Unification minister denies Olympics central to ‘end-of-war declaration’

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Wednesday denied speculation that Seoul is seeking to declare a formal end to the Korean War in time for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, amid concerns that a possible US boycott of the games would dash Seoul’s hopes for diplomacy with Pyongyang. 　 “The end-of-war declaration is not necessarily aimed at the Beijing Olympics,” Lee told reporters during a press conference in Seoul, stressing that the two are separate issues. “We do hope

North KoreaNov. 24, 2021

Military reports 14 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 14 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,217. Six Army service members tested positive before and after they returned to their bases after their vacations. An officer of an Air Force unit in Osan, 55 kilometers south of Seoul, contracted the virus after developing symptoms. Another in the same unit also tested positive after coming in contact with him. One draftee of an Army unit in Pyeongtaek, 70km south of

DefenseNov. 24, 2021

S. Korea to provide 16 helicopters for UN peacekeeping operations: source

South Korea plans to offer more than a dozen military choppers to support UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) , multiple sources said Wednesday, as Seoul seeks to increase its contributions to the key mission of the international organization. Seoul has been in talks with two or three countries that have shown an interest in using the helicopters as part of their PKO operations in conflict-laden parts of the world, according to a source who requested anonymity. Another source said the United Nati

DefenseNov. 24, 2021

Police to reinforce training on use of police gear following bungled violence response

Police will reinforce training of its workforce on the use of stun guns and other weapons to enhance their ability to deal with violent criminal scenes, officials said Wednesday amid public fury over a bungled police response to a knife attacker. The plan came after criticism that police officers failed to stop a knife-wielding man from seriously wounding a neighbor over a noise dispute earlier this month even though they were deployed at the scene and were in possession of a stun gun and a gu

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

130 people caught on charges of running illegal gambling website from overseas: police

Police have apprehended 130 members of a criminal ring that operated an illegal gambling website from the Philippines, where about 1.3 trillion won ($1.09 billion) was bet over a two and a half year period, officials said Wednesday. Of them, nine have been formally arrested, and the group's leader, who had fled to the Philippines, will be repatriated to South Korea, the international crime investigation unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. The group was found to have streamed ga

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

New cases soar to new high, PM warns of tougher measures

With Korea’s daily tally rising above 4,000 for the first time since the pandemic began last year, the prime minister said the wider Seoul area might return to stricter restrictions if cases continue to surge. As of Tuesday midnight, the number of new daily cases marked 4,116, with 4,088 locally transmitted. The number of severely ill patients increased by 37 from the previous day to 586, and the number of deaths was 35, the highest since the implementation of phased daily recovery. Pri

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

S. Korea's birth rate at record low in Sept.

The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in September, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate. A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest for any September since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reache

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

Runaway bear remains at large south of Seoul for 3rd day

A massive search operation resumed Wednesday to find an Asiatic black bear that remained on the loose for a third day after escaping from a bear farm just south of Seoul, officials said Wednesday. The escape occurred at the farm in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:30 a.m. Monday, when five Asiatic black bears left their cage. Three of the bears were soon discovered by officials of the Han River Basin Environmental Office, who captured two of them and killed a third that ran to attac

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

Yoon leads Lee by smaller margin than before in presidential race: survey

Main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl is leading his ruling Democratic Party rival, Lee Jae-myung, by a smaller margin than before in a hypothetical multicandidate race, a survey showed Wednesday. Yoon garnered 44.1 percent support against Lee's 37 percent in the survey of 1,011 adults conducted Monday and Tuesday, according to Realmeter. The difference was down to 7.1 percentage points from 9.8 points two weeks ago after Yoon lost 0.3 point and Lee gained 2.

PoliticsNov. 24, 2021

Daily infections, critical cases soar to all-time highs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases and critical cases soared to all-time highs Wednesday, prompting the government to consider imposing an emergency COVID-19 response plan just weeks after easing social distancing rules under the "living with COVID-19" scheme. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum urged health authorities to beef up containment measures, saying the country is facing the first hurdle in its move back toward normalcy and the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the country's

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

Remains of Korea's first Catholic priest to be enshrined in Burkina Faso

Part of the remains of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the first native Korean Catholic priest, will be enshrined in an African country, the Catholic church here said Wednesday. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, the archbishop of Seoul, handed over the relic to Monsignor Julien Kabore, charge d'affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, in a meeting held in Seoul the previous day, according to the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul. The remains will be enshrined in the Cathedral of St. Joseph of the Arch

Social AffairsNov. 24, 2021

Virus situation in capital area urgent: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday the country's virus situation is worse than expected, especially in the capital area, urging health authorities to beef up containment measures. Kim pointed out that the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the country's population, is in an urgent situation and needs to consider imposing an emergency COVID-19 response plan based on health authorities' virus risk assessment. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, health authorities and local governments had repo

PoliticsNov. 24, 2021

Korea’s New Southern Policy Plus offers strong foundation for sustainable development in ASEAN.

Win Pa Pa Thu, economic counselor at the Myanmar Embassy KH: What drew you to G-Star 2021? Win: Myanmar participated in G-Star 2021 as part of the ASEAN-Korea Center to connect Myanmar and Korean game developers and the industry for business cooperation, sharing knowledge and business trends. KH: How can G-Star 2021 help companies from ASEAN and Korea? Win: Myanmar game developers and game companies can learn the current market trends not only in Korea but also worldwide via the game capac

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 23, 2021

President Moon praises BTS, shies away from speaking about late ex-dictator Chun Doo-hwan

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday had a lengthy message to share about K-pop group BTS’ winning of three trophies at this year’s American Music Awards. But he apparently had little to say about Chun Doo-hwan, Korea’s president from 1980 to 1988, who died on Tuesday morning. “Rest in peace. Condolences to the family members,” his spokesperson said during a press briefing late in the afternoon. Chun’s passing was earlier in the morning. The Korean sentences wer

PoliticsNov. 23, 2021

‘Kingmaker’ Kim Chong-in rejects Yoon’s election committee recruitment

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, is struggling to finalize his election committee, with Kim Chong-in hinting at a possible rift within the ranks. Kim, a veteran election campaigner who was asked to lead Yoon’s election committee, said on Tuesday he “does not want to talk about politics anymore” and that he would “return to his daily life,” hinting that he will not play a role in supporting Yoon in March’s

PoliticsNov. 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korea extends COVID-19 home care to elderly patients as beds fall short

South Korea is extending COVID-19 home recovery to elderly patients amid critical shortages of hospital beds, after ordering hospitals to free up beds twice in the past month. In Seoul, which has long dealt with the largest surge of cases, patients aged 70 and older can now be prescribed home recovery if they are vaccinated and have other household members taking care of them. The city said as demand for hospital beds soar, more patients were being offered at-home care as an alternative. As

Social AffairsNov. 23, 2021

Ruling party presidential candidate promises ‘digital transition’

Ruling Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday pledged to create more than 2 million jobs through the country’s “digital transition.” Lee, a former Gyeonggi Province governor, announced his plans for the digital transition at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Although Lee had shared election pledges on social media on multiple occasions, it was his first official announcement through his election campaign committee. “As technolo

PoliticsNov. 23, 2021

Chun Doo-hwan: Symbol of bloody, divided past

Former President Chun Doo-hwan, one of the most controversial figures in South Korea’s recent history, died Tuesday at the age of 90. Chun, who died after suffering from multiple myeloma in his later years, leaves behind a bloody and troublesome legacy largely due to a 1979 military coup that led to a bloody crackdown on the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. The Army general-turned-politician was born as the fourth son of 10 children in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, in 193

PoliticsNov. 23, 2021

Korea, Costa Rica raise bilateral relations into ‘action-oriented’

South Korea and Costa Rica will upgrade relations and boost their partnership in various fields, the two sides revealed after a summit between President Moon Jae-in and Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada in Seoul on Tuesday. At the summit, the two leaders agreed to develop bilateral relations into an “action-oriented comprehensive partnership” from the current comprehensive partnership and adopted a joint declaration to promote collaboration. “Next year is a speci

PoliticsNov. 23, 2021

S. Korea commemorates sacrifices of 2 Marines in 2010 N. Korean artillery attack

South Korea's defense chief vowed Tuesday to never forget the "noble" sacrifices of two Marines killed in a 2010 North Korean artillery attack on a western border island, stressing they laid the groundwork for peace. Defense Minister Suh Wook made the remarks during an annual ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of the attack on Yeonpyeong Island near the western inter-Korean sea border, which killed two Marines and two civilians. "I think that based on their noble sacrifices,

DefenseNov. 23, 2021