NK vows to strengthen nuclear deterrent as party congres closes

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for all-out efforts to strengthen military capabilities, including further modernization of the country’s nuclear deterrent, as he addressed the final session of the rare party congress that concluded Tuesday. “While further strengthening our nuclear war deterrent, we need to do everything to build the strong ccapa apabilities,” Kim was quoted as saying by the state media Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. “By accelerating

PoliticsJan. 13, 2021

Former opposition floor leader runs for Seoul mayor

Na Kyung-won, former floor leader of the conservative opposition, on Wednesday announced her bid for Seoul mayor, becoming the latest bigwig challenger to enter the April 7 by-elections. With Na announcing her bid, the battle from the opposition bloc is solidifying into a three-way race with head of the minor opposition People’s Party Ahn Cheol-soo and Oh Se-hoon, who was mayor of Seoul from 2006-2011. Ahn joined the race last month and Oh has vowed to run if Ahn does not join the main o

PoliticsJan. 13, 2021

[Herald Interview] Ahn gunning for power transition

The post of Seoul mayor is a steppingstone toward taking power from the ruling bloc, according to Ahn Cheol-soo, the Seoul mayoral front-runner and head of the minor opposition People’s Party, saying the government's failures range from its COVID-19 response to its real estate policies.  Ahn said the government’s loose quarantine measures have prolonged the coronavirus crisis and put self-employed businesspeople and small business owners under even more pressure. 

PoliticsJan. 13, 2021

S. Korea investigating 6 suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is currently investigating six suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu amid no signs of a letup in the spread of the disease. The country's total caseload of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza traced to farms has reached 53 since it reported the first such infection in late November in nearly three years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The latest suspected case came from an egg farm in Cheonan, 92 ki

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases exceed 70,000, but winter wave shows signs of slowing down

South Korea reached another bleak milestone in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as its total COVID-19 caseload broke the 70,000 mark Wednesday, but health authorities said the winter wave showed signs of slowing down. The virus, which was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, has killed more than 1,100 people in South Korea. New cases stood at 562 earlier in the day to raise the total to 70,212, surpassing the threshold 12 months after the nation's first

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Controversy grows over ‘real person slash’ sexualizing male K-pop idols

A presidential petition calling for stern punishment for those creating fan fiction called “real person slash”  sexualizing underage male idols began garnering support Wednesday, triggering questions as to whether it can be seen as a form of idol culture or if it constitutes a digital sex crime. “Real person slash is a culture of sexual crime, which features real male idols and describes pervert-like sexual intercourse and rape in an unspeakably explicit manner, and cou

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Reimbursement sought from church as hotbed of COVID-19 infections

South Korea’s state health insurance agency said Wednesday it plans to seek reimbursement from an evangelical church that became a new hotbed of COVID-19 infections, accusing it of hampering authorities’ epidemiological efforts. The National Health Insurance Service is filing for the reimbursement of costs for COVID-19 testing, self-quarantines and medical treatment linked to the BTJ Center for All Nations in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. The health insurance agency, which c

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

Air Force unit in Gapyeong reports COVID-19 cases in series

Two service members from an Air Force unit tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total caseload there to 12, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The airmen stationed at the unit in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, were confirmed to have been infected, as around 170 members of their base have been undergoing tests after the first COVID-19 case was reported Saturday, according to the ministry. "Contact tracing is under way, and we are taking steps to stop the further

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

S. Korea, Iran agree to continue talks on ship seizure, frozen assets after little progress

South Korea and Iran will continue talks for the early release of a seized Korean ship and to resolve the issue of Tehran's frozen assets here, Seoul officials said Wednesday, amid little signs of progress on those issues in their recent high-level meetings in Tehran. A South Korean delegation, led by First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, wrapped up its three-day visit to Tehran on Tuesday (Tehran time) as tensions have flared up after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps seized a South

Foreign AffairsJan. 13, 2021

2 USFK employees at Yongsan base test positive for coronavirus

Two civilians working at US Forces Korea (USFK)'s Yongsan garrison in central Seoul have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Wednesday. The first patient is a South Korean national who works as a registered taxi driver, and the second individual is an American contractor of the US defense department, according to the USFK. Both reside in Seoul and are currently in isolation at their off-base residences before they will be transported to medical facilities, it added.

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

New virus cases in 500s for 2nd day; worst wave of pandemic slowing

The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea remained in the 500 range for the second day in a row Wednesday, indicating that the third wave of the pandemic is possibly heading for a marked slowdown after a peak on the back of monthlong tougher virus curbs. The country added 562 more COVID-19 cases, including 536 local infections, raising the total caseload to 70,212, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The total caseload surpassed the 70,000 mark since t

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Biden must act quickly before N. Korea creates crisis: think tank

WASHINGTON -- The new US administration of Joe Biden must act quickly to prevent North Korea from setting the stage by creating a crisis, a US think tank said Tuesday. The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEIA) also advised the incoming US administration to see if US-North Korea denuclearization talks could be picked up from where they were left off by the outgoing Donald Trump administration. "The Biden Administration should act quickly on North Korea to prevent Pyongyang from settin

North KoreaJan. 13, 2021

Trump's meeting with Kim 'squandered' best chance to denuclearize N. Korea: Tillerson

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump wasted the best chance to denuclearize North Korea by agreeing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. Tillerson also argued the US is now in a "worse place" in terms of national security because of Trump. "Nothing worked out. We squandered the best opportunity we had on North Korea. It was just blown up when he took the meeting with Kim," the former secretary of state said in a r

North KoreaJan. 13, 2021

NK leader's sister slams S. Korea over closely tracking military parade

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un harshly criticized South Korea's military for closely tracking its military parade believed to have taken place in Pyongyang to celebrate a rare party congress. On Monday, Seoul's military officials said signs were detected that the North carried out a military parade in central Pyongyang Sunday night in time for the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party, which has been under way since its opening last week. "What is weird is t

North KoreaJan. 13, 2021

NK leader pledges to strengthen 'nuclear war deterrent' as party congress closes

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for strengthening the country's nuclear capabilities as he addressed the final-day session of the ruling party's rare congress, state media said Wednesday. North Korea on Tuesday wrapped up the eighth congress of the Workers' Party, which had been held for more than a week since its opening on Jan. 5, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "While further strengthening our nuclear war deterrent, we need to do everything to build the stron

North KoreaJan. 13, 2021

S. Korea confirms two more cases of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it has confirmed two more cases of the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu on poultry farms. The latest cases were reported from a farm in Goseong, about 470 kilometers south of Seoul, and a farm in Namyangju, just north of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Authorities culled poultry within a 3-km radius of the infected farms as part of preventive measures and issued a standstill order in nearby farm

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2021

USFK maintains 3rd-highest antivirus scheme across S. Korea

US Forces Korea decided Tuesday to maintain its antivirus alert at the current level for all areas of South Korea amid the continued spread of the virus in the country. In early December, USFK enforced the Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Charlie, or HPCON C, the third-highest warning level in its five-tier system and extended the scheme twice to Jan. 12. "Based on the continued high numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea, USFK will remain in HPCON Charlie and will make an

DefenseJan. 12, 2021

Drug Ministry to stamp out misleading ads for COVID-19 treatments

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will closely scrutinize claims about foods, medicines and medical devices advertised as coronavirus treatments or preventives. Online shopping malls, agencies that buy products on behalf of customers and secondhand trading markets will be the subject of close examination for any false or exaggerated claims, the ministry said Tuesday. The main targeted products include prescription drugs, such as chloroquine and dexamethasone, and unauthorized medical devi

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2021

Seoul presses Biden camp on Singapore agreement: report

A local news report said Tuesday that the South Korean government is pressing the incoming Joe Biden administration in the US to recognize the Singapore joint statement signed by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to pave the way for the possible resumption of the Washington-Pyongyang dialogue. “A message has been delivered to the incoming Biden administration suggesting resuming talks with North Korea by returning to the Singapore spirit,” an unnamed ran

PoliticsJan. 12, 2021

Who will get COVID-19 vaccine first? The debate begins

As South Korea gears up for COVID-19 vaccinations, with the first batch of vaccines to be shipped here next month, the government is weighing whom to push to the front of the line. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Tuesday outlined the groups that would be granted priority: seniors aged 65 and above, those aged 19 or above who have health conditions, health care workers, child care workers, emergency dispatchers, police, firefighters and service members. The agency said the i

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2021