‘Is this a new Cold War?’

Watching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it seems many South Koreans cannot help but worry about their own country’s future, which is still locked in a Cold War division. From the social media sphere to presidential campaign trails, people voiced their opposition to war and denounced the aggressor, while some raised “what ifs” over Korea’s own precarious geopolitical situation vis-a-vis a belligerent North Korea. On Twitter and Facebook, ordinary citizens and publ

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

FM Chung: Korea-US alliance is steadfast, rejects comparison to Ukraine

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Friday stressed that the alliance between Seoul and Washington is steadfast, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine renewed concerns here over the credibility of the US security commitment to its allies.  “The South Korea-US alliance, by nature, is steadfast and firm for the security of the Korean Peninsula, so there’s no need to compare with the situation in Ukraine,” Chung told lawmakers during an emergency meeting of the

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Korea and US agree to return 165,000 square meters of Yongsan US base

South Korea and the United States have reached an agreement for the US to return 165,000 square meters from the Yongsan US Base in Seoul and Camp Red Cloud, a US Army camp located in Uijeongbu city, officials said Friday. Im Sang-woo, director of the North American Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and joint chairperson of the Korea-US Status of Forces Agreement, and Scott Pleus, deputy commander of the US Forces Korea, adopted a joint statement containing these details by phone on the

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] South Korea drops close contact quarantine requirements altogether

Starting March 1, people who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient will no longer need to quarantine regardless of their vaccination status in South Korea. This includes people living in the same household as someone isolating with an active infection. Currently unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people have to quarantine for seven days following a close contact exposure, while those who are fully vaccinated don’t. A close contact requiring quarantine is defined as living

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Frontrunners address Russian invasion of Ukraine with different focuses

The two frontrunners in the quickly approaching presidential election addressed the Russian invasion of Ukraine with different focuses. While Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea spoke of economic aspects, Yoon Suk-yeol from the main opposition People Power Party attacked the Moon Jae-in administration’s security policies. Lee tried to bring the focus on how the war will affect the Korean economy in an attempt to emphasize his capability in handling economic matters. Lee

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2022

Moon will ‘take preemptive response’ over Ukraine crisis

As Russia has launched a full-scale military attack on Ukraine despite global condemnation, President Moon Jae-in urged officials to check the situation and take a preemptive response through the Ukraine emergency response task force, the presidential office said Friday. Moon delivered these instructions at the Cheong Wa Dae meeting in the morning, spokesperson Park Kyung-mi said in a written briefing on the day. His remarks are related to the safety of Korean residents in Ukraine and the ec

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Military reports 1,013 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Friday reported 1,013 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 15,950. The new cases included 587 from the Army, 253 from the Air Force and 82 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. There were also 37 cases from the Navy, 36 from the Marine Corps, seven from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 10 from the ministry and one from the South Korea-US Combined Forces Korea. Currently, 4,286 military personnel are under treatment

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Hong Joon-pyo says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused by lack of nuclear weapons

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the main opposition People Power Party said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was caused by Ukraine’s lack of nuclear weapons. Other opposition politicians criticized the invasion, calling for more active support from the Korean government to support Ukraine. When asked by a supporter how he would have reacted to the current situation if he had been President of Ukraine, the senior politician and former presidential candidate replied, “The Ukraine crisis was

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2022

S. Korean Embassy urges remaining nationals in Ukraine to be ‘fully prepared’

The South Korean Embassy in Ukraine on Friday urged its nationals still remaining in the country to be “fully prepared” for potential chaos as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine the previous day.  In a notice posted on its website, the embassy said it believes there is possibility of various chaotic situations breaking out in the capital Kiev and other major cities, such as disruption of electricity and related networks, arson and explosions, whose actors may be hard to

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

S. Korean, US diplomats stress 'unified' response over Ukraine crisis in phone talks

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States highlighted their shared will for a "unified" response over Russia's invasion of Ukraine during their phone talks Friday, the foreign ministry here said. First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his US counterpart, Wendy Sherman, condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ministry said in a press release. Choi said that Seoul,

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Korea joins condemnation of Russia

The Korean government joined an intergovernmental announcement to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Countries that are members of the Community of Democracies issued a statement Thursday, condemning Russia’s massive military assault against Ukraine. Following the international community’s shock as Russia launched an all-out invasion on Ukraine, the governing council members of the Community of Democracies, including Korea, the US, Japan, Canada, Estonia, Finland and many m

InternationalFeb. 25, 2022

Mudslinging intensifies as election day draws near

Verbal attacks have grown increasingly fierce between the two main presidential candidates in Korea, with less than two weeks remaining until Election Day. At campaign rallies for Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and his main rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the opposition People Power Party, officials from each camp devoted much of their energy to denounce and criticize the other side, to the extent of even leveling false accusations combined with insults. "You know, prosecut

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2022

Cheong Wa Dae says Korea does not consider independent sanctions

Regarding the issue of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that it would not consider independent sanctions considering relations with Russia as well as Korean residents and businesses in Russia. Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication, said in a local radio interview, “This is not an era in which we can do things (sanctions) independently. If the US and European countries impose sanctions on Russia, we will naturally

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Ukraine crisis pushes national security to fore of presidential campaign

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has propelled national security issues to the fore of South Korea's presidential campaign as the two front-runners have seized on the crisis to highlight their own visions for defending the country and peace. The competing claims from the leading presidential candidates came as the Ukraine crisis has underscored the security challenges South Korea faces against a provocative and nuclear-armed North Korea across its border. Ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung of the

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2022

Lee, Yoon neck and neck at 38% vs. 37%: poll

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol are running neck and neck at 38 percent and 37 percent support, respectively, a poll showed Friday. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party gained 4 percentage points from last week, while Yoon of the conservative People Power Party lost 4 percentage points, according to Gallup Korea, which polled 1,000 adults from Tuesday to Thursday. Ahn Cheol-soo, the candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, came in

PoliticsFeb. 25, 2022

N. Korea ranked one of worst countries for political rights and civil liberties: report

North Korea has been rated as one of the worst countries in terms of freedom, a recent report by a US-funded freedom watchdog showed Friday. In an annual Freedom House report titled, "Freedom in the World 2022," the North received a combined freedom score of 3 out of 100 -- zero points for political rights and 3 points for civil liberties. It ranked only above Turkmenistan at 2 points, and South Sudan and Syria with just 1 point each among 195 countries assessed by the organization. Th

North KoreaFeb. 25, 2022

Constitutional petition filed against law limiting English teacher visas based on nationality

A constitutional appeal has been filed against the Immigration Control Act that allows only those from eight English-speaking countries to work as native English instructors in South Korea, officials said Friday. Migrants Center Friend, an immigrant rights' group, filed the petition after a Ugandan was denied a visa to work as an English teacher, contending that it is wrong to limit such job opportunities based on nationality. The Ugandan, whose identity was withheld, sought the visa after gradu

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Daily COVID-19 cases fall below 170,000 amid concerns over critical cases

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 170,000 Friday but critical cases and deaths from the virus rose at a fast pace amid the continued spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. The country reported 165,890 new COVID-19 infections, including 165,749 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,665,077, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It is slightly down from the previous day's 170,015. Daily infections surpassed the 100,000 level for the first

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

S. Korea's envoy in Geneva elected WTO's regional trade agreement committee chair

South Korea's top envoy in Geneva has been elected the head of the World Trade Organization's committee monitoring regional trade agreements, the foreign ministry said Friday. Ambassador Lee Tae-ho was elected by consensus to lead the Committee on Regional Trade Agreement for one year at the WTO's General Council session in Geneva on Thursday, according to the ministry. The committee is a key body promoting the transparent management of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements signed by count

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2022

Omicron wave expected to peak in mid-March with daily cases around 250,000: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that the country is expected to see the peak of the omicron wave in mid-March with daily cases hovering around 250,000. South Korea's daily virus infections surpassed the 100,000 level for the first time last week, and soared to a record high of 171,452 on Wednesday due to the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19. "Some experts are saying that it may hit the peak faster than expected," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Se

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2022