Battery site fire raises alarm on chemical facility risks

Monday’s blaze at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, has highlighted yet again the dangers associated with chemical processing facilities. A fire, once it breaks out, often results in significant casualties, due to the dense presence of flammable or combustible materials within a confined space. The worst chemical factory fire to date occurred in 1989 at the Lucky Chemical plant at an industrial complex in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The blaze, triggered by a massi

Social AffairsJune 25, 2024

N. Korea launches some 350 trash-carrying balloons overnight: Seoul military

North Korea has launched around 350 trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea overnight, Seoul's military said Tuesday, in what marked the fifth launch of its kind since late last month. Some 100 balloons, mostly carrying scrap paper and waste, landed in Seoul and in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a notice to reporters. As of 9 a.m., there were no balloons floating in the air, while an analysis of retrieved balloons showed they did not contain t

North KoreaJune 25, 2024

S. Korea, US sign MOU on diplomatic intelligence cooperation

South Korea and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperating in the exchange of diplomatic intelligence analyses, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Park Jang-ho, director general for diplomatic intelligence at South Korea's foreign ministry, signed the MOU with Brett Holmgren, US assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, in Washington on Monday. The signing came as the allies have been working to establish a framework for collaborat

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024

Campbell stresses Washington Declaration as deterrence tool amid security concerns over Putin-Kim summit

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Monday highlighted deterrence steps of last year's summit declaration between South Korea and the United States as tools to harness amid resurgent calls for the allies to craft stronger defense measures following last week's summit between Russia and North Korea. After Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty in a show of their deeper military ties i

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2024

N. Korea sends trash-carrying balloons again to S. Korea: Seoul military

North Korea on Monday sent balloons presumed to be carrying trash toward South Korea again, Seoul's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the balloons appeared to be travelling in a southeastern direction from the northern part of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul. It advised the public to not touch fallen balloons and report them to military or police authorities. On Friday, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North's leader, hinted about launching more balloons af

North KoreaJune 24, 2024

Philippines recalls shared values with Korea

The Philippines recalled shared values with South Korea, marking 126 years of independence and 75 years of diplomatic ties with Seoul on June 11. Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, commemorates the declaration of independence from Spain in 1898. The country was a Spanish colony from 1571 until 1898. The Philippines is considered Asia’s first constitutional republic, according to Philippines Ambassador to Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega while paying tribute to the sac

Foreign AffairsJune 24, 2024

Yoon visits site of battery plant fire that killed at least 22

President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the site of a battery plant fire that killed at least 22 people on Monday and ordered government officials to draw up measures to prevent similar accidents from occurring, his office said. Yoon decided to visit the plant run by lithium battery maker Aricell in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, to carry out an emergency inspection after being briefed on the fire by Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, according to his office. Yoon earlier instructed the minister a

PoliticsJune 24, 2024

N. Korea vows 'overwhelming, fresh' deterrence measures against arrival of U.S. aircraft carrier

North Korea on Monday condemned the U.S. sending of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula, saying that the North is open to taking "overwhelming and fresh" deterrence measures against such a provocative act. North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il issued a statement slamming the arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the southeastern port city of Busan on Saturday. Kim slammed Washington and Seoul for playing "very dangerous" games in a show of f

North KoreaJune 24, 2024

Deadly fire ravages battery plant

A fire that broke out at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, has left at least 22 workers dead, eight injured and one missing as of 6:30 p.m., according to local authorities Monday. Most of the deceased were among the 21 workers who were trapped inside and unaccounted for during the initial fire rescue efforts. The Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters confirmed the deaths of 22 people, including 19 foreign workers, following a fire that occurred at 10:31 a.m. at Aricell&

Social AffairsJune 24, 2024

South Korea trying to sell Romania more weapons: defense minister

South Korea’s defense chief Shin Won-sik said Monday he will make efforts to secure orders for tanks, armored vehicles and air defense systems from Romania, which has decided to purchase the K-9 self-propelled howitzers. The minister of national defense, who returned from a trip to Romania and Poland, told reporters at the defense ministry building in Yongsan, central Seoul, that he would try to get South Korean companies to enter the Romanian defense market. He said Romania was in the pro

DefenseJune 24, 2024

Why firefighters struggled to put out the battery blaze

Fire accidents involving lithium batteries, like the one at Korean lithium battery manufacturer Aricell's facility, are challenging to extinguish due to the batteries’ potential for water to exacerbate the situation. Primary, or single-use, lithium batteries differ from more commonly known lithium-ion batteries in several fundamental ways. They use lithium metal or lithium compounds as the anode and are ready-charged and non-rechargeable. While they do not suffer from issues like th

Social AffairsJune 24, 2024

Father and son found dead in suspected murder-suicide

The South Korean police said Monday they are investigating a case in which a man and his son were found dead after the two men were heard arguing inside their home. According to the Daejeon Yuseong Police Station, the two were found stabbed and fatally injured at around 3:24 a.m. on Sunday, with the father found inside the master bedroom and the son inside the bathroom. The older victim's daughter reported the case to the police, saying her father appeared to have been murdered. The two m

Social AffairsJune 24, 2024

Series of conscript deaths raises concerns about military fatalities in S. Korea

A South Korean conscript was found dead Sunday at a military base in Gyeonggi Province, marking the third military death in just two months this year, raising concerns about the recurring issue of fatalities among enlisted personnel in the Korean military. According to military authorities, the deceased soldier, a private first class -- the Army's second-lowest rank for conscripts -- in his 20s was found at around 5:00 a.m. Sunday when he was supposed to be on sentry duty. He had been sta

Social AffairsJune 24, 2024

[Online Predators] The 'helpers' preying on runaway teens

In South Korean online communities and social networking sites, the word "helper" has taken on a troubling connotation. The term is often hashtagged alongside others such as "gachul" (runaway from home), "jatei" (high school dropouts), and "yeoja" (girls). This combination of hashtags serves as an emergency code, typically used by runaway teenage girls seeking a place to sleep and eat. But this distress signal also attracts predators looking to take advant

Social AffairsJune 24, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Fair franchise practices, prevention of disinformation spread

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Jeong Jun-ho (Democratic Party of Korea) ● The existing law requires corporate directors to perform duties in good faith for the interest of the company but does not hold them liable for damages inflicted on specific shareholders if the overall corporate value remains the same. Therefore, this amendment aims to protect the interest and value of shareholders by adjusting the scope of directors’ duty of loyalty to includ

PoliticsJune 24, 2024

[Korean War anniversary] Korea needs to plant a culture of honor, veterans chief says

Kang Jung-ai, South Korea’s minister of patriots and veterans affairs, says building a culture of remembering and honoring the people who fought for Koreans and their freedom is “what our country needs.” “Honoring veterans goes far beyond giving them compensation and benefits. Thanking and respecting the people who served our country should be a part of our national identity and treasured value,” she said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. “Yes,

PoliticsJune 24, 2024

Ministry finds parasites in North Korea's trash-laden balloons

Parasites were found in the balloons full of manure and trash North Korea sent to South Korea in May and June in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets, the Unification Ministry said Monday. According to the analysis conducted by officials specializing in filth, different types of parasites, including roundworms, whipworms and pinworms -- all of which are parasitic worms that can infect humans -- were detected in the trash-filled balloons. Officials explained that human genes wer

North KoreaJune 24, 2024

Climate anxiety worsens following extreme June weather

Following scorching heat waves nationwide and record-breaking heavy rain on Jeju Island over the last few weeks, South Korea's residents are grappling with "climate anxiety," as many have found themselves concerned about the increasingly unpredictable extreme weather. Climate anxiety -- related to "climate depression" -- is a term used to describe feeling distressed due to worries about climate change and its impacts on the Earth and human existence. “I always thou

Social AffairsJune 24, 2024

Opposition ramps up calls for Yoon's impeachment

Opposition politicians are raising the possibility of impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol as they push for a bill to investigate his alleged meddling in the investigation of a soldier's death. Opposition parties, which hold a strong majority in South Korea's National Assembly, plan to reintroduce a bill to launch a special counsel probe of alleged interference in a Marine Corps internal investigation following the death of a Marine last summer. On Monday, Rep. Jang Kyung-tae, an outspok

PoliticsJune 24, 2024

DP leader resigns as step to seeking 2nd term

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Monday stepped down from his position as the party’s chair, a move that is viewed as a step towards running for a second term as the main opposition party's leader at the upcoming party convention. "I have resigned from my position as the chair of the Democratic Party with the wrap-up of today’s party supreme council meeting," Lee told reporters at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. Lee expressed his concern

PoliticsJune 24, 2024