[Graphic News] No. of households with minors falls below 5m in 2019: data

　The number of households with children under 18 years old fell below 5 million for the first time in 2019, amid a chronically low birthrate, data showed. 　The number of households with children under 18 came to 4.87 million in 2019, down from 5.04 million the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　Such households made up 23.3 percent of the total 20.9 million households in 2019, down 1.3 percentage points from 2018, the data showed. 　As of Nov. 1, 2019, the numbe

Social AffairsAug. 26, 2021

New COVID-19 cases hover under 1,900, largest death toll since 4th wave

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hovered near 1,900 on Thursday, and daily COVID-19 deaths hit the highest number since the fourth wave of the pandemic began, as health authorities scrambled to add critical-care hospital beds. The country added 1,882 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,829 local infections, raising the total caseload to 243,317, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's tally compares with 2,155 on Wednesday, 1,509 on Tuesday, 1,418

Social AffairsAug. 26, 2021

Afghan co-workers, family members on way to S. Korea on aerial tanker

A South Korean military plane departed for home from Islamabad on Thursday, carrying Afghan people evacuated from the war-torn nation after working for the South, as part of operations to bring a total of 391 Afghan co-workers and their family members to the country. The KC-330 tanker transport aircraft took off from an airport in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad at 4:53 a.m. (Seoul time) and is expected to land at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at 3:53 p.m., the foreign minist

Foreign AffairsAug. 26, 2021

S. Korea, US set to wrap up summertime combined exercise

 South Korea and the United States on Thursday were set to conclude a major summertime combined exercise held in a scaled-back manner due to the coronavirus situation and peace efforts involving North Korea, officials said. The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training began on Aug. 16, mobilizing the minimum level of troops without any outdoor drills, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). This year's summertime exercise kicked off amid strong protests from North

DefenseAug. 26, 2021

US grateful for S. Korea's contribution in evacuating Afghan refugees: US general

The United States is thankful for South Korea's support in getting people out of warn-torn Afghanistan, a ranking US military official said Wednesday, as the US struggles to evacuate its citizens and Afghan refugees before its deadline expires next week. Maj. Gen. William Taylor, deputy director for regional operations of the Joint Staff at the US Department of Defense, made the remark after South Korea evacuated nearly 400 Afghans who will be airlifted to South Korea for possible settlement th

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 26, 2021

New Zealand Tech Roadshow 2021 to foster partnerships between New Zealand and Korean technology companies

New Zealand’s chamber of commerce in Korea, or the Kiwi Chamber, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Invest Seoul Center jointly launched the two-day “New Zealand-Korea Tech Roadshow 2021” webinar Wednesday. The tech roadshow aims to emphasize New Zealand‘s role as a testbed of agricultural technologies and its status as a global leader in the field. Tech Roadshow 2021’s agenda is “People & Environment” focusing

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 25, 2021

S. Korea expresses 'strong regret' over Japan's Fukushima water

  South Korea on Wednesday expressed strong regret over Japan's move to release contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant without consultations with neighbors, following new reports of an undersea tunnel construction plan to release radioactive water from the plant. The government convened a vice-ministerial interagency meeting in response to news reports that the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the operator of the Fukushima plant, was planning to con

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 25, 2021

Navy to hold training with British aircraft carrier

The Navy will hold training sessions with the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and its escort ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula as the carrier strike group called off a port call in South Korea amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. “Given the pandemic crisis, we will take part in naval exchanges involving humanitarian and disaster relief, from Monday to Wednesday next week,” the ministry said, noting there were i

DefenseAug. 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Public remains poles apart over accepting Afghan refugees

A public debate over whether Korea should accept Afghan refugees continues to heat up with the government granting special stay permits for Afghans here while airlifting nationals who worked for Korea in the war-torn country. Since the Taliban took control of Kabul earlier this month, opinions are split over whether Korea should help Afghan nationals. A national petition against the idea of taking in Afghan refugees posted on the presidential website of Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday has gained ove

Social AffairsAug. 25, 2021

US back to waiting on NK amid standoff

The US is being forced back to former President Barack Obama’s strategic patience on North Korea, as Pyongyang rebuffs any diplomatic outreach and shows no signs of returning to nuclear negotiations, experts said Wednesday. During his visit to South Korea that ended Tuesday, US special representative on North Korea Sung Kim reiterated that Washington is ready to meet with Pyongyang anytime, anywhere and without preconditions. But Pyongyang is likely to leave Washington hanging, according

North KoreaAug. 25, 2021

South Korea set to accept 391 Afghan evacuees Thursday

South Korea is airlifting a total of 391 Afghans out of the war-ravaged country, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, as part of Seoul’s mission to evacuate civilians who worked alongside the Korean government and are therefore vulnerable to retaliation. 　 Afghan allies and their families were expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport aboard military jets Thursday. In the operation, code-named “Operation Miracle,” Korea deployed three military planes to Afghanistan

Foreign AffairsAug. 25, 2021

Assembly vote on 'fake news' bill delayed

South Korea’s National Assembly postponed a plenary meeting scheduled for Wednesday, preventing the ruling party from passing two controversial bills that have drawn fierce protests from opposition lawmakers. Early Wednesday, National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug notified the political party floor leaders that the plenary meeting scheduled later in the day would be postponed, since bills should not go through two legislative stages on the same day. At around 4 a.m. Wednesday, a cont

PoliticsAug. 25, 2021

Delta variants are 9 out of 10 in confirmed cases: PM

South Korea has been speeding up its vaccination efforts, with 1 in 4 now fully vaccinated, but a surge in the delta variant is hampering the country‘s efforts to contain the pandemic. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday, “The number of confirmed cases exceeded 2,000 again after five days. The delta variant is being found in 9 out of 10 confirmed cases in Korea.” He added that the delta variant emits up to 300 times more virus than conventional COVID-19 viruses. &l

Social AffairsAug. 25, 2021

Korea, Colombia to bolster post-COVID partnership

President Moon Jae-in and Colombian President Ivan Duque held summit talks in Seoul on Wednesday and agreed to further bolster bilateral ties that mark the 60th aniversary next year.  Duque and his wife Maria Juliana Ruiz arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for a three-day state visit, becoming the first presidential couple to visit Korea since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. For the Colombian president, it was his first trip outside Latin America amid the pandemic. The state visit was ma

Foreign AffairsAug. 25, 2021

Plenary parliamentary meeting postponed ahead of planned vote on controversial media bill

The National Assembly postponed a plenary meeting set for Wednesday, hours after the ruling party railroaded a controversial media bill through a parliamentary committee despite protests from opposition parties. National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug expressed his decision to put off the plenary meeting set for the afternoon, according to Rep. Han Byung-do, spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP). The DP, controlling an absolute majority at the National Assembly, planned to push the

PoliticsAug. 25, 2021

Seoul City to offer free online courses for 110,000 citizens in need

Seoul will provide free online lectures to 110,000 underprivileged students and young people as a means to bridge the growing achievement gap among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that the free academic package will be provided to elementary, middle and high school students from low-income families, starting Friday, as well as to adolescents who are not in school and those from multicultural families. The online courses will b

Social AffairsAug. 25, 2021

S. Korea grants temporary stay permits to Afghans on humanitarian grounds

The justice ministry said Wednesday it will grant special stay permits to Afghans living in South Korea out of humanitarian concerns. The ministry said a total of 434 Afghans, who have been staying in the country on either short- or long-term visa, will benefit from the measure. The measure will remain in place until "the situation in Afghanistan becomes stabilized," the ministry said. Afghanistan remains in a state of chaos following the Taliban's seizure of power earlier this month

Foreign AffairsAug. 25, 2021

Air Force chief to visit US for talks with space, air force commanders

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho will visit the United States this week for multilateral talks with leaders in charge of space and air operations, his office said Wednesday. Park will depart South Korea later in the day for a 10-day trip to Colorado and Hawaii at the invitation of US chief of space operations, Gen. John Raymond, and US Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, according to the Air Force. During his planned visit to the US Space Command, Park is scheduled to

Foreign AffairsAug. 25, 2021

NK foreign ministry defends Cuba's capture of American, boat seizure as 'legitimate measure'

North Korea said Wednesday that Cuba has captured an American attempting to smuggle people from Havana to the United States, calling it a "legitimate measure." The North's foreign ministry made the claim in an article on its website, saying the American approached the eastern coast of the Cuban capital on a speedboat on Aug. 7 in an attempt to take several Cubans to the US. "The Cuban Coast Guard seized the speedboat and captured the American who had violated the territorial wat

North KoreaAug. 25, 2021

Military reports 4 COVID-19 cases

Four service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total infections reported among the military population to 1,592, the defense ministry said Wednesday. A newly enlisted soldier at the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in isolation after a series of infections were reported there, according to the ministry. In the central city of Chungju, two airmen were found to have been infe

DefenseAug. 25, 2021