US repeats decision on when to change command still pending

South Korea and the US have not made any decisions on when Seoul will take over wartime operational control from Washington, the US Defense Department said Wednesday, amid signs of a rift in the allies’ position on the wartime role the US first assumed in the 1950-53 Korean War. Last week, Gen. Paul LaCamera, the US military chief overseeing the 28,500 American troops here, said the two countries could make changes to Korea’s plan to retake command by May next year or set a deadline

DefenseNov. 11, 2021

Top US diplomat for East Asia discusses supply chain, NK issue in Seoul

The top US diplomat for East Asia held talks with officials in South Korea on Thursday, with the two sides agreeing to bolster ties in dealing with the global supply chain disruption and bring Pyongyang back to the stalled denuclearization talks.  　 Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, arrived in Seoul on Wednesday following a four-day stop in Tokyo. It marks his first Asia trip since taking office in September. 　 Kritenbrink met wit

North KoreaNov. 11, 2021

Moon appoints new senior secretary for economic affairs

President Moon Jae-in has appointed a new secretary in charge of economic affairs, the presidential office said Thursday. Park Won-joo, a career economic bureaucrat who previously served as head of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, will replace An Il-hwan as the senior presidential economic secretary. An had tendered his resignation for health reasons, a presidential official said. With half a year in office remaining, Moon has vowed do everything possible for a complete return to norm

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

US diplomat flees after suspected hit-and-run accident in Seoul: police

A US diplomat fled into the Yongsan Garrison after allegedly hitting a taxi from behind while driving in Seoul earlier this week and has since been refusing to cooperate with a police investigation, officials said Thursday. The diplomat, whose identity is not known, was suspected of rear-ending the taxi's bumper while changing lanes near the Namsan No. 3 tunnel in central Seoul at 5:35 p.m. Wednesday but left the site without stopping to deal with the accident. The taxi's driver chased the dip

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Ruling party presidential candidate pledges to delay taxation of virtual assets

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, on Thursday promised to delay taxation of virtual assets and increase its deduction limits, a move that is seen as targeting young voters in the upcoming presidential election. "The foundation of taxation is trust, and we need to make a taxation system which people can trust," Lee wrote on his Facebook page. "Rushed taxation without preparation cannot earn justification, and could cause tax resistance and co

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

Woman draws 22-year jail term for killing daughter after domestic dispute

A woman who was convicted of killing her own eight-year-old daughter out of anger over discord with her live-in partner was sentenced to 22 years in prison by an appellate court Thursday. The 44-year-old woman, whose name was withheld, was arrested early this year for murdering her daughter, who was sleeping at their home in Incheon, west of Seoul, by blocking her nose and mouth on Jan. 8. The girl's body was found by the woman's common-law partner one week later. The woman reportedly told pol

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

S. Korea, US to launch minister-level talks on clean energy goals

South Korea and the United States have agreed to launch a ministerial-level dialogue on energy policy to strengthen cooperation on clean energy and climate challenges, Seoul's industry ministry said Thursday. The agreement for the launch of the Energy Policy Dialogue (EPD) was made during the meeting between South Korea's Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in Washington on Wednesday (Washington time). The new platform aims to promote collaboration across

Foreign AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Moon urges APEC business leaders to show solidarity on carbon neutrality

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for business leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to show an act of solidarity to help the world achieve carbon neutrality, warning humanity's future hinges on today's actions. "Coal and oil can no longer be sustained as energy sources," Moon told the virtual APEC CEO Summit in a keynote speech. "We must lead a great transformation of civilization to new energy solutions." Achieving carbon neutrality and combating

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

Seoul to invest over 240 billion won to attract foreign capital

Seoul Metropolitan Government will invest 241.8 billion won ($204 million) over five years as part of its plans to transform the city into a global financial hub, the city said Thursday. The city also plans to establish an agency for overseeing foreign investment in the city, with the goal of attracting more than 250 foreign financial firms and attaining foreign direct investment of $30 billion by 2030. The agency, which is set to open in 2024, will work with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion A

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

377 apprehended for violence in quarrels over anti-COVID-19 rules: police

A total of 377 people have been apprehended on charges of using violence in disputes over COVID-19 rules between September and October, police said Thursday. Of them, 265 used violence in mask-wearing disputes, followed by 73 accused of assaulting business owners or employees in disputes over operating hours or gathering size limits, police said. The remaining 39 were apprehended for blackmailing or extorting goods from small business owners by threatening to report their violations of social

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Government to manage urea supply and demand, cut tariffs

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Thursday that the government would cut tariffs on urea and directly manage domestic supply and demand to ease the ongoing supply crunch. Urea solution is used in diesel vehicles and for industrial facilities to reduce emissions. South Korea relies on China for 97 percent of its urea. But China’s recent clampdown on exports due to a lack of coal -- the raw material in urea production -- and consequent power shortages have sent jitters across Korea. &

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Yoon vows to improve relations with Japan upon taking office

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl said Thursday he will improve the deeply frayed relations between South Korea and Japan as soon as he takes office if he is elected on March 9. Yoon made the promise on his Facebook page, saying he was in the southwestern city of Mokpo to visit a museum dedicated to late former President Kim Dae-jung and happened to see the news of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's reelection Wednesday. "The issues between the two countries are n

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

Moon to send orchids of congratulations to main opposition presidential candidate

President Moon Jae-in plans to send a pot of orchids to the main opposition People Power Party's presidential candidate, Yoon Seok-youl, early next week to congratulate him on his nomination, a presidential spokesperson said Thursday. The orchids will be delivered by Lee Cheol-hee, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, during a meeting between Lee and Yoon on Monday, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. Also on Monday, Moon will send orchids of congratulations to Kim

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

Supreme Court upholds 34-year, 15-year prison sentences for 2 online sex abuse ring operators

The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized prison sentences of 34 years and 15 years, respectively, for two people convicted in a notorious online sex abuse ring case. The court confirmed the 34-year sentence for Moon Hyung-wook, 24, for coercing 21 women and girls into sharing nearly 3,800 sexually explicit videos of themselves for distribution on a sexual exploitation chat room called Nth Room on Telegram. It also confirmed the 15-year sentence for Kang Hun, 20, for coercing 18 women and girls

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

Military reports 10 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 10 additional COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,105, the defense ministry said. Among the new cases were three draftees of a unit under the direct wing of the defense ministry in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, who tested positive following their recent vacation. A Marine Corps officer and a civilian worker of the Army also contracted the virus from their family members. An Army officer stationed in Iksan, about 180 kil

DefenseNov. 11, 2021

Ex-presidential spokesman indicted for allegedly assaulting firefighter

A former Cheong Wa Dae spokesman has been indicted for allegedly assaulting a firefighter while drunk, according to legal sources Thursday. Jeong Yeon-guk, who served as the presidential office spokesman under former President Park Geun-hye, was indicted without physical detention on Oct. 20 by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for alleged violation of the basic fire service act. The 60-year-old is suspected of slapping the firefighter in the face while under the influence of alcoh

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

Military revs up efforts to tackle urea supply crunch

South Korea's military is rolling up its sleeves to help address supply shortages of urea solution, a material used to reduce emissions in diesel vehicles, by mobilizing a transport plane for emergency imports and unleashing part of its reserves. This week, the military has mobilized the Air Force's KC-330 tanker transport aircraft to import 27,000 liters of urea solution from Australia, and decided to lend 200,000 liters of the fluid from its stockpile to the civilian sector. The military's s

DefenseNov. 11, 2021

S. Korea to spare no efforts to make farming industry more competitive: Moon

South Korea will spare no efforts to help the agricultural industry become more competitive as farms were affected by climate change and a crunch of the global supply chain, President Moon Jae-in said Thursday. "Although climate change and a supply chain crisis have affected the farming industry, the government will make its utmost efforts to further increase competitiveness of our farming industry," Moon said in a message marking the 26th Farmers' Day. To cope with a drive for car

PoliticsNov. 11, 2021

New infections over 2,400 for 2nd day amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,400 for the second consecutive day Thursday as the country relaxed its virus restrictions last week in line with the "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 2,520 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 388,351, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's tally marked a slight hike from the previous day's 2,425, which marked the first time in six days that daily infections exceeded 2

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2021

Memorial for fallen US troops in Korean War to be established in California

A group of Korean Americans was set to unveil a new monument in the United States this week to commemorate the sacrifices of US troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans affairs ministry said Thursday. The Korean War Memorial Monument Committee plans to hold a ceremony unveiling the structure, bearing the names of 36,591 fallen US troops, in Fullerton City, Orange County, California on Thursday (US time), the ministry said. The dedication event was timed to coincide with South

DefenseNov. 11, 2021