Defense industry promotion law to take effect this week

A newly legislated defense industry promotion law will go into effect this week, requiring the government to give priority to locally developed parts in the country's weapons systems, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. Under the new law that will take effect Friday, the government will expand support to local companies' weapons parts development and help them be used more in broader weapons system development projects, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. To inc

DefenseFeb. 4, 2021

Nearly one-third of S. Koreans experienced online violence last year

Over 30 percent of South Koreans experienced online violence either as a victim or an abuser last year, according to a survey by the country's media regulator Thursday. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said 32.7 percent responded that they had experienced online violence last year in a survey of 7,458 people, down 0.8 percentage point from 2019. The survey found that experience in online violence as a victim last year reached 29.7 percent, compared with that as an abuser at 16.8 perce

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

New virus cases over 400 for 2nd day; no letup in cluster infections

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for a second straight day on Thursday as cluster infections continue to pop up across the country despite extended virus curbs. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 429 local infections, raising the total caseload to 79,762, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday after staying under 400 the three previous days. New virus infections h

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

N. Korea to convene congress of largest youth association to support party decisions

North Korea will convene a congress of the country's largest youth association for the first time in four years, state media reported Thursday, in an apparent move to enlist support for new policies and decisions adopted at last month's Workers' Party congress. During the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party, the North unveiled a new five-year economic development plan focusing on self-reliance in the face of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its regime. T

North KoreaFeb. 4, 2021

South Korean Embassy in US to showcase new documentary on kimchi

WASHINGTON -- The South Korean Embassy in Washington said Wednesday it will soon release a documentary on kimchi, the most well-known traditional Korean dish that is also part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The first of the three-part documentary, "Kimchi Universe," will be released next Friday, Lunar New Year's Day, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Washington. It will be available for anyone to watch at the center's website at http://washingtondc.korean-cultur

Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

Moon, Biden to map out 'comprehensive' N. Korea strategy together

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to draw up a joint "comprehensive" strategy on North Korea during their phone talks, Cheong Wa Dae announced. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Joe Biden also agreed to work together for the shared goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and bringing lasting peace to the region, according to Moon's spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon proposed that the two sides make joint effort

Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2021

Minor party will not compete in mayoral by-elections amid sexual harassment scandal

The minor progressive Justice Party decided Wednesday not to field candidates in the April mayoral by-elections in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal that led to the expulsion of its leader. Kim Jong-cheol resigned as head of the party on Jan. 25 after admitting to sexually harassing a female lawmaker of the same party. He was expelled from the party Thursday. At a meeting of its national committee, the party decided not to nominate candidates in the by-elections as a way of "abiding by t

PoliticsFeb. 3, 2021

Govt. to announce plan to supply 850,000 homes to cool property market

The government is expected to announce a plan this week to provide a total of 850,000 homes to cool down the overheated property market, government and parliamentary officials said Wednesday.    Under the plan, likely to be unveiled Thursday, about 325,000 units will be supplied in Seoul, and the rest in other major cities, including Busan, Daegu and Gwangju, where property prices have soared over the recent months, the officials said.    Public companies like Korea Land

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Unification minister says S. Korea 'sufficiently' communicating with US on anti-leaflet law

Unification Minister Lee In-young said Wednesday that South Korea has been sufficiently communicating with the United States about a recently legislated ban on the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea.  The amendment to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act, set to take effect next month, has raised concerns among critics that it could hurt freedom of expression and undercut efforts to send outside information into the reclusive North.  "South Korea and th

North KoreaFeb. 3, 2021

Civic groups file petition over human rights violations by chatbot Luda

South Korean civic groups on Wednesday filed a petition with the country’s human rights watchdog over a now-suspended artificial intelligence chatbot for its prejudiced and offensive language against women and minorities. An association of civic groups asked the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to look into human rights violations in connection with the chatbot Lee Luda, which was developed by local startup Scatter Lab. The groups, which include the People’s Solidarity

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Govt. to improve living infrastructure for foreigners, N. Korean defectors

The government will put efforts into improving the basic living infrastructure for foreigners and North Korean defectors, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Wednesday.  The ministry plans to provide a total of 2 billion won ($1.8 million) for the project.  Local governments across the country can apply for the financial support with their individual plans to help foreigners and North Korean defectors in each region.  If selected, each applicant can receive up to 200

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Iran agrees to free sailors of S. Korean tanker, but timing uncertain

Iran agreed on Tuesday to free the 19 crew members of a South Korean oil tanker that was seized a month ago, but it is uncertain when the sailors will return home.  Tehran has not yet released the ship or its captain, who is to remain in Iranian custody until the investigation into what the country has described as a breach of its environmental pollution laws is completed.   According to the operator of the MT Hankuk Chemi, at least 13 sailors are required to be on board th

Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Public outcry grows against welfare grants for child rapist

Public outrage is mounting after it was reported that Cho Doo-soon, one of Korea’s most notorious child rapists, and his wife are receiving basic livelihood grants and the pension for senior citizens. Cho, 68, who was released from prison on Dec. 12 after serving a reduced sentence of just over a decade for kidnapping, beating and grotesquely raping a young girl, now lives with his wife in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and is unemployed. After news surfaced that Cho and his wife began to re

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Harvard professor invites fury by calling ‘comfort women’ prostitutes

A journal article written by a Harvard professor has provoked fury here for its assertion that “comfort women” were not sex slaves, but prostitutes who chose to work at military brothels under voluntary agreements.  In the paper, titled “Contracting for sex in the Pacific War” and published in the International Review of Law and Economics, Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School, argued that Korean comfort women -- as th

Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Swindler sentenced to 2 yrs in prison for mask-related fraud

DAEGU -- A person was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding people of more than 200 million won ($179,000) by promising to buy them protective face masks at a cheap price, among other things, a local court said Wednesday. The Daegu District Court, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, convicted the 48-year-old of fraud, saying the defendant used the money to repay personal debts and cover entertainment expenses. "Stern punishment is required as there are serious concerns the

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Opposition advises lawmakers to focus on ‘sexual assaults’

The main opposition party instructed its lawmakers to focus on the topic of sexual assaults among others when they shoot questions at the government during a series of interpellation sessions beginning Thursday. In an internal document revealed Tuesday, the People Power Party advised 12 participating legislators to concentrate on framing the government and the ruling party as “anti-corporation, anti-market economy, anti-rule of law and (prone to) sexual assaults.” An administrativ

PoliticsFeb. 3, 2021

UN puts faith in Seoul’s leaflet ban

The UN secretary-general’s office said Monday that it believes South Korea will respect human rights when it implements the ban on the cross-border launching of anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets. The leafleting is set to become a felony in March under legislation introduced by Seoul to protect residents near the border, in fear of retaliation by Pyongyang, which fired at balloons carrying leaflets, food and medicine in 2014. The two countries exchanged gunfire at the border. “W

North KoreaFeb. 3, 2021

S. Korea confirms 5 domestic cases of COVID-19 variants, total now at 39

South Korea's health authorities said Wednesday they have identified five more cases of contagious variants of COVID-19, which were all domestically transmitted, sparking concerns over the spread of the more transmissible virus here. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said four people were confirmed to have been infected with a variant from Britain and one tested positive for the South African variant, raising the total caseload to 39. Four patients with the British strain

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021

Seoul says it can't accept Japan's 'unjust complaint' over defense white paper

The defense ministry said Wednesday it cannot accept Japan's "unjust complaint" over Seoul's latest white paper blaming Tokyo for straining relations between the two countries with a claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. On Tuesday, Japan's defense ministry called in South Korea's military attache in Tokyo to complain about the 2020 white paper's statement that military cooperation between the two countries has been hampered due to Japan's continued claim to Dokdo and a

DefenseFeb. 3, 2021

N. Korea accelerates efforts to improve irrigation system ahead of farming season

North Korea is accelerating efforts to improve its irrigation system and recover from last year's flood damage ahead of the spring farming season, state media said Wednesday. Last summer, North Korea was hit hard by heavy rains and back-to-back typhoons in several regions, including the rice-producing areas in its southern parts. As part of recovery efforts, the North is repairing its reservoirs and building waterways in typhoon-hit regions, including in Gangwon and South Hamgyong provinces, a

North KoreaFeb. 3, 2021