Military reports 34 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Thursday reported 34 additional COVID-19 cases, including 31 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,617. Of the new cases, 22 people are from the Army, six from the Air Force, one from the Navy, four from military units under the direct control of the defense ministry and one from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said. Currently, 320 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 885 are breakthrough c

DefenseDec. 9, 2021

New infections above 7,000 for 2nd day; critical patients hit all-time high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,000 for the second consecutive day Thursday and the number of critically ill patients hit an all time-high amid waning immunity and colder weather. The country confirmed 7,102 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 496,584, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily tally was slightly down from a daily record-high of 7,175 reported a day earlier, the KDCA said. The number of critically ill C

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

[Graphic News] 1 in 6 S. Korean women quit jobs after marriage

　More than 1 in 6 South Korean married women suffered a career break this year, quitting their jobs due to child rearing and getting married, data showed. 　The number of women aged 15-54 who have stopped working after marriage reached 1.45 million in April, down 3.8 percent, or 57,000, from the previous year, according to data from Statistics Korea. 　These women accounted for 17.4 percent of the total 8.32 million married women here, down from 17.6 percent a year earlier. 　The 2021 tally was

NationalDec. 9, 2021

US missile defense in S. Korea under constant review, upgrade: Pentagon press secretary

US missile defense system capabilities including those in South Korea are constantly reviewed and upgraded to meet evolving threats, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Wednesday. Kirby also highlighted the need for such capabilities to counter threats posed by what he called any "would-be" foes. "This is the kind of capability that we not only believe we need in the region but that we need to continually review and upgrade as necessary," Kirby said when asked if the U

DefenseDec. 9, 2021

Strong alliances place US in better position to compete with China: NSA Sullivan

The United States is in a better position from a year earlier to compete with China, partly thanks to its strong alliances with countries such as South Korea, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Wednesday. The top US security advisor also underscored the importance of a US military presence in the Indo-Pacific region to help maintain peace and stability. "I believe that there's a fairly straightforward way of looking at this, which is, close to one year into the Biden administrat

Foreign AffairsDec. 9, 2021

S. Korea, Hungary FMs discuss strengthening ties in phone talks

The top diplomats of South Korea and Hungary on Wednesday discussed ways to boost cooperation and exchanges between the two countries in a phone conversation, Seoul's foreign ministry said.    Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held phone talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, as their in-person meeting in Seoul was cancelled because one of Szijjarto's staff was confirmed to have COVID-19 following their arrival early in the morning.    During their conversati

Foreign AffairsDec. 8, 2021

Amid omicron fears, S. Korea expands entry ban to 2 additional African countries

South Korea expanded its entry ban to two additional African countries Wednesday amid growing concerns over the fast-spreading omicron coronavirus variant.    From Friday to next Thursday, short-term foreign arrivals from Ghana and Zambia will be banned. South Korean nationals and long-term foreign arrivals from these countries will face a mandatory 10-day quarantine, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.    Effective Nov. 28, South Korea had earlier banned fore

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

[Herald Interview] As pandemic takes grim turn, drug minister says Korea to be better armed against COVID-19

OSONG, North Chungcheong Province -- South Korea’s Minister of Food and Drug Safety Kim Ganglip says his 30 years of office in public health has prepared him to serve the country during an unprecedented public health crisis. As the third pandemic year dawns and omicron darkens prospects, the minister said fresh weapons against the pandemic are coming. The Korea Herald spoke with Kim on Monday afternoon at his office in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, about some of the mo

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

KLES extends overseas outreach with specialty in labor and employment

It has been more than 10 years since South Korea entered the OECD Development Assistance Committee, which shifted the country’s status to a key donor from a onetime recipient of foreign aid. The total volume of South Korea’s official development assistance now reaches some $2.25 billion, marking around a threefold increase over the past decade. As the amount of assistance grows, the need to improve the quality of assistance has also grown in the past years, said the Korea Labor an

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

KLES to step up support for firms operating in overseas countries, help them improve ESG performance

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai last month met with South Korea Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk to share the Biden administration’s worker-centered trade policy and to discuss the importance of worker rights, which has become increasingly important amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the “fourth industrial revolution” that has been much-hailed during the crisis. The pandemic has not only accelerated the fourth industrial revolution, but also sparks n

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

S. Korea's top diplomat to attend G-7 ministerial talks in Britain this weekend

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will visit Britain this weekend to attend a meeting of foreign and development ministers from the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialized countries, his ministry said Wednesday. The two-day session to open in Liverpool on Saturday is meant for discussions on a range of global issues, including ways for fair access to COVID-19 vaccines and cooperation on global supply chains as well as economy and security in the Indo-Pacific region and gender equality,

Foreign AffairsDec. 8, 2021

Ruling party mulls changing timing, scope of teenage vaccine pass

The ruling Democratic Party has begun looking into delaying the introduction of the "vaccine pass" system for children aged 12 to 18 and changing the types of facilities that require the pass after strong protests from students and parents, multiple party officials said Wednesday. Under rules that took effect Monday, the list of facilities requiring visitors to present a vaccine pass -- proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result -- has expanded to include restaurants, cof

PoliticsDec. 8, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae says Beijing Olympic boycott not under consideration for now

South Korea is not considering a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing and the country is still undecided on the matter, a senior presidential official said Wednesday. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, made the remarks when asked about the US government's announcement to stage a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics due to China's human rights abuses. The official said the US informed South Korea of the diplomatic boycott, and Seoul has not de

PoliticsDec. 8, 2021

Lee welcomes opposition's proposal to allocate W100tr to virus-hit small businesses

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, on Wednesday welcomed the opposition campaign chief's proposal to spend 100 trillion won ($84.9 billion) to support small business owners and self-employed people hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We have been the stingiest nation in the world when it comes to supporting small business owners, passing over duties to people that are supposed to be handled by the state," Lee said during his campaign event for small a

PoliticsDec. 8, 2021

Advisers to rival presidential candidates clash over NK policy

Advisers to South Korea’s two leading presidential candidates agreed during a forum in Washington that the alliance with the US needs to be strengthened, but opinions diverged on how to denuclearize North Korea. 　 Former South Korean Ambassador Wi Sung-lac, who advises Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Sung-han, a professor at the Korea University Graduate School of International Studies who advises Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative opposition People

North KoreaDec. 8, 2021

Lunch will be free for all Seoul kindergartners from March

Free lunch will be served to all kindergartners in Seoul starting in March, completing the city's universal free meal program up to high school, officials said Wednesday. Seoul's education office, city government and council of ward offices signed an agreement to provide funds for the program to all 790 public and private kindergartens, according to officials. A total of 71,876 kindergartners were enrolled in Seoul as of April. About 69.9 billion won ($59.4 million) will be necessary a year

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

Korea crashes headlong into worst crisis yet in pandemic

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases reached an all-time high Wednesday, surpassing 7,000 for the first time since the virus crisis began nearly two years ago. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 7,175 cases were registered in the preceding 24 hours to Tuesday midnight, exceeding the 7,000 mark for the first time, a week after staying in the 5,000 range since Dec. 1. The latest tally puts the country’s total caseload at 489,484. The number of patients in serious

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

[Election 2022] AI spokesman, avatars enter election campaigns

At the kickoff ceremony of an election committee for the main opposition party’s presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, a familiar face showed up to encourage support for the nominee, calling himself “AI Yoon Suk-yeol.” “Hello. I am AI Yoon Suk-yeol. Are you surprised because we look alike?” the digitally-created character resembling the People Power Party’s presidential candidate said in a video clip revealed at the ceremony on Monday. “AI Yoon Suk-y

PoliticsDec. 8, 2021

Seoul's average apartment price jumps twofold under Moon govt.: civic group

The average price of Seoul apartments has soared more than twofold in about five years under the current Moon Jae-in administration, according to a civic group analysis Wednesday. According to the analysis by the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), an apartment in Seoul fetched 43.09 million won ($36,590) per pyeong, or 3.3 square meters, on average as of November, up 109 percent compared to May 2017 when Moon was sworn into office. The average price of 99.1-square-meter apartment

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2021

Politics or misguided conviction? Is Moon obsessed with ending the Korean War?

With the clock ticking on his term in office, President Moon Jae-in is taking every opportunity to push his agenda to declare the end of the Korean War. But experts are raising questions about his motivations and about the validity of his goal. “The declaration of an end to the war is the first step toward peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said in a congratulatory video speech at the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Seoul on Tuesday night. He urge

North KoreaDec. 8, 2021