Seoul city moves to normalize coronavirus-affected public transit service

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will begin normalizing late-night public transportation operations on weekdays, months after they were reduced due to social distancing measures against COVID-19. It plans to put intra-city buses and subway lines No. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 back in normal operation Monday followed by subway lines No. 3 and 4 on Dec. 1. The city has reduced its public transit services after 10 a.m. on weekdays by up to 20 percent since July. The measure led to an average 35

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2021

Coast Guard seizes Chinese boat for fishing in S. Korea's EEZ without permit

JEJU -- South Korea's Coast Guard has seized a Chinese boat for fishing without a permit in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the southern resort island of Jeju, its officials said Sunday. The 272-ton vessel carrying 11 crew members is suspected of conducting fishing activities in waters 116 kilometers south of the city of Seogwipo on the island at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday without any authorization. The vessel is also alleged to have attempted to flee despite the Coast Guard's repe

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2021

N. Korean media decries proposed S. Korea-US defense dialogue

A North Korean media outlet on Sunday slammed the United States for its recent proposal to create a new working-level defense dialogue with South Korea, accusing Washington of seeking to raise military pressure on Pyongyang. The US floated the idea of instituting the unofficial dialogue platform during the allies' regular defense talks in Seoul last month, sources have said, as Washington is pushing to rally its democratic allies to counter China's growing assertiveness. Meari, a North Korean

North KoreaOct. 24, 2021

New virus cases below 1,500 amid progress in vaccination campaign

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 1,500 on Sunday amid signs of a letup in the fourth wave of the pandemic, with the country seeking to phase out social distancing restrictions, as its vaccination rate reached the milestone of 70 percent. The country reported 1,423 new cases, including 1,395 local infections, raising the total caseload to 351,899, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's tally is down from the 1,508 counted the previous day. New virus

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2021

70% of population fully vaccinated in S. Korea; en route to ‘new normal’

South Korea on Saturday achieved its goal of fully inoculating over 70 percent of the country‘s population earlier than scheduled amid its accelerating vaccination drive. A total of 35.94 million people have received their both shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 p.m., accounting for 70 percent of the country’s 51.3 million population, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). South Korea began its nationwide vaccination campaign in late February. The ach

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2021

UN fears ‘mass atrocity crimes’ in Myanmar as troops gather in north

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) -- The UN said Friday it feared an even greater human rights catastrophe in Myanmar amid reports of thousands of troops massing in the north of the Southeast Asian country, which has been in chaos since a February coup. “We should all be prepared, as the people in this part of Myanmar are prepared, for even more mass atrocity crimes. I desperately hope that I am wrong,” said UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews. More than 1,100 civilians

InternationalOct. 23, 2021

[Eye Plus] Digital library makes learning interactive

The National Library of Korea is welcoming visitors looking for a new way of reading books through its digital library, called Silgam Seojae. The digital library aims to bring books, especially old texts, closer to readers with the latest technologies.  Visitors can search for books on a touch screen where they receive book suggestions based on the search results, which they can share with other visitors. Old texts are offered digitally for reading, with annotations to help readers who are

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2021

[Photo News] Rice Reaping Experience for Students

Yangcheon Urban Agricultural Park is hosting various events from Thursday to Oct. 29 at Sintree Park, located in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, to give children an opportunity to experience various events that aren’t easily accessible in the city. The program offers safety education on agricultural equipment and hands-on experiences with activities such as rice cutting and threshing machine observation -- with the supervision of a farming instructor.  After the hands-on activities, children c

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2021

Chemical leak kills 2, injures 9 at building construction site

A chemical used for fire suppression leaked from the basement of a high-rise building under construction in southwestern Seoul on Saturday, leaving two workers dead and nine others injured, firefighters said. The fatal chemical leak occurred on the third basement floor of the 18-story Gasan Metro Knowledge Industry Center building under construction in the capital‘s southwestern ward of Geumcheon shortly before 9 a.m., they said. Two male workers aged 50 and 45, respectively, were rushe

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2021

Ex-USFK chief stresses solidarity in S. Korea-U.S. alliance amid lingering NK threats

Former US Forces Korea (USFK) chief Curtis Scaparrotti has stressed the importance of solidarity between the militaries of South Korea and the United States in the face of continued North Korean threats, an organization dedicated to promoting the alliance said Saturday. Scaparrotti, who led the USFK from 2013-2016, delivered a lecture on the long-standing alliance Friday, according to the Korea Chapter of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, as tensions resurfaced following the North&rsquo

Foreign AffairsOct. 23, 2021

N. Korea denounces US for meddling in Taiwan issue, accuses of hostile intent

North Korea on Saturday blasted the United States for causing military tension with China by meddling in Taiwan affairs. Pak Myong-ho, the North’s vice foreign minister, also accused the US of trying to topple both Beijing and Pyongyang. “This year alone, the US dispatched all kinds of battleships into the Taiwan Straits on the plea of ‘freedom of navigation’ whenever occasion called. Some time ago, it even mobilized a battleship of its ally only to escalate tension in

North KoreaOct. 23, 2021

China's Xi vows to bolster ties with N. Korea in letter to Kim

Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with North Korea, Pyongyang’s state media reported Saturday. Xi made the remarks in a reply to Kim‘s earlier letter to mark the 72nd Chinese National Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In the reply, Xi said he has highly taken note of relations between North Korea and China, and expressed his willingness to raise bilateral ties to a “new level.” North Korea and

North KoreaOct. 23, 2021

New virus cases below 2,000 for 15th day as vaccination rate nears 70% milestone

South Korea saw its new coronavirus cases rise slightly Saturday, but the daily caseload stayed below 2,000 for the 15th straight day, as the country‘s vaccination rate was nearing a key milestone of 70 percent. The country reported 1,508 new cases, including 1,487 local infections, raising the total caseload to 350,476, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday’s tally is up from the 1,439 counted the previous day. The death toll came to 2,745, up 20

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2021

DP presidential candidate to resign as Gyeonggi governor next week: official

  Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), is likely to announce his resignation from the governorship next week, officials here said Friday. "Lee has decided to step down from the governor position on Oct. 25 and will soon tender his resignation to the provincial council chairman," an official with the Gyeonggi provincial government told Yonhap News Agency. Lee will work as the governor of the populous province surrounding Seo

PoliticsOct. 22, 2021

Justice ministry orders military to drop its plan to appeal against transgender soldier ruling

The justice ministry on Friday ordered the military to drop its plan to challenge a court ruling that said it was unjust for the military to discharge a transgender soldier over her gender reassignment surgery. Justice Minister Park Beom-kye accepted a recommendation from an advising committee on administrative suits which reviewed the case of Byun Hee-soo. "The court's ruling is not intended to allow transgender people to serve in the military, but it's saying that the military's compul

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2021

PM meets Turkish FM, vows to bolster bilateral ties

  Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Friday met Turkey's top diplomat and vowed to bolster ties between the two countries, his office said. Kim welcomed Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Seoul and discussed ways to beef up their cooperation. In their meeting, Kim asked for Istanbul's support on South Korean firms so that they can expand their economic ties. They also touched on issues to increase personnel and cultural exchanges between the two nations. Cavusoglu responded th

Foreign AffairsOct. 22, 2021

Moon to meet with Pope Francis on European tour

President Moon Jae-in will embark on a nine-day trip to Europe next week that will include a Vatican meeting with Pope Francis, Cheong Wa Dae announced Friday. The president will hold a bilateral meeting with the pope in Vatican City on Oct. 29 before heading to Rome to attend the G-20 summit on Oct. 30-31. For Moon, the nation’s second Catholic president, it will be his second visit to the Vatican. North Korean issues, including a possible papal visit to Pyongyang, are expected to top

Foreign AffairsOct. 22, 2021

Gender Ministry argues for its existence as opposition pushes to abolish it

Whether the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family should remain in existence again surfaced as a hot button issue Friday, as opposition lawmakers criticized its work over the past year in caring for women in need. During the annual audit of the ministry by the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee, lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party grilled Minister of Gender Equality and Family Chung Young-ai on whether her office was helpful in caring for women&rsq

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2021

Chinese fishing boat seized for alleged illegal fishing in S. Korean waters

A Chinese fishing boat was seized Friday for fishing illegally in South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea, Korea Coast Guard officials said. The 60-ton boat was caught operating in waters about 25 kilometers west of the island of Baengnyeong at around 2:40 a.m. after crossing 7 kilometers into South Korean waters from north of the inter-Korean sea border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL). A 500-ton Coast Guard vessel patrolling the area found the Chinese boat and sent a speedboat to seize

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2021

Easing restrictions should be centered on fully vaccinated people: PM

Easing quarantine measures should be centered around fully vaccinated people in the initial stages of returning to normalcy, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. “While expanding the scope of recovery for daily life, we will try to find a balancing point that can stably manage quarantine,” Kim said in the meeting of the government-private sector committee to draft a road map to normalcy. “Vaccination greatly impacts infection prevention and reduces severity and mortalit

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2021