S. Korea decides to temporarily close Afghan embassy, evacuates most diplomatic staff

South Korea has decided to temporarily close its embassy in Afghanistan and evacuated most of its diplomatic staff to a third country in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Sunday. The decision came as the Taliban militant group reportedly entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and sought a "peaceful transfer of power" over the weekend, just weeks before the US completes the pullout of its troops to end nearly 20 years of war. A few embassy personnel, including the ambassador, re

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

[Graphic News] Fewer teens arrested, but higher percentage accused of drug or online crimes

　The total number of juveniles arrested decreased last year, but the proportion of drug and online crime cases involving teens increased, police data showed. 　According to the National Police Agency, 64,595 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 were apprehended on criminal charges last year, down from 66,204 in 2019 and 66,259 in 2018. 　But the agency said the number of teenagers nabbed for alleged drug crimes surged to 132 last year, from 72 in 2019 and 56 in 2018. 　The tally of teen arrest

Social AffairsAug. 16, 2021

Remains of Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do return from Kazakhstan

The remains of Hong Beom-do, a historic Korean independence fighter, were brought home from Kazakhstan on Sunday, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian nation. 　President Moon Jae-in received and honored his remains at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, as Korea marked Liberation Day to commemorate the anniversary of its liberation from Japan‘s 1910-45 colonial rule. 　Hong, who served as general commander of Korea’s independence army, is a historic figure i

Social AffairsAug. 15, 2021

US nuke envoy expected to visit S. Korea this month: official

The US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, is expected to visit Seoul later this month for talks with his South Korean counterpart and a trilateral session involving the Russian nuclear envoy, a diplomatic source said Sunday. Kim is expected to arrive on Saturday for a four-day visit, the source said. It will mark his second trip to South Korea since taking office as Washington‘s chief nuclear envoy. He last visited Seoul in June. While Kim is in town, Russia’s nuclea

PoliticsAug. 15, 2021

Foreign ministry ‘closely monitoring’ situation in Afghanistan

South Korea is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said Sunday, as Taliban fighters advanced to Kabul demanding the surrender of the central government, prompting citizens and foreigners to flee the city. 　“We still have staff stationed at the embassy. We are closely monitoring the situation,” a ministry official said on Sunday afternoon. 　Another official said the situation in Afghanistan is “very tense,” adding that they are &ldquo

PoliticsAug. 15, 2021

[News Focus] US nationals become No. 1 in tally for inbound visitors

SEJONG -- US nationals have become the largest group of foreign visitors to South Korea by nationality, though they placed No. 4 in the tally in 2018 and 2019 and No. 3 in 2020. According to the Korea Immigration Service, the number of inbound travelers from the US reached 104,931 during the first half of 2021. US nationals overtook Chinese (formerly No. 1), Japanese and Taiwanese in the tally, while the situation is estimated to be affected by the pandemic. The number of inbound travelers fr

Social AffairsAug. 15, 2021

Just how much risk do outdoor protests pose?

One-person demonstrations against the Moon Jae-in administration were held all around central Seoul districts the morning of the National Liberation Day on Sunday, after attempts to stage a march in Gwanghwamun the previous day proved unsuccessful. Police stationed guards at 81 major roads around the city and blockaded the central city boulevard with buses and fences from early Saturday to ward off any action. The leaders of the weekend demonstrations previously insisted they would be &ldq

Social AffairsAug. 15, 2021

S. Korea, US to kick off scaled-back combined exercise this week

South Korea and the United States will kick off a major summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner on Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced, after North Korea vowed to punish the two countries when they started a preliminary training last week. The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will not include outdoor drills, and the size of troops involved will be minimized in consideration of the virus situation, the JCS said in a statement. The decision to

DefenseAug. 15, 2021

[Herald Interview] Turn N. Korea into ally, Army general says

South Korea and the US should not miss a rare opportunity to gradually turn North Korea into their ally by helping out Pyongyang, which is desperate to find a way out of its worst economic crisis, said Leem Ho-young, former deputy commander at the allies’ Combined Forces Command. “Let’s think beyond denuclearization. We have to eventually bring North Korea to the alliance-led order. That’s the ‘Grand Bargain,’” the retired four-star Army general said in

North KoreaAug. 15, 2021

Jeju under toughest curbs amid spiking virus cases

JEJU -- The municipality of the southern resort island of Jeju decided Sunday to raise social distancing rules to the highest level starting Wednesday in a bid to stem a spike in COVID-19 cases. The virus curbs will be raised by one notch to Level 4, the highest level in the country's four-tier scheme, from the current Level 3, according to the Jeju provincial government. The move will be effective until Aug. 29. Jeju Island has joined the greater Seoul area and several non-capital areas that

Social AffairsAug. 15, 2021

Harvard professor Ramseyer denies Japanese military's forced mobilization of comfort women

NEW YORK/SEOUL -- A Harvard professor has claimed that Japan did not force Korean and other women into sexual slavery during World War II, renewing his much-denounced claims that the victims were actually prostitutes. J. Mark Ramseyer of the Harvard Law School made the claim in the preface to a recently published book on the victims, saying Japan's military did not need to forcibly mobilize what he characterized as prostitutes and had little room to do so. Authored by Tetsuo Arima, a social sc

Foreign AffairsAug. 15, 2021

Assembly speaker visits Turkey, Azerbaijan to cement ties

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug began his nine-day visit to Turkey and Azerbaijan on Friday, hoping to strengthen cooperation on the economy and defense, officials said Sunday. He will spend six days in Turkey and three days in Azerbaijan, according to the speaker’s office. During his visit to Turkey, South Korea’s strategic partner, Park will seek support for the participation of Korean businesses in large-scale infrastructure and defense projects in the nation. On

PoliticsAug. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ruling party forges ahead with “fake news” law despite opposition

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is poised to push ahead with the revision of the Act on Press Arbitration, despite resistance from opposition parties and the media. The Act on Press Arbitration aims to mediate disputes over media reports that infringe on people’s rights, interests or reputations. The ruling party recently proposed a revised bill that would further toughen consequences for false reports, including the introduction of punitive damages. Under the revised law

PoliticsAug. 15, 2021

2nd batch of US's Janssen vaccine arrives in S. Korea

The second batch of 400,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine that the United States promised to offer to South Korea arrived here on Sunday, officials said. The shipment departed from Tennessee on Saturday (US time) and landed in Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 12:47 p.m., according to the officials. The newly arrived vaccines will be administered first to prisoners and sailors from Aug. 23 after undergoing a safety assessment. They do not requ

Social AffairsAug. 15, 2021

S. Korea voices deep regret over Suga's offerings, other leaders' visits to Yasukuni

South Korea on Sunday expressed deep regret over Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's sending of offerings and other leader's visits to Yasukuni Shrine on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of World War II. "The government voices its deep disappointment and regret over Japanese leaders repeating the sending of offerings and visits to Yasukuni Shrine that beautifies Japan's past war of aggression and enshrines war criminals," Choi Young-sam, foreign ministry spokesperson, s

Foreign AffairsAug. 15, 2021

Both Koreas to benefit from 'institutionalizing' peace, Moon says in Liberation Day speech

President Moon Jae-in proposed Sunday that South and North Korea "institutionalize" peace on the peninsula and create a Germany-style trust-building system toward the longer-term goal of unification. "Firmly institutionalizing peace on the Korean Peninsula will definitely benefit both Koreas greatly," Moon said during his Liberation Day speech to commemorate the 76th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule.He described division as the biggest obstacle bl

PoliticsAug. 15, 2021

NK organization demands Japan's atonement for wrongdoings during its colonial rule of Korea

A North Korean organization called Sunday for Japan's sincere apology and atonement for its wrongdoings and atrocities committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, state media said Sunday. The Korean Committee on Measures for the Sexual Slavery for Japanese Army and Drafting Victims made the request in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on the occasion of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's rule. "Still kept buried everywhere in Asia wh

North KoreaAug. 15, 2021

New COVID-19 cases dip to 1,800s amid worry over spike in holiday-tied cases

South Korea's daily new coronavirus fell back to the 1,800s Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities remained on alert over further spread of the virus following an extended weekend. The country added 1,817 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,749 local infections, raising the total caseload to 223,928, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's tally was down from 1,930 on Saturday and 1,990 on Friday. But the decline was attribut

Social AffairsAug. 15, 2021

Kim, Putin exchange messages on anniv. of Korea's liberation from Japan

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the friendly ties of their countries and vowed further bilateral cooperation as they exchanged messages to mark the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japan's colonial rule, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. In a message sent to Putin on Sunday, Kim emphasized that the friendly ties "forged in blood in the struggle against the common enemy" have been carried forward for ge

North KoreaAug. 15, 2021

NK media urges S. Korea, US to stop joint military drills, withdraw American troops

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Saturday urged South Korea and the United States to stop their joint military exercise and pull American troops out of the South if the South wants peace on the peninsula.  Tongil Sinbo, a North Korean weekly, renewed the call in a commentary, denouncing the military drill as "an exercise taking place under the collusion with foreign forces."  "It's an operation aimed at preemptively striking our republic and a preliminary training

North KoreaAug. 14, 2021