Vote over ‘fake news’ bill likely delayed to September

South Korea’s National Assembly has effectively failed to cast a final vote on the “fake news” bill, as fierce opposition from those outside the ruling bloc is believed to prevent lawmakers from holding the vote within this month’s provisional parliamentary session. Even after a series of meetings between floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and main opposition People Power Party held for hours until late Monday afternoon, lawmakers failed to reach a dea

PoliticsAug. 30, 2021

Korean companies should take part in Colombia energy road map: minister

Colombia welcomes Korean companies to bid for energy and mining projects, Diego Mesa, Colombia’s minister of energy and mining said on Aug. 25, during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. According to Mesa, Colombia has two major auctions for renewable energy and oil and gas coming up in October and December.  “Colombia’s main policy has been energy transition and multiplication. Korean companies can take part in upcoming biddings either directly or through prov

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 30, 2021

Panel accuses military of sitting on human rights reforms

The Ministry of National Defense is not living up to its promise to better protect human rights, members of a civilian-led advisory panel said Monday. The 88-member panel – of which 15 have either left or decided to walk out – was put together by the Defense Ministry in late June, amid a public outcry following the death of an Air Force master sergeant who died by suicide after alleged sexual abuse. Her family claims cover-ups led to her death. “I had thought the ministry was

DefenseAug. 30, 2021

Korea to dole out relief funds to 88% of Koreans

  South Korea plans to provide 250,000 won ($214) for each individual in a disaster relief fund to help revive the sagging economy hit by the prolonged pandemic, officials said Monday. Subsidies worth a total of 11 trillion won are to be given to households in the bottom 80 percent income bracket. But, as special standards apply to single-person households and dual-income households, about 88 percent of the total population will receive them. As for single-person households, they are eli

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021

Moon says S. Korea has shown its dignity by embracing Afghan evacuees

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that South Korea's successful operation to evacuate Afghan people last week is expected to serve as a chance to further enhance its global stature. In the emergency move, codenamed Operation Miracle, South Korea brought nearly 400 Afghans fleeing the Taliban-controlled nation to its territory on its military aircraft. They have been allowed to stay here with legal status on par with that of a refugee. It is unprecedented in South Korea's diplomatic history to

PoliticsAug. 30, 2021

Moon orders readiness for booster shots

President Moon Jae-in on Monday suggested that coronavirus vaccine booster shots will be available here soon, with health care workers and older adults the first to receive the extra shots. “Based on guidance from health authorities and experts, the government will start offering booster shots for high-risk groups like elderly people and health care workers and expand the recipients in phases,” the president said in a weekly meeting with his aides at Cheong Wa Dae. His remarks ca

PoliticsAug. 30, 2021

NK appears to have reactivated Yongbyon nuclear reactor: IAEA

North Korea appears to have restarted operations at its main Yongbyon nuclear reactor in July, a UN nuclear watchdog said, raising the alarm that the reclusive regime could be increasing its nuclear arsenal.   　 The International Atomic Energy Agency, in an annual report dated Friday, said it detected “deeply troubling” indications that the 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex -- the country’s main source of weapons-grade plutonium -- has been reac

North KoreaAug. 30, 2021

Suspect in murder, rape of baby girl sparks public outrage in S. Korea

DAEJEON -- Public outrage has been boiling in South Korea over a man who allegedly abused and murdered a baby girl in June, with some people planning to stage rallies calling for the death penalty. The 29-year-old man, surnamed Yang, was recently indicted on charges of sexually assaulting and abusing the 20-month-old toddler to death at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 15. A little past midnight on that day, Yang, who was drunk at the time, allegedly covered t

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021

S. Korea's trade ministry launches task force on vaccine production

South Korea's trade ministry on Monday launched a new task force that will establish a long-term strategy to help Asia's No. 4 economy emerge as a global vaccine production hub amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. "Based on South Korea's various free-trade networks with 57 countries, the country will bolster ties with major partners in terms of the global vaccine supply chain," Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said in a statement during a meeting with related organizations. During the me

PoliticsAug. 30, 2021

National Assembly set to vote on contentious bills

The National Assembly on Monday is set to vote on a string of contentious bills in a plenary session. The ruling Democratic Party (DP), holding an absolute parliamentary majority, initially planned to push a highly contested media reform bill through the meeting scheduled for 5 p.m., but the prospect of its imminent passage remains slim amid the main opposition's threat to launch a filibuster. Among the bills likely to be submitted to the session are one to block US tech giant Google's upcomin

PoliticsAug. 30, 2021

Justice ministry to toughen surveillance measures against convicts wearing ankle bracelets

The Ministry of Justice said Monday it will devise measures to step up monitoring of convicts wearing electric ankle bracelets, following the incident over the weekend where a man, who had cut off his monitoring device and took off, turned himself in to police and said he killed two women. The ministry said at a briefing it will make the device harder to cut off, enhance cooperation with police by swiftly sharing information on criminals wearing such a device and introduce an improved system to

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] 7 in 10 Koreans agree with granting long-term stay visas for Afghan evacuees: survey

Nearly 7 out of 10 Koreans agree with the government’s plan to grant long-term visas for Afghan evacuees, a survey showed Monday. The government evacuated 390 Afghan nationals, including people who worked for Korean organizations and their families, and plan to grant them long-term stay visas. According to Realmeter’s survey, 68.7 percent of the respondents said they “empathize with” the government’s plan whereas 28.7 percent said they do not agree with it. By

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Chances grow for ‘fake news’ bill to be voted on a later date

Lawmakers on Monday continued to debate the timing of a final vote on a bill on penalizing the press for “fake news,” with fierce opposition from those outside the ruling party likely pushing the date back. In face of fierce protest from the media and opposition lawmakers, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was debating within its members whether to walk back from its plan to push the bill through the National Assembly within this month’s provisional session. The bill has f

PoliticsAug. 30, 2021

US stresses 'urgent need for dialogue, diplomacy' with NK after IAEA report

The United States on Sunday stressed the "urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy" with North Korea after the UN nuclear watchdog reported that Pyongyang appears to have restarted its plutonium-producing nuclear reactor. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report to its board of governors that the five megawatt reactor at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex has shown indications it has been in operation since July. "We are aware of this report. We are closely

Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2021

US not to take part in upcoming S. Korea-Britain naval exercise: defense ministry

The United States will not take part in the upcoming combined naval exercise between the South Korean Navy and a British aircraft carrier strike group, the defense ministry in Seoul said Monday. The joint training for humanitarian and disaster relief missions is scheduled to be held in waters off the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, with the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is visiting South Korea as part of its seven-month world tour, taking part. Some local media reported that the US

Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2021

[Herald Interview] I feel totally safe now: Afghan helper

An Afghan national evacuated to South Korea five days ago has told the Korea Herald that he feels “totally safe” after arriving here. “Outside the facility where I stay now, I see a flag in my language Farsi that ‘Don’t be disappointed. Korea supports you.’ When I see these kinds of flags, these kinds of messages from Korean people, I don’t know how to thank them,” he said by phone from his accommodation at a government facility in Jincheon, Nort

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021

N. Korea denounces S. Korea, US over joint military drill, vows to strengthen war deterrence

North Korea slammed South Korea and the United States over their recent summertime joint military drill, vowing to strengthen "war deterrence" strong enough to counter and remove any external threats. The North's foreign ministry issued the criticism in a statement Sunday as Seoul and Washington concluded the combined military exercise last Thursday, which was held in a scaled-back manner due to the coronavirus situation and peace efforts involving North Korea. "The exercise of

North KoreaAug. 30, 2021

Man who ran away after removing ankle bracelet confesses to killing 2 women

A man, who had cut off his monitoring ankle bracelet and took off, turned himself in to police and said he killed two women, police said. Songpa Police Station arrested the 56-year-old man, surnamed Kang, on Sunday for ripping off the electronic device and allegedly murdering two -- one before he ran off and the other while he was on the run. The man turned himself over to police at around 8 a.m. Sunday, reportedly saying he feared being arrested soon for his crimes. Police had been chasing h

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021

Nearly 7 in 10 S. Koreans support granting long-term stay visas to Afghan evacuees

Almost 70 percent of South Koreans support the government's plan to grant long-term stay visas to hundreds of Afghan civilians who fled their homeland to be sheltered here from the Taliban, a poll showed Monday. According to the poll of 500 people aged 18 and above conducted by Realmeter on Friday, a combined 68.7 percent of the respondents said they approve of the plan to issue long-term visas to Afghan evacuees who arrived here last week, allowing them to get jobs here. Among those who sup

Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2021

New cases under 1,500, S. Korea to offer booster shots in Q4

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,500 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, with the country planning to offer booster shots to those who have been fully vaccinated in the fourth quarter to cope with the variant strains. The country added 1,487 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,426 local infections, raising the total caseload to 250,051, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Monday's tally marked a drop from 1,793 on Saturday and 1,6

Social AffairsAug. 30, 2021