PM warns of strong measures against virus response interference amid church outbreak

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Thursday warned of stern measures against those who interfere with the government's antivirus measures, amid growing concerns over a recent COVID-19 outbreak at a church facility spreading throughout the country. "While most religious facilities are actively participating in state antivirus measures, the public has become alarmed after an outbreak at BTJ Center for All Nations has spread throughout the country," Chung said during an interagency meeting

PoliticsJan. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM calls for Qatar's support for release of seized S. Korean ship, crew

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun called for Qatar's support for the swift release of a South Korean ship and its crew detained by Iran during his meetings with top Doha officials this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Choi made the appeal when he met separately with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, minister of state for foreign affairs, to discuss bilateral issues in Doha on Wednesday

Foreign AffairsJan. 14, 2021

New virus cases in 500s for 3rd day in sign of letup in infections

The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 500s for the third consecutive day Thursday, in yet another sign that the third wave of the pandemic has passed a peak on the back of tighter virus restrictions. The country added 524 more COVID-19 cases, including 496 local infections, raising the total caseload to 70,728, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked a slight drop from 562 posted Wednesday. The country, touted as one of the mos

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2021

Kurt Campbell picked to guide Biden's Asia policy: report

US President-elect Joe Biden has picked Kurt Campbell, an assistant secretary of state under former President Barack Obama's administration, to lead his Asia policy, including strategy on China, according to a media report on Thursday. The spokesperson of Biden's transition team confirmed Wednesday that Campbell, the former top diplomat for East Asia policy, will be the "coordinator for the Indo-Pacific" on the White House National Security Council, Reuters reported. Campbell is know

Foreign AffairsJan. 14, 2021

Govt. to lift development restrictions on military installation protection zones

The government will lift restrictions on development in some 100 million square meters of land near military installations, the defense ministry said Thursday. The combined area to be lifted Tuesday is roughly 35 times larger than the size of the financial district of Yeouido in Seoul. It also marks a 31 percent increase from 77 million square meters of land that were freed from restrictions last year, according to the ministry. Under the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act, dev

DefenseJan. 14, 2021

Most Koreans adopt wait-and-see attitude toward coronavirus vaccination: poll

Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans think they will wait to see how the coronavirus vaccine is working for other people before getting the jab, a poll showed Thursday. A survey of 1,094 adult Koreans across the nation, taken by Seoul National University, showed 67.7 percent of respondents taking a wait-and-see attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination. Only 28.6 percent of them replied that they want to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The findings also showed 42 percent of the surveyed predicti

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2021

Supreme Court to render final verdict in ex-President Park's corruption case

The Supreme Court on Thursday will render a final ruling in a high-profile corruption case that led to the removal of then-President Park Geun-hye from office in 2017. The country's top court is scheduled to hold a sentencing hearing at 11 a.m. over an appeal filed by prosecutors against a ruling in July that reduced Park's prison term. Park was ousted from Cheong Wa Dae in March 2017 due to her involvement in a massive abuse-of-power and bribery scandal. She was accused of conspiring with he

PoliticsJan. 14, 2021

NK holds performance to celebrate party congress, no mention of military parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a mass art performance held to celebrate the recently concluded party congress, state media said Thursday. The performance took place on Wednesday, a day after the North wrapped up the eighth congress of its ruling Workers' Party, which was held for more than a week since its opening on Jan. 5, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The grand art performance 'We Sing of the Party' took place with splendor in celebration o

North KoreaJan. 14, 2021

More than 900 inmates to be paroled as measure to curb COVID-19 spread: ministry

More than 900 prisoners in South Korea will be released on parole this week as part of the government's precautionary measures against COVID-19 spread, the justice ministry announced Wednesday. The ministry cited the need to ease overcrowding at correctional facilities for a "stable and swift" response to the virus infections. "The early parole (measure) will be taken tomorrow," it said. The ministry has lowered the bar for parole, especially for inmates who are vulnerabl

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

S. Korea plans underwater test of indigenous SLBM: source

South Korea is expected to carry out underwater tests of a home-grown submarine-launched ballistic missile this year, having concluded ground tests, a source said Wednesday. South Korea is developing an SLBM based on the home-grown ground-to-ground Hyunmoo-2B ballistic missile with a flight range of around 500 kilometers. It will be used with envisioned 3,000-ton-class or larger submarines, according to defense officials. "Related agencies wrapped up ejection tests of the missile on the

DefenseJan. 13, 2021

Court orders state to compensate man jailed for 10 yrs on wrongful murder conviction

A court ordered Wednesday the government to pay compensation to a man who served a 10-year prison term after being wrongfully convicted of murder in 2000. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the 37-year-old man, only identified by his surname Choi, in a damages suit he filed against the government, a police officer and a prosecutor who investigated his case. He was acquitted of murder in 2016. The court ordered the government make financial reparations of some 1.3 billion won (

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Calls mount to punish deepfake porn involving female celebrities

The recent controversy triggered by artificial intelligence chat bot Lee Luda, which became the subject of sexual abuse among some users, is fueling debates spanning from the sexualization of celebrities to AI technologies used for cybercrimes. A day after a presidential petition called for punishment for fan fiction sexualizing underage male K-pop idols, another presidential petition shed light on female celebrities falling victim to nonconsensual pornography produced using deepfake technolog

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Korean government vows ‘stiff penalty’ for social distancing violators

The South Korean government on Wednesday said there would be “stiff penalties” for people not heeding social distancing rules, as the third and worst wave of COVID-19 in the country has begun to mellow. From its recent peak of over 1,000 cases a day, the daily case count has fallen to below 600 this week -- a figure not seen since early December. Yoon Tae-ho, a senior official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, told a news briefing that social distancing was a “civic prom

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

NK’s nuclear aims a warning to Biden’s US: experts

North Korea wrapped up a rare eight-day party congress Tuesday, with its leader Kim Jong-un calling for stronger nuclear deterrence and maximum military power to round off one of the biggest political events in Pyongyang in the last five years.  With only a week until US President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office, Kim’s outlining of ambitious military goals and a wish list of advanced weapons during the longer-than-usual congress is a message of defiance against Washington, expe

North KoreaJan. 13, 2021

Unidentified cash worth W8.1b discovered at casino during money theft probe

JEJU -- Police said Wednesday they have discovered a pile of unidentified cash worth 8.1 billion won ($7.4 million) at a resort casino on Jeju Island, potentially linked to an alleged money theft by an employee. The Jeju Provincial Police Agency said investigators are trying to confirm whether the bank notes discovered randomly at a safe at the casino are part of the cash pile worth 14.56 billion won that went missing from the Landing Casino at Jeju Shinhwa World last week. Investigators have

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Outgoing US Amb. Harris says S. Korea, US are 'friends, partners, allies and family'

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris will leave office next week, his spokesperson said Wednesday, a departure that will coincide with the change of government in Washington. Harris, who took office in July 2018, will stay in the ambassadorial post until next Wednesday, and Rob Rapson, the deputy chief of mission, will serve as Charge d'Affaires ad interim until a new envoy arrives, the spokesperson said. In an impassioned message to Korean citizens, Harris stressed that relations between

Foreign AffairsJan. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] South Korea gripped by anger and remorse over toddler’s death

Anger and sadness have swept across South Korea for the past week following the death of Jeong-in, a 16-month-old toddler whose death from months of child abuse in October caused a huge public outrage and controversy. After the toddler’s case came to light through an SBS investigative reporting show earlier this month, a number of civic groups and members of the general public have called for better protection of adoptees and stronger penalties against child abuse offenders. President Mo

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Court acquits Shincheonji leader of obstructing govt. response to COVID-19

SUWON -- A local court on Wednesday acquitted the leader of a minor religious sect of charges of obstructing the government's response to COVID-19 during an outbreak at his church last year. Lee Man-hee, the 89-year-old founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was indicted in August on charges of misleading health authorities on the size and locations of the church's gatherings in February, which were blamed for a massive spike in coronavirus cases in the country. Prosecutors sought a five-

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Over 80% of public perceive 'gapjil' problem as serious: survey

More than eight out of 10 people consider "gapjil," a phenomenon referring to abusive conduct by people in positions of power toward those under their influence, a serious problem plaguing society, a poll showed Wednesday. Gapjil is a portmanteau term that refers to an authoritarian attitude or actions toward those on the weaker end of a power relationship, often spotted in workplaces cultures. In a R&R Consulting survey conducted on 1,500 adults aged between 19 and 69, 83.9 perc

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Adoptive mother charged with toddler’s murder

Prosecutors on Wednesday pressed murder charges against a woman who allegedly abused and killed her 16-month-old adoptive daughter in October, as the trial opened in the nation’s latest high-profile child abuse case. The child -- publicly known as Jeong-in, the name given to her by her birth mother -- died Oct. 13 at a hospital in southwestern Seoul. Prosecutors had initially indicted the 34-year-old mother, identified by the surname Jang, in December on the lesser charge of child abuse

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021