Collaboration with Korea, key priority for Indonesia post-COVID: ambassador

 Indonesia will bolster economic ties with Korea through a range of projects involving cooperation through bilateral and multinational agreements and private sectors, said Indonesia’s newly appointed ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto Soeherman. Through private-public partnerships (PPP), the Indonesia-Korea comprehensive economic partnership agreement (IK-CEPA), the regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP), foreign direct investment (FDI), and the creative economy, the

Diplomatic CircuitJan. 17, 2022

Seoul rebuts Japanese Dokdo claims

Seoul on Monday strongly protested against Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi’s remarks that renewed territorial claims over South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, demanding an immediate retraction.  South Korea’s reaction came after Hayashi reiterated Tokyo’s stance that Dokdo, which is known as Takeshima in Japan, is a territory inherent to Japan in view of historical facts and international law in his speech outlining the government’s foreign

Foreign AffairsJan. 17, 2022

Is Korea a tsunami-free zone?

An underwater volcanic eruption in the South Pacific which triggered massive waves reaching as far as Japan and the West Coast of the US has left Koreans wondering one thing: Is the Korean Peninsula safe? Experts say the possibility of the country’s coastal region being wiped out by a tsunami is relatively low, due to its geographic location. The Korean Peninsula is shielded by Japan on the east. For any tsunami originating in the Pacific to reach Korea, it would have to go through the

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2022

Korean government to appeal court’s call to halt vaccine-or-test policy for kids

The South Korean government said Monday it would appeal a Seoul court’s decision to suspend the vaccine pass mandate requiring children and adolescents to be fully vaccinated or negative in tests to access public places. The Ministry of Health and Welfare told a news briefing it would incorporate a part of the court’s decision to retract the mandate at lower-risk facilities for adults, while maintaining that the passes for school-age children and teens are necessary to protect them

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2022

[Newsmaker] Yoon apologizes for wife’s remarks revealed in phone call with reporter

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party apologized Monday for the remarks made by his wife Kim Kun-hee, after a portion of the recordings of her phone calls with a reporter was made public by a local broadcaster. A day before, MBC had broadcast parts of the 52 recorded phone calls made between Lee Myung-soo, a reporter for YouTube channel Voice of Seoul, and Kim. In the revelation, Kim was shown to have made some remarks deemed inappropriate, such as hi

PoliticsJan. 17, 2022

Sim resumes campaign, vows not to give up

Presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung of the minor progressive Justice Party returned to the race Monday, five days after she suspended all campaign activities, declaring she will not give up. Sim had announced the suspension of all her campaign activities Wednesday, followed by the resignation of all members of her election campaign committee the next day. 　 “I am part of the politics that shaped the world of inequality and discrimination. I am infinitely responsible,” Sim said at

PoliticsJan. 17, 2022

Nuke envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan hold phone talks over N. Korea's latest projectile launches

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan held a discussion Monday about North Korea's latest apparent missile test and agreed to maintain the close trilateral cooperation in the region, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, had the emergency consultations with his American and Japanese counterparts -- Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi -- hours after the North lobbed two suspected short-range ba

North KoreaJan. 17, 2022

Yoon vows to secure preemptive strike capability after NK launch

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday vowed to secure a preemptive strike capability after North Korea conducted its fourth missile test this year. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party previously mentioned the need to carry out a preemptive strike in the event North Korea appears ready to fire a nuclear-tipped missile at the South. In a Facebook post Monday, hours after North Korea launched two suspected short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, Yoon dou

PoliticsJan. 17, 2022

Man sets himself on fire over feud with international marriage agency

A 60-something man is in serious condition after setting himself on fire out of anger over a feud with an international marriage agency that refused to arrange a marriage for him, officials said Monday. The 64-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, set himself ablaze at the office of the marriage agency on the southern island of Jeju at around 12:56 p.m. a day earlier, according to police and firefighting authorities on the island. During talks with the head of the agency, the man suddenly

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2022

Seoul condemns Tokyo's sovereignty claim to Dokdo

South Korea on Monday denounced Japan's repeated sovereignty claim to the easternmost islets of Dokdo and urged the neighbor to face up to history in order to improve bilateral relations. The foreign ministry lodged a strong protest after Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi reiterated Tokyo's stance on the East Sea outcroppings in his parliamentary speech earlier in the day. "The Japanese government should stop its unreasonable claim to Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territo

Foreign AffairsJan. 17, 2022

Complaints grow among eatery owners over partial suspension of vaccine pass system

Complaints have been mounting among owners of cafes and restaurants after the government decided Monday to keep COVID-19 vaccine pass requirements on eateries while suspending its enforcement at other multiuse facilities. The government decided to halt vaccine pass requirements at department stores, supermarkets, cram schools and theaters across the country starting Tuesday, after the Seoul Administrative Court ordered a suspension of vaccine pass requirements on such facilities in the capital.

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2022

NK train enters China for the first time since pandemic

Cargo trains between North Korea and China have resumed operation for the first time in nearly two years since the border closure due to the pandemic, in a sign that the two countries may be readying to fully resume land trade soon. 　 The first train, which arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Sunday, returned home to the North’s Sinuiju at around 7 a.m., according to Yonhap News Agency. 　 The first train was empty when it arrived in China, but its return trip was likely loa

North KoreaJan. 17, 2022

Lee, Yoon offer diverging views on dealing with N. Korea

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has called for simultaneously pursuing North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief, while his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to strengthen the extended deterrence provided by the United States. Lee of the liberal ruling Democratic Party and Yoon of the conservative People Power Party detailed their plans for dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons program in written interviews with the Korean-American Club, a group of f

PoliticsJan. 17, 2022

S. Korea, Canada vow to boost trade, supply chain ties during ministerial talks

The top trade officials of South Korea and Canada agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation on supply chains of key materials and other trade issues, Seoul's industry ministry said. Seoul's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and his Canadian counterpart, Mary Ng, reached the consensus during a video conference earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. During the meeting, the two sides vowed to boost ties in supply chains of raw materials and major minerals by promoting

Foreign AffairsJan. 17, 2022

Yoon leads poll again after seemingly successful campaign reform

The tide of the presidential race in South Korea has shifted again, poll results showed Monday, this time again in favor of presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party. Successful campaign efforts from Yoon’s side following the end of a damaging internal feud, as well as the abrupt death of a whistleblower in a case involving main rival Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, are believed to have aided Yoon in garnering more support in the l

PoliticsJan. 17, 2022

Jailed ex-President Lee Myung-bak admitted to hospital for chronic illness

Jailed former President Lee Myung-bak was admitted to a hospital on Monday for an unspecified chronic illness, the justice ministry said. The 81-year-old was transferred to the Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul from the Anyang Correctional Institution where he is serving a 17-year sentence for embezzlement and bribery convictions, according to the ministry. Lee will undergo medical examinations for his chronic illness, and when he will be discharged from the hospital will not

PoliticsJan. 17, 2022

UAE imports M-SAM2 on Moon’s visit

  President Moon Jae-in, who is visiting the United Arab Emirates, met with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Dubai Expo on Sunday and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in defense, nuclear power plants and Korea’s plan to host the 2030 Busan Expo. During the meeting, the UAE decided to import the Korean interceptor missile Cheongung II, or M-SAM2, becoming the first country to operate the missile other than Korea. The UAE Ministry of Defence announced a p

Foreign AffairsJan. 17, 2022

NSC expresses strong regret over N. Korea's latest projectile launch

The presidential National Security Council (NSC) expressed strong regret Monday after North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles eastward that marked the North's fourth show of force this month. The council held an emergency meeting after South Korea's military announced that the North fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "The standing members of the NSC had an in-depth discussion as the strongly regretful situation continues, with North Korea firi

North KoreaJan. 17, 2022

Foreign children in Seoul to receive education fee support from March: education office

Foreign children aged 3-5 in Seoul will receive education fee support equivalent to that for South Korean children from March, the city's education office said Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will provide up to 150,000 won ($126) -- 100,000 won for daytime programs and 50,000 won for after-school programs -- per month to foreign children enrolled in public kindergartens. Up to 350,000 won -- 280,000 won for daytime and 70,000 won for after-school programs-- will be given to

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2022

Police looking into report of suspected animal abuse attempt using sausage-skewered fishhooks

INCHEON -- Police said Monday they were looking into a report of a suspected animal abuse attempt using sausage-skewered fishhooks at a park in Incheon popular among dog owners. Police said they received the report of the suspicious fishhooks in the park in Bupyeong Ward of Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, at 9:45 p.m. Sunday. Authorities said they searched the park but failed to discover the hooks in question. The fishhooks were first made public by a dog owner who discovered them at th

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2022