US supports humanitarian aid for N. Korean people: State Dept.

The United States supports efforts to alleviate the suffering of North Korean people and is engaged in efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to such people in the reclusive North, a State Department spokesman said Thursday. Ned Price also noted the US would support humanitarian assistance for the North even if its efforts to denuclearize the country do not move forward. "Even when we disagree with a particular regime, we believe that we must work to the best of our ability to do all we

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 8, 2021

The many thorny questions of COVID-19 vaccine pass

South Korea says that proof of COVID-19 vaccination may soon be necessary for people to enjoy more freedoms as it journeys toward normal. The digitized vaccine passport would help minimize the disease circulating among the unvaccinated, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson Son Young-rae told reporters Tuesday, “which will determine the success of our ability to contain the pandemic as vaccination rates rise.” The pass, meant to first and foremost incentivize v

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2021

With time running out, experts urge ‘creative’ solutions on N. Korea nukes

North Korea has been advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities over the past decades, and time is running out to prevent the country from becoming a full-fledged nuclear state, experts said Thursday.  Pointing out that past South Korean and US administrations had failed to dismantle the regime’s nuclear program, experts attending a Korea Institute for National Unification seminar called for “creative solutions.”  “One of the reasons why North Korea&rsquo

North KoreaOct. 7, 2021

Key figures in Air Force suicide case avoid charges

Fifteen service members linked to the suicide of an Air Force master sergeant who claimed to have been sexually assaulted will be indicted, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday, ending a monthslong investigation. But the 10 suspects accused of botching the initial investigation or bullying the victim when she was relocated upon the incident will not stand trial, because little evidence was found to press charges, the ministry said. The suspects include military police, prosecutors an

DefenseOct. 7, 2021

Court orders posthumous reinstatement of transgender soldier

A South Korean court on Thursday ordered a cancellation of the forceful discharge of transgender soldier Byun Hee-soo, who took her own life earlier this year. The Daejeon District Court ruled in favor of Staff Sgt. Byun, who was dismissed from the Army in January of last year, elucidating that the military’s decision was unfair. Although the former tank gunner wanted to continue serving as a woman, her service was cut short two months after having gender reassignment surgery while on l

DefenseOct. 7, 2021

FM Chung to visit UAE for talks on bilateral relations, cooperation

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this week for talks on bilateral relations and cooperation, his ministry said Thursday. Chung is scheduled to begin a four-day trip to the Middle Eastern nation Friday, during which he will hold talks with his UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it said. He also plans to pay a courtesy call on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Chung is expected to have discussions on efforts to boost two-way c

Foreign AffairsOct. 7, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee sees lead over ex-chief prosecutor Yoon narrow in presidential race: survey

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), saw his lead over opposition rival Yoon Seok-youl narrow slightly amid a swirling development corruption scandal, a poll showed Thursday. Lee was leading Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) 26 percent to 17 percent, according to the joint poll by four pollsters -- Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research. In the same poll last week, Lee was leading Yoon 29

PoliticsOct. 7, 2021

Subsidies needed to address poverty among older adults: lawmaker

More government support is required to address poverty among the nation’s older adults, a lawmaker said Thursday. According to the most recent data from Statistics Korea revealed by Rep. Ko Young-in of the Democratic Party, the poverty rate for people aged 66 and older was 45 percent in 2019 as compared with 10.72 percent for people under 66. When the nation’s population was divided into 10 income brackets, almost half of senior citizens were in the bottom two, with 29.42 percent

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2021

[News Focus] Share of Koreans aged 40 or over surges

SEJONG -- The 40-and-older population in South Korea has surged by nearly 10 percentage points in a decade in terms of their percentage of the entire population, government data showed. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of those aged 40 or above posted 29.67 million as of September. This took up 57.4 percent of the total population of 51.66 million. This was a 9.6 percentage point increase from the 47.8 percent in September 2011 for the age groups -- from those in th

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2021

USFK reports 13 COVID-19 cases from new arrivals

Thirteen people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including six service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here, the US military said Thursday. Three service members, three family members and a civilian employee arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon international airport, west of Seoul, while three other troops arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, on US government chartered flights, according to USFK. T

DefenseOct. 7, 2021

Umbrella union renews threat to go on general strike

A major umbrella labor union on Thursday renewed its threat to go on a general strike later this month in an effort to put a spotlight on labor issues ahead of next year's presidential election. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the country's two umbrella labor organizations, said it will stage a strike and a massive rally on Oct. 20 as "the first step to break the solid system of exploitation." The KCTU aims to launch a walkout involving all its 1.1 million me

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2021

Moon calls for swift action for carbon neutrality

President Moon Jae-in called Thursday for greater efforts to curb global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, saying the Earth is getting warmer at a much faster speed than expected. Moon made the remark in a video message to a forum of environment ministers from Asia-Pacific countries held in Suwon, 46 kilometers south of Seoul, saying the Asia-Pacific is an environmentally vulnerable region where 40 percent of all natural disasters, such as typhoons and drought, took place in 2019. "Pl

PoliticsOct. 7, 2021

Vice FM Choi holds phone talks with US envoy for Iran over JCPOA restoration

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and the US special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, held phone talks Thursday to discuss cooperation over negotiations to restore the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, the foreign ministry said. Multilateral negotiations in Vienna to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program have remained stalled since June, though Iran has shown its readiness to return to dialogue soon. Choi reiterated South Korea's commit

Foreign AffairsOct. 7, 2021

Ministry approves 3 requests by civilian groups to provide humanitarian aid to N. Korea

The unification ministry said Thursday that it has approved three requests by civilian organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea, which are meant to help bolster cross-border cooperation and exchanges. The decision was announced amid cautious optimism about the resumption of dialogue created after North Korea restored all communication lines with South Korea early this week following about two months of suspension attributable to Pyongyang's protest over a joint military e

North KoreaOct. 7, 2021

Court orders cancellation of forceful discharge of deceased transgender soldier

DAEJEON-- A court ruled Thursday in favor of a deceased transgender solider in a suit filed to get the Army's decision to discharge her repealed, a landmark ruling that could have deep repercussions in the way South Korean society treats sexual minorities. The Daejeon District Court said that the military should have considered late Ssg. Byun Hee-soo as a woman when reviewing whether she was fit for military duty after a sex-change operation. "Since she applied for a sex change at a court

DefenseOct. 7, 2021

S. Korea to launch advanced submarine rescue ship

South Korea was to launch a new 5,600-ton-class submarine rescue vessel Thursday capable of conducting rescue operations in the deep sea regardless of weather conditions, the Navy said. A launch ceremony for the vessel, named Ganghwado, is scheduled to take place later in the day at the Okpo shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., on the southern island of Geoje, it added. Built under the ARS-II (auxiliary submarine rescue ship) project launched in 2015, it is the country

DefenseOct. 7, 2021

Military reports 14 new COVID-19 cases

Twelve service members and two civilian workers for the military have tested positive for COVID-19, the defense ministry said Thursday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks across South Korea. Ten Army members, two Navy officers, and the civilian employees were confirmed to have been infected either following their recent vacation or after coming into contact with individuals who had tested positive, according to the ministry. Of them, nine were "breakthrough infections,"

DefenseOct. 7, 2021

Yoon accused of ties to anal acupuncture specialist

Yoon Seok-youl, the leading opposition presidential candidate, has increasingly faced questions about superstitious or unscientific beliefs, this time over his alleged ties to an anal acupuncture specialist that he claims to have no knowledge of. The allegation surfaced Tuesday during the sixth TV debate among presidential contenders of the main opposition People Power Party, when one of Yoon's competitors, former Rep. Yoo Seong-min, asked him if he has met someone "known to perform acupun

PoliticsOct. 7, 2021

WHO says it began shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies to N. Korea

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it has begun the shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea through the Chinese port of Dalian, raising the possibility that the North might be easing its long-enforced tight border controls amid the global pandemic. North Korea has tightened border controls since the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, which has meant key materials and medical supplies could not be shipped to the North. The North closed off a major shipping route linkin

North KoreaOct. 7, 2021

New cases in 2,000s for 2nd day, resurgence in wider Seoul worrisome

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for a second day in a row Thursday following a long weekend, amid concerns over the spread of the pandemic ahead of another extended weekend. The country added 2,427 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,400 local infections, raising the total caseload to 325,804, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections rebounded to over 2,000 again Wednesday after falling below the 2,000 mark Monday and T

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2021