, underwent virus tests so far, and all of them tested

DefenseFeb. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] 5-star Jeju hotel under fire for transparent sauna windows

A new five-star hotel on Jeju Island is under fire for saying its sauna windows were mirror coated when they weren’t. Naked guests in the shower booths and bathrooms in the sauna on the second floor could be seen from the first floor at Grand Josun Jeju, which opened last month in Seogwipo. According to a complaint posted on a portal site Tuesday, a man who stayed at the hotel on his honeymoon said his wife had used the sauna several times because she was told the windows were mirror c

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

NK state media use 'president' as new English title for leader Kim

North Korea's state media have used "president" as the official English title of leader Kim Jong-un, instead of the previous title of "chairman," in what experts see as intended to rev up the image of a "normal state." The North's Korean Central News Agency used the new title for the first time in an English article last Thursday while reporting on a Cuban leaders' message to Kim. On Wednesday, KCNA also referred to Kim as "president" in reporting on his

North KoreaFeb. 17, 2021

India's foreign secretary voices hope for S. Korea to join New Delhi-initiated bodies to fight climate change

India's foreign secretary expressed hope Wednesday that South Korea will join a set of New Delhi-initiated global organizations to help fight climate change, stressing they will mesh with Seoul's drive for green growth. In a contribution to Yonhap News Agency, Harsh V. Shringla also pledged India's efforts to cooperate with Korea in finding "synergies" between the two countries' initiatives to tackle climate challenges and related international efforts. "We have initiated intern

Foreign AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

Moon pays respects to deceased Korean reunification activist

President Moon Jae-in paid his respects Wednesday to Paek Ki-wan, revered for his lifelong pro-democracy activities and devoted campaign for the reunification of the two Koreas. The president visited the funeral home set up at Seoul National University Hospital in the capital for the condolence call to the bereaved family. Paek died Monday at the age of 88 after suffering symptoms of pneumonia. He spent much of his life for pro-democracy, pro-unification and social activists, having written n

PoliticsFeb. 17, 2021

PM expresses worry over lax virus alertness amid spike in new cases

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday expressed concerns over the public's seemingly waning vigilance against the new coronavirus, with the number of new daily cases having risen substantially since authorities eased social distancing rules just days ago. "It's been three days since the easing of social distancing rules but the number of patients has surpassed 600 for the first time in 39 days," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the governm

PoliticsFeb. 17, 2021

[Graphic News] Over half of S. Koreans in favor of tax hike on high earners: poll

　More than half of South Koreans are in favor of raising taxes for high income earners to mitigate the polarization that has deepened during the pandemic, a poll showed. 　In the survey of 1,000 South Koreans aged 18 or older conducted early February, 57.4 percent of respondents agreed to a tax hike on high earners in the face of a widening income gap, while 39.3 percent disagreed, according to Realmeter.  　Nearly 83 percent of the respondents said polarization had worsened during th

NationalFeb. 17, 2021

New virus cases most since early January, post-holiday resurgence looming

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases increased by the most in more than a month to over 600 on Wednesday, prompting concerns over a virus resurgence after the Lunar New Year holiday amid eased social distancing rules. The country reported 621 more COVID-19 cases, including 590 local infections, raising the total caseload to 84,946, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added four more deaths, raising the total to 1,538. Wednesday's caseload was the high

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021