Moon says S. Korea not considering diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that South Korea is not considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics and has not been asked by any nation to do so. Moon addressed the issue for the first time after the United States announced last week that it will not send an official delegation to the Olympics in February over concerns about China's human rights abuses. "The South Korean government is not considering (a boycott)," Moon said at a joint press conference with Australian

Foreign AffairsDec. 13, 2021

Yoon, Lee neck-and-neck at 42% vs. 40.6% in presidential poll

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP)'s presidential candidate, Yoon Suk-yeol, was leading his ruling Democratic Party (DP) rival Lee Jae-myung by a thin margin at 42 percent to 40.6 percent, a survey showed Monday. The 1.4 percentage point margin in the poll by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) is smaller than the 3.3 percentage point gap in favor of Yoon last week, and within the range of the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The poll, commissione

PoliticsDec. 13, 2021

Military reports 25 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Monday reported 25 additional COVID-19 cases, all of which are breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,738. Of the new cases, 19 people are from the Army, four from the Navy, one from a unit under the direct control of the defense ministry, and one civilian employee, officials said. Currently, 379 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,002 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

DefenseDec. 13, 2021

New COVID-19 cases below 6,000 for 1st time in 6 days; critical cases remain high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 6,000 for the first time in six days Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend amid concerns over the spread of the new omicron variant. The country added 5,817 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 523,088, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the following two days before falling to 6,977 on Saturday

Social AffairsDec. 13, 2021

Moon says US, China, N. Korea agree in principle on end-of-war declaration

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the United States, China and North Korea agree in principle on declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War and Seoul will push to make it happen. Moon was speaking at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison after bilateral summit talks in Canberra. He said he believes an end-of-war declaration will help revive stalled talks between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the US. (Yonhap)  

North KoreaDec. 13, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s total population to fall for first time this year

　South Korea’s total population is expected to record its first decline this year, the statistics agency said, a grim assessment of its demographic situations amid the country’s chronically low birthrate, rapid aging and a decline in incoming foreigners during the pandemic. 　The country’s total population is estimated to have peaked at 51.84 million last year before falling to an estimated 51.75 million this year and an estimated 37.7 million in 2070, according to the latest

NationalDec. 13, 2021

S. Korea to export 30 units of K-9 howitzer to Australia under W930b deal

Australia has signed a contract to buy 30 units of the K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer from South Korea, its manufacturer said Monday. The Australian Army will also acquire 15 units of K-10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles under the deal signed between the nation's Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) and Hanwha Defense Australia, according to Hanwha Defense, based in Seoul. The contract is worth 930 billion won ($788 million), an industry source said. Australia is the

DefenseDec. 13, 2021

S. Korea has 3rd-highest ratio of NEET youth among OECD: report

South Korea has the third-highest ratio of youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a report showed Monday. The average monthly number of NEET people aged 15-29 in the country is estimated at 1.56 million in the January-October period, according to the report from the Korea Employment Information Service. Of the total, 778,000 were preparing for employment or seeking jobs, with another 507,000 unwilling to

Social AffairsDec. 13, 2021

Moon, Morrison hold summit to deepen ties, secure supply chain

President Moon Jae-in and Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday held summit talks expected to focus on deepening bilateral ties and securing a stable supply chain of raw materials and core minerals. Moon, who arrived in Canberra on Sunday, is the first South Korean president to pay a state visit to Australia in 12 years. He is also the first foreign leader that the country has invited since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. A senior presidential official said th

Foreign AffairsDec. 13, 2021

S. Korean FM holds first meeting with Japan's new top diplomat in Liverpool

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has met bilaterally with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi for the first time since Hayashi's inauguration last month as they attended a Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in Britain, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday. The two top diplomats briefly held a meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting in Liverpool on Saturday and shared the consensus to improve strained bilateral ties, the ministry said. Chung delivered the Seoul gov

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 12, 2021

In Korea’s worst surge, more patients die waiting for hospital beds

The rush to open up has led to an unprecedented spike in hospitalizations and deaths that threaten to undo the progress the country has made so far in the pandemic. South Korea reported 6,320 cases each day on average in the past week, more than three times as many cases as it did the week before the Nov. 1 return to normal. The seven-day average of new deaths jumped nearly fivefold to 57. On Saturday the country announced 80 deaths -- the highest number of deaths to be recorded in one day.

Social AffairsDec. 12, 2021

Vaccination at schools to begin Wednesday

Starting Wednesday, medical staff will visit schools to begin administering vaccines to those aged between 12 and 18, health authorities said. The vaccine rollout comes as the Education Ministry on Monday released the results of a survey held Dec. 6-12 regarding the outreach vaccination program at schools. A total of 498,062 students participated in the survey and 83,928 students said they are willing to be vaccinated through the outreach vaccination program. Of the 83,928 students, 79.4 pe

Social AffairsDec. 12, 2021

Vietnam on track to draw Korean investors: National Assembly chief

Despite the prolonged pandemic, Vietnam is on track to draw foreign and Korean investors, and addressing their difficulties remain the nation’s top priority, said Vuong Dinh Hue, president of the Vietnam National Assembly, on Saturday. “Vietnam has created all favorable conditions to assist foreign experts and managers, including Korean ones, in sustaining their economic operation,” Vuong said in an email interview with The Korea Herald. He arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a fo

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 12, 2021

New NK sanctions could put brakes on Seoul’s hopes of diplomacy with Pyongyang: experts

The announcement of fresh US sanctions against North Korea might deal a blow to Seoul’s attempts to revive diplomacy with Pyongyang, experts said Sunday. 　 The US on Friday declared extensive sanctions and visa bans on human rights grounds against officials and entities in eight countries, including China, Russia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and North Korea. The action, coinciding with international Human Rights Day and a two-day summit on democracy led by Washington, is a tool to “draw a

North KoreaDec. 12, 2021

Public officials raise eyebrows by quitting to join crypto exchanges

An increasing number of public officials are leaving to join the cryptocurrency industry almost without restriction, Rep. Roh Woong-rae of the ruling Democratic Party said Saturday, urging tighter rules on their post-public service employment. According to data compiled by the lawmaker, a Grade 5 official at the Financial Service Commission, the nation’s top financial regulator, recently quit to move to Bithumb, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges here. Although the official fac

Social AffairsDec. 12, 2021

Moon leaves for Australia, eyeing mineral partnerships

President Moon Jae-in left for Australia on Sunday for a four-day state visit at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The two nations are expected to discuss economic, technology and defense cooperation. It is the first time since 2009 that a South Korean leader has visited Australia as a state guest. Moon is the first foreign leader to visit the country since the pandemic started in March last year. On Monday, Moon and Morrison are expected to host a summit in Canbe

Foreign AffairsDec. 12, 2021

Deputy trade chief to visit US for talks on supply chain, steel tariffs

Deputy Trade Minister Jeong Dae-jin plans to visit Washington this week for talks on supply chains of key materials and steel tariff issues, the trade ministry said Sunday. During the three-day visit starting on Monday, Jeong will have a series of meetings with officials of the White House, the Commerce Department, the US Trade Representative office, Congress and major think tanks to boost cooperation on a range of bilateral trade and industry issues, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industr

Foreign AffairsDec. 12, 2021

Yoon to seek revision to 'Nth room prevention law' amid allegations of censorship

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday he will seek to revise a law designed to filter out illegally filmed content from major internet platforms amid criticism the measure amounts to censorship. A revision to the Telecommunications Business Act and a related law went into effect on Friday, requiring large internet platforms with annual sales of 1 billion won or the number of daily users 100,000 or more to remove illegal content from their servers. The revision was ma

PoliticsDec. 12, 2021

Teen pilot Rutherford lands in S. Korea in bid for record flight

The British-Belgian teen pilot Zara Rutherford has made a stop in South Korea during her bid to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. The 19-year-old landed at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul Saturday afternoon, after flying in from Vladivostok, Russia, in her ultralight plane Shark. She began her 51,000-kilometer journey in August from Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport in western Belgium and has since covered Britain, Greenland, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Cana

Social AffairsDec. 12, 2021

New COVID-19 cases below 7,000 for 2nd day; critical cases at fresh high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 7,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday, but critical cases hit an all-time high again, deepening concerns over medical capacity amid the continued spread of the new omicron variant. The country added 6,689 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 517,271, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the follo

Social AffairsDec. 12, 2021