Inter-Korean ties, pandemic should be considered in planning joint military exercise: FM nominee

Foreign Minister nominee Chung Eui-yong said Friday that inter-Korean ties and the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into account in planning this year's military exercises between South Korea and the United States, though he noted the need for a "proper" level of the drills. During a parliamentary confirmation hearing, Chung stressed "various implications" of large-scale exercises between the allies, in an apparent show of concern that such military maneuvers could provoke

PoliticsFeb. 5, 2021

Court upholds sentence for importer who sold Chinese masks as S. Korean made

JEONJU -- An appellate court on Friday upheld an earlier prison sentence of a face mask importer convicted for bringing over Chinese mask products and selling them as South Korean-made products during the height of the pandemic last year to make unfair profits. The Jeonju District Court's appellate division sentenced the person, 49, to 18 months in prison for importing some 1.08 million units of face masks made in China and retailing some 11,000 of the items online after falsely labeling them

Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021

Army officer tests positive for coronavirus

An Army officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload among the military population to 554, the defense ministry said Friday. The officer, based in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after an infection was reported at the base, according to the ministry. The soldier was in quarantine and confirmed to be infected in a virus test conducted prior to release. Nationwide, South Korea's total COVID-19 caseload b

DefenseFeb. 5, 2021

S. Korea, Georgia sign air service agreement

South Korea and Georgia have signed an air services agreement that would lay the foundation for operations of direct flights traveling between the two countries, the foreign ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Georgian Ambassador to South Korea Otar Berdzenishvili formally inked the agreement Thursday, after the two countries reached the agreement through aviation talks in July 2019. The agreement is to take effect on the 30th day from the two countries' mutual notificati

Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases exceed 80,000 amid tough virus curbs

South Korea surpassed a grim milestone in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as its total COVID-19 caseload broke the 80,000 mark Friday. The country added 370 more COVID-19 cases, including 351 local infections, raising the total caseload to 80,131, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 467 on Wednesday and 451 on Tuesday after staying under 400 the three previous days. The KDCA said it will decide on whether to adjust the c

Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021

N. Korea replaces heads of key farmer and labor groups amid economic drive

North Korea has replaced heads of key groups of farmers and laborers, state media said Friday, in an apparent move to rev up its recently unveiled economic development drive. During the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party last month, the North put forth a new five-year economic development plan centering on self-reliance in the face of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions. The Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea (UAWK) on Thursday held a plenary meeting to d

North KoreaFeb. 5, 2021

120 service members complete Army's new mine-removal training program

The Army said Friday that more than 100 troops have completed its recently launched mine-removal training program and will be deployed next month. The trainees -- 110 Army personnel, six airmen and four Marines -- completed the armed service's first specialized education curriculum that meets the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). The two-week program was launched last month to train troops on explosive ordnance disposal, first aid and mine clearance. Previously, the military's mine

DefenseFeb. 5, 2021

US begins global defense posture review: Biden

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States will review its global defense posture, a move that could affect the number of US troops stationed overseas, including those in South Korea. "Today, I'm announcing additional steps to course correct our foreign policy and better unite our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership," Biden said in his first speech on national security and foreign policy delivered from the Department of State. "To begin, Defense Sec

Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021

US will closely consult with S. Korea on N. Korea: Sullivan

The United States will closely consult with its Asian allies such as South Korea in dealing with North Korea, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. He also said close consultation with allies will be part of US efforts to strengthen its alliances. "To revitalizing America's alliance, the president has spoken with key allies in both Europe and Asia. Just last night, he had the opportunity to speak with both the president of the Republic of Korea and the prime minister o

North KoreaFeb. 5, 2021

S. Korea to receive 2.71m doses of COVID-19 vaccines via COVAX in H1

At least 2.71 million doses of coronavirus vaccines are expected to arrive in South Korea in the first half through an international vaccine procurement program, health authorities said Thursday. The country will receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines and 2.59 million doses of vaccines by AstraZeneca through the World Health Organization's global vaccine project, known as the COVAX Facility. The country with a 52 million population has secured access to coronavirus vaccines enough

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

Vice FM meets German envoy to discuss bilateral ties, pandemic, peninsula peace

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with Germany's top envoy here Thursday to discuss joint efforts to deepen bilateral ties and cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the foreign ministry said. During their talks, Choi and Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel agreed to continue communication at each government level to jointly address global challenges, including the pandemic, and explore ways to cooperate in securing COVID-19 vaccines. They also agreed to work

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021

Arrest warrant sought for ex-industry minister over reactor shutdown controversy

The prosecution filed for a warrant to arrest a former industry and energy minister Thursday as part of a probe into the controversial closure of an aging nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Prosecutors Office asked a court to issue the warrant for Paik Un-gyu on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business. Paik has been under probe over allegations that he abused his power in the viability assessment of Wolsong-1, the nation's second-oldest nuclear reactor, before the government d

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021

Could new variants dim Korea’s hope of having herd immunity by fall?

Korea’s plan of getting to herd immunity by fall could be complicated with the country reporting the first local outbreak involving new and potentially more transmissible variants. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s deputy director Kwon Jun-wook on Thursday warned of the possibility of the variants making the situation worse. “From what we know, the variants are capable of spreading more easily,” he said. “If our commitment to social distancing w

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] National Assembly impeaches judge accused of power abuse

South Korea on Thursday impeached a sitting judge for the first time in its history, as lawmakers voted to remove Lim Seong-geun, a senior judge at the Busan High Court for meddling in a number of politically controversial trials during the Park Geun-hye administration. During the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, 179 lawmakers voted to impeach Lim while 102 voted against it, marking the first time a judge has been removed from the post while in service. There were two motions in

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021

Mastermind of sexual abuse ring sentenced to additional 5 yrs in prison

The mastermind of an infamous Telegram sexual exploitation ring was sentenced to an additional five years in prison on Thursday for concealing profits from the crime for which had already been given a 40-year jail term last year. The Seoul Central District Court found Cho Ju-bin guilty of hiding some 108 million won ($96,500) of criminal proceeds by receiving cryptocurrency for the sexually exploitative materials he sold on the pay-to-view chat rooms on Telegram. The 25-year-old was also convi

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

More petitions filed with Constitutional Court over pandemic-induced collapse in business

Associations of small merchants filed a petition on Thursday with the Constitutional Court, asking it to review whether virus-related restrictions violate their basic property rights. The petition is the third of its kind, with the first one filed by bar and internet cafe owners on Jan. 5 and the second one by gym owners and others on Jan. 29. This time, more indoor sports facilities, karaoke rooms, cafes and bakery owners participated in the legal action, supported by civic groups, including

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

N. Korea to start vaccinations with COVAX aid

North Korea will be provided with 1.99 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by June this year to inoculate nearly 1 million people, COVAX said Wednesday. COVAX is an international group that helps less wealthy countries with vaccination efforts. The North will start receiving vaccines in late February at the earliest. But the program could face delays as the AstraZeneca vaccine has yet to be approved by the World Health Organization, which expects to discuss the matter later

North KoreaFeb. 4, 2021

Tests on 17,890 people find only 55 have coronavirus antibodies in S. Korea: KDCA

Only 55 of 17,890 people have antibodies against the novel coronavirus in South Korea, health authorities said Thursday, underscoring that the country's aggressive containment efforts might have curbed the prevalence of the virus. The antibody rate of 0.31 percent in South Korea is extremely low compared with other nations and global cities, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Data from the World Health Organization shows that the rate is less than 10 percent in

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Supreme Court chief justice in hot water over judge impeachment

Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su acknowledged that he had considered politicians’ plans to impeach Lim Seong-geun, a senior judge at the Busan High Court, when he refused to accept Lim’s resignation in May. Kim said in a statement to reporters Thursday that he regretted making the erroneous claim that he had never mentioned anything about impeachment during the conversation he had with Lim at the time. “I apologize for responding falsely based on uncertain memories o

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021

Seoulites work less, spend more time on media amid coronavirus pandemic

People in Seoul spent less time working than usual and more time on media during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, a city government survey showed Thursday. According to the online survey of 1,000 Seoul citizens aged 18 to 69, people worked an average of 5 hours and 19 minutes a day in 2020, down 12 minutes from 2019. Time spent on media use went up, however, from 1 hour and 46 minutes in 2019 to 2 hours and 4 minutes in 2020. These activities included reading books and newspapers, watching te

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021