Minister rules out Aug. 15 presidential pardons for two jailed former leaders

Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said Wednesday it is too late for two former presidents jailed for corruption to receive presidential pardons on the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day. He made the remark as two elderly former presidents, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, were admitted to hospitals last week in moves some observers said may be intended to arouse public opinion favorable to special amnesties for them. Minister Park dismissed such speculation, saying they were hospitalized for

PoliticsJuly 28, 2021

KCTU dismissed link to COVID-19 cases without evidence

The announcement that no COVID-19 infections were reported from a Korean Confederation of Trade Unions rally was based on a report submitted by the labor group with no supporting evidence, an opposition lawmaker said Wednesday. The finding extends controversy as to whether the mass rally of thousands of people held in central Seoul played a role in worsening the country’s virus situation, and whether the labor group should be held responsible in related developments. The office of Rep.

Social AffairsJuly 28, 2021

Chungcheong cities, provinces to bid to co-host 2027 Summer World University Games

Local governments in the Chungcheong region received approval from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday to participate in bidding to host the 2027 Summer World University Games. The ministry made the decision after reviewing proposals from the local governments of Sejong, Daejeon, and North and South Chungcheong provinces. During a review session, Jeon Jung-ae, director of culture, sports and tourism for North Chungcheong Province, outlined the local government’s visio

Social AffairsJuly 28, 2021

South, North Korean militaries hold daily call via restored military hotline: defense ministry

South and North Korean military authorities held a daily phone call via a military hotline on Wednesday, the defense ministry said, a day after the North restored all severed communication lines with the South. "The South and the North held their daily liaison phone call at 9 a.m. Wednesday, via the western communication line," the defense ministry said, referring to one of the two military hotlines set up across the border. The other channel, known as the eastern line, is not fully

DefenseJuly 28, 2021

Koreas at starting point for resumption of peace process: Cheong Wa Dae

South and North Korea are standing at the starting line again for the ultimate goal of denuclearization, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. It was talking about the meaning of the reopening of inter-Korean communication lines, the result of President Moon Jae-in's exchange of several personal letters with the North's leader Kim Jong-un over the past few months. The previous day, the two Koreas restored their military and government-level liaison hotlines that were severed in June last year. They a

PoliticsJuly 28, 2021

Koreas hold daily liaison phone call after restoring communication lines

South and North Korea held their daily liaison phone call on Wednesday, the unification ministry said, a day after Pyongyang restored inter-Korean communication lines after a 13-month suspension. Four hotlines were restored Tuesday after the North cut them off in June last year in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets coming in from the South. At the time, the North also blew up a joint liaison office in anger as well. On Wednesday, the two sides held phone calls via liaison and milita

North KoreaJuly 28, 2021

Moderna to resume COVID-19 vaccine shipments to S. Korea next week: govt.

US pharmaceutical company Moderna will resume provisions of COVID-19 vaccines to South Korea next week, the prime minister said Wednesday, following a delay due to an issue linked to the company's vaccine production. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the company's vaccine supply resumption plan at an interagency COVID-19 response meeting, explaining that health officials discussed the matter with Moderna officials late Tuesday through a video conference. The government said Tuesday that Mo

PoliticsJuly 28, 2021

NK leader makes no mention of nuclear deterrence at national conference of war veterans

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country's armed forces are fully ready to deal with any outside threats as he addressed a conference of war veterans but unlike last year, made no mention of "nuclear deterrence," according to state media Wednesday. The annual conference, held Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, coincided with the surprise announcement that the North restored cross-border hotlines with South Korea that it had cut

North KoreaJuly 28, 2021

US welcomes reopening of inter-Korean communication lines as 'positive step'

WASHINGTON -- The United States welcomes the reopening of direct communication lines between the two Koreas, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday, calling it a "positive step." The remarks come after North Korea reopened its communication channels, including a military hotline, with South Korea on Tuesday (Seoul time). "The United States supports inter-Korean dialogue and engagement and welcomes today's announcement on the restoration of inter-Korean communications lines

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2021

Daily virus cases hit new high; infections in non-capital area, delta variant worrisome

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit a new high Wednesday, health authorities said, as the highly transmissible delta variant and rising infections outside the greater Seoul area continue to hamper the virus fight. The country added 1,896 COVID-19 cases, including 1,823 local infections, raising the total caseload to 193,427, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily number was up 531 from the previous day. It was the largest daily caseload since t

Social AffairsJuly 28, 2021

US approach toward N. Korea leaves doors open to dialogue: Austin

WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to take a practical approach toward North Korea that leaves open the door for dialogue, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday. The US defense chief made the remark as North Korea reopened its direct communication lines with South Korea in an apparent move to improve its relations with Seoul that many believe may also lead to a resumption of dialogue with the United States. "And we're taking a calibrated, practical approach that leaves the

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2021

US supports inter-Korean dialogue: Kurt Campbell

WASHINGTON -- The United States supports dialogue between South Korea and North Korea, a senior White House official said Tuesday, welcoming the reopening of direct communication lines between the divided Koreas. "We are supportive of the dialogue and communication with North Korea," Kurt Campbell, policy coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, told reporters after taking part in a breakfast meeting in Washington hosted by the Korea-US Alliance Foundation. His remarks come after North Kore

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2021

Bicentennial of the independence of Peru

This year 2021 marks 200 years of the independence of Peru and the absolute end of Spanish colonial rule in our country. Some thinkers state that the independence of Peru and the uprising against Spanish domination began with the capture of the Inca Atahualpa on the afternoon of Nov. 16, 1532 in Cajamarca, which led to the conquest of the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro. Atahualpa’s successors tried on several occasions to retake the government of the country, reconquer their empire an

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 27, 2021

[Diplomatic Circuit] Bangladesh unveils Bangabandhu Corner in Seoul

The Embassy of Bangladesh opened Bangabandhu Corner at the library of Yonsei University in Seoul on Monday. 　 The establishment of the corner is part of the birth centenary celebration of Bangladesh’s first president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is known as the “father of the nation”. The corner will showcase writings on Bangabandhu, his life and works, the history of Bangladesh’s War of Liberation, the heritage of Bangladesh, Korean versions of Sheikh Mujibu

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 27, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae says no plan yet to send special envoy to N. Korea

The office of President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday it has no plan, for now, to dispatch a special envoy to North Korea. It cited "realistic restraints" attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in the day, Cheong Wa Dae announced the reopening of direct communication lines between the two Koreas that were severed in June last year. Moon and the North's leader Kim Jong-un have reached an agreement on that, as they have exchanged personal letters several times, it added. On whethe

PoliticsJuly 27, 2021

Unanswered questions on Seoul-Pyongyang hotline restoration

Following Cheong Wa Dae’s surprise announcement on the hotline restoration between South and North Korea earlier in the day, questions poured in on its official KakaoTalk chat room for registered reporters only. Due to the heightened social distancing rules, its Chunchugwan press center is currently shut down, with all official communications being done online. After answering to the first batch of questions in the morning, the presidential office received another batch of questions late

North KoreaJuly 27, 2021

Restored hotline with Pyongyang raises hopes for inter-Korean thaw

South and North Korea restored their severed hotlines on Tuesday after a 13-months hiatus, raising hope that resumed cross-border communications could give way to a thaw in strained inter-Korean ties.  The announcement coincided with a symbolic day, the 68th anniversary of the signing of the armistice in 1953.  The reestablishment comes more than a year since Pyongyang cut off all communication channels with Seoul in June 2020 as relations remained chilled following the collapse of

North KoreaJuly 27, 2021

NK’s Kim pays tribute to Pyongyang’s fallen soldiers in Korean War

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid his respects to fallen soldiers from the 1950-53 Korean War as Pyongyang marked the anniversary of the armistice that ended the war, a state broadcaster reported Tuesday.  The Korean War ended in an armistice signed on July 27, 1953, and was never replaced with a formal peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. The North officially refers to the war as the Fatherland Liberation War and claims victory.  Kim visited the Fatherland L

North KoreaJuly 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] PPP leader says Lee Jae-myung is easier than Lee Nak-yon

The leader of the main opposition party said Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung was easier than former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon as a presidential candidate to compete against in next year’s election. Asked during a radio interview Monday evening which of the two ruling party presidential contenders he thought was “more comfortable to deal with,” People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok chose the governor. “If I say something like this, the Lee Jae-myung camp issues st

PoliticsJuly 27, 2021

[News Focus] Deaths outnumber births by 53,000 since late 2019

SEJONG -- The number of births was outpacing deaths by 100 percent in South Korea a decade ago, with their monthly tallies recording nearly 40,000 vs. 20,000 throughout 2011. The gap between the two sharply narrowed in the early 2010s in the wake of record-low fertility rates, under which the number of births was only higher -- by about 50 percent -- than that of deaths in 2016. A historic event occurred in January 2018, when deaths outnumbered births by 31,857 vs. 30,615. This marked the fir

Social AffairsJuly 27, 2021