[H.eco Forum] Small island nations warn developed world: ‘Our present is your future’

Small island countries were on the front lines of climate change but the clock is now ticking for the developed world, former president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, said at the H.eco Forum in Seoul on Thursday. “Hurricane Katrina hit the southeastern US in 2005, at a time when many parts of the country were still in denial of climate change,” Tong said. “The scale of destruction caused by that hurricane left even the most economically developed country on the planet struggling.&r

Social AffairsMay 26, 2022

[H.eco Forum] H.eco Forum highlights the dangers facing the ocean, humankind

The second edition of the H.eco Forum was held Thursday, shedding light on climate change and its effects on the marine environment. This year’s event was held under the theme of “Climate Crisis and the Ocean” on Nodeul Island – also known as Nodeulseom -- inviting environment scholars, activists and experts in and out of Korea. Some speakers from abroad gave their speeches online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “This year’s H.eco Forum focuses on ma

Social AffairsMay 26, 2022

SNU Partners with EDF to Study Methane Emissions from Korean Natural Gas System

The Environmental Defense Fund signed a new agreement with Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Environmental Studies to study where and how much methane escapes from the nation’s gas delivery system in Seoul on May 23.  Under the agreement, EDF and SNU will facilitate dialogue and collaboration between scientists, academics, industry members and policymakers on methane studies, energy policy, and detection of methane in the urban gas distribution network. SNU and ED

Diplomatic CircuitMay 26, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 as pandemic slows down

South Korea reported fewer than 20,000 COVID-19 cases Thursday as the rapid spread of the omicron variant is under control. The country added 18,816 new infections, including 34 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,036,720, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally fell to a 17-week low for a Thursday and declined around 33 percent from a week earlier, as the virus curve has been trending downward since mid-March. South Korea's daily case

Social AffairsMay 26, 2022

Supreme Court upholds 1 1/2-yr prison term for disgraced K-pop star Seungri

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 1 1/2-year prison term for Seungri, the disgraced former member of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, on prostitution mediation, overseas gambling and other charges. Upholding a lower court's ruling, the top court found the 32-year-old, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, guilty of all nine charges in a far-reaching sex and drug scandal surrounding Burning Sun, a nightclub in Seoul affiliated with him, which roiled the K-pop industry in 2019. He was found guilty o

Social AffairsMay 26, 2022

Supreme Court rules against peak wage system

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against the peak wage system introduced by a large number of local companies to gradually cut the salaries of senior workers several years before retirement. The top court said the peak wage system is an illegal discrimination against workers on the basis of age, making the first ruling of its kind in a lawsuit filed by a former employee of a local research institute. The plaintiff who joined the institute in 1991 retired honorably in 2014. The institute intro

PoliticsMay 26, 2022

Main opposition party mired in internal feud ahead of local elections

With the local elections less than a week away, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has found itself battering with an internal feud amid concerns the infighting may hinder its chances in the elections. The turmoil began earlier this week when the DP's co-interim chief Park Ji-hyun promised self-reflection and called for a sweeping reform of the party in a press conference aimed at drumming up support ahead of the local elections. The 26-year-old upped the ante Wednesday after she cal

PoliticsMay 26, 2022

Yoon picks women for last remaining 2 Cabinet ministers

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday named his nominees for education and welfare ministers, picking women for both positions following criticism that his Cabinet is male-dominated. Park Soon-ae, a professor of the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University, was named education minister, while Kim Seung-hee, a former lawmaker, was named welfare minister. Earlier in the day, a senior presidential official said Yoon had planned to pick women as his nominees for education

PoliticsMay 26, 2022

[Graphic News] Confiscated narcotics hit record high in 2021: data

　The amount of illegal narcotics confiscated in South Korea reached an all-time high last year, with an increase of foreign and juvenile drug offenders, government data showed. 　According to the data compiled by the Supreme Prosecutors Office, a total of 1,295.7 kilograms of illegal drugs were confiscated in 2021, more than a threefold jump from a year earlier. 　Noticeably, the amount of major illegal drugs - including methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana - soared more than five times on-ye

NationalMay 26, 2022

Signs of continued activity spotted at N. Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex: report

North Korea appears to be continuing operations at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex with signs of some facilities even being expanded, a North Korea information provider said, citing recent satellite imagery. The assessment came amid concerns the recalcitrant and unpredictable regime may carry out another nuclear test in the near future. Commercial satellite photos taken from April 27 through May 14 of the site, north of Pyongyang, indicate ongoing operations at its 5 MWe reactor as well as exp

North KoreaMay 26, 2022

N. Korea's state media silent about missile launches

North Korea's state media outlets remained silent Thursday about the previous day's launch of three ballistic missiles, including an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). As of 9 a.m., the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Korean Central Television and Rodong Sinmun, the daily of the country's ruling Workers' Party, had made no mention of the launches, which marked the North's 17th show of force this year. The South's Joint Chief

North KoreaMay 26, 2022

N. Korea reports no new deaths for 3rd day amid COVID-19 outbreak

North Korea reported no new deaths for the third consecutive day and over 105,000 new suspected COVID-19 cases Thursday amid its virus outbreak. More than 105,500 people showed symptoms of fever, but no deaths were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. The total number of fever cases since late April in the nation, with a population of 24 million, ca

North KoreaMay 26, 2022

UN council to vote on N. Korea sanctions Thursday: report

NEW YORK/ WASHINGTON -- The United Nations Security Council plans to vote this week on a US-led push to impose additional sanctions on North Korea for its recent ballistic missile launches, according to news reports Wednesday. A related session will be held in New York on Thursday, diplomats were quoted as saying amid a view that China and Russia -- the veto-wielding members of the council -- will likely vote against strengthening sanctions against Pyongyang. The US government has called on the

Foreign AffairsMay 26, 2022

US supports providing COVID-19 vaccine to N. Korea despite missile launches: Lambert

WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to support providing COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea despite the country's recent missile provocations, a senior US diplomat said Wednesday. Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of state for Japan and South Korea, also reiterated that the US remains open to dialogue with the North to discuss any issue. "The US position remains unchanged even in light of these most recent escalatory actions. We continue to support humanitarian assistance an

Foreign AffairsMay 26, 2022

PM defends reported nominee for gov't policy coordination chief

  Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday defended a reported nominee for the head of government policy coordination, citing his rich experience as an economic bureaucrat. President Yoon Suk-yeol has been reportedly considering nominating Yoon Jong-won, chief executive of the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea, as the minister for the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which is in charge of assisting the prime minister. The ruling People Power Party voiced opposition to his nom

PoliticsMay 25, 2022

Caution: Exchange students ‘may be restricted from entering the Hanyang Zone for safety reasons’

A group of exchange students at Hanyang University on Wednesday had to face an overtly discriminatory caution sign written in red when they arrived at the university to get tickets for the university’s annual festival. About a hundred foreign exchange students waited in line to get tickets to enter the festival’s main performances, featuring popular celebrities including Psy. However, they were told that they were barred from the “Hanyang Zone,” the area directly faci

Social AffairsMay 25, 2022

Seoul braces for NK nuke test, warhead detonation device test detected

Seoul is closely monitoring North Korea for a possible nuclear test, with authorities having detected the testing of nuclear warhead detonation devices, a top security official said Wednesday, following a National Security Council meeting to address North Korea’s three ballistic missiles launches early the same morning. When asked about the possibility of the North’s nuclear test, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, said, “It is unlikely th

Foreign AffairsMay 25, 2022

Family files for release of records on North Korea’s killing

The family of Lee Dae-jun, the man killed by North Korean soldiers at sea about a year and a half ago, filed for the release of information now archived as presidential records on Wednesday. “The court sided with the family last November, and ordered Cheong Wa Dae to release the information on the case,” the attorney representing the family, Kim Ki-yun, told reporters outside the Presidential Archives building in Sejong, North Chungcheong Province. “But Cheong Wa Dae appea

North KoreaMay 25, 2022

26-year-old co-leader throws Democratic Party hand grenade in drive for reform

With just a few days left until the June 1 local elections, 26-year-old rookie politician Park Ji-hyun dropped a bombshell on the liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday, openly calling on the party’s old guard to retire. Park, who is only four months into partisan politics yet leads the main opposition party’s interim leadership as its co-head, said the party is in need of drastic reforms, attributing its failure to win over voters to a culture of tolerance tow

PoliticsMay 25, 2022

N. Korea fires suspected ICBM, 2 ballistic missiles after Biden’s Asia trip

North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile and two other ballistic missiles toward the waters off its east coast early on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, just one day after US President Joe Biden wrapped up his first trip to Asia. 　 A total of three ballistic missiles were launched from the Sunan area in the capital city of Pyongyang at around 6 a.m., 6:37 a.m. and 6:42 a.m., respectively, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. North Ko

North KoreaMay 25, 2022