Moon emphasizes independence, political neutrality of state auditors

President Moon Jae-in on Friday emphasized independence and political neutrality of state auditors as he appointed a new head of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI). The appointment of Choe Jae-hae, a former senior official at the BAI, came about two months after Moon nominated him to lead the key state agency. During an appointment ceremony, Moon stressed the importance of independence and political neutrality of the audit agency and asked Choe to ensure the discipline of public officia

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

5 Vietnamese sentenced to prison for going on rampage with weapons at apartment complex

JEONJU -- An appeals court upheld prison sentences for five illegal immigrants from Vietnam for attacking each other with weapons in a fight over unpaid wages at an apartment complex in the southwestern city of Jeonju earlier this year, court records showed Friday. The incident happened on April 12 when a 33-year-old Vietnamese punched and stabbed a 39-year-old coworker in an apartment complex parking lot in Jeonju, about 245 kilometers southwest of Seoul. One of the three other Vietnamese han

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Seoul mayor admitted to ER over acute stomachache

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was admitted to an emergency room Friday due to a sudden acute stomachache, officials said. Oh moved to the hospital at 11:30 a.m. after experiencing pain while on the way to an event organized by the Korea Senior Citizens Association in Seoul, city officials said. The mayor canceled all scheduled public events for the rest of the day, officials said. Oh had been scheduled to attend a foreign investment consultation meeting organized by Seoul City Hall in the afternoon.

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

Lee's camp releases ambulance CCTV images showing wife under his care

The campaign of ruling party presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung on Friday released photos of Lee holding his wife's hand as she was taken to a hospital in an ambulance earlier this week. Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of the Democratic Party nominee, was admitted to a hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Tuesday after sustaining injuries from a fall at their home, according to the party. Lee canceled his campaign activities that day, saying he wanted to be by her side. "This shows Lee Jae-m

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

'Asia nuke planning group,' US tactical nuke redeployment needed: think tank

A South Korea-US nuclear planning group and the conditional redeployment of US tactical nuclear arms can be policy options for the next Seoul government to address North Korea's evolving nuclear threats, a local think tank said Friday. In a 175-page research report, the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy (KRINS) made policy suggestions for the next government to be launched in May next year, as concerns persist over Pyongyang's steady focus on its nuclear and missile programs. The

DefenseNov. 12, 2021

Seoul monitoring N. Korea's move to mark 10th anniv. of Kim's leadership: ministry

South Korea is monitoring the possibility of North Korea holding a major event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's rise to power, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday. Kim assumed power in December 2011, following the sudden death of his late father and former leader Kim Jong-il.  "North Korea has not announced a plan for such a commemorative event as of now, but we will continue monitoring related moves as there are some needs for one to strengthen interna

North KoreaNov. 12, 2021

Man faces conviction for secretly peeing on stranger

Secretly urinating on a stranger constitutes forced molestation, the Supreme Court said Friday, overturning a not guilty verdict by lower courts. The unnamed defendant in the unusual legal case was charged with secretly peeing on a girl's hair, hoody and padded jumper from behind while she was talking on a cell phone on a bench at an apartment playground in the central city of Daejeon around 11 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2019. The 33-year-old defendant, known only as a theater actor, allegedly committed

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Military reports 5 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported five additional COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,110, the defense ministry said. Among the new cases was an officer of a Marine Corps unit in Pohang, 374 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The officer tested positive after a family member was infected. A draftee at a boot camp in Nonsan, 213 km south of Seoul, also contracted the virus while in quarantine. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Goyang, just northwest of Se

DefenseNov. 12, 2021

PM apologizes over private gathering rule violation

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum apologized Friday for violating social distancing rules when he met with his college alumni last week. "I am deeply sorry," Kim said at the start of a state affairs coordination meeting. "I promise that I will look after myself thoroughly so that this kind of incident never happens again." Kim came under fire after media reported that a total of 11 people, including Kim himself, had a luncheon at the prime minister's residence in Seoul last Sat

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

2.1 magnitude quake hits southeastern city of Pohang: KMA

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern city of Pohang early Friday but is not expected to cause any damage, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:31 a.m. in a region about 12 kilometers north of the Buk ward office in Pohang, some 375 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a depth of 8 km. The quake's tremor was recorded at Level 2 on the seismic intensity scale in North Gyeongsang Provinc

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Serious COVID-19 cases hit all-time high amid little sign of letup in virus spread

South Korea said Friday the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition hit a record high as the daily caseload stayed above 2,300 for the third consecutive day amid eased antivirus curbs. The country reported 2,368 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 390,719, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally marked a fall from the previous day's 2,520, but the daily caseload has hovered over 2,000 for three days in a row. The daily tally

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Nat'l Assembly votes to repeal decade-old anti-online gaming rule for minors

    The National Assembly voted Thursday to abolish a decade-old controversial anti-online gaming rule banning minors from late night access to online games.    Parliament held a plenary session and passed a revision to the youth protection act, which no longer includes the previous rule banning online game access to minors under 16 between midnight and 6 a.m.    Discussions surrounding the so-called gaming shutdown rule first surfaced in the early 2000s amid grow

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

S. Korea, Indonesia finalize fighter jet costs amid default rumors

South Korea and Indonesia reached an agreement Wednesday on the payment Indonesia would have to make for their joint fighter jet project after concerns for months that Jakarta could default on the deal to produce a cheaper, less-stealthy alternative to the US-made F-35. The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but the Southeast Asian nation had hardly paid its contributions

DefenseNov. 11, 2021

Ministry says will strictly handle alleged hit-and-run involving US diplomat

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it will strictly deal with the hit-and-run incident involving US diplomats. A US diplomat allegedly fled the scene of a car accident Wednesday afternoon and refused to cooperate with the police. During a press briefing, spokesperson Choi Young-sam said the Foreign Ministry was aware of the incident and was continuing to communicate with the relevant authorities. Choi reiterated that Seoul would handle the case strictly and fairly in cooperat

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Despite worrying figures, Korea says return to social distancing not on the table

South Korean public health authorities are for the time ruling out reverting to social distancing rules previously in place, despite a steep increase in hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. The number of patients with severe or critical COVID-19 rose to an all-time high of 473 on Thursday, replacing the record of 460 set the day before. Previously the Ministry of Health and Welfare said the country’s health care systems could manage up to 500 patients undergoing intensive care per

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Japan’s new FM hopes for better ties, says Korea should provide ‘solutions’

Japan’s newly appointed Foreign Minister on Thursday expressed willingness to step up dialogue with South Korea to improve their strained ties, but urged Seoul to take appropriate action to resolve the historical issues at the center of their feud.  Veteran lawmaker Yoshimasa Hayashi was named the country’s top diplomat the previous day, as Fumio Kishida was formally inaugurated as Japan’s new prime minister. Hayashi replaced Toshimitsu Motegi, who now occupies the rulin

Foreign AffairsNov. 11, 2021

[News Focus] Men in Sejong, women in Jeju have highest employment rate

SEJONG – The most recent employment rate was the highest among male residents in Sejong and female residents in Jeju Province, according to a state agency’s analysis of figures from 17 major regions, eight cities and nine provinces, in South Korea. Data from Statistics Korea showed that the nation’s employment rate for people aged 15-64 posted 60.4 percent as of June 2021 (the latest statistics available), in which a wide gap between men and women is seen -- 70 percent for men

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

S. Korea, Russia to set up military hotlines: defense ministry

South Korea and Russia agreed Thursday to establish direct bilateral military hotlines to strengthen their communication to prevent accidental clashes at sea and in the air, Seoul's defense ministry said. Kim Sang-jin, the ministry's director general for international policy, and Viktor Kalganov, deputy director of Russia's National Defense Control Center, signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to set up a hotline between the two countries' Navies and another between their Air Forces. Th

DefenseNov. 11, 2021

Foreign minister says S. Korea-US talks over end-of-war declaration in final stages

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said Thursday coordination between Seoul and Washington over a declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War is in its final stages. Chung made the remarks during a parliamentary session, confirming there has been progress in the allies' talks over the declaration as stated this week by South Korean Ambassador to the US Lee Soo-hyuck. "We have recently had very close consultations with the US about the format and contents of an end-of-war declaration,&

Foreign AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Japan's new FM stresses need to improve frayed ties with S. Korea

TOKYO -- Japan's new foreign minister on Thursday emphasized the need to repair soured ties with South Korea and step up cooperation for regional security but urged Seoul to offer acceptable solutions to resolve the prolonged historical disputes. Yoshimasa Hayashi, a veteran lawmaker with wide Cabinet-level experience, called South Korea Japan's "important neighbor" and said the frayed bilateral relations shouldn't be left as they are now. "After recovering South Korea-Japan ti

Foreign AffairsNov. 11, 2021