S. Korea, Uruguay to speed up negotiations for trade pact with Mercosur

South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has agreed with Uruguay to make joint efforts to speed up negotiations for a free trade pact with a group of South American countries. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo plans to meet his Uruguayan counterpart, Francisco Bustillo, virtually later in the day to discuss ways to expand economic ties, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. "Uruguay is one of the key partners for South Korea, as the two can make joint efforts to overcome cha

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 29, 2021

S. Korea ready to promote trade ties with Japan: minister

South Korea will seek to strengthen trade cooperation with Japan amid challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, and a more friendly business environment will be offered to Japanese firms here, Seoul's top trade official said Wednesday. "The government will spare no efforts to promote the economic ties between South Korea and Japan," Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said during a meeting with Japanese business officials based here. "South Korea will offer an open and transparent business en

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 29, 2021

New cases spike to 2nd largest; infections in greater Seoul top 2,000 again

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed in the 2,000s for a fourth day Wednesday, bouncing back to the second largest since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January last year on a spike in infections in the greater Seoul area. The country reported 2,885 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,859 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 308,725, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload touched a fresh high of 3,272 on Saturday due to a mass migratio

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2021

N. Korea says it tested newly developed hypersonic missile

North Korea said Wednesday it conducted the first test-launch of a newly developed hypersonic missile a day earlier that has "strategic significance" in bolstering its self-defense capabilities. The North's Academy of Defence Science test-fired the Hwasong-8 missile from Toyang-ri, Ryongrim County of Jagang Province, and "ascertained the stability of the engine as well as of missile fuel ampoule that has been introduced for the first time," the official Korean Central News Ag

North KoreaSept. 29, 2021

N.Korea convenes Supreme People's Assembly meeting without leader Kim, message toward S. Korea

North Korea opened a session of its rubber-stamp legislature without leader Kim Jong-un in attendance and dealt with economic and other domestic issues without issuing any message to South Korea or the United States, according to state media Wednesday. The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) meeting held Tuesday drew attention as it came just days after the sister of leader Kim Jong-un issued a conciliatory message to South Korea, including the prospect of an inter-Korean summit, if Seoul drops its

North KoreaSept. 29, 2021

Juvenile assault cases down; sex offense, fraud cases up last year: report

South Korean teenagers committed fewer physical assault crimes but more sex offenses and fraud last year, a judicial report showed Wednesday. According to the 2021 juridical yearbook published by the National Court Administration, the total number of juvenile protection cases was 38,590 in 2020, up 2,014, or 5.5 percent, from a year ago. Of them, theft accounted for the biggest share at 13,845 cases, followed by fraud at 4,160, assault at 1,710 and infliction of bodily harm at 1,077. The figures

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2021

US wants to meet with N. Korea to discuss their concerns, intentions: US official

The United States wants to meet with North Korea to discuss any concerns they have, a senior US diplomat said Tuesday. Kin Moy, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark amid a North Korean boycott of dialogue, citing what it claims to be US hostility toward the North. "We have reached out directly to Pyongyang to initiate dialogue and stand ready to meet without preconditions," Moy said in a virtual seminar jointly hosted by the

Foreign AffairsSept. 29, 2021

S. Korea, China discuss measures to stamp out illegal fishing

South Korea and China discussed joint efforts to stamp out illegal fishing by Chinese boats in the South's waters in their regular fisheries meeting on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. At the meeting, Seoul called on Beijing to draw up "effective measures" to stem the illegal fishing, as it is a matter that "directly concerns the livelihoods of South Korean fishermen," the ministry said. The South proposed China step up its patrol of fishing boats at major ports, block t

Foreign AffairsSept. 28, 2021

[News Focus] Korea, 27th of 33 OECD members in women’s employment

SEJONG -- South Korea was one of seven countries whose employment rate for women stayed under 60 percent as of June, among 33 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. As for the employment rate for men, Korea also fell far behind its Asia-Pacific neighbors -- such as Japan, which topped the list, and New Zealand -- as well as some emerging economies. According to the OECD, the women’s employment rate in Korea posted 57.5 percent in the second quarter of this

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2021

NK fires missile as it slams US of hostility

North Korea fired a short-range missile into the East Sea on Tuesday, the South’s military said, just as Pyongyang’s UN envoy defended the country’s right to test weapons and called on the US to drop its “hostile policy” toward the reclusive regime. 　   　 South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired one “unidentified projectile” at around 6:40 a.m. into the sea off its east coast from the country’s northern Jagang Province n

North KoreaSept. 28, 2021

Military unveils plans for AI-powered, agile Army

The South Korean Army will start testing a new combat system in 2024 to guide its entire operations as early as 2040. “The Army Tiger 4.0 is the future of warfare delivered by cutting-edge advances in technology,” the Army said. Tiger 4.0 is short for “Transformative Innovation of Ground forces Enhanced by the 4th industrial Revolution technology.” The Army said it will employ artificial intelligence-powered drones to facilitate decision-making on the battlefield, and

DefenseSept. 28, 2021

Despite record COVID-19 surge, Korea committed to return to ‘normal’

President Moon Jae-in’s top officials on Tuesday once again reiterated the administration’s commitment to beckon a return to normal next month, when 80 percent of the adult population is anticipated to be fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, overseeing the government’s COVID-19 response headquarters, told Tuesday’s meeting of senior officials that Korea’s pursuit of a “phased return to normal,” also dubbed “living with COVID-19,”

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2021

S. Korea expected to adopt 'With Corona' scheme in Oct.-Nov.: minister

South Korea seeks to gradually return to normal daily life, while managing the spread of the novel coronavirus, between late October and early November, the health minister said Tuesday. The government earlier envisioned the "With Corona" scheme, under which COVID-19 is treated as an infectious respiratory disease like the seasonal influenza, with eased distancing being implemented. "The transition is likely to be around late October when 80 percent of adults are fully vaccinate

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2021

Controversial land development project causes partisan turmoil

The fallout from a controversial land development project authorized by Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is expanding, threatening to bog down parties on both sides of the aisle. The case came to light just weeks earlier after it was reported that Lee allegedly gave business favors to Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management in 2015 to help the firm take part in a land development project in Seongnam’s Daejang-dong when he was mayor of the city. Lee was accused of unlawfully aiding Hwacheon

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

Seoul refrains from calling Pyongyang’s missile launch ‘provocation’

South Korea’s National Security Council on Tuesday expressed “regret” over North Korea’s new missile launch, but refrained from calling the latest test a “provocation.” Earlier in the day, North Korea test-fired a short-range missile toward the East Sea, Seoul's military said, with more flight data still under analysis. The launch came after a test earlier this month of two short-range ballistic missiles from a train. “NSC members expressed regr

North KoreaSept. 28, 2021

US condemns N. Korea's missile launch, urges N. Korea to engage in dialogue

WASHINGTON -- The United States has condemned North Korea's missile launch as a threat to its neighbors and the international community, a State Department spokesperson said, urging Pyongyang to engage in dialogue. "The United States condemns the DPRK's missile launch. This launch is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," the spokesperson said in a statement Monday (local time), just hours a

Foreign AffairsSept. 28, 2021

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 Tuesday. 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. Cance

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2021

Cabinet passes revision bill to grant legal status to animals

The Cabinet approved a revision to the civil law Tuesday that would grant animals legal status as individuals with lives that deserve to be protected. The revision was proposed by the Ministry of Justice in July to add the new clause, "animals are not objects," to Article 82 of the Civil Code. Currently, animals are identified as "an object that takes up space" and are not separated from inanimate things, so animal abusers have been punished only for damaging property if th

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

Spirit of ASEAN and Korea lies in sustainable development and mutual recognition of member states’ potential.

  The spirit of the ASEAN Korea Center is in cooperation and mutual support, say officials selected from four among the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Brunei, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines -- who are working at the South Korea-based center on a three-year term. Ahead of ASEAN Week, an annual week of events to promote the association, The Korea Herald interviewed four officials representing their nations at the ASEAN Korea Center.  Siti Maisarah Haji Majid

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 28, 2021

NK appears to have held parliamentary session after missile launch

North Korea appears to have convened a session of its rubber-stamp legislature Tuesday after firing a short-range missile earlier in the day, drawing attention to whether any message to South Korea would come out of the meeting. The meeting also comes just days after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un, expressed a willingness to improve inter-Korean relations and even discuss the possibility of a summit with South Korea on the condition that Seoul drops hostility. State media earlie

North KoreaSept. 28, 2021