‘North rehearsed submarine attacks on South during 2018 peace talks’

Most of North Korea’s naval drills involving submarines in the past seven years took place in 2018, when the two Koreas held talks three times to defuse tensions, Rep. Han Ki-ho of the opposition People Power Party said Tuesday, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The military found that the North deployed its submarines to rehearse attacks on the South about 150 times in 2018, the highest number since 2014, when such drills took place about 120 times. Excluding 2018 from 2015 to 2019, Pyon

North KoreaOct. 5, 2021

Gapyeong creates Australian garden to commemorate war veterans of Korean war, praying future peace

A garden has been created in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, to honor Australian veterans who participated in the Battle of Gapyeong during the Korean War from April 22-25, 1951, and to pray for future peace. The creation of the garden on Thursday is in line with the opening of the Jaraseom Namdo flower garden, which has become a popular tourist attraction in Gapyeong.　 The Jaraseom Namdo flower became an attraction to experience the essence of autumn flowers for a month from Sept. 25 to Oct. 24.

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

Danish Embassy enhances cooperation with Korea in health tech, smart hospitals

The Danish Embassy, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center and Danish medical-tech firms on Thursday co-hosted the 2021 Health-Tech Workshop to boost cooperation on smart hospitals. According to the Danish Embassy, the workshop sought to enhance cooperation between Dongsan Medical Center, which will be upgraded into a smart hospital by 2025, and Danish companies specializing in health technology. The workshop presented Denmark’s Super Hospital project to transform 18 hospitals in the

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

Indian embassy celebrates Gandhi anniversary

GANDHI ANNIVERSARY – Surinder Bhagat, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Seoul delivers remarks on Gandhi’s thoughts and ideals in celebration of the 152nd anniversary his birth on Saturday. Gandhi was born on Oct. 2, 1869. (Embassy of India)

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

No immediate Moon-Kishida summit in sight

A potential South Korea-Japan summit may face further delays despite Monday’s election of Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, amid protracted rows over wartime history and trade. President Moon Jae-in held no summit with Kishida’s predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, during his one-year tenure. The two governments had sought to arrange a meeting between Moon and Suga on the occasions of multilateral events, including the G-7 summit in June and the Tokyo Olympics in July, but re

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

North Korea keeps developing nuclear, missile programs: UN experts

North Korea has continued its nuclear and ballistic missile programs this year, despite international sanctions and a dire economic situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a UN report on Tuesday. 　 A panel of experts monitoring sanctions on Pyongyang, in a report sent to the UN Security Council, said the North “continued to seek material and technology for these programs overseas.” 　 “Despite the country’s focus on its worsening economic travails, t

North KoreaOct. 5, 2021

Germany, Korea need to set right regulations, incentives to leverage investment into clean energy: German envoy

The governments of Germany and Korea can set the right regulatory conditions and incentives to leverage the maximum amount of private investment into clean energy, German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel said at a Thursday webinar titled “KR-DE Road to 2050: Financing Clean Energy Transition.”  The event was co-hosted by the Embassy of Germany in Korea, Solutions for Our Climate, Climate Transparency and Rep. Lee So-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Accor

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 12] Ginkgo berries, the bane of autumn

Autumn is here, and so are the minefields of rotting ginkgo berries. Ginkgo trees are the most commonly found trees lining Seoul’s streets, accounting for nearly 35 percent out of 305,086 street trees planted throughout the city. The female trees, about a quarter of ginkgo trees in Seoul, produce berries from mid-September, and through early November, they produce berries that fall and rot on the ground. Ko Yoon-ho, a 29-year-old resident of Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, says that autumn i

Social AffairsOct. 5, 2021

Environment Ministry’s deal with platform service providers could cause monopoly: lawmaker

Rep. Noh Woong-rae of the Democratic Party on Tuesday denounced a memorandum of understanding signed by the Ministry of Environment, Kakao Mobility and T Map Mobility, claiming that the deal could result in a monopoly of electric car charger information. On July 29, the Environment Ministry and the two platform service providers inked the MOU to provide smart service of electric car chargers for the public by sharing information on electric vehicles and their owners over the next five years.

Social AffairsOct. 5, 2021

Deepened Georgia, Korea cooperation offers new grounds in post-COVID era’

South Korea and Georgia are significant strategic partners, with great potential for furthering cooperation in trade, technology and cultural exchange, says Alexander Khvtisiashvili, Georgian deputy foreign minister. He said deepened bilateral cooperation could achieve new grounds in the post-COVID-19 era.　 According to Khvtisiashvili, Georgia’s geopolitical location between the East and West makes the country a corridor of trade, capital, human and natural resources, adding that Korea-G

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 5, 2021

Russian Embassy gears up for Russian Seasons 2021 in Korea

The Russian Embassy in South Korea held an opening ceremony for the Russian Seasons at Seoul Arts Center on Saturday. Russian seasons is a project run by Russia’s Ministry of Culture aimed at introducing Russian culture worldwide and presenting the “Firebird” to the hosting country. The Firebird is the symbol of the Russian Seasons inspired by the mythical creature from Russian folk tales. The project in Korea started with a performance by the Soloists of Moscow, a chamber en

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

Moon calls for co-prosperity with N. Korea after restoration of cross-border hotlines

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that South and North Korea should work together for joint prosperity ahead of eventual unification, signaling a willingness to push actively for cooperative projects with the North after the restoration of inter-Korean hotlines. Moon made the remark during an address at a ceremony marking the 15th World Korean Day, a day after the North reopened its liaison and military hotlines with the South, which had been suspended since early August due to Pyongyang's pro

PoliticsOct. 5, 2021

S. Korea to keep close eye on possibility of NK's participation in Beijing Olympics: ministry

The unification ministry will keep a close eye on discussions between North Korea and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for any possibility of its participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, an official said Tuesday. Last month, the IOC decided to suspend the North from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing for refusing to participate in the recent Tokyo Games over COVID-19 concerns. The IOC said the participation of any individual North Korean athletes in the Beijing Olympics will be de

North KoreaOct. 5, 2021

Assembly speaker to visit Italy for G-20, climate summits

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug is embarking on trips to Italy and Egypt to attend summits and discuss bilateral relations. The Assembly speaker will depart on Tuesday for Italy to participate in the seventh G-20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit slated from Thursday to Friday in Rome, according to Park’s office. Under the motto of “Parliaments for the People, the Planet and Prosperity,” the G-20 parliamentary leaders will discuss their joint responses to some

Foreign AffairsOct. 5, 2021

S. Korea preparing to resume dialogue with N. Korea after restoration of communication lines

South Korea continues to make preparations necessary to resume long-stalled dialogue with North Korea after their inter-Korean communication lines were restored following about two months of suspension, a unification ministry official said Tuesday. On Monday, the two Koreas reopened their liaison and military hotlines, which had been suspended since early August due to Pyongyang's protest of a joint military drill by South Korea and the United States. Their reactivation came days after North Ko

North KoreaOct. 5, 2021

Military reports 6 new COVID-19 cases

A Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) officer and five Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The JCS officer, based in Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, according to the ministry. No additional cases were reported from subsequent tests conducted on other members based on contact tracing, officials said. Separately, three Army officers and two enlistees were found to have contracted the virus during a

DefenseOct. 5, 2021

China's refined oil supplies to N. Korea hit 13-month high in Aug.: UN report

China supplied about 12,000 barrels of refined oil to North Korea in August, the largest monthly shipments in 13 months, a UN report showed Tuesday. According to the report posted on the website of the UN sanctions committee on North Korea, China's monthly supplies of refined oil to its communist ally came to 11,745 barrels, or 1,410 tons, in August. The amount represented the largest since July last year when the corresponding figure stood at 12,479 barrels. During the January-August period,

North KoreaOct. 5, 2021

Lawmaker accused of using 'comfort women' group's money 217 times

A lawmaker, who formerly headed a major civic group supporting women forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan, has been accused of embezzling the organization's funds 217 times, mostly for personal purposes, such as paying at "galbi" or rib restaurants, an opposition lawmaker said Tuesday. Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, who led the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan until her election in 2020, spent over 100 million won ($84,300) of

PoliticsOct. 5, 2021

Two Koreas hold daily liaison, military calls after restoring communication lines

South and North Korea held daily phone calls via their liaison and military hotlines Tuesday, officials said, a day after Pyongyang restored the inter-Korean communication channels. On Monday, the two Koreas reopened the cross-border communication lines following a near two-month suspension. The move came hours after the North's state media announced that the lines would be back in normal operation as of 9 a.m. on the day. "South and North Korea's daily call at 9 a.m. took place normall

North KoreaOct. 5, 2021

New cases slightly under 1,600 on fewer tests, holiday-linked

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,600 on Tuesday on fewer tests during an extended weekend, but new infections may rise down the road due to increased tests. The country added 1,575 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,557 local infections, raising the total caseload to 321,352, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections slightly fell from 1,673 cases on Monday after the nation reported more than 2,000 cases on a daily basis since Sep

Social AffairsOct. 5, 2021