Doha forum hopes to transform new era through diplomacy, dialogue, diversity and multilateralism

DOHA, QATAR -- High level officials, policymakers and academics discussed geopolitical alliances and international relations, the financial system and economic development, defense, cyber and food security, and climate change and sustainability hoping to transform new era through diplomacy, dialogue, diversity and multilateralism at Doha Forum through March 26-27. Started in the year 2000, Doha forum is aimed to launch dialogue on critical challenges facing the world, promote the exchange of id

Diplomatic CircuitMarch 29, 2022

S. Korea to speed up consultations with US on envisioned Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

South Korea will boost consultations with the United States on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and begin actively collecting opinions from local experts about its possible participation, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday. The US-led initiative is what the Joe Biden administration has sought to launch to boost cooperation with partner nations in a wide range of economic and trade issues, including digital trade, supply chains and clean energy. Last year, the US proposed that South Korea

Foreign AffairsMarch 29, 2022

Justice ministry to expand family invitations for Ukrainians in S. Korea amid Russian invasion

Ukrainian nationals, including those of Korean descent, will be able to invite more family members to South Korea amid the Ukraine-Russia war, the justice ministry said Tuesday. Until now, family invitations were only given to parents, spouses and underage children, but the ministry decided to expand the invitations to siblings and grandparents. Ukrainian nationals staying in South Korea with a short-term visa of 90 or fewer days will also be allowed a long-term stay here until the hostility in

Social AffairsMarch 29, 2022

Yoon to visit trade organization

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will soon visit a trade organization to encourage young entrepreneurs and listen to opinions of small- and mid-sized exporters, his spokesperson said Tuesday. Yoon will hold a meeting with young entrepreneurs during his planned visit to the Korea International Trade Association, one of the nation's biggest economic organizations, spokesperson Kim Eun-hye told reporters. During the meeting, Yoon is expected to show his willingness to create jobs for young people and

PoliticsMarch 29, 2022

Database formed on human rights abuse in N. Korea's penal facilities: British group

A London-based nonprofit organization has launched a comprehensive database of human rights violations and atrocities involving the North Korean penal system, its website showed Tuesday. "A vast system of penal facilities extends across North Korea," Korea Future said. "The construction of these facilities -- capable of detaining hundreds of thousands of people suspected or accused of crimes -- has enabled extensive and egregious violations of international law with catastrophic h

North KoreaMarch 29, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rise to nearly 350,000 amid 'stealth omicron' woes

South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases rose to around 350,000 Tuesday, ending a downturn for five consecutive days, amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible "stealth omicron" subvariant. The country added 347,554 new coronavirus infections, including 41 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 12,350,428, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's tally marked a surge from 187,213 cases the previous day, when the daily count came to a ne

Social AffairsMarch 29, 2022

Document shows Korean independence fighters' proposal to US for anti-Japan psychological warfare

South Korea's patriots ministry has discovered an old document showing the country's independence fighters had made a proposal to the United States for staging psychological warfare against Japan during World War II, its officials said Tuesday. In the five-page document written in October 1942, a group of the activists called on the US and its allies to use "paper bombs" -- leaflets aimed at cementing unity among the allies and making Japanese troops realize the cruelty of Tokyo's then

Foreign AffairsMarch 29, 2022

NK leader urges party officials to eradicate anti-socialist practices

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called on the ruling party's propaganda officials to wage a battle in rooting out "evil spirits" of anti-socialism and bring fundamental change in their ideological work, state media reported Tuesday. In a letter sent to officials serving in the information field of the ruling Workers' Party (WPK) who were present at a workshop in Pyongyang the previous day, Kim stressed the need to "concentrate the ideological campaign on anti-socialist and non-so

North KoreaMarch 29, 2022

Biden requests 4.1% increase in DoD spending, citing challenges from China, N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The Joe Biden administration is seeking a 4.1 percent increase in defense spending, citing the US' growing competition with China and threats from North Korea, its budget plan showed Monday. The bill proposal, submitted to Congress, seeks $813.3 billion in overall defense spending in fiscal year 2023 starting Oct. 1. For the Department of Defense, the government is asking for a 4.1 percent or $30.7 billion increase to $733 billion, according to the department. "This budget giv

Foreign AffairsMarch 29, 2022

Top military officers of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii this week

WASHINGTON -- The top military officers of South Korea, Japan and the United States will meet this week in Hawaii for talks, an informed source here said Monday, following a series of North Korean missile launches that included its first ICBM test in over four years. Gen. Won In-choul, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), will meet his US and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- on Wednesday, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anon

Foreign AffairsMarch 29, 2022

Moon says relocating presidential office is up to next government

President Moon Jae-in on Monday said he will cooperate with the relocation of the presidential office after closely reviewing the budget during the dinner meeting with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Yoon’s top official. The dinner meeting began at 6 p.m. and lasted about two and a half hours, attended by Moon’s Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min and Yoon’s Chief of Staff Jang Je-won. After the meeting ended, Jang held a press briefing at 9:30 p.m. and said the two ta

PoliticsMarch 28, 2022

Busan City hosts business presentation, hoping for economic growth

Busan Metropolitan Government has signed memorandums of understanding with businesses on investments worth 360 billion won ($293 million), the city said Monday. According to the local government, the city hosted a conference in central Seoul to promote business opportunities in the southern port city to corporations located in Greater Seoul. Through the event, it signed memorandums with four corporations, including digital shopping platform SSG.com, which is owned by retail conglomerate Shin

Social AffairsMarch 28, 2022

Lee Jun-seok wages online war on disability rights protest

Activists and lawmakers on Monday protested People Power Party chief Lee Jun-seok’s online attacks of a disability advocacy group’s protests for speeding up barrier-free initiatives in South Korea’s public transit system. Beginning Friday, Lee published a series of nine Facebook posts targeting Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, an disability rights advocacy group whose members have been protesting for improved accessibility in Seoul subways in recent months. 

Social AffairsMarch 28, 2022

Land Ministry eyes zero-tolerance rules for construction negligence

In the wake of the collapse of an HDC Hyundai Development apartment building under construction in Gwangju in January, the government is pushing for legislation that would allow it to hand out stronger penalties against companies for poor construction. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday revealed plans for a “one-strike, you’re out” policy that would allow authorities to rescind the company’s construction license if three or more people die as a

Social AffairsMarch 28, 2022

Yoon to review likely candidates for prime minister

With just over 40 days left to go to inauguration, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will soon choose a candidate for the prime minister’s post for his administration, with a short list reportedly being compiled. On Monday, Yoon’s spokesperson said that the president-elect’s office plans to select the final candidates by early April, as it takes about a month to go through the appointment process. “When we choose the final nominee for prime minister, we would request for

PoliticsMarch 28, 2022

Yoon’s approval rating on a slippery slope

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval ratings have continued to fall since the election, with the figure hitting the lowest for president-elects in recent history. Yoon’s push for relocation of the presidential office and repeated conflicts with the Moon Jae-in administration seem to have negatively affected public opinion. The poll results on Monday showed that the negative outlook for Yoon’s government performance outpaced the positive outlook in a week. The same surve

PoliticsMarch 28, 2022

S. Korea’s severe cases reach all-time high

The number of severe COVID-19 cases in South Korea hit another record high during the 24 hours of Sunday, the country’s health authorities said Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country’s severe cases reached an all-time high of 1,273, increasing 57 from the previous day’s 1,216. The bed occupancy rate for COVID-19 patients also reached 70 percent, up 2.2 percentage points from the previous day, as the number of severe cases remained

Social AffairsMarch 28, 2022

Kim says N.Korea will arm forces with ‘more powerful means of attack’

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country will develop and deploy more powerful means of attack, while seeking to bolster up its “nuclear war deterrent more expeditiously,” according to state media Monday. In an article published in Monday’s edition of the Rodong Sinmun, Kim stressed that “genuine defense capability equates to powerful attack capability” while taking a group photograph with officials, scientists, and defense industry workers who contributed

North KoreaMarch 28, 2022

Yoon calls for 'urgent' efforts to restore ties with Japan

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday called for the need to restore ties with Tokyo at the earliest in a future-oriented way, in his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Aiboshi.   　 The two meet at Yoon’s office in Seoul, with the president-elect stressing the need for communication between the two countries to resolve sticking points. 　   　 “If the two countries’ political leaders, government officials and people push ahead with bilateral rela

Foreign AffairsMarch 28, 2022

Should we care how much the first lady spent on her clothes?

Controversy is brewing over first lady Kim Jung-sook’s expenses over the past five years, particularly over the cost of her clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories. Some have accused Kim and the presidential office of abusing their power and spending billions of won of taxpayer money on rare and fashionable items for Kim during President Moon Jae-in's five-year term, requesting Cheong Wa Dae to disclose information on its off-the-record expenses. Local civic group Korea Taxpayers' Associ

PoliticsMarch 28, 2022