Early voting starts for 20th presidential election

Early voting started for the 20th presidential election on Friday, with candidates and political heavyweights casting their votes to encourage more voters to participate. The National Election Commission on Friday opened early voting at 3,552 polling stations across the country, and eyes are on how high the turnout would be in the continued dead heat race between the two main candidates. Polling stations will open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. COVID-19 patients and those under sel

PoliticsMarch 4, 2022

Firefighters battling wildfire in eastern coastal county of Uljin

ULJIN -- A wildfire broke out in the eastern coastal county of Uljin on Friday, prompting authorities to issue a natural disaster alert while trying to make sure the blaze does not pose a threat to a nuclear power plant in the area, officials said. The blaze started on a road near a mountain in the North Gyeongsang Province county, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 11:17 a.m. and has been spreading towards the peak of the mountain, according to the Korea Forest Service (KFS). An evacua

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Memorial event for Battle of Gapyeong to be held April 22

Gapyeong, a county of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul, plans to hold a memorial ceremony commemorating a Korean War (1950-53) battle next month, together with four Commonwealth countries, the county office said Friday. The ceremony slated for April 22 in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, will be jointly organized with the embassies of Britain, New Zealand, Canada and Australia to honor their fallen soldiers in the Battle of Gapyeong, the office said. It said Gapyeong County head Kim

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Military reports 1,225 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Friday reported 1,225 additional COVID-19 cases to set a new daily record, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 22,916. The new cases included 766 from the Army, 170 from the Air Force, 110 from the Navy, 90 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and 80 from the Marine Corps. There were also eight cases from the ministry and one from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Currently, 5,481 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

About 2,000 small merchants file damage suit over COVID-19 biz restrictions

About 2,000 restaurant owners and other small merchants sued the government Friday for a total of more than 161 billion won ($133 million) won in damages for losses incurred due to anti-COVID-19 business restrictions before a compensation law was enacted. The association of small businesses representing the businessmen filed the suit with the Seoul Administrative Court, demanding compensation for losses incurred from April 2020 until the so-called pandemic damage compensation law was introduced

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

S. Korea, Australia vow to boost ties in digital trade

South Korea and Australia agreed Friday to enhance cooperation on e-commerce and other digital trade issues during a senior-level dialogue, Seoul's industry ministry said. Kim Wan-ki, chief of South Korea's trade policy bureau under the trade ministry, held a videoconference with Australia's First Assistant Secretary of the foreign and trade department Elisabeth Bowes, and the two sides discussed a wide range of issues on digital trade, including trade norms, standards and the industry's transit

Foreign AffairsMarch 4, 2022

[Contribution] International and regional counterterrorism cooperation: Uzbekistan’s approaches and initiatives

Uzbekistan will continue to pursue an active agenda of developing constructive and practical cooperation at the international and regional level in countering terrorism and other destructive threats. Over the past few years, Uzbekistan has significantly stepped up its counterterrorism activities at the international and regional level, building a strategy of openness for cooperation in countering the common threats of extremism and terrorism with all states on an equal and mutually beneficial

Diplomatic CircuitMarch 4, 2022

S. Korea prepares separate voting areas, hospital polling stations amid soaring COVID-19 cases

Separate voting booths were set up for those infected with COVID-19, including 10 special polling stations at big hospitals, as early voting got under way for next week's presidential election amid soaring virus cases. This year's election takes place as the wave of the omicron variant has been spreading rapidly in South Korea, pushing the country's daily virus cases to record highs. Friday's tally reached an all-time high of 266,853 cases. Amid concerns that the virus situation could deprive th

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Russia attacks Ukraine nuclear plant as invasion advances

Russian forces shelled Europe's largest nuclear plant early Friday, sparking a fire as they pressed their attack on a crucial energy-producing Ukrainian city and gained ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea. Leading nuclear authorities were concerned -- but not panicked -- about the damage to the power station. The assault triggered phone calls between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden and other world leaders. The US Department of Energy activat

Foreign AffairsMarch 4, 2022

S. Korea eases social distancing rules as daily cases hit fresh high of 266,853

The South Korean government announced Friday that it has decided to push back the curfew on cafes and restaurants by one hour to 11 p.m. while keeping the private gathering size limit at six. Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol announced it during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday. Jeon explained that the decision was made largely to help business owners and small merchants, who have been suffering from financial distress during the pandemic. The government’s decision came amid the c

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Moon expresses condolences over death of Nexon founder

President Moon Jae-in has offered condolences over the death of the founder of gaming giant Nexon Co., Kim Jung-ju, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Moon sent a message of condolences on Thursday to the bereaved family of Kim, who died late last month at the age of 54, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon hailed Kim for playing a leading role in South Korea's gaming industry to make inroads into global markets, Park said. Moon also praised Kim's efforts to establish an integrate

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

[Photo News] Early voting off to strong start

Early voting for next Wednesday’s presidential election kicked off at 3,552 polling stations nationwide, as the country reported a new daily record of 266,853 COVID-19 infections.  All of the three main candidates -– the ruling party’s Lee Jae-myung (left photo), the main opposition party’s Yoon Suk-yeol (center) and minor left-wing party’s Sim Sang-jung –- cast their ballot in the morning. Both Lee and Yoon were not accompanied by their respective wive

PoliticsMarch 4, 2022

Troops begin casting early votes for next week's presidential election

South Korea's enlisted troops began casting votes for next week's presidential election as the two-day advance voting opened Friday at 3,552 polling stations across the nation. Troops from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have been encouraged to cast their ballots at polling stations near their bases during the early voting period, as they can only vote in their legal residential districts on the Election Day that falls on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the defense ministry sent out to

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

S. Korea to conduct domestic performance test for advanced radar

South Korea will begin a domestic performance test on a homegrown radar system this month as part of the country's major fighter development project, the state arms procurement agency said Friday. The military plans to kick off the test program in mid-March for the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to be installed on the KF-21 jet currently under development. It is set to run through April next year. Following an overseas test last year, the program is designed to identify and red

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

US senators voice concern over possible use of cryptocurrency by N. Korea to evade sanctions

A group of US senators has expressed concerns over the possibility of such "adversaries" as North Korea and Russia using cryptocurrency to evade international sanctions and urged relevant authorities to ensure strong enforcement of sanctions compliance in the cryptocurrency industry. In a joint letter sent to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday (Washington time) amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, four senators -- Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH

North KoreaMarch 4, 2022

Daily infections tops 260,000 for 1st time amid omicron's spread

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases exceeded 260,000 for the first time Friday as the highly transmissible omicron variant rages across the country. The country reported 266,853 new coronavirus infections, including 266,771 local cases, raising the total caseload to 3,691,488 according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections jumped from 198,803 cases Thursday. The daily caseload surpassed 200,000 for the first time Wednesday, a day after the government sus

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Govt. to check cybersecurity vulnerabilities of local defense firms

South Korea's state arms procurement agency plans to check potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities of all local defense firms starting in May, its officials said Friday, in the wake of continued hacking incidents targeting them. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will conduct the security assessment on 85 companies from May through the end of this year with a budget of 2.64 billion won ($2.18 million), the officials said. The DAPA plans to open a bid on Monday to select a comp

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Govt. to push back COVID-19 curfew on restaurants, cafes to 11 p.m.

The government will push back the anti-COVID-19 business curfew on cafes, restaurants and other multiuse facilities by an hour to 11 p.m. starting Saturday, Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said. Despite soaring infections, the government decided to extend the operating hours for 12 kinds of multiuse facilities in an effort to help small businesses suffering from prolonged anti-virus restrictions, Jeon said during a COVID-19 response meeting. The new curfew will be effective until March 20, an

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2022

Moon casts early vote for next week's presidential election

President Moon Jae-in cast his ballot Friday, as South Korea began two-day early voting for next week's presidential election. Wearing a face mask and disposable gloves, Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook voted at a polling booth inside the Samcheong-dong community service center near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Moon's office said. Earlier in the day, Moon encouraged people to cast their ballots, saying, "As the sovereign of a democratic republic, I hope all people will participate in exercisi

PoliticsMarch 4, 2022

S. Korea wins exemption from US' Foreign Direct Product Rule regarding exports to Russia

South Korea won an exemption from the United States' expanded export restrictions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Seoul's industry ministry said Friday. The move came as South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with senior US officials in Washington on Thursday and the two sides agreed to include South Korea in the US' list of exempt countries. Last week, the US government announced the Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) for "all of Russia" as part of its export controls

Foreign AffairsMarch 4, 2022