Moon's senior secretary offers to quit over prosecution reshuffle: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in's senior secretary for civil affairs and justice has repeatedly offered to resign in protest over the latest reshuffle of senior prosecutors led by new Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Wednesday. Moon, however, rejected the resignation offer by Shin Hyun-soo, a former career prosecutor appointed to the post less than two months ago, while he remains intent on stepping down, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official. Shin is known to have feuded w

PoliticsFeb. 17, 2021

Temporary jobs for 20-somethings tumble in Jan. amid pandemic

The number of temporary and daily jobs for 20-somethings in South Korea plunged nearly 18 percent in January amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The country had 997,000 temporary and daily workers in their 20s last month, down 17.7 percent, or 214,000, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The number of temporary employees plunged by 151,000 in January from a year earlier, with that of daily workers sinking by 63,000. Temporary workers refer to th

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Captured N. Korean man crossed sea border in diving suit: JCS

A North Korean man, who was captured after crossing into South Korea, appears to have crossed the border via the sea while wearing a hard-hat diving suit and a set of fins, the military said Wednesday. On Tuesday, the man was spotted moving south in the early hours inside a restricted area north of the Civilian Control Line in the eastern border town of Goseong before being captured following a three-hour manhunt. Defense Minister Suh Wook apologized for the security failure and vowed to take

NationalFeb. 17, 2021

N. Korea shows no sign of provocation; US to soon finish policy review: ambassador

No signs of North Korean provocations have been detected while the US continues to review its approach and policy toward the North, South Korea's ambassador to the United States said Tuesday. Lee Soo-hyuck also said the US' review of its North Korea policy will not take long. "I have yet to hear that there has been any sign of (North Korean) provocation," the South Korean diplomat said in an online meeting with reporters in Washington. "And with regard to US responses, I have h

NationalFeb. 17, 2021

NK leader's wife makes 1st public appearance in over a year

The wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared in public for the first time in more than a year as she attended a concert commemorating the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il, according to state media Wednesday. Ri Sol-ju was last seen in January last year when she attended a concert celebrating Lunar New Year's Day at the Samjiyon Theater in Pyongyang with leader Kim. On Tuesday, Kim and Ri watched the performance at Mansudae Art Theater commemorating the birthday of the late leader, a

NationalFeb. 17, 2021

Boiler factory reports 95 infections in new coronavirus cluster

A boiler factory in central South Korea has emerged as a new coronavirus cluster, with 95 cases linked to the facility confirmed as of Tuesday, officials said. Kiturami Boiler's plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, has reported coronavirus infections among 77 employees and 15 of their family members, according to provincial health officials. The company employs 641 workers. Most of the infected employees worked at the same building named "F," the officials said, speculating th

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

NIS considering closed-door briefing to parliament on surveillance allegations: chief

The state intelligence agency is reviewing ways to conditionally give a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly on its alleged illegal surveillance of politicians and other social figures during the reign of the conservative Lee Myung-bak government, the NIS chief told lawmakers Tuesday. "The National Intelligence Service is considering plans to report to the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on the issue on condition of non-disclosure (to the public) if the committee approves (th

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2021

Seoul city looking for dog care specialists

The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation has launched a project to provide new job opportunities for people aged between 40 and 67. Under the title “50+ Dog Care Specialists Matching Support”, the project is designed to discover a new business model where middle-aged people can make use of their experience raising a pet. The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation said Tuesday that the project will be carried out in cooperation with local pet service company Pet People, which operates a platform called Pet

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

Korea buys more doses of Pfizer, Novavax vaccines

South Korea has finalized deals with Pfizer and Novavax for 46 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday. The prime minister told a government meeting that Korea on Monday evening signed the final contracts with Pfizer for 6 million more doses, in addition to the 20 million doses already ordered from the company, and 40 million doses from Novavax. The extra purchases push the country’s reservoir of COVID-19 vaccines to 152 million doses, which will

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

N. Korea tried to hack Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccine, treatment technology: NIS

North Korea has attempted to hack into South Korean drug manufacturers' computer systems to obtain information related to coronavirus vaccines and treatment, the state intelligence agency told lawmakers Tuesday. At a closed-door parliamentary session, the National Intelligence Service reported the average daily number of cyberattacks in South Korea has increased 32 percent year-on-year to about 1.58 million cases, most of which were unsuccessful, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People

North KoreaFeb. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Attacks on Moon’s son continue

An opposition lawmaker refuses to let up on President Moon Jae-in’s son, artist Moon Joon-yong, demanding that a Seoul City foundation disclose why it decided to fund him as part of its program to support artists suffering due to COVID-19. In a Facebook post on Monday, Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the People Power Party called on the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture to explain in detail how it selected the artists it sponsored under the program. In response to news reports in favor of Kwak

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2021

N. Korea’s trade outside China plunged by one-third last year

North Korea’s trade with countries other than its largest trading partner China plunged last year due to the regime’s border closure to stave off a COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a heavy blow to its economy already struggling with international sanctions. 　 Some 13 countries reported trading with North Korea last year, bringing in a total volume of $13.09 million, down by one third from $35.16 million in 2019, Voice of America reported Tuesday based on data disclosed by the Internatio

North KoreaFeb. 16, 2021

First COVID case reported at military headquarters

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported Tuesday the first coronavirus case at its headquarters in Seoul. A civilian office worker tested positive the previous day, pushing about 20 workers into a two-week quarantine and about 200 employees to take COVID-19 tests. “The infected employee did not make a trip to the ministry headquarters,” a Defense Ministry official said. The JCS and ministry headquarters sit side by side at the Yongsan compound that houses

DefenseFeb. 16, 2021

[News Focus] Lawmakers push for bill to protect domestic workers after 10-year wait

There is light at the end of the tunnel for domestic workers, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea hopes to pass a bill this month that would ensure better working conditions for them after a decadelong wait. Ruling party lawmakers in the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee are pushing to pass the bill during this month’s provisional session, in keeping with the party’s vow to expand protection for the working class and categorize domestic workers as wage laborers u

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

Korea explores new birth registration policy for non-Korean babies

The Ministry of Justice is accelerating its efforts to implement a birth registration system for non-Korean children born in South Korea, in a bid to provide legal status to newborns, regardless of their parents’ social and legal status. On Monday, the ministry held a policy committee meeting and deliberated on introducing a “foreign child birth registration system.” As the current system is riddled with problems, the ministry has been pushing for the enactment of a special l

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

[KH Explains] Universal basic income enters Korean political limelight

The idea of ensuring that everyone has at least some income has gained momentum in South Korea as the country experiences a major economic letdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea, championed first by Gyeonggi Province governor and president hopeful Lee Jae-myung, has quickly become a fiercely debated topic among presidential contenders from all sides. Proponents say it is a means to narrow the growing wealth gap and make up for future job losses. Naysayers worry that what they call the

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2021

Volleyball players accused of bullying likely to lose future coaching opportunities

South Korean professional volleyball players recently suspended for bullying their former school teammates will face hurdles when seeking coaching opportunities in the future, the sport's national governing body said Tuesday. Volleyball's V-League is reeling from a bullying scandal centered on two of the biggest stars in the women's division, Lee Jae-yeong and her twin sister Lee Da-yeong of the Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders. The 24-year-old sisters have admitted to allegations of physical, verbal

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

Victim asks Seoul to bring wartime sex slavery issue to ICJ

A former wartime sexual slavery victim demanded Tuesday that Seoul bring the issue of forced sexual slavery by Japan to the International Court of Justice, denouncing Japan's continued denials and a Harvard professor's recent controversial claims. Lee Yong-soo, one of 15 registered surviving South Korean victims of sexual slavery by Japan during World War II, said during a press conference in Seoul that the issue warranted a judgment by the international court, as Japan has been unresponsive to

Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

Over 5,000 virus rule violations reported during Lunar New Year holiday

Over 5,000 violations of antivirus measure were reported to authorities on the eve and during the extended Lunar New Year holiday last week amid the third wave of coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the interior ministry received a total of 5,615 reports of breaches in anti-COVID-19 protocols between Wednesday and Sunday. This year's Lunar New Year holiday fell from Thursday through Sunday. Ahead of the holiday, the government

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] N. Korean man captured after crossing inter-Korean border: JCS

A North Korean man was caught after crossing into South Korea via the eastern border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday, amid a possibility that he could have sought to defect to the South. South Korean troops detected the man at around 4:20 a.m. through a CCTV surveillance camera as he was moving south near a military checkpoint located inside a restricted area north of the Civilian Control Line in the east coast border town of Goseong, according to the JCS. After a three-hour ma

North KoreaFeb. 16, 2021