N. Korea cancels Pyongyang marathon for 3rd straight year amid COVID-19

North Korea has canceled the annual Pyongyang marathon due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the third consecutive year, a tour agency has said. The event, also known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was originally scheduled for April 10 in Pyongyang, but Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based tour agency specializing in North Korea tours, said on its website, "2022's Pyongyang Marathon has officially been cancelled." The agency said the marathon for next year will be held on Apr

North KoreaMarch 3, 2022

Prime Minister Kim tests positive for COVID-19 in rapid antigen test

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antigen test, his office said Thursday. He is currently waiting for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result at his official residence, the office added. Kim reportedly felt symptoms of the novel coronavirus after visiting Daegu on Monday. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2022

Feminism is one aspect of humanism, Yoon says

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party toned down his stance related to the gender divide when asked by rival contenders during a TV debate on Wednesday. As the candidates discussed the ways to handle the country’s low birth rates, Lee Jae-myung, the flagbearer of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, asked Yoon what he thinks of feminism, reciting Yoon’s previous comment that feminism has hindered young man and women from building the relation

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

Lee Jae-myung disputes himself to claim no plan for tax increase

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said he has no plans to raise more taxes in carrying out his proposed welfare policies, speaking against his own major campaign promise made just months earlier. During a TV debate held Wednesday, Lee said he has "no plans for any tax increase whatsoever," arguing that the funds needed to finance his state-led welfare policies will be supplied through natural increase in tax income from expected economic growth

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

Lee asks Sim to form unified government to create safe working environment

Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung asked Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung to work together to form a unified government when Sim criticized the ruling party for failing to create a safe working environment in a televised debate on Wednesday. Referring to Kim Yong-gyun, who died while working alone at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in 2018, Sim criticized the Democratic Party for failing to keep promises to hire subcontractor workers as full-time workers related to life and safety wo

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

State will take over pandemic-induced debt: ruling party candidate

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea vowed to have the government assume responsibility for all financial losses that South Koreans incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a TV debate program held Wednesday, Lee said the state has a duty to compensate all the losses people have had to shoulder as a result of following the government’s COVID-19 protocols. And if elected, he would enlarge the budget and increase spending to execute the vision. Le

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

S. Korea moves Ukraine embassy from Kyiv to safe area

South Korea is moving its mission in Ukraine from Kyiv to a "safe area" in the country as Russia is stepping up military actions in the country, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. Ambassador Kim Hyung-tae and other embassy staff were moving to the new location along with six South Korean nationals who expressed intent to move out of the city, according to the ministry. It was not immediately clear to which city the embassy is relocating. The decision was made as it became &q

Foreign AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Lee Jae-myung envisions efficient, powerful military for future warfare

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea will build up an efficient and powerful military prepared for future warfare, his adviser said in an interview with The Korea Herald. South Korea has faced rapidly mounting North Korean nuclear and missile threats and new and emerging security challenges across all domains. The intricate regional dynamics in the Indo-Pacific have been compounded by the growing US-China rivalry and the heated arms race. At this junctu

DefenseMarch 2, 2022

[Reporter’s Notebook] When going viral goes awry in election

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has once again come under fire for an inconsiderate social media post, which appeared to disregard the seriousness of the situation in Ukraine. On Monday, a tweet was uploaded on Yoon’s Twitter account with the message, “We stand with Ukraine” in both Korean and English. However, the tweet grabbed public attention not for its message, but for the attached photo: A tangerine with an angry face draw

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] We need public diplomacy that fully contains the scent of Korea

Korea’s public diplomacy so far has been characterized as a state-centered one that focuses on popularizing itself. However, it is a fact that Korea is now facing needs and expectations to play a role that goes beyond it from home and abroad. Given that Korea’s status and capabilities have developed considerably in the international community, its way of lending a hand should also be tailored to what the other desires and needs. Now, giving off the messages that Korea has in its own

Foreign AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Russia takes aim at urban areas

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine's leader decried Russia's escalation of attacks on crowded urban areas as a blatant campaign of terror, while US President Joe Biden warned that if his Russian counterpart weren't made to "pay a price" for the invasion, the aggression wouldn't stop with one country. "Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed after Tuesday's bloodshed on the central square in Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city,

Foreign AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Schools open amid 200,000 new infections

The new school year kicked off Wednesday while the country’s daily COVID-19 tally soared to nearly 220,000. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s report on Wednesday, the number of daily cases here reached 219,241, up 80,248 from the previous day. The total caseload reached 3,492,686 accordingly, the country’s health authorities said.　 Despite the tally, most schools opted for in-person classes Wednesday. Though the Education Ministry gave school

Social AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Dead heat race continues with a week until election

With just a week to go until Election Day, many poll results are still showing a tight neck-and-neck race between the two major candidates, a situation unusual compared to past presidential elections. A Realmeter survey of 1,007 adults conducted from Monday to Tuesday showed Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party in the lead with 46.3 percent, closely followed by Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at 43.1 percent. Minor centrist People’s Party candidat

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

Smarkets predicts Yoon Suk-yeol as winner of presidential race with 7 days until the election

A London-based betting exchange running a live prediction of the 20th presidential election for South Korea showed the main opposition party candidate with a higher chance of winning the race against his ruling party rival as just a week remains before Election Day. As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, a betting page for the South Korean presidential election on Smarkets predicted presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party at 69.44 percent chance of winning the election

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022

Military reports 898 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Wednesday reported 898 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 20,167. The new cases included 639 from the Army, 73 from the Navy, 66 from the Air Force, 66 from the Marine Corps and 44 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. There were also six cases from the ministry, three from the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and one from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Currently, 5,777 military personnel are under treatm

Social AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Two Koreas clash over Ukraine crisis at UN

Diplomats of South and North Korea clashed over differing views of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the UN as delegates met for an emergency session to discuss a resolution condemning Moscow’s aggression. 　 Cho Hyun, the South Korean ambassador to the UN, strongly condemned “Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine,” throwing support behind a UN General Assembly resolution that was set for a vote Wednesday, demanding Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine. On the contrary,

Foreign AffairsMarch 2, 2022

N. Korea's reluctance to forgo nukes could rise amid Ukraine crisis: ex-USFK chiefs

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could further increase North Korea's reluctance to abandon nuclear arms, former US Forces Korea (USFK) chiefs have said, raising the need for Seoul and Washington to beef up their combined readiness. In its monthly newsletter, the Korea-US Alliance Foundation (KUSAF) released a summary of their recent comments on the Ukraine crisis and its ramifications on the Korean Peninsula without identifying them. Their comments came amid a view that Russia's attack on the pro-W

DefenseMarch 2, 2022

S. Koreans bid farewell to former culture minister

South Koreans bid a final farewell to late former culture minister Lee O-young on Wednesday, in a funeral ceremony led by the culture ministry for one of South Korea's most revered literary critics and novelists. His family, friends and figures from the culture and art scenes paid their respects to Lee at the National Library of Korea in southern Seoul. The library is a symbolic venue for him as he laid the foundation for cultural policy for developing libraries across the country during his ter

Social AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Biden remains silent on N. Korea amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden left out North Korea in his first State of the Union address on Tuesday that laid out various challenges facing his country, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The US leader, however, thanked South Korea, along with dozens of other countries, for condemning what he called Russia's "unjustified" and "totally unprovoked" aggression on Ukraine. "Along with twenty-seven members of the European Union including France, Germa

Foreign AffairsMarch 2, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 46.3% to 43.1%, 44.6% to 43.7%: polls

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung by 3.2 percentage points or less just a week before the election, two polls showed Wednesday. In a Realmeter survey conducted Monday and Tuesday, Yoon of the conservative People Power Party earned 46.3 percent support against Lee of the liberal Democratic Party's 43.1 percent. The 3.2 percentage point gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confid

PoliticsMarch 2, 2022