N. Korea refuses to answer S. Korea's hotline calls for 2nd day

North Korea did not answer South Korea's phone calls via liaison and military hotlines for the second consecutive day Wednesday, officials said, as Pyongyang is ramping up criticism against the South for going ahead with its summertime exercise with the United States. The calls via the inter-Korean liaison office and military communication channels in the eastern and western border regions went unanswered at 9 a.m., after the North began to shun their regular calls from Tuesday afternoon, accor

North KoreaAug. 11, 2021

N. Korea says it will make S. Korea, US feel serious security crisis every minute

North Korea on Wednesday slammed South Korea and the United States again for going ahead with its joint military exercise, warning it will make the allies feel a serious security crisis every minute. Kim Yong-chol, head of the North's United Front Department handling inter-Korean affairs, made the remarks in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, saying the South Korean authorities have defied the opportunity to make a turn in relations. The denouncement comes just a d

North KoreaAug. 11, 2021

US holds no hostile intent toward N. Korea: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States holds no hostile intent toward North Korea, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday, in reaction to a statement by North Korea denouncing the US and South Korea over their joint military exercises. The spokesman, Ned Price, said he had no comment on the statement issued by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, but insisted that the joint military drills are purely defensive in nature. "First, let me reiterate that the joint military exerc

Foreign AffairsAug. 11, 2021

New cases at new high of over 2,200 despite month of toughest virus curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases reached a new high of over 2,200 on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic in January last year in the face of monthlong toughened virus curbs and a slower than expected vaccination campaign. The country added 2,223 COVID-19 cases, including 2,145 local infections, raising the total caseload to 216,206, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was up 683 from 1,540 the previous day. The country added o

Social AffairsAug. 11, 2021

S. Korea’s daily new COVID-19 cases top 2,000 for first time

South Korea’s daily new coronavirus cases surpassed 2,000 for the first time Tuesday despite weeks of toughened social distancing restrictions, according to official data. As of 9 p.m., 2,021 new infections were confirmed nationwide, up 637 from the same time Monday, health authorities and local governments said. It is unprecedented that more than 2,000 additional cases have been reported in a day in the country since it saw its first COVID-19 infection on Jan. 20 last year. South Kore

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

Bangladesh pays tribute to martyrs of Independence

The Bangladesh Embassy paid tribute to Capt. Sheikh Kamal and Bangamata Fazilatun Nessa Mujib who were son and wife of Bangladesh’s first President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Kamal and  Bangamata were assassinated with the president in 1975. After a reading and prayers for Kamal and Bangamata, as well as martyred family members, freedom fighters and the development of Bangladesh, the embassy screened a documentary on their life and work, followed by an open discussion

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 10, 2021

NK refuses to answer calls from S. Korea in apparent protest against military drills

North Korea did not answer daily phone calls from South Korea via liaison and military hotlines on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the sister of the North’s leader Kim Jong-un blasted Seoul and Washington for going ahead with combined military exercises.  The inter-Korean communication lines -- the liaison hotline and the military channels in the eastern and western border regions -- were in normal operation until the morning but the afternoon calls went unanswered, officials said.&n

North KoreaAug. 10, 2021

Bangladesh celebrates ‘Mujib Year’

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Seoul celebrated 'Mujib Year' showcasing the life and legacy of the “father of the nation,“ Bangladesh’s first President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with a second photo exhibition in Seoul last week. Bangabandhu, the architect of Bangladesh, proclaimed the Independence of Bangladesh in 1971 and played a significant role in making Bangladesh the136th member of the United Nations. The embassy co-organized the exhibition, titled “Mu

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Juvenile drug cases on the rise

Drug cases are on the rise in South Korea, with a marked surge in the number of juveniles arrested on drug charges, officials said Tuesday. According to government data, 7,565 people were arrested on drug charges and 1,138 people were imprisoned for drug offenses between January and June. Drug arrests rose 8.6 percent from the same period last year. The number of drug arrests stood at 12,613 in 2018, 16,044 in 2019 and 18,050 in 2020. The crackdown was carried out by the Ministry of Food a

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

'Shoe polish chocolate,’ ‘glue stick candy’ banned

Chocolate in a shoe polish can, carbonated drinks in a marker ink bottle, candy in a glue stick and a lipstick container -- foods that resemble familiar non-food products -- will no longer be sold in South Korea under a legal revision. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Tuesday it has issued an advance notice for revised ordinances under a revised bill on labelling and advertising of foods that passed the National Assembly last month. The revised law bans labelling and advertising that

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

Hwaseong set to become leading mega city of Gyeonggi

The population of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province has increased by 69.3 percent over the past decade, far outpacing the 13.8 percent growth of the province overall. The city saw the demographic figure sharply climb from just over half a million in July 2011 to over 870,000 in July 2021. It has grown to be the fourth-largest city in Gyeonggi (the most populous region among the country’s 17 major cities and provinces), next to Suwon (the largest with 1.18 million), Goyang (1.08 million) and Yo

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

Hwaseong mayor strengthens city’s growth engines for 3 years

The rapid growth and innovations in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province is drawing attention to the city, and to its Mayor Seo Cheol-mo, who took office in July 2018. Born to a needy family in 1968, Seo spent his childhood in a tiny, underground single-room apartment with nine other family members including his parents. Though Seo had excellent academic scores, he had to give up on prominent private universities, and opted for the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy, which offered him full scholarshi

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

Kenya’s Big 4 Agenda, Vision 2030 open up trade and investment opportunities for Korea: Kenyan top envoy

The priority areas under Kenya’s Vision 2030 and its Big 4 Agenda -- food security, universal health care, affordable housing and industrialization -- provide a solid foundation for trade and investment for South Korean companies, according to Mwende Mwinzi, Kenyan ambassador to Korea. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Mwinzi said the grounds for advancing bilateral relations were laid in July during a visit to Korea by Betty Maina, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for industrializa

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 10, 2021

High hopes for papal visit to North Korea

South Korea’s budding efforts to resume diplomacy with North Korea are once again fanning expectations for a visit to the reclusive country by Pope Francis. Since the recent reopening of the direct hotlines connecting the two Koreas, officials are reviewing a slew of ideas to expedite inter-Korean talks such as setting up a virtual conference system or holding a family reunion event during the Chuseok holidays in September. Renewed attention is also being paid to the possibilit

North KoreaAug. 10, 2021

No sign of letup in COVID-19 spread while vaccine plans are disrupted

The latest wave of COVID-19 infections is showing no signs of slowing down, with 1,540 new cases announced Tuesday -- 1,476 locally transmitted and 64 imported from overseas. The figure, which covers the 24 hours ending Monday at midnight, pushes the total number of cases to date to 213,987, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. South Korea added nine more deaths, raising the death toll to 2,134. The virus seemed to have slowed down a little in the capital region -- Seo

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

After NK warning, South on watch for response to drills

The presidential office is monitoring North Korea for a further reaction to the South Korea-US military exercises as the four-day preliminary drills took off Tuesday, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said in response to Pyongyang’s accusation earlier in the day that the drills threatened peace. Previously the Defense and Unification ministries had communicated with their North Korean counterparts by phone twice a day, but the North did not respond to a call from the South on Tuesday a

North KoreaAug. 10, 2021

All members of virus-hit Cheonghae unit fully recovered

The last two members of the virus-hit Cheonghae unit were to be released from a hospital Tuesday, marking the full recovery of all infected service members who had to cut short their anti-piracy missions in waters off Africa and return home following an unprecedented mass infection. All members of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit were airlifted home in July after 247 troops tested positive for COVID-19. Subsequent tests found 25 more cases, raising the total caseload to 272, or 90 percent of the t

PoliticsAug. 10, 2021

S. Korea to urge Moderna to swiftly supply vaccine amid delayed shipments

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday the government plans to call on Moderna Inc. to swiftly supply its COVID-19 vaccine as the US drugmaker is expected to delay the planned shipment for this month. Moderna has notified the government that it plans to supply less than half of the 8.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine planned for August, spawning concerns that the country's vaccine rollout may hit a snag amid the fourth wave of the pandemic. "The government should make all-out eff

Social AffairsAug. 10, 2021

Inter-Korean communication channels in normal operation despite NK threats

Inter-Korean communication lines were in normal operation Tuesday despite an angry statement that North Korea issued against joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, officials said. Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued the statement expressing "deep regret" to South Korea for going ahead with the exercise with the US after she warned earlier that the maneuvers will cloud inter-Korean relations. Despite the statement, the two Koreas

North KoreaAug. 10, 2021

S. Korean consul general in Seattle under probe over 'inappropriate' remarks to staffer

South Korea's consul general in Seattle has been under a probe by the foreign ministry for making "inappropriate" remarks to at least one staffer at the diplomatic mission, sources said Tuesday. Kwon Won-jik, who took the post in December last year, has been working from home since June as part of the ministry's measure to separate him from the victim while the investigation is under way, according to the sources familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear what those "

PoliticsAug. 10, 2021