N. Korean missile launch highlights need to engage in diplomacy: official

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's latest missile launch highlights the urgent need to engage with the reclusive state in dialogue, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday. The official also said South Korea, Japan and the United States share concerns over the North's missile launch. "There were concerns since the North's continued missile launches may affect our efforts (to resume dialogue) to a certain extent as we discuss ways to bring North Korea back to dialogue," the official said

Foreign AffairsOct. 20, 2021

N. Korean missile launch underscores 'urgent' need for dialogue: White House

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains ready to engage with North Korea anytime and anywhere, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday, adding that North Korea's missile tests underscored the urgent need to engage with the reclusive state. North Korea fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Tuesday (Seoul time), marking its eighth missile test so far this year. "These launches also underscore the urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy. Our offer rema

Foreign AffairsOct. 20, 2021

US condemns N. Korean missile launch as threat to region: State Dept.

The US State Department on Tuesday condemned North Korea's latest missile launch as a threat to the region while urging the reclusive state to engage in dialogue. "The United States condemns the DPRK's ballistic missile launch. These launches are a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and are a threat to the region," a State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email. "We call on the DPRK to refrain from further provocations and enga

Foreign AffairsOct. 19, 2021

[Herald Interview] When is a death linked to a COVID-19 vaccine?

WONJU, Gangwon Province -- The challenge facing the current stage of the pandemic is to vaccinate as many people as possible against COVID-19. As the vaccination campaign reaches wider populations, deaths are bound to be reported. And postmortem examinations play a pivotal role in ascertaining the safety of the vaccinations by determining if the vaccine is truly to blame. While the vaccine is extremely unlikely to harm people, every death deserves a thorough investigation, said Dr. Lee Sookyo

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

N. Korea tests missile amid South’s efforts to resume talks

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile into the East Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, as South Korea, the US and Japan step up efforts to bring Pyongyang back to nuclear talks. “We’re closely monitoring the situation and maintaining our readiness,” the JCS said, adding that South Korean and US intelligence were analyzing the launch, which took place at Sinpo, a port city along the east coast where North Korea runs a major

North KoreaOct. 19, 2021

Tough road ahead for end-of-war declaration

There will be no immediate breakthrough in the ongoing discussions toward an end-of-war declaration without a change of attitude not just from North Korea, but also from the US, experts here said Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in proposed declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War in his UN speech last month, a last-ditch effort to resume stalled diplomacy with North Korea before he leaves office in May. Seoul officials have held a series of high-level meetings in recent weeks, wooing sup

North KoreaOct. 19, 2021

US nuclear envoy to visit Seoul this week to discuss ‘end-of-war’ declaration

Washington’s point man on North Korea, Sung Kim, said Monday that he will visit Seoul later this week to discuss ways to bring Pyongyang back to the dialogue, and that declaring an official end to the Korean War will be part of the agenda.  Kim, the US special representative on North Korea, revealed his plans after talks with South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, in Washington on Monday, ahead of a three-way meeting Tuesday with their Japanese counterpart, Takehiro F

North KoreaOct. 19, 2021

Plant Hope for Humankind in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert

Ecological economist Lester R. Brown in his book “Plan B 3.0” suggested six grand strategies for overcoming the global climate and ecological crises, one of which is to restore lost forests around the world. Forests originally covered around 60 to 70 percent of land (13 billion hectares). However, the proportion of forests has been reduced to around 31 percent (4 billion hectares) due to the desertification, deforestation, conversion of forest, and expansion of agricultural and past

Foreign AffairsOct. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Military wary of lifting transgender ban despite court ruling

Despite a court ruling in favor of a soldier who was forcibly discharged after she received gender reassignment surgery, the military is still cautious about crafting a transgender policy because it is not ready to deal with the issue, military officials said Tuesday. In January 2020, Byun Hee-soo, who was the country’s first openly transgender soldier, was dismissed from the Army, which found her mentally and physical unfit to serve after she had her male genitals removed. Byun filed a l

DefenseOct. 19, 2021

Teachers face increasing sexual harassment

More than 150 cases of sexual harassment and violence against teachers were reported in the first half, as the number of cases rebounded and continued an upward trend that had existed before the pandemic, data showed Tuesday. Of the 1,215 cases concerning infringement of teachers’ rights reported from the first six months of 2021, 118 fell under the category of actions that cause sexual humiliation or disgust while 33 were sexual crimes against teachers, according to the data submitted by

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

First snow of the season falls on Mount Seorak

The first snow of the season fell on a portion of Mount Seorak in the northeast of the country Tuesday, 15 days earlier than last year, park authorities said. Flakes began falling at about 10 a.m. around Jungcheong Shelter, 1,676 meters above sea level, according to the Seoraksan National Park Office. The temperature was 0.4 C and the wind speed was 0.6 meters per second at that time. Snowfall was too light to accumulate, officials said. The season's first snow event occurred 15 days earlier

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

No notice from N. Korea on its missile launch despite daily liaison call: Seoul ministry

South and North Korea held their regular phone call via the liaison hotline Tuesday morning, but Pyongyang gave no prior notice of its latest missile launch, an official at Seoul's unification ministry said. In its latest show of force, the North fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea from near Sinpo, where it is known to be developing a new submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles, according to South Korea's military. "The liaison call occurred as normal this morning. (Nort

North KoreaOct. 19, 2021

Military reports 8 additional coronavirus cases

Eight Army soldiers have tested positive for COVID-19, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,973, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Six trainees at a boot camp in Yeoncheon, 62 kilometers north of Seoul, were found to have contracted the virus while in quarantine following the coronavirus outbreak in their unit. They were not fully vaccinated. An Army officer based in Yangju, north of Seoul, and an enlisted soldier stationed in Paju, 30 km north of the capital

DefenseOct. 19, 2021

Union to push ahead with strike despite mounting concerns

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday urged the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions to call off the general strike planned for Wednesday, warning that the organizer will be punished if the rally violates quarantine rules. Despite concerns over the spread of COVID-19, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the more militant of the country’s two umbrella labor organizations, has decided to go ahead with a rally involving 550,000 people. Less than two months have passed since the orga

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

Ruling party mulls referring opposition lawmaker to ethics panel over 'cash photo'

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it plans to refer an opposition lawmaker to the parliamentary ethics committee for making groundless claims against Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung using a dubious photo of bundles of cash. Rep. Kim Yong-pan of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) revealed the photo during a parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government on Monday, claiming it showed Lee, the DP's presidential nominee, took bribes from gangsters. Lee, who attended th

PoliticsOct. 19, 2021

Cabinet approves immigration law revision to grant long-term residency to Afghan evacuees

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a revision to the immigration law to grant long-term residency to Afghan evacuees airlifted in August from the Taliban-seized country and allow them to get jobs here. "In order for them to live independently in our society, getting jobs must be a priority," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during the Cabinet meeting in Sejong. "Ministries should review ways that can utilize their careers in Afghanistan in South Korea." In August, the governme

PoliticsOct. 19, 2021

N. Korea fires what seems to be SLBM toward East Sea: S. Korea

North Korea fired what appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said. The missile was launched eastward from a site in the vicinity of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It said the launch was detected at 10:17 a.m. but gave no other details. "The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are currently conducting a thorough analysis regarding additional

North KoreaOct. 19, 2021

Rapper NO:EL arrested over allegedly assaulting police officer, refusing breathalyzer

Police said Tuesday they have referred rapper NO:EL to the prosecution after arresting him on charges of driving without a license, refusing a breathalyzer test and headbutting a police officer. The incident took place on the night of Sept. 18 when the 21-year-old rapper, whose real name is Chang Yong-jun, caused a fender bender while driving his Mercedes in southern Seoul. His driver's license was revoked at the time. Police sent to the scene asked Chang to take a breathalyzer test, but he re

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

Students infected with COVID-19 or in quarantine to take college entrance exam at separate sites

Students infected with COVID-19 or in self-quarantine for possible coronavirus exposure will be assigned to separate testing sites for next month's state-administered college entrance exam to ensure a safe test environment, the education ministry said Tuesday. About 509,800 high school seniors and graduates are set to take this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) slated for Nov. 18. It marks the second year the college entrance exam will be held against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pa

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

New virus cases less than 2,000 for 11th day amid rising vaccination rate

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 2,000 for the 11th straight day Tuesday, as vaccine effects are taking hold with rising inoculations amid preparations for a gradual return to normalcy. The country reported 1,073 new cases, including 1,048 local infections, raising the total caseload to 344,518, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's tally is up from the 1,050 counted the previous day, which marked the lowest daily number since July 7, but down

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021