CEO says controversial AI chatbot ‘Luda’ will socialize in time

Korean firm Scatter Lab has defended its Lee Luda chatbot in response to calls to end the service after the bot began sending offensive comments and was subjected to sexual messages. Kim Jong-yoon, CEO of Scatter Lab, posted answers Friday to the public’s questions through the development team’s official blog, saying the bot was still a work in progress and -- like humans -- would take a while to properly socialize. Kim acknowledged that he had expected this controversy to ignite

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Kim Jong-un promoted to general secretary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un consolidated his grip on power at the party congress Sunday, where he was elected general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. His predecessors all held the title, while his late father, Kim Jong-il, was named “eternal general secretary” in 2012 when Kim Jong-un succeeded him. “Leader Kim Jong-un has reshaped the party leadership, as guided by ideologies shared by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and put forward policies for North Korean

North KoreaJan. 11, 2021

S. Korea to send vessel for search operation on Indonesian plane crash

South Korea said Monday it has sent a research vessel to waters near Jakarta to join the ongoing operation to search for victims of a deadly plane crash. The 12-ton research vessel, set to arrive at the scene later in the day, will utilize high-end equipment to carry out underwater search operations, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The research ship was built under an official development assistance project for Indonesia. The rescue operation came after an airplane of Indon

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Seoul, Tehran still deadlocked over seized tanker

South Korea and Iran remain at odds on the issue of a Korean tanker in Iranian custody despite senior diplomats’ efforts to negotiate the release of the vessel, as well as the matter of Iranian funds frozen in Korean banks. 　 Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss pending bilateral issues on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. 　 Choi’s meeting came days after Iran’s Revol

Foreign AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Optimism grows as S. Korea records lowest number of cases in 41 days

South Korea is mulling whether to readjust its social distancing rules as optimism rises from a continued fall in the daily count of new coronavirus cases. The country on Monday saw 451 new COVID-19 cases -- 419 locally transmitted and 32 from overseas -- raising the total number of cases recorded here to 69,114, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Monday’s tally is the lowest figure recorded since 451 new cases were confirmed Dec. 1. The daily number of new cas

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lawyer aiding fake refugee applications gets suspended jail term

South Korea’s top court confirmed on Monday a suspended jail term for a Korean lawyer, who was charged with helping Chinese citizens file fraudulent refugee applications. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that had sentenced the lawyer one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act. The law firm where the lawyer belongs was slapped with a fine of 5 million won. Upon a request from a refugee broker, the lawyer, only

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

42 USFK-affiliated people test positive for coronavirus

Forty-two people affiliated with the US military, including 37 service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Of the total, eight service members and a dependent arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on government-chartered flights while 29 service members, a civilian and three dependents arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital,

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Unfair, ineffective social distancing rules must be revised: PM

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday that social distancing rules that are considered either unfair or ineffective must be changed, suggesting that authorities may soon revise the state-mandated distancing scheme to address growing complaints among small business owners. "While mandating strict adherence (of distancing rules) in high-risk areas, bold revisions should be made on measures that are either unfair or ineffective," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-

PoliticsJan. 11, 2021

Record W11.85tr paid in unemployment benefits in 2020 amid pandemic

A record 11.85 trillion won ($10.79 billion) was paid in unemployment benefits last year amid the business challenges of COVID-19, government data showed Monday. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the government paid more than 956 billion won in job-seeking benefits in December, bringing the yearly total to 11.85 trillion won. Job-seeking benefits are meant to help the unemployed find jobs, and are commonly known as unemployment benefits because they account for most of the une

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

In-depth analysis needed to decide development of nuke-powered submarine: Seoul ministry

The defense ministry said Monday that it has yet to decide whether to push for the development of a nuclear-powered submarine, amid security concerns sparked by North Korea's pursuit of the underwater naval platform. The ministry's deputy spokesperson Col. Moon Hong-sik made the comment in an answer to a reporter's question about Seoul's plan for the new asset, after North Korea said Saturday that its research into nuclear-powered subs is complete and in the final stages of examination. "

North KoreaJan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it is currently investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu traced to poultry farms amid growing concerns over wild birds carrying the disease into the country over the winter season. Authorities are currently investigating the suspected case of the HN58 strain of bird flu from a duck farm in Muan, 385 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Since late November, South Kor

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Military reports 2 new COVID-19 cases

Two service members from an Air Force unit tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total caseload there to 10, the defense ministry said Monday. The Air Force members 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. "We are taking necessary steps to find virus cases and prevent the

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Factory worker dies after getting stuck in machine at Yeosu industrial complex

YEOSU -- A contract worker for a bituminous coal storing company at the national industrial complex in Yeosu has died after his body got stuck in a machine, authorities said Monday. According to Yeosu Fire Station, the 33-year-old mechanic was caught in a machine used for coal transportation at the company in the South Jeolla Province city, some 455 kilometers south of Seoul, around 7:55 p.m. Sunday. He was taken out from the machine at 10:32 p.m. by rescuers dispatched to the scene. The badly

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Moon says all S. Koreans will be given free COVID-19 vaccines

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the government will provide all South Korean people with free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccines in phases starting next month. "(The government) will make sure that all of the people will be inoculated free of charge in accordance with priorities," he said in his New Year's address, assuring that inoculation will begin in February. Having signed contracts with some foreign vaccine makers, South Korea expects the first-batch delivery of products within

PoliticsJan. 11, 2021

Signs detected of N. Korea staging military parade in Pyongyang late Sunday

South Korea's military said Monday that it has detected signs indicating that North Korea carried out a military parade in time for a ruling party congress in Pyongyang late Sunday. The North has been holding the eighth congress of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang since Tuesday, and the possibility has been raised that it could stage a military parade on the occasion. "Our military detected signs that North Korea held a military parade related to the party congress at Kim Il-sung Square in

North KoreaJan. 11, 2021

New virus cases at over 1-month low on fewer tests, infection slowdown

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in 41 days Monday apparently on the back of tightened social distancing measures and fewer tests over the weekend. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 419 local infections, raising the total caseload to 69,114, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). "The COVID-19 pandemic is on the path toward a slow downturn, yet dangers of cluster infections on the community level still persist

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Moon's approval rating dips to 35.5%: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating has dropped to 35.5 percent, while the proportion of those critical of his leadership has hovered above 60 percent, a poll showed Monday. In the five-day tracking survey by Realmeter of 2,513 voters nationwide from last Monday, his approval rating fell 1.1 percentage point to 35.5 percent from a week earlier. It marked the sixth consecutive week that Moon's approval rating has stayed in the 30 percent range. Furthermore, 60.9 percent of respondents

PoliticsJan. 11, 2021

N. Korea crowns leader Kim Jong-un as party's general secretary

North Korea has endorsed leader Kim Jong-un as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party at its ongoing congress, state media said Monday, in an apparent move to tighten his grip on power. The election took place at the sixth-day session of the party's eighth congress in Pyongyang on Sunday, following the North's revision of party rules to reinstate the secretariat system that was scrapped in 2016, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The 8th Cong

North KoreaJan. 11, 2021

S. Korea's highly pathogenic bird flu cases rise to 51

The number of highly pathogenic bird flu cases in South Korea stood at 51 on Sunday after the country added another confirmed case from a duck farm in a southeastern county, officials said. The latest case was found in a broiler duck farm in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, about 300 km away from Seoul, according to officials. It was confirmed as the malign H5N8 type. A standstill order has been issued for all poultry farms in Geochang. The agriculture ministry said Saturday that tests

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021

Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fall, but deaths rise

South Korea’s new cases of COVID-19 have fallen, but deaths and hospitalizations are climbing amid a lack of hospital beds and outbreaks among vulnerable populations. In this month alone, 208 people have died of COVID-19, which makes up over 18 percent of a total of 1,125 deaths here so far. This compares with 148 deaths reported in the initial wave in the spring and 91 deaths during the summer resurgence last year. The case fatality rate, or the proportion of people who died from the d

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021