[News Focus] Plastic waste crisis thwarts Korea’s efforts towards greener future

Korea’s progress towards a cleaner environment is being pushed back by the surge in plastic waste fanned by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic pushing people to buy food and drinks via takeaway or deliveries that come in plastic packaging, the amount of waste has surged, causing concerns the changes in consumption trend could permanently damage Korea’s green initiatives and disrupt people’s everyday lives. According to the Ministry of Environment, the number of food de

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

[Herald Interview] Former opposition leader vows to improve Seoul’s gender equality, child safety

Na Kyung-won, former floor leader of the conservative opposition, has vowed to improve gender equality and curb crimes against women and children if she becomes the first female mayor of Seoul. “Korea’s perception on gender has not yet reached an advanced level,” said Na in an interview with The Korea Herald. As to why sexual harassment is still rampant in the workplace, Na pointed to “a closed, vertical organizational culture as well as weak law enforcement and insti

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2021

US weighs sanctions, incentives under NK policy review

The United States is reviewing its North Korea policy to use the most effective tools to advance the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in his first media interview since taking office last week. Blinken said that included a possibility of further sanctions in coordination with US allies, as well as unspecified diplomatic incentives, he said in an interview with broadcaster NBC aired Monday evening, local time. Asked whether it was time to reco

North KoreaFeb. 2, 2021

KAIST to hold online forum with MIT, Tokyo Tech, Northwestern University

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea’s leading science and tech university, will launch an online forum with three other renowned universities, exploring ways to gain a competitive edge in the industrial sector in the COVID-19 era. The online forum titled, “The Roles and Responsibilities of Universities in a Global Crisis,” will be livestreamed on Wednesday, featuring a range of issues that affect universities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

[News Focus] Population decreases in 15 of 17 regions of Korea

SEJONG -- The downhill trajectory in South Korea’s demographic figures, which started in December 2019, continued last month as more cities and provinces posted negative population growth. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the nation’s population declined by 3,091 on-month to 51.825 million in January 2021. In December 2018 the figure stood at 51.826 million. Furthermore, 15 of the country’s 17 major cities and provinces saw growth in the minus range, with onl

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

Gender ministry to carry out fact-finding survey on stalking, dating violence

South Korea's gender ministry said Tuesday that it will carry out a fact-finding survey on stalking and dating violence later this year and map out employment plans for women in the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the 2021 policy plan, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family put its policy priority on preventing sexual crimes against women and promoting gender equality in the job market to help women get employed and continue their careers in an easier way. The ministry said stalking and dat

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ruling party will seek extra budget to prepare 4th round of COVID-19 relief fund: chief

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) will seek an extra state budget to provide the fourth round of a COVID-19 relief fund, party Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday. "(The DP) will prepare the fourth round of the disaster assistance fund. It will draw up a sufficient supplementary budget," the party chief said in his parliamentary speech marking the recent launch of a monthlong extra parliamentary session. Since May last year, the government has distributed more than 31 trillion won

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2021

‘Pause in joint field drills hurts Seoul’s defense against North’

A prolonged pause in South Korea-US joint military exercises involving full-scale field training will diminish Seoul’s capability to mount a defense against North Korea, military experts said ahead of March drills. They are expected to be conducted indoors through computer-based war games. Last week, Defense Minister Suh Wook confirmed that the March drills will not involve troops on the ground. Seoul and Washington, which have held drills annually to deter aggression from Pyongyang sinc

DefenseFeb. 2, 2021

USFK: No furlough notices issued amid talks for 'new, comprehensive' defense cost deal

US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday that it has not issued advance furlough notices to its South Korean employees as the two countries are working on a "new, comprehensive" defense cost-sharing deal. The US military was expected to begin sending thousands of South Korean workers a 60-day notice that they could be put on unpaid leave in April if Seoul and Washington fail to reach an agreement on a new Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that stipulates how much Seoul will pay for the upke

DefenseFeb. 2, 2021

Nearly 8 in 10 companies hit by coronavirus pandemic: survey

Nearly 8 out of 10 businesses in South Korea suffered the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, a recent survey showed. Of those, 4 out of 10 were operating in emergency mode. According to a survey of 302 local firms by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 75.8 percent said they had taken a hit from the coronavirus crisis and some 8.3 percent said their survival was threatened. Only 14.6 percent of the companies responded that the coronavirus had helped their

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

S. Korea investigating another suspected bird flu case, total now at 83

South Korea said Tuesday it is investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the total confirmed caseload traced to poultry farms here since November reaching 83. The latest suspected case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Icheon, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The number of confirmed infections traced to wild birds also reached 127 as of Tuesday. South Korea has so far culled nearl

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

2 Air Force officers, Army soldier test positive for virus

Two Air Force officers and an Army soldier have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The officers, based in the southern city of Sacheon, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after coming into contact with a person at their base who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. They have been in isolation following the earlier virus case and were confirmed infected in a test required to exit quarantine. The Army soldier tested positive while

DefenseFeb. 2, 2021

Moon calls for policy focus on inclusive recovery from coronavirus crisis

President Moon Jae-in instructed his government Tuesday to redouble efforts to address the problem of growing difficulties facing the vulnerable, including micro and small merchants, amid the prolonged COVID-19 crisis. His message came as the ruling Democratic Party has proposed a fourth batch of emergency relief money handouts, which require supplementary budgets. Moon pointed out the three key policy goals of 2021 -- recovery, inclusiveness and resurgence -- speaking during a weekly Cabinet

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2021

Military chiefs of S. Korea, US agree to make 'visible progress' on OPCON transition

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul held video talks with his US counterpart Gen. Mark Milley on Tuesday and agreed to continue efforts to make "visible progress" on the envisioned transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, the military said. During their first talks since the launch of the President Joe Biden administration, the two military leaders also vowed to develop their combined defense posture based on the &

DefenseFeb. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] Seoul bike users soar amid pandemic

　The accumulated membership of Seoul’s public bike service has surpassed 2.78 million, as residents avoid taking public transport as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, the city government said. 　That means 1 in every 4 Seoul residents used the city’s unmanned bike rental service, dubbed Ttaereungyi in Korean. 　The growth was particularly significant last year, with nearly 1.21 million newcomers, accounting for 43.3 percent of the total users. (Yonhap)

NationalFeb. 2, 2021

New infections in 300s for 3rd day; this week 'critical' for eased curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 300s for the third straight day on Tuesday as health authorities extended tough virus curbs amid a continued rise in cluster infections. The country added 336 more COVID-19 cases, including 295 local infections, raising the total caseload to 78,844, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload stood at 305 cases on Monday and 355 on Sunday, when the tally fell back to the 300s for the first time

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

S. Korea speeds up approval process of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments

South Korea's drug safety agency has stepped up efforts to speed up the approval process for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments amid a third wave of coronavirus outbreaks. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Tuesday, it will hold a meeting on Friday to give final approval for Celltrion Inc.'s COVID-19 treatment. Celltrion has submitted an application for conditional marketing authorization of CT-P59, an anti-COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment candidate, to the ministry. If

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2021

Blinken says US looking for ways to move N. Korea denuclearization forward

The United States is looking for optimal ways to advance the denuclearization process in North Korea and also deal with "growing problems" from the North's nuclear weapons, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken said such measures may include additional sanctions but also diplomatic incentives. "This is a problem, a bad problem that has gotten worse over time, and I would be the first to acknowledge that it's a problem that has gotten worse across administrations,&qu

North KoreaFeb. 2, 2021

Energy ministry unveils document to calm dispute over N. Korea reactor plan

South Korea's energy ministry on Monday made public an internal document about the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in North Korea to defuse "unnecessary" political turmoil sparked by a report on the paper's existence. A TV station reported earlier that documents on a nuclear power project in the North were among hundreds of computer files that industry and energy ministry officials deleted ahead of the state audit agency's inspection of atomic energy policies. The repo

North KoreaFeb. 1, 2021

How Korea’s first rounds of COVID-19 vaccines may roll out

The National Medical Center on Monday evening demonstrated how the first rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations could be carried out. The state hospital will be the first medical institution to administer the vaccines that are to arrive in the next couple of weeks. “Once people arrive to get their COVID-19 jabs, they will be screened for symptoms and then verified for eligibility, as vaccinations will be accessible to different groups at a time,” the hospital’s infectious disease

Social AffairsFeb. 1, 2021