Lee vows full compensation to small businesses hit by pandemic

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, on Monday called for the provision of full compensation to pandemic-hit small businesses as he unveiled a set of measures to support their recovery. "I want to pay back people's sacrifice in a way that is completely different from now," Lee said in his meeting with small business owners and self-employed people. "I will change the paradigm with a preemptive system that provides damage compensation to peopl

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea to add hospital beds, medical workers and testing centers to counter COVID-19 surge

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered the government to secure additional COVID-19 hospital beds, health care workers and testing centers to counter the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases. “The government will take extraordinary measures to secure enough medical capacity” to counter the resurgence of cases, Moon said in a statement released by Cheong Wa Dae. Moon also ordered concerned government agencies to designate additional public hospitals for exclusive care of COVID-19 pati

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] Lawmaker calls for awareness for disabled

The next president should improve social awareness and welfare for the disabled, says Rep. Kim Ye-ji, South Korea's first visually-impaired woman to hold a parliamentary seat. The visually-impaired pianist-turned-politician of the main opposition People Power Party said in an interview with The Korea Herald that she asks whoever becomes the next president to raise awareness of disabled people and to ensure their presence and needs are recognized by others. She demands the next president to hel

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Moon orders hospitals to focus on critically ill COVID-19 patients

President Moon Jae-in instructed national university hospitals on Monday to focus their medical resources on caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Moon's order came as the country has seen a surge in serious cases, with the number hitting an all-time high of 1,025 on Sunday amid a shortage of hospital beds across the country. "I ask national university hospitals to focus their medical capacities on treating critically ill COVID-19 patients," Moon said during a meeting with his

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Spy agency warns of possible terrorist attacks during holiday season

South Korea's state intelligence agency on Monday warned of possible terrorist attacks during the upcoming year-end holiday season, stressing that terrorism is increasingly becoming an "actually existing threat" in the country. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said anti-vaccine protests in Europe and other countries could turn violent or become a target for a terrorist attack, and South Korea is no longer free from such threats. A total of 489 materials instigating or propagan

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Ruling party concentrates fire on opposition candidate’s wife

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is concentrating fire on Kim Keon-hee -- People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife -- raising one allegation after another related to her career history. Adding on to the allegedly inaccurate information on Kim’s resume that she sent to universities while applying for teaching positions, the Democratic Party is raising suspicions on Kim’s claims to have studied at New York University. The ruling party claims that whi

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

7 in 10 Koreans support stricter social distancing measures: poll

Slightly over 70 percent of South Koreans approve of toughened social distancing measures to stem the resurgence of COVID-19, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,000 adults nationwide organized by multiple civic groups, 71.3 percent supported the government's decision to halt the "living with COVID-19" scheme this past Saturday for two weeks and restore stricter social distancing measures. Under the new policy, the maximum number of people at private gatherings was reduced to four

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Pardons for ex-presidents unlikely under Moon administration

Former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, currently serving prison terms for a number of corruption convictions, are unlikely to be included in a list of New Year’s special pardons, which could be the last of the Moon Jae-in administration. From Monday, the Ministry of Justice began a two-day amnesty review by a nine-person committee, including Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and senior officials from related agencies. The selected list will be reported to the president and the f

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Ex-President Park to stay in hospital until early next year

Former President Park Geun-hye, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, will stay in hospital until February for multiple illnesses, the justice ministry said Monday. When admitted to a hospital in southern Seoul on Nov. 22, Park had planned to stay there for about a month, but doctors now say that she needs at least six more weeks for treatment of back, shoulder and other ailments, according to the ministry. This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalized three times due to

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Yoon vows to double war veterans' allowances

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, on Monday vowed to double war veterans' allowances and improve welfare for service members as he targeted military voters ahead of the March 9 election. "I will improve disability criteria so that veterans who sacrificed themselves for the country do not feel disappointed," Yoon said in a Facebook post, referring to veterans of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Yoon added that he will reform the

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

S. Korean govt. cautious on possible change in political status of N. Korean leader's sister

South Korea's unification ministry responded cautiously Monday to reports of a possible change in the stature of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, days after she was seen standing alongside members of the powerful politburo of the North's ruling party during a memorial event last week. Kim Yo-jong, apparently influential in the secretive regime, was spotted between members and alternate members of the politburo during a memorial event for her father and late North Korean leader Kim Jong

North KoreaDec. 20, 2021

S. Korea ranks 9th in world arms exports: report

South Korea was the world's 9th-largest arms exporter in the 2016-2020 period, accounting for 2.7 percent of the world's total defense exports, an annual government report showed Monday. According to the Global Defense Market Yearbook 2021 released by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT), South Korea's arms export ranking rose from 10th place in the 2015-2019 period. The Asian country's share in the global arms export market jumped to 2.7 percent

DefenseDec. 20, 2021

Infant found dead inside clothing donation bin

Police are investigating the death of an infant found inside a clothing donation bin in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday night. The baby was found by the bin’s operator at around 11:30 p.m. Naked, the infant was wrapped with a towel, with the umbilical cord unclamped. “It appears the baby had been just born,” a police officer investigating the case was quoted as saying by local media. The police are looking into surveillance footage installed nearby in order to identify

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

2 equestrian horses caught on Incheon overpass after being loose for hours

INCHEON -- Two equestrian horses that had escaped from their stable in Incheon were caught on a nearby overpass Monday after being on the loose apparently for hours, police said. Police said they received a sighting report of the two horses roaming free on the overpass in Namdong Ward of Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, at around 5:30 a.m. apparently headed toward a nearby highway. Authorities closed off part of the overpass and captured the horses after about two hours. The horses report

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

S. Korea enshrines remains of 370 Korean War troops excavated this year

South Korea on Monday held an annual ceremony enshrining the remains of 370 fallen troops that its excavation team recovered from key battle sites of the 1950-53 Korean War this year. The defense ministry's team and troops from the Army and the Marine Corps recovered the remains of the troops, including 281 South Koreans, in 41 locations, including border counties of Cherwon and Inje, during their excavation work from March to November While most remains have yet to be identified, 24 of the 37

DefenseDec. 20, 2021

Military reports 30 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Monday reported 30 additional COVID-19 cases, including 26 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,963. Of the new cases, 22 are from the Army, two from the Navy, two from the Marine Corps, three from the Air Force and one from a unit under the direct control of the defense ministry, the ministry said. Currently, 348 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,184 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

DefenseDec. 20, 2021

Young feminist joins Yoon's campaign

A 31-year-old feminist politician joined the campaign of main opposition presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday in a surprise move expected to widen the conservative candidate's appeal among young female voters. Shin Ji-ye, a vocal feminist who currently heads the non-profit Korean Women's Political Network, was named senior deputy chair of the Saesidae Preparatory Committee, an organization that works directly under Yoon to woo moderates and liberals with an affinity for the conservative

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

New COVID-19 cases below 6,000 for 1st time in 6 days but almost 1,000 new critically ill patients

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 6,000 for the first time in six days Monday due partly to less testing over the weekend, but the number of new critically ill patients was at almost 1,000. The country added 5,318 more COVID-19 cases, including 5,258 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 570,414, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The number of new critically ill patients came to 997, slightly down from an all-time high of 1,025 on Sunday and

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Lee, Yoon are neck-and-neck in latest polls

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol are in an increasingly tight race, with one opinion poll putting Lee ahead of Yoon and another survey showing contrary results. In a Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) survey of 1,008 adults, Lee led with 40.3 percent against Yoon's 37.4 percent, though the gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. But a Realmeter poll of 3,043 pe

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Police earmark W760m for presidential candidates' security details

Police have earmarked over 700 million won ($590,000) for the security details of major presidential candidates, officials said Monday. According to police, 762 million won has been set aside for security-related funds for the March presidential election, including those for candidates' close-up security, equipment and transportation support. The budget marks an increase from 728 million won in the previous presidential election. Candidates of the ruling and main opposition parties, Lee Jae-m

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021