Seoul education office pulls back on school rebuilding project

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has decided to roll back on its school rebuilding project for nine schools in the capital, after it came under mounting pressure from parents who said it put their children’s safety and education at risk. The Seoul education office said Wednesday that it has excluded the nine schools, which had officially requested a withdrawal, from the list of 93 schools that were selected for the Green Smart Future School project. The plan involves rebuilding

Social AffairsSept. 15, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae to convene emergency NSC meeting on N. Korea's missile launches

President Moon Jae-in received an immediate briefing on North Korea's firing of ballistic missiles Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon received the briefing from Suh Hoon, director of national security, immediately after North Korea launched "unidentified projectiles today," presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a press statement. Cheong Wa Dae also plans to hold a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee as soon as the president returns to

PoliticsSept. 15, 2021

Moon requests China's unswerving support for Korea peace process

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Wednesday that China will continue support for the Korea peace process while meeting with the neighboring country's visiting top diplomat. Commencing 40-minute talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon took note of Beijing's role and contribution so far to the peace process. The session came shortly before news reports of North Korea firing what are believed to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "Our government will

PoliticsSept. 15, 2021

North fires ballistic missiles into East Sea

North Korea has launched unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, South Korea‘s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. The JCS said that the North fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea from an inland location Wednesday afternoon.  Seoul's military said that the type of missiles fired has not been identified, and that South Korea and the US intelligence agencies are analysing the launch. The JCS also said that the military has been put on raised alert, and maintaining read

North KoreaSept. 15, 2021

US expert suggests elimination of NK chemical weapons as confidence-building step for nuke disarmament

The elimination of North Korea's chemical weapons could serve as a confidence-building step to convince the communist nation to eventually give up its nuclear power, an American expert said Wednesday. Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University professor known for his direct experience with Pyongyang's nuclear program, made the remarks during a Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) workshop, stressing that the North will be more likely to agree to remove its chemical weapons before agreeing

North KoreaSept. 15, 2021

Main opposition picks 8 primary contenders in 1st 'cut-off'

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday eliminated three contenders from its primary for next year's presidential election, paving the way for the opening of long-awaited primary debates to be aired or livestreamed. The remaining eight contenders include former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Rep. Hong Joon-pyo. The others are former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong, Rep. Ha Tae-ke

PoliticsSept. 15, 2021

3 soldiers test positive for COVID-19

Three Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,665, the defense ministry said Wednesday. One soldier in Ansan, south of Seoul, and another in the western city of Incheon were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, while one in the central county of Jincheon was found to have been infected after a family member tested positive, according to the ministry. Nationwide, South Korea re

DefenseSept. 15, 2021

New virus cases top 2,000 as infections in capital area surge to record high

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases surpassed 2,000 Wednesday as infections in the capital area surged to a record high ahead of a major holiday. The country added 2,080 COVID-19 cases, including 2,057 local infections, raising the total caseload to 277,989, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was sharply up from 1,497 cases the previous day and topped the 2,000 mark for the first time in six days. It is also the fourth-largest daily figur

Social AffairsSept. 15, 2021

Moon vows S. Korea's role in resolving ocean garbage problem

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed South Korea's commitment Wednesday to stronger international cooperation in the campaign to protect the ocean. He delivered the message via his social media accounts on the occasion of the International Coastal Cleanup Day. "It takes 450 years for plastic to break down after being used for a moment," he pointed out. "Micro plastics threaten not only marine life but also our health." The president stressed South Korea will cut the amount of

PoliticsSept. 15, 2021

NK media slams US for meddling in Taiwan issues, voices support for 'One China policy'

A North Korean state media outlet on Wednesday denounced the United States for meddling in Taiwan issues and voiced its support for Beijing's "One China policy" amid the deepening Sino-US rivalry. The Korean Central News Agency issued the criticism in an opinion piece attributed to an individual writer as South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, were set to hold talks in Seoul on Wednesday. "Recently the US has openly intervened in the

North KoreaSept. 15, 2021

Statistics agency opens English service of data platform on SDGs

South Korea's statistics agency said Tuesday it has launched the English service of the data platform on the country's progress in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs data platform will help international users understand South Korea's efforts to meet the SDGs on a real-time basis, and have easy access to the country's related data, according to Statistics Korea. The SDGs were adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2015 as17 policy goals aimed at ending poverty and promoting su

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021

Rationing access to care remains elephant in the room

As South Korea readies for “a phased return to normal” later in the fall as more of its population is vaccinated, front-line doctors say there is an elephant in the room that is going unaddressed -- the question of who will have access to health care and who won’t in a surge crisis. “Before moving on to a less restrictive pandemic response, I think we need to have a discussion on how finite health care resources may be rationed in the event of a surge,” said Dr.

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021

Seoul, Washington, Tokyo discuss NK nuclear issue amid fresh tension

Top nuclear envoys from South Korea, the US and Japan held a trilateral meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss how best to restart stalled talks and rid the North of its nuclear weapons, amid fresh tension after the regime’s latest missile tests.  The three-way session involved South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively. A day earlier, the North announced it had successfully test-fired a n

North KoreaSept. 14, 2021

New head of state-run audit agency nominated after two months of vacancy

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday nominated Choe Jae-hae to head the Board of Audit and Inspection. Choe had previously served on the agency’s board. The nomination comes more than two months after the seat was vacated due to the sudden resignation of Choe Jae-hyeong, who joined the main opposition People Power Party shortly after to seek its candidacy for next year’s presidential race. The presidential office said Moon nominated Choe Jae-hae for being an “audit specialist,&r

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021

Chinese FM arrives in Seoul in latest effort to bolster regional ties

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Tuesday evening as part of a weeklong Asia tour that aims to bolster regional ties. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, China’s top diplomat will hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday. He is also likely to pay a courtesy call to President Moon Jae-in before leaving for China later in the day. Wang last visited Seoul 10 months ago, in November last year. South

Foreign AffairsSept. 14, 2021

[News Focus] Four-member households continue to dwindle in Korea

SEJONG -- The number of family members per household reached a record low of 2.21 in South Korea in August, amid the rapidly growing tally for single-person households and all-time low birthrates among couples in their 20s and 30s. This contrasted with an average of 2.44 people per family in August 2016 and 2.54 in August 2011, data from the Ministry of Interior of Safety showed. The demographic change is particularly apparent in the data for four-member households, which was the nation&rsquo

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021

11th-hour deal averts Seoul subway strike

Subway trains in greater Seoul area started running as usual Tuesday, after unionized workers of Seoul Metro reached a deal with management just hours before the planned walkout. Shortly before midnight Monday, Seoul Metro announced that an agreement was reached and agreed to scrap sweeping restructuring plans at the core of the dispute. The last round of talks lasted for almost nine hours after it started at 3 p.m. Monday. Seoul Metro said it decided to abolish the restructuring plan that inv

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021

LGBT students face bullying, discrimination: report

Young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in South Korea experience isolation and mistreatment in schools, a report showed Tuesday. Human Rights Watch and the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School released a report titled “I thought of myself as defective: Neglecting the rights of LGBT youth in South Korean schools.” The two organizations interviewed students, teachers, parents, service providers and advocates in the nation. Many of th

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021

Unification ministry vows efforts for resumption of inter-Korean liaison office as it marks 3rd anniversary

The unification ministry said it will continue efforts to resume operations of the inter-Korean liaison office as it marked the third anniversary of the office, an official said Tuesday. This year's anniversary comes as the North blew up the liaison office building in June last year in anger over the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by activists in the South. The North also remains unresponsive to calls from South Korea via liaison and military hotlines after they were restored late July follo

North KoreaSept. 14, 2021

Moon says 70% of S. Koreans to be vaccinated by this week

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday South Korea will be able to achieve the goal of offering at least the first COVID-19 vaccine shot to 36 million people ahead of the Chuseok holiday next week. "The first dose of vaccine inoculation for 36 million people in advance of Chuseok will be achieved this week as (the government) has promised," he said during a weekly Cabinet meeting. Vaccinations will further pick up speed, going forward, to get 80 percent of all South Koreans, totaling 52 mi

Social AffairsSept. 14, 2021