N. Korea announces firing of 2 train-borne guided missiles into East Sea

North Korea said Saturday its railway-based missile regiment conducted a firing drill a day earlier, with two tactical guided missiles hitting a set target in the East Sea. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the drill was aimed at "checking and judging the proficiency in the action procedures" of the unit. It marks the North's second known launches using a railway platform since the last one in September. On Friday, the South Korean military announc

North KoreaJan. 15, 2022

Daily cases over 4,000 for 4th day amid extended virus curbs

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fourth consecutive day Saturday, as health authorities keep a tight vigilance with the extension of strict social distancing measures for three more weeks. The country added 4,423 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,077 local infections, raising the total caseload to 687,984, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country reported 22 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,281, accordi

Social AffairsJan. 15, 2022

Seoul court pauses vaccine pass mandates for minors

Seoul court on Friday afternoon has suspended the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s forthcoming policy requiring kids as young as 12 to be fully vaccinated or tested to access public spaces until a further decision is made. It also suspended the requirement for those entering large stores to have proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. The requirement for minors was to begin taking effect from next month, or March at the latest. The court said “the incidence of hospi

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

NK fires two suspected ballistic missiles after US sanctions

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be two ballistic missiles from an inland area toward the East Sea on Friday in its third weapons launch this month, just hours after it warned of “stronger and certain reaction” toward Washington for imposing new sanctions against the regime’s recent back-to-back missile tests. 　 The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired two projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles, from a site in North Pyongan Province toward i

North KoreaJan. 14, 2022

The days of 3T are over

When the inevitable omicron explosion descends on South Korea, the kind of restrictive approach to dealing with the virus will have run its course, top officials say. In a news briefing Friday, the Health and Economy ministries said Korea will focus on keeping its businesses and other aspects of daily life as open as possible once the new variant starts dominating the scene. The characteristics of omicron called for “a shift in a paradigm toward a more flexible response,” said He

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

Unfriendly thank-you letter sparks criticism, question about letter-writing campaign to soldiers

An unfriendly letter that a high school girl wrote to a soldier in the mandatory military service surprised many this week, not only because of the letter's sarcastic tone but also due to the fact that the practice of having students send thank-you letters to troops still exists. In a nation facing a belligerent North Korea across the world's most heavily fortified border, writing letters to soldiers used to be a fixture for students in South Korea, especially elementary school pupils, when Col

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

Lee leads Yoon 37% to 31%: poll

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is leading his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol by 37 percent public support to 31 percent, a survey showed Friday. Lee's support rose 1 percentage point from last week, while Yoon's rose 5 points, according to the Gallup Korea survey conducted on 1,001 adults from Tuesday to Thursday. In third place was Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, at a record high 17 percent, up 2 percentage points from

PoliticsJan. 14, 2022

N. Korea fires unidentified projectile eastward: S. Korea's military

North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward Friday, South Korea's military said, hours after it warned of a "stronger and certain" response following the United States' imposition of new sanctions. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the launch, the third in a little over a week, without elaborating further. Earlier in the day, Pyongyang issued the warning after Washington slapped the sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the regime's weapons of mass destruction

North KoreaJan. 14, 2022

Former USFK chief says NK hypersonic launches, if true, can be reason to be 'very concerned'

A former US Forces Korea (USFK) chief said Friday that North Korea's recent self-proclaimed hypersonic missile launches, if true, can be a reason for South Korea and the United States to be "very concerned," citing the absence of "sure means" to counter them. Curtis Scaparrotti, who led the USFK from 2013-2016, made the remarks after Pyongyang claimed to have successfully test-fired hypersonic missiles on Jan. 5 and Tuesday. South Korea's military has assessed that the Nort

DefenseJan. 14, 2022

Court to rule soon on injunction to stop airing of Yoon's wife's alleged phone calls

A court is expected to make its ruling Friday on an injunction seeking to stop a TV station from broadcasting the recordings of phone calls between the wife of opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and a reporter. The injunction was filed by Kim Keon-hee, Yoon's wife, to stop MBC from airing recordings of her phone conversations with a staff member of the YouTube channel Voice of Seoul last year. The broadcasting was set for Sunday. The recordings, running some seven hours, reportedl

PoliticsJan. 14, 2022

Search resumes for 4th day at Gwangju apartment building collapse site

GWANGJU -- Search and rescue operations resumed at an apartment building collapse site in the southwestern city of Gwangju for a fourth day Friday. According to the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters, the search for six missing persons resumed at 7 a.m. with 71 rescue workers aided by 43 instruments and eight rescue dogs. Exterior walls of the 39-story building under construction in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, crumbled Tuesday, trapping construction workers at the site. Three wo

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

Seoul vows to continue efforts for humanitarian aid to N. Korea amid fresh US sanctions

South Korea's unification ministry on Friday vowed to continue efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea after the United States imposed new sanctions over the reclusive regime's recent missile launches. On Wednesday, the Biden administration slapped sanctions on six North Koreans, a Russian national and a Russian company involved in Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. Asked to comment on the move, Cha Duck-chul, deputy spokesman for the unif

North KoreaJan. 14, 2022

Large-scale street rallies planned for Saturday in central Seoul

Large-scale labor rallies are set to hit the streets in central Seoul on Saturday, with police planning traffic blockades and other controls to disperse them, officials said Friday. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and other progressive groups are scheduled to launch a series of outdoor rallies in downtown Seoul, renewing calls for enhanced labor rights. According to advance declaration forms filed with the police, a total of 44 such rallies involving more than 8,000 people have been r

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

9 square km of military land released for civilian use

The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea agreed Friday to lift the restricted military zone designation for some areas near the inter-Korean border to secure more land for civilian use and development.  The Defense Ministry and the ruling party held a consultative meeting and decided to release restrictions on about 2.74 million “pyeong” of land, equal to about 9 square kilometers, near the inter-Korean border controlled by the military.  The move will allo

DefenseJan. 14, 2022

Military reports 16 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 16 additional COVID-19 cases, including 15 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,553. Of the new cases, nine are from the Army, five from the Air Force and two from a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Currently, 199 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,733 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

As omicron sweeps US, ‘comfortable’ KF94 masks gain popularity

KF94 masks, the Korean version of an N95 mask, are gaining popularity in the United States, with experts calling for upgraded protective options over cloth masks as the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly throughout the country. Michael Baym, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School shared his review of using KF94 masks produced by Korean firm Dr. Puri. “They’re very comfortable. I was also happy to see on the CDC/NIOSH testing page that they test at ove

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

S. Korea extends overseas travel advisory through Feb. 13

South Korea has extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the global spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the foreign ministry said Friday. In the advisory, people are recommended to cancel or postpone nonessential trips abroad until Feb. 13, while asking those overseas to take measures to prevent exposure to the virus, such as refraining from going to large-scale events. It was first issued in March 2020 and has been extended every month. (Yonhap)

Foreign AffairsJan. 14, 2022

Daily infections over 4,000 for 3rd day; imported cases hit fresh high

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the third consecutive day and imported cases reached an all-time high Friday, prompting the government to extend part of toughened social distancing rules for three more weeks. The country added 4,542 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,133 local infections, raising the total caseload to 683,566, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of imported cases hit a daily high of 409 on Friday amid t

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

Govt. to raise private gathering size limit to 6, keep 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants: PM

The government decided to raise the private gathering size limit to six while keeping a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes for the next three weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. The decision came as the number of daily COVID-19 cases has been around 4,000 in recent days with the government's robust booster shot campaign and tightened antivirus curbs after reaching as high as over 7,000 last month. However, health authorities are still keeping their guard up due to the spread of

Social AffairsJan. 14, 2022

US urges N. Korea to refrain from provocations following N. Korean warning

The United States on Thursday urged North Korea to refrain from further provocations and instead engage in dialogue. A spokesperson for the Department of State also renewed the US condemnation of North Korea's recent missile tests. "We condemn the DPRK's ballistic missile launches. These launches are in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and pose a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email,

North KoreaJan. 14, 2022