Former US Secretary of State Albright dies at age 84

WASHINGTON -- Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright died Wednesday at the age of 84, reports said. The former secretary of state died of cancer, according to reports. Albright was the first female secretary of state and the highest ranking US official to visit North Korea. She served as US ambassador to the United Nations under former President Bill Clinton before she was appointed the secretary of state in 1997. In October 2000, Albright traveled to Pyongyang, becoming the first US se

Foreign AffairsMarch 24, 2022

US has no plan to negotiate import quota on S. Korean steel products: Raimondo

WASHINGTON -- The United States has no immediate plan to negotiate its import quota on South Korean steel products, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Wednesday, according to a report by Reuters. The remarks come after US Trade Representative Katherine Tai argued South Korea is already in a better position than many others in terms of steel and aluminium exports to the US "They kind of struck their own deal in the last administration, with a quota arrangement, so renegotiating that is

Foreign AffairsMarch 24, 2022

Presidential inauguration ceremony to be held at National Assembly: preparation chief

The presidential inauguration ceremony in May will be held in the front garden of the National Assembly compound in Seoul following the custom, the chief of the presidential inauguration ceremony preparation committee said Wednesday. While the preparation committee reviewed several options, they concluded that the National Assembly was the proper venue and received approval from President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, the committee’s chief, Park Joo-sun, said in a press briefing. “We have

PoliticsMarch 23, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases rebound to nearly 500,000

South Korea added nearly 500,000 daily COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Tuesday, pushing the country’s accumulated figure over the 10 million mark. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country’s daily COVID-19 cases reached 490,881, the second-highest daily tally, after 621,205 cases reported Thursday last week. The country’s accumulated caseload surpassed 10,427,247, which accounts for around 20 percent of the country’s total populat

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

Yongsan History Museum opens its doors on Wednesday

Registered as Cultural Heritage No. 428, the former Yongsan Railway Hospital has been reborn as a local history museum, representative of Yongsan’s historicity and identity. The 2,775-square-meter museum is comprised of two stories above the ground, with a viewing capacity of 100 people. The space is divided into exhibition, education, administration, preservation, landscaping and public use. The Yongsan History Museum’s building in itself is a cultural heritage. The building, buil

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

China says 91,900 barrels of oil, 18% of annual cap, supplied to N. Korea in 2021

China reported that it had provided around 91,900 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea last year, tantamount to 18 percent of the UN-mandated oil import cap, while Russia claimed that it had no longer supplied oil in the same period. The UN Security Council sanctions committee on North Korea has recently updated the total amount of refined petroleum products that were exported and transferred by Beijing and Moscow to Pyongyang last and this year. Under UNSC Resolution 2397, North Korea

North KoreaMarch 23, 2022

Omicron wave pushes schools to brink

The ongoing COVID-19 surge in Korea is wreaking havoc on schools, leaving students, parents and teachers confused with quarantine protocols. The Education Ministry said Wednesday that 379,983 kindergarteners, elementary, middle and high school students in Korea were confirmed of COVID-19 from March 15 to Monday. A total of 1.05 million students have tested positive since the new semester began earlier this month. Even amid the virus crisis, more schools are continuing to hold in-person class

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

S. Korea approves 2nd COVID-19 pill Lagevrio

The South Korean government has approved the emergency use of anti-COVID-19 pill Lagevrio, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday. The medicine, co-developed by US pharmaceutical company MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is the second anti-coronavirus pill to be authorized by the country’s health officials, following the approval of Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid in December. Amid the surging number of COVID-19 cases, the ministry said the approval decision was ma

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

Yoon expected to overhaul foreign, unification ministries

Speculations are rising that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification could see major changes under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The Foreign Ministry may regain trade functions from the Industry Ministry with growing importance on economic security. The Unification Ministry, meanwhile, appears likely to see its role reduced amid increasing tensions with the North. Talk of the transfer of trade affairs dates back to the promises made by Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of

PoliticsMarch 23, 2022

NK working with Russian cybercriminals: Sullivan

North Korea is cooperating with cybercriminals around the world, including those from Russia, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, amid heightened cybersecurity concerns around the world due to Russia’s war with Ukraine. 　 “All I can say, generally, is that North Korea’s cyber capabilities have been manifest in the world and they work with all kinds of cybercriminals around the world, including Russian cybercriminals,” Sullivan told the press briefing on Tue

North KoreaMarch 23, 2022

For some, little incentives to get COVID-19 diagnosis

Kang, 42, who runs a butcher shop in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, experienced a sore throat and dry coughs two weeks ago, which are the common cold-like symptoms of the fast-spreading omicron variant. As expected, two lines appeared on an at-home test kit for COVID-19, meaning a positive result. Yet, instead of seeking an official diagnosis from a nearby public health center, Kang continued tending to his store to process pre-orders, with “extra attention to personal hygiene.” &ld

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

Parties gear up for another election

South Korea's political parties are set to launch nomination committees for the June local elections, returning to full election mode as early as next week. The liberal Democratic Party of Korea plans to set up an internal committee on managing nominations by Friday, a day after the party elects a new floor leader to succeed Rep. Yun Ho-jung, who now stands as a leader of the emergency steering committee for the liberal party. The internal committee, to be comprised of 20 appointees, will be t

PoliticsMarch 23, 2022

Women gets fine for revenge killing of husband’s dog

A woman who killed her husband’s dog after blaming it for premature birth of her child was sentenced to a 3 million won ($2,470) fine on violation of the Animal Protection Act at a district court on Wednesday. The accused, whose identity has been withheld by authorities, had been under trial for throwing her husband’s poodle out the window of their 11th floor apartment in Ulsan, last March.  After the premature birth of her child, she suggested to her husband that they should

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

Seoul city to offer subsidies for public transportation, moving costs of youths

The Seoul city government announced Wednesday it plans to offer subsidies for public transportation costs of young citizens regardless of income level starting next month as part of its new youth support scheme. According to the city's new comprehensive youth support plan announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the government plans to offer up to 100,000 won ($82) won in annual transportation subsidies for those aged between 19 and 24, while providing up to 400,000 won for moving expenses for those aged

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

S. Korean Marine in Poland refuses to return home

South Korea's efforts to secure and bring home a Marine draftee who is currently in Poland without overseas travel permission have stalled due to his refusal to return, a Seoul official said Wednesday. South Korean Embassy personnel are waiting to contact the Marine outside a checkpoint in a Polish border region to which the man was taken after he was denied access to Ukraine on Tuesday. He is reportedly refusing to come out of the checkpoint for an unspecified reason. Embassy officials are not

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

53.7% oppose Yoon's plan to relocate presidential office

More than half of South Koreans are against President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae, while some 44 percent support the idea, a poll showed Wednesday. According to the poll of 500 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter on Tuesday, 53.7 percent said the presidential office should remain at Cheong Wa Dae, and 44.6 percent said they back the relocation plan. On Sunday, Yoon announced his decision to move the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to

PoliticsMarch 23, 2022

Yoon's spokesperson says US, Cheong Wa Dae to decide on allied exercise

Any decision on upcoming military exercises between South Korea and the United States will be made by Washington and the current Cheong Wa Dae, a spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday. Kim Eun-hye made the remark when asked by a reporter whether Yoon and his transition team have expressed their views on the combined exercise reportedly planned for next month. "The current commander-in-chief is President Moon Jae-in," she said during a press briefing. "I und

PoliticsMarch 23, 2022

S. Korea pushes to unveil secret dossiers on key inter-Korean talks

The South Korean government is seeking to reveal historic records on inter-Korean talks that have been kept secret for half a century, an informed source said Wednesday, a move that could offer a chance for the public to get a better glimpse into some watersheds in tumultuous ties between the two Koreas. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Unification set up a guideline to establish a legal basis on disclosing the documents on past inter-Korean talks, and it is currently conducting an internal re

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022

Yoon to speak with Vietnam president to discuss bilateral ties

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will speak by phone with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday and discuss ways to deepen bilateral ties, Yoon's spokesperson said Wednesday. Phuc will be the sixth foreign leader to speak with Yoon since his election, after U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Vietnam is a friendly nation to us and ha

PoliticsMarch 23, 2022

SIS prepares for its 50th anniversary, and for the next 50 years ahead

Founded in 1973 by Edward Ben Adams, Seoul International School is one of Korea’s oldest international schools. Adams was born in Daegu in 1938, to a missionary family who devoted themselves to education in Korea. As Seoul International School prepares for its 50th anniversary next year, the school hopes to continue its tradition of inspiring students, and upholding its core values for the years to come, says the school’s current head of school, Michael Colaianni. In an interview pre

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2022