Maskless Chuseok looks ‘increasingly unlikely’

The Korean government’s promise of a maskless Chuseok holiday next month is looking increasingly less likely, health experts say, with cases once again rising to record levels on Thursday. In the last 24 hours ending Wednesday midnight, Korea counted 2,152 more cases of COVID-19, up from the previous day’s 1,805, marking the second-highest one-day record behind Aug. 11’s 2,222. Over the past month, an average of 1,652 cases was posted each day. Son Young-rae, spokesperson

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2021

[News Focus] Controversial ‘fake news’ bill draws closer to legislation

A bill backed by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea that would penalize media outlets and journalists for producing “fake news” was approved by a parliamentary committee Thursday, taking it another step closer to becoming law. It is likely the proposed revision to the Press Arbitration Act will be put to a final vote and passed during a plenary session Wednesday, as the ruling party controls about 60 percent of the National Assembly’s 300 seats. The bill, which the ruling p

PoliticsAug. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] COVAX allocates 3m Sinovac vaccines to North Korea

The UN-backed vaccine-sharing program COVAX has allocated around 3 million doses of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to North Korea, but it remains to be seen whether the reclusive regime will accept them. 　 According to Radio Free Asia on Thursday, Edwin Salvador, head of the World Health Organization office in Pyongyang, said the program allotted 2.97 million shots of China’s Sinovac to the North during the latest round of vaccine allocation. COVAX is a multinational program that distri

Foreign AffairsAug. 19, 2021

Health workers plan strike, demanding more staff, support

With public health workers warning of a strike, concerns are rising that hospitals already struggling with surge in patients could face series difficulties. On Wednesday, 122 branches of the Korean Health and Medical workers’ Union (136 medical institutions) filed for a dispute settlement with the Labor Relations Commission. The union demanded an expansion of public health centers, medical workers, infrastructure and financial support. If the union does not settle with the government in

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] High court okays 34-year prison term for university student in sexual blackmail case

DAEGU -- An appellate court on Thursday upheld an imprisonment of 34 years for a key member of an online sexual blackmail ring indicted on 12 criminal charges, including the violation of laws on protecting minors from sexual abuse. The Daegu High Court in this southeastern city approved the hefty prison term after convicting Moon Hyung-wook, a 24-year-old university student, of coercing 21 women and girls into sharing nearly 3,800 sexually explicit videos of themselves for distribution on a Tel

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2021

Renowned Kazakh poet commemorated at Seoul Cyber University

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Kazakhstan, coming up next year, a bust of poet Abai Qunanbaiuly was recently installed at Seoul Cyber University. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Lee Sang-kyun, chair of the Shinil Education Foundation, unveiled the sculpture together on Tuesday at Seoul Cyber University, which is run by the foundation. “National poet Abai, with his soul-touching and beautiful lyrics, was a grateful visionary

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2021

Chief of S. Korean peacekeeping unit in Lebanon dismissed over corruption allegations

The commander and two other officers of South Korea's peacekeeping unit in Lebanon have been relieved of duty and ordered to return home amid a probe over suspected embezzlement and other irregularities, military sources said Thursday.    The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) made the decision after holding a deliberation session earlier in the day on corruption allegations against the Army colonel heading the Dongmyeong Unit and three other officers.    The 300-strong Dongmye

Foreign AffairsAug. 19, 2021

Moon pledges to expand free cervical cancer vaccination program for adolescent girls

President Moon Jae-in pledged Thursday to expand South Korea's free cervical cancer vaccination program to benefit all girls under age 18. "(The government) will enlarge the scope of beneficiaries of the free vaccination program to include girls up to the age of 17 from the current cap at age 12," Moon said in response to a civic petition submitted on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Cheong Wa Dae's online public petition service. "I will work to entitle all female ado

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2021

2 more Army recruits test positive for COVID-19

An Army boot camp reported two more cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total caseload in the latest cluster infection there to 13, the defense ministry said Thursday. The two recruits at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan, 213 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have been infected, after the military conducted virus tests on all of the around 900 soldiers there following a cluster infection reported the previous day. Twelve of them are awaiting t

DefenseAug. 19, 2021

Court orders seizure of Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy's assets in S. Korea over forced wartime labor

A South Korean court has ordered the seizure of Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s assets here to provide compensation to forced wartime labor victims' families, according to judicial sources Thursday. According to Haemaru Lawfirm, the Anyang branch of Suwon District Court, just south of Seoul, recently ordered the seizure of about 850 million won ($725,000) worth of bonds the Japanese company owns in LS Mtron, Ltd, a South Korean industrial machinery manufacturer. The value is the eq

Foreign AffairsAug. 19, 2021

New cases at over 2,000 again; toughest curbs likely to be extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases topped 2,100, the second-largest number recorded here during the COVID-19 outbreak, following an extended weekend, as the country will likely again extend the toughest virus restrictions in the greater Seoul area and the enhanced restrictions across the country. The country added 2,152 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,114 local infections, raising the total caseload to 230,808, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2021

Seoul to continue monitor situation in Afghanistan: Korean ambassador

South Korea will continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan, including the formation of a new government, following the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country, according to the South Korean ambassador to Afghanistan on Wednesday.  “The embassy will continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan, including how the international community will respond to the formation of the government, and jointly respond with the international community,” Choi Tae-ho, Korea&rsqu

Foreign AffairsAug. 19, 2021

N. Korea issued navigational warning for East Sea in indication of missile launch preparations

North Korea had declared a no-sail zone for ships off the east coast earlier this week, sources said Thursday, indicating that it had plans to launch missiles amid an ongoing combined exercise between South Korea and the United States.    The navigational warning was issued for Sunday through Monday for northeastern regions in the East Sea, according to the military sources. Such an advisory is usually issued ahead of missile launches or other weapons tests to warn vessels to stay cl

North KoreaAug. 19, 2021

UN panel allows Germany to send COVID-19 test equipment to North Korea

A UN Security Council panel has approved sanctions exemptions for a German project to provide North Korea with medical equipment for the prevention of COVID-19, its website showed Thursday. The exemptions will allow Germany to export medical equipment to prevent and control the coronavirus, including the delivery of "six units of a Rotor-Disc 100 Starter Kit" for PCR testing to the North's Ministry of Public Health, according to the website of the North Korea sanctions committee. The

North KoreaAug. 19, 2021

S. Korea to invest W1.6tr to develop military satellite technologies

South Korea plans to invest 1.6 trillion ($1.37 billion) in the next 10 years to secure core technologies for satellite development in the defense sector, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. The plan is part of a series of measures aimed at upgrading the country's defense capabilities in the space sector, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The agency has launched a task force to focus on developing South Korea's space defense industry, saying that 16 trillion w

DefenseAug. 19, 2021

Ex-House Speaker Gingrich slams Biden over Afghan pullout's impact on US allies' trust

Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich has slammed President Joe Biden for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, saying the decision would leave South Korea and other allies wondering whether they can trust the United States. Gingrich made the comments in a contribution to Fox News on Wednesday, portraying the turmoil in Afghanistan in the wake of the US' troop withdrawal decision as a "clearly massive failure of leadership." "See how quickly Biden turns

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 19, 2021

US service member participating in combined exercise tests positive for virus

An American service member participating in an annual combined exercise with South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Thursday. The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) "confirms that one individual recently tested positive for COVID-19 while working in a combined headquarters location supporting CCPT," its spokesman Col. Lee Peters said in a statement. CCPT refers to the computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training, an annual exercise bet

DefenseAug. 19, 2021

Vice FM Choi attends conference call with 19 foreign counterparts

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has attended a conference call with his counterparts from the United States and 18 other countries to discuss cooperation over the situation in Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said Thursday. During Wednesday's conference led by US. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, most participants shared the need for close cooperation to ensure the restoration of peace in Afghanistan and the safe return home of their citizens, the ministry said. Among the

PoliticsAug. 19, 2021

Russian warship fires warning shots at S. Korean fishing boat

A Russian naval vessel on Wednesday fired warning shots at a South Korean fishing boat operating in waters off Vladivostok, Seoul's oceans ministry said. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The Russian warship broadcast a warning when the 77-ton fishing vessel was catching squid at around 3:27 a.m. in waters some 138.9 kilometers south of Vladivostok, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The captain of the Korean ship explained the situation to a Russian border patrol of

Foreign AffairsAug. 18, 2021

Korea’s messaging around AstraZeneca vaccine prompts confusion

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine became available to people in their 30s and 40s this week, even though the official cutoff age hasn’t changed. This is leaving many people unsure, including medical professionals who say no real evidence was provided to support the change of policy. Officially, the vaccine is recommended only for those 50 and older, due to the higher risk of rare but serious blood clotting as a side effect in younger people. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention

Social AffairsAug. 18, 2021