Korea to dispatch condolence delegation to UAE

South Korea will dispatch a delegation to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to express in-person condolences on the death of the country’s President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the presidential office said Sunday. Sheikh Khalifa, who took over as the UAE president in 2004, succeeding his father, died on Friday aged 73. The delegation consists of Yoon’s chief of staff Chang Je-won, Korean Ambassador to the UAE Lee Seok-gu and Foreign Ministry senior officials. “

PoliticsMay 15, 2022

Fierce two-way race for June 1 elections

The upcoming local elections on June 1 have already become a historic event for South Korea, with the country seeing younger candidates than ecer running for public office while the competition rate hit rock-bottom. The National Election Commission at 6 p.m. Friday stopped accepting candidate registrations for the local elections, where voters will choose 17 new metropolitan mayors and provincial governors as well as 226 other heads of local administrative units. Voters will also be deciding w

PoliticsMay 15, 2022

Family matters ... or does it?

A married couple and their children is what usually pops up in most people’s heads when hearing the word “family,” at least until now. But recent research indicates that this picture may be changing for a growing number of the local population, especially for youngsters. Last week, a survey by a local think tank revealed that 52.4 percent of South Koreans in their 20s said they will not have children when they get married. The study, conducted by the Korea Development Insti

Social AffairsMay 15, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases under 30,000 for 2nd day amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 30,000 for the second straight day Sunday in the latest sign that the country's virus cases are on a downward trend amid eased virus curbs. The country added 25,434 new virus infections, including 26 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,782,061, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country added 48 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 23,709, with the fatality rate at 0.13 percent. The numb

Social AffairsMay 15, 2022

N. Korea reports 15 new deaths amid COVID-19 outbreak

North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from an ongoing "epidemic" and 296,180 more people with fever symptoms nationwide, three days after it announced a COVID-19 outbreak. The new cases, which occurred between Friday evening and 6 p.m. Saturday, raised the total number of deaths to 42 and that of those who have shown fever symptoms since late April to over 820,620, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Among them, more than 496,030 have been cured a

North KoreaMay 15, 2022

N. Korea leader says his country faces 'great turmoil' due to COVID-19 spread

North Korea on Saturday reported 21 additional COVID-19 deaths, with more than 174,400 people nationwide feverish, as its leader Kim Jong-un stated that his country is faced with "great turmoil" due to the spread of the virus. Pyongyang's state media released the updated tally compiled the previous day, after Kim presided over an early-morning politburo meeting to review the nation's "maximum emergency" antivirus system in place. Mainly discussed in the session were ways fo

North KoreaMay 14, 2022

Yoon appoints unification, culture, land ministers

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday appointed three more ministers, including the North Korea policy chief, with his Cabinet formation delayed by the main opposition party's refusal to endorse certain nominees. Yoon appointed Kwon Young-se as unification minister after the National Assembly adopted his confirmation hearing report the previous day. Yoon went ahead with the appointment of Park Bo-gyoon as culture minister and Won Hee-ryong as land minister though parliament failed to adopt hearing

PoliticsMay 13, 2022

North Korea appears ready to conduct 7th nuclear test: presidential office

North Korea appears to be ready to conduct a nuclear test, and may conduct further missiles tests beforehand, South Korea’s presidential office said Friday. The government is also trying to figure out the reason for Pyongyang’s movements, a presidential official told reporters. If conducted, it will be Pyongyang’s seventh nuclear test. “North Korea has already staged six nuclear tests, and we are trying to figure out why it needs an additional test, whether it is for

North KoreaMay 13, 2022

Once extinct oriental white storks return to farmland

Oriental white storks are returning to Korea after more than four decades, with fourth-generation chicks being hatched in the wild. This year, 12 pairs of oriental white storks are nesting in Korea this season and about 30 young storks have hatched including three fourth-generation chicks. While they were once commonly found across Korea, the domestic population drastically dropped after the 1950-1953 Korean War. The birds faced extinction as industrialization starting in the mid 1960s dest

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korea co-sponsors UN Human Rights Council resolution on Ukraine

South Korea has co-sponsored a recently adopted UN Human Rights Council resolution on the deteriorating situation in Ukraine stemming from Russia's aggression, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. During a special session in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday (local time), the council adopted the resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities against Ukraine and requesting a team of investigators look into alleged abuses in parts of the war-torn country. "Our gov

Foreign AffairsMay 13, 2022

Yoon offers to send vaccines, medical supplies to North Korea

South Korea says it intends to provide COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies to North Korea, which is suffering from an “explosive” spread of the virus. The presidential office said Friday that President Yoon Suk-yeol had decided to provide the North with the supplies. However, Pyongyang has not indicated whether it will accept them. Previous offers of pandemic aid have been rebuffed.　 “President Yoon Suk-yeol will support North Korean people with COVID-19 vaccines a

North KoreaMay 13, 2022

S. Korea to increase international flights to meet travel demand

South Korea has decided to add an additional 230 international flights next month to meet increasing travel demand amid the weakening pandemic. With the addition, the number of weekly international flights will come to 762 in June, up from 532 in May and 420 in April, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday. From May 23, the government would also take rapid antigen test results for travelers coming to South Korea. Previously, the government only accep

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022

Steering in the wrong direction :Safety education for electric wheelchairs still lacking

As the number of registered disabled people in South Korea hit 2.64 million, accounting for 5.1 percent of the total population, electric wheelchairs are becoming more common. But related safety education is still hard to find, despite the need for it being flagged up seven years ago. The last survey conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency on the use of electric mobility aids was in 2015. At the time, the number of users was increasing as well as the number of accidents involving them. In

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022

Moon makes first social media posts after returning home

Former President Moon Jae-in made his first social media posts since he moved to his hometown after his presidential term ended earlier in the week.  Moon revealed that he visited his parents’ graves and a temple near his house in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, via posts on his Facebook and Twitter late Thursday. “Coming out for first time after returning to my hometown. I paid respects at my father and mother’s graves, and also visited Tongdosa temple,” M

PoliticsMay 13, 2022

Police to continue to ban rallies near presidential office

Police have decided to continue to ban demonstrations within the 100-meter radius of the new presidential office in Seoul's central district of Yongsan, sources said Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police has recently instructed the Yongsan Police Station and nearby police forces to give a notification of prohibition to those filing for permission to stage rallies near the presidential office, according to the sources. Since President Yoon Suk-yeol relocated the presidential office to Yongsan ear

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022

Yoon offers to send COVID-19 vaccines to N. Korea

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday offered to send COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea, his spokesperson said, a day after Pyongyang acknowleged an outbreak for the first time since the pandemic began. After claiming for over two years that it was coronavirus-free, the North reported its first case of COVID-19 on Thursday, saying the country declared the implementation of the "maximum emergency" virus control system. "President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to provide the North Korean people wi

North KoreaMay 13, 2022

Female construction workers face discrimination despite a surge in number

The female workforce is increasing, even in once male-dominated industries. But South Korea’s construction industry is failing to provide an adequate working environment for them, as sexual harassment and a lack of safety equipment for women go unaddressed. Construction sites no longer men-only Construction work has largely been regarded as a man’s profession in South Korea. However, research by Statistics Korea recently revealed that female construction workers now comprise 10.4

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022

Govt. to significantly increase international flights to meet travel demand

The government will add an additional 230 international flights by next month to meet growing demand for travel in the wake of an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Friday. The addition will raise the number of weekly international flights from 532 in May to 762 in June. Starting May 23, the government will also recognize negative rapid antigen test results for travelers boarding flights to South Korea, on top of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results curr

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022

Yoon to visit Gwangju to commemorate democracy uprising

President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit the southwestern city of Gwangju next week to commemorate a democracy uprising that led to the massacre of hundreds of civilians in 1980, his office said Friday. Yoon will travel to Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, to attend a state memorial ceremony on the anniversary of the May 18 uprising at the May 18th National Cemetery. The visit will mark Yoon's first trip outside of Seoul since taking office Tuesday. During a visit to the cemetery in November as

Social AffairsMay 13, 2022