Assembly speaker returns after parliamentary summit diplomacy

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug returned Saturday after meeting with his counterparts at the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Vienna. They agreed to cooperate on issues concerning economics, business, defense and North Korea, officials said Sunday. During the two-day conference, which began Tuesday, he met with 24 parliamentary leaders and with the secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and expanded the horizons of South Korea’s parliamentary di

PoliticsSept. 12, 2021

S. Korea to officially deliver intention to join DEPA

South Korea said Sunday it plans to officially deliver its intention to New Zealand to join a global pact on the digital sector that covers a wider array of issues beyond conventional free trade agreements. South Korea completed its domestic procedures to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) in August, and now plans to on Monday propose the official launch of negotiations with DEPA members, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Earlier this month, Trade Minist

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 12, 2021

N. Korea-linked hackers attempt to break into emails of Seoul's defense panel members

A hacker group believed to be linked to North Korea has attempted to steal data from South Korean experts working as members of an advisory panel for the defense ministry, a cybersecurity firm said Sunday. Emails were sent to some members of the advisory panel earlier this month from hackers who disguised themselves as a North Korea-related department of the defense ministry, notifying them of an upcoming seminar on the occasion of the anniversary of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, accor

North KoreaSept. 12, 2021

2.1 magnitude quake hits southeastern South Korea, no damage reported

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern South Korea early Sunday, but no damage was reported. The quake hit some 4 kilometers southeast of Changnyeong County, about 260 km southeast of Seoul, at 2:04 a.m. from a depth of 13 kilometers, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The epicenter was located at a latitude of 35.53 degrees north and a longitude of 128.53 degrees east. The maximum seismic intensity scale was 2, which means that the tremor can be felt only by a small nu

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2021

New cases fall under 1,800; infections in capital region still worrisome

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped under 1,800 on Sunday as health authorities try to stem virus infections ahead of a major holiday amid persistent infections in the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,755 COVID-19 cases, including 1,725 local infections, raising the total caseload to 272,982, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was down from over 1,800 cases over the past two days. However, it was the second-largest figure fo

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2021

Number of gov't certified social enterprises tops 3,000: labor ministry

  The number of social enterprises certified by the government has reached over 3,000, with a majority of the firms committed to providing jobs to underprivileged people, according to officials Sunday. The labor ministry's expert committee on social enterprise development on Wednesday certified 97 businesses as new government-approved social enterprises, bringing the total number of social companies in the country up to 3,064. The 3,000-mark milestone was reached in 14 years since the gov

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2021

Gov't seeks to promote education of critical foreign languages

The government has drafted a new mid-term plan to expand the education of 53 foreign languages that are less commonly taught but deemed increasingly important to the nation's engagement with the world, officials said Sunday. Education, justice, gender and other ministers Wednesday discussed the education ministry's proposal for the second five-year basic plan for the education of the critical foreign languages, which will be implemented in 2022. The 53 languages designated by a presidential de

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2021

[Photo News] Preparation of Apples for Chuseok

Ripe apples are picked by a worker at an apple orchard in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. On Thursday, workers carefully examine and select the season’s apples. Employees organize the apples and group them into similar sizes and shapes. Apples that have been sorted out are put into crates, all ready to be shipped out for the Chuseok holiday.

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2021

Moon expresses sympathy to Biden, American people on 9/11 anniversary

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday that South Korea will continue to contribute to the fight against terrorism as he marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "My deepest sympathies go out to President Joe Biden and the American people. Twenty years have passed, but the shock of that day still remains as deep wounds in the hearts of so many," he said in a Facebook message. Moon noted that violence cannot win over peace and inclusiveness and that the tragedy of the

PoliticsSept. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Opposition party files complaint against CIO over alleged illegal raid

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Saturday filed a complaint with the prosecution over what it called an illegal raid against one of its lawmakers in a snowballing political meddling scandal. The complaint accuses Kim Jin-wook, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), and five investigators of abuse of power and an illegal raid on the office of PPP Rep. Kim Woong on Friday. Rep. Jun Joo-hyae, a PPP spokeswoman, delivered the complaint to the

PoliticsSept. 11, 2021

New cases in 1,800s for second day amid spread in capital area

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,800s for the second straight day Saturday as infections continued to spread in the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,865 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,816 local infections, raising the total caseload to 271,227, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of new cases was down 27 from Friday but still 62 more than a week ago. In the past week, the number of new cases has ranged from 1,375 to 2,049, aver

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2021

S. Korea, Poland agree to strengthen defense ties in vice-ministerial talks

South Korea and Poland agreed Friday to boost exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of defense and related fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his Polish counterpart, Marcin Ochiepa, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul, as Ochiepa visited South Korea to attend the annual security forum of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD). "The Polish vice minister expressed his country's will to expand and deepen the bilateral defense cooperation with

Foreign AffairsSept. 10, 2021

Vietnamese ambassador, Korea Herald CEO discuss bilateral ties

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung met on Wednesday with Choi Jin-young, CEO of The Korea Herald, and they exchanged views on bilateral ties between the two countries and the struggles of small businesses coping with COVID-19. “Next year Vietnam and Korea will celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Many opportunities lie ahead,” the Vietnamese ambassador said. “It’s the right time to enhance bilateral cooperation.” Choi echoed

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 10, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Tokyo next week

  South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, will visit Tokyo next week for bilateral and trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, the foreign ministry said Friday, as Seoul steps up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.    Noh and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, plan to hold a trilateral meeting on Tuesday, as they strategize on reengaging with Pyongyang, amid concerns over signs of the reclusive regime

Foreign AffairsSept. 10, 2021

Korea-Mongolia ties elevated to strategic partnership

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh held a virtual summit Friday and agreed to elevate bilateral ties between the two countries to a strategic partnership, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It was the first summit between the two leaders since the Mongolian president assumed the presidency in a landslide election win in June. Mongolia is a major partner for South Korea’s New Northern Policy, which is intended to bolster strategic ties with Central A

Foreign AffairsSept. 10, 2021

Korea, China may be part of expert group monitoring Fukushima water release

The International Atomic Energy Agency will send a group of experts, possibly including some from South Korea and China, to the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant in December to monitor the safety and transparency of Japan’s planned disposal of treated radioactive water, an official from the agency said Thursday.  Fishers in Japan and neighboring countries, including China and Korea, reacted angrily to the Japanese government’s decision in April to dump the 1.25 million ton

Foreign AffairsSept. 10, 2021

8 in 10 Koreans vow to stay at home during Chuseok: poll

Nearly eight out of 10 South Koreans have no plans to visit their hometowns or travel during the upcoming Chuseok holiday amid the widespread COVID-19 fears, a poll showed Friday. In the survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 77 percent said they do not have any plans to leave their homes for more than one night during the Chuseok holiday, the autumn harvest celebration. This year's Chuseok runs from Sept. 20-22, and it will be extended by an extra

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2021

Adjusted distancing rules do not mean loosening efforts: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Friday made it clear that the government is not shifting gears toward letting guard down against the coronavirus. Kim cautioned against adjustments in guidelines around fully vaccinated people as being interpreted as a change in strategy of learning to live with the coronavirus in circulation at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. "The fourth wave is currently ongoing as we saw the number of newly confirmed cases stayin

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2021

Website helps users navigate complex pandemic rules

A university student developed a website to make it easier for people to navigate a web of ever-changing social distancing rules on private gatherings. The creator, Kim Joon-tae, said he developed the website (www.canwemeet.us) to reduce inconveniences coming from complicated rules on private gatherings that differ depending on time of the day, vaccination status and regions, among other things. The service, which went up Tuesday, asks a user seven questions about a planned gathering to ultima

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2021

Former chief prosecutor booked on multiple charges in political meddling probe

The state anti-corruption investigative body has formally booked ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl on multiples charges, including abuse of power, in its widening probe into a political meddling scandal, officials said Friday, dealing a blow to his presidential bid. An official at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in charge of the probe told reporters, "(The office) booked ex-Prosecutor General Yoon yesterday." Yoon is facing four difference char

PoliticsSept. 10, 2021