Memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims to be erected in Japan's Nagasaki

TOKYO -- A new memorial stone will be dedicated in Nagasaki, Japan, next month to thousands of Korean victims of a US atomic bombing of the city in 1945, its promoters said Wednesday. The monument will be unveiled on Nov. 6 in a ceremony in Nagasaki Peace Park, which commemorates the Aug. 9, 1945, nuclear explosion, according to the South Korean Consulate-General in Fukuoka and a group of ethnic Koreans steering the project. The plutonium bomb detonation is believed to have killed about 74,000

Foreign AffairsOct. 20, 2021

NK confirms test of submarine-launched ballistic missile

North Korea on Wednesday confirmed it had test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile the previous day, the first such weapons test in two years and evidence of the regime’s ever-expanding weapons program. 　 On Tuesday, South Korea’s military said the North had fired what appeared to have been a short-range SLBM from the port of Sinpo in the east of the country, home to the regime’s main shipyard that builds submarines. 　 The North’s state-run Korea Central N

North KoreaOct. 20, 2021

Umbrella union pushes ahead with massive nationwide rally

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a major umbrella labor group in South Korea, staged a nationwide rally Wednesday to demand improved working conditions for laborers in defiance of authorities’ request to walk back from the plan in fear of a virus resurgence. The labor group announced earlier in the day that it would move forward with its plan to hold rallies in 14 areas throughout the country to demand better treatment of irregular workers, unionization rights for all laborers an

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2021

Delta variant cases account for all new variant cases in S. Korea

South Korea has confirmed 3,245 more cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant over the past week, health authorities said Wednesday. New delta variant cases accounted for all of new variant cases detected last week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). There are four different kinds of variants. The tally indicates the Delta variant is the dominant strain of the coronavirus in South Korea, making it more difficult for health authorities to curb the sprea

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2021

FM Chung says N. Korea sanctions relief can be an option if it accepts dialogue offer

North Korea's recent missile test underscores the need for engaging the reclusive state and sanctions relief can be considered as part of incentives to bring it back to the negotiating table, Seoul's top diplomat said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong was speaking at a parliamentary audit session, hours after the North said it has successfully test-fired a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Tuesday. "We should take some actions to prevent North Korea from

Foreign AffairsOct. 20, 2021

Yoon Seok-youl in hot water for defending ex-dictator

Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential contender for the main opposition People Power Party, on Wednesday hastened to provide an explanation for his remarks that seemed to defend former President Chun Doo-hwan, after rebukes from both within and outside his party. A day earlier, Yoon visited a party member council in Busan and said there were many people who say Chun “did well in politics” except for the “military coups” and what he did on May 18, referring to the Gwang

PoliticsOct. 20, 2021

BTS fans, environmental group build forest along Han River in honor of BTS member V

A group of some 170 fans of BTS member V, together with an environmental group, on Wednesday dedicated a grove they built alongside Seoul's Han River to the K-pop star. The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement said the grove of four zelkova and some 1,200 bridal-wreath trees, named Forest V No. 1, was formed on the Han River Park near the southern end of Jamsil Bridge a day earlier in a joint project to honor V, or Kim Tae-hyung. It is the latest urban forest-building collaboration bet

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2021

Army hosts military logistics forum with Southeast Asian countries

South Korea's Army on Wednesday hosted a forum on military logistics cooperation with Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries, the armed service said, in an effort to help support Seoul's policy toward Southeast Asia. The Korea-ASEAN+India Forum on Logistics took place on the margins of a biennial defense exhibition at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul. The forum brought together six partner countries of Seoul's signature New Southern Policy, as well as Australia and the Mald

DefenseOct. 20, 2021

Online sex crimes targeting teenagers surge elevenfold over past 3 years

More than 1,200 teenagers have fallen victim to online sex crimes so far this year, an elevenfold jump from 2018, government data showed Wednesday. The number of teenage victims rose sharply from 111 in 2018 to 1,268 this year, according to the gender ministry data released by Rep. Yang Kum-hee of the main opposition People Power Party. The ministry tallied the number based on data from the state-run Women's Human Rights Institute of Korea. Digital sex crime victims totaled 14,070 between A

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2021

N. Korean threat won't change even after end-of-war declaration: ex-USFK chief

North Korean security threats won't change even if a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War is declared, a former US Forces Korea (USFK) chief said Wednesday, as Seoul pushes for the political declaration to help revive nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. During a meeting with security experts in Seoul, Curtis Scaparrotti, who led the USFK from 2013-2016, stressed the "complex" issue of the declaration should be discussed in a "careful" way, as tensions flared anew with the Nort

DefenseOct. 20, 2021

Moon says S. Korea seeks strong defense capability to ensure peace

Ensuring peace is the reason for South Korea to build strong defense capabilities, President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday, as the country seeks to build a military based on cutting-edge science and technology amid North Korea's missile and nuclear development. Moon made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a biennial defense exhibition that offers an in-depth look at state-of-the-art military hardware like stealth jets, advanced missile interceptors and hydrogen-powered drones, hours after the

PoliticsOct. 20, 2021

Military reports 8 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported eight additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 1,981, the defense ministry said. Six Army soldiers, an Air Force member, and a civilian worker tested positive for the virus, according to military data. Of the cumulative cases in the military, 1,904, or 96 percent, have been fully cured, with 77 still under treatment. (Yonhap)

DefenseOct. 20, 2021

New virus cases rise on more testing, vaccination push continues

South Korea saw its new coronavirus cases rise by nearly 500 cases Wednesday, but the caseload stayed below 2,000 for the 12th straight day, as the country continued its vaccine campaign aimed at returning to normalcy. The country reported 1,571 new cases, including 1,556 local infections, raising the total caseload to 346,088, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally is up by 498 from the 1,073 counted the previous day. The death toll came to 2,698, up

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2021

[Graphic News] Cancer remains leading cause of death in S. Korea

Cancer remained the top cause of death in South Korea, with the number of deaths hitting a record high last year, a government report showed. In 2020, 304,948 deaths were reported in South Korea, up 3.3 percent from a year earlier. It marked the highest annual number since Statistics Korea began compiling such data in 1983. The statistics agency said 593.9 deaths were reported per 100,000 South Koreans last year. It also said 160.1 per 100,000 people died of cancer last year. Cancer has be

NationalOct. 20, 2021

USFK reports 32 additional COVID-19 cases

Thirty-two people affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for COVID-19, the US military's infection tally showed Wednesday. Among the new cases counted from Oct. 9 to 16 were 18 American troops, including those working at Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base, both in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The remaining individuals were four Department of Defense civilian employees, five contract workers, and five family members. The latest cases raised the total number

DefenseOct. 20, 2021

Lee appears at 2nd parliamentary audit amid snowballing corruption scandal

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), appeared at a parliamentary audit Wednesday, the second time this week he will be asked about his possible involvement in a massive development corruption scandal. Lee said in his opening remarks that he will not address questions unrelated to provincial administration and that an audit is not the same as a confirmation hearing. "Today I plan to limit my answers, if possible, to questions related to

PoliticsOct. 20, 2021

Lawyer at center of corruption-laden development scandal released after 2-day probe

Prosecutors released a key partner involved in a corruption-laden urban development scandal early Wednesday after questioning him for two days, belying widespread expectations they would seek an arrest warrant for him. Nam Wook, a lawyer, was freed shortly after midnight from emergency arrest he had been under since his arrival at Incheon International Airport from the United States early Monday for questioning over bribery and other allegations. Prosecutors had widely been expected to seek a

PoliticsOct. 20, 2021

S. Korea receives UN investment promotion award

South Korea's trade investment promotion agency has received an award from a United Nations body in recognition of best practices in promoting investment in healthcare sectors amid the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Wednesday. Invest Korea, the country's investment promotion unit under the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), was chosen as the winner of the 2021 Investment Promotion Awards by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), along with Costa Rica a

Foreign AffairsOct. 20, 2021

Chinese fishing boat sinks off S. Korea's west coast, leaving 3 unconscious, 3 missing

A Chinese fishing boat capsized in waters off the southwestern city of Gunsan on Wednesday, leaving three crew members unconscious and three others missing, Coast Guard officials said. According to the Coast Guard, the 239-ton vessel capsized shortly after midnight in waters 124 kilometers southwest of Gunsan's Eocheong Island. Of the 15 crewmen aboard the ship, eight have been rescued by the Coast Guard and another Chinese boat that was fishing alongside the capsized vessel.   F

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2021

N. Korea confirms test-launch of new SLBM in state media report

North Korea announced Wednesday that it has successfully conducted a test-firing of a new-type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) a day earlier. On Tuesday, South Korea's military said the North fired a short-range missile believed to be an SLBM from the vicinity of Sinpo, where its main submarine shipyard is located. It marked the North's eighth known major missile test this year. The Academy of National Defense Science conducted the test-launch from "8.24 Yongung" where

North KoreaOct. 20, 2021