NK official paper calls for continued efforts for self-reliance even if economic conditions improve

North Korea's official newspaper on Monday called for continued efforts to realize a self-reliant economy even if the situation improves, saying the country would end up subservient to others unless it is able to stand on its own. North Korea's emphasis on "self-reliance" appears intended to tighten internal discipline amid bleak economic conditions caused by prolonged global sanctions and border controls to ward off a coronavirus outbreak. "Even if the room for exchanges and co

North KoreaJuly 19, 2021

Number of discouraged workers hits fresh monthly high in June

SEJONG -- The number of discouraged workers in South Korea hit a new monthly high in June amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday. Asia's fourth-largest economy had 583,000 discouraged workers, up 46,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It was the largest tally for June since related data tracking began in 2014. The number has also renewed monthly highs for the 16th straight month. Discouraged workers refer to those who are curre

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

New daily cases over 1,000 for 2 weeks, tougher virus rules in place nationwide

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but the daily caseload has stayed above 1,000 for nearly two weeks. prompting authorities to tighten virus curbs across the nation to contain the spread ahead of the summer holiday season. The country added 1,252 COVID-19 cases, including 1,208 local infections, raising the total caseload to 179,203, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure was down

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Defense chief names special prosecutor over death of Air Force sexual abuse victim

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Monday named a Navy colonel as a special prosecutor for the investigation into the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim, the defense ministry said. The appointment of Col. Ko Min-sook -- the first of its kind since the founding of the country's armed forces -- came as the bereaved family has raised complaints that the ongoing probe is not thorough enough. The master sergeant, surnamed Lee, took her own life in May, about three months after being sexually

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

247 out of 301 Cheonghae unit members test positive for COVID-19: JCS

A total of 247 sailors of South Korea's 301-strong Cheonghae unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, in the worst-ever mass infection among service members. An additional 179 members have newly tested positive after 68 were confirmed to have been infected as of Sunday, the JCS said. The unit first reported six COVID-19 cases last week and conducted virus tests on all of its members. "Test re

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Moon decides not to visit Japan: Cheong Wa Dae

SEOUL/TOKYO -- President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan this week, as no satisfactory accomplishment is expected in proposed summit talks, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. Moon had considered a trip to Tokyo for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday. South Korea and Japan had consultations on the possibility of holding the first face-to-face summit between Moon and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the occasion. The two sides "had meaningful discussions on progress

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Vice FM Choi to visit Washington to follow up on May summit outcomes

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon will visit Washington this week for talks about implementing agreements reached at a summit between the two countries in May, the foreign ministry said Monday. During his trip there from Monday through Thursday, Choi plans to meet officials from the White House and the State Department, and key members of the House to follow up on the outcomes of the May 21 summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden. During the summit in Washington, Moon and

Foreign AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Glitches put foreign teachers behind Korean colleagues in vaccine queue

Some foreign teachers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province say they were unable to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the same time as their South Korean colleagues, raising questions about discrimination. Earlier this month, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency allotted Pfizer’s vaccines to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and let the municipal offices decide which groups to prioritize depending on their own risk assessments. Seoul was handed enough Pfizer doses to cover 200,0

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2021

N. Korea's imports from China surge on-month in June

SHENYANG, China -- North Korea's imports from China rose sharply to $12.3 million last month from $2.71 million a month earlier, Chinese trade data showed Sunday. The North's imports had fallen to $29,000 and $3,000 in January and February, respectively, before rising to $28.75 million in April and then falling again in May, according to the data. North Korea's exports to China posted $1.81 million in June, with bilateral trade volume coming to $14.13 million. The two countries' trade volume

North KoreaJuly 18, 2021

S. Korea to enforce 4-person cap on private gatherings in non-Seoul metropolitan regions: PM

South Korea will ban gatherings of more than four people in regions outside the greater Seoul area starting Monday to curb the nationwide spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday. Most regions outside the wider capital area have been placed under Level 2 measures, in which gatherings of more than eight people are banned. But the government decided to toughen the antivirus scheme, as the non-Seoul metropolitan regions have also seen a surge in new cases in recent days.

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] Outbreak forces anti-piracy unit to return home from African coast

South Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit is returning home this week after 68 seamen tested positive for the coronavirus aboard a warship off the coast of Africa, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday. Two-thirds of the 301-strong crew are still awaiting test results. This is the first time the military has cut short an overseas mission because of a pandemic. None of the seamen had received any COVID-19 vaccinations because the March vaccination campaign began a month after their dep

DefenseJuly 18, 2021

Gatherings limited to four people nationwide

As the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections raged in Greater Seoul and spread nationwide, the government announced plans Sunday to tighten restrictions on private gatherings across the country to the same level as the capital region. “From tomorrow, we will apply the same permissions for private gatherings outside the Greater Seoul area,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday. The government said the new measure is to unify restrictions on private gatherings to minimize travel bet

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2021

[News Focus] Number of short-term foreign visitors falls to 63-month low

SEJONG -- The number of short-term foreign visitors to South Korea has fallen to its lowest in more than five years in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus, data from a state-run agency showed. This refers to foreign nationals, including ethnic Koreans, with permission to stay in Korea for no more than 90 days for sightseeing, business or other purposes. According to the Korea Immigration Service, the number of short-term visitors recorded 416,817 in May, as compared with 417,883 a month ea

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2021

N. Korea warns youth against adopting foreign speaking habits, lifestyles

North Korea's official newspaper on Sunday called on younger generations to speak the country's own standard language and follow traditional lifestyles, amid the regime's crackdown on language expressions widely used in South Korea. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling Worker's Party, made the appeal in an article, saying, "The ideological and cultural penetration under the colorful colored signboard of the bourgeoisie is even more dangerous than enemies who are taking guns.&q

North KoreaJuly 18, 2021

61 more Cheonghae Unit members test positive for COVID-19

An additional 61 service members of South Korea's anti-piracy naval unit in waters off Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total caseload on their destroyer to 68, officials said Sunday. The figure is feared to rise further, as the test results of about 200 service members of the 300-strong Cheonghae Unit are expected to be available in the coming days. "Until now, we've received the test results on 101 service members, and 68 tested positive, with 33 negative,&q

PoliticsJuly 18, 2021

Education ministry plans to use supplementary budget to reduce classroom crowding amid pandemic

The Ministry of Education will use a supplementary budget to alleviate classroom crowding in order to bring more students back into school buildings come September amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry's document has shown. According to the document shared with Yonhap News Agency by Rep. Lee Eun-ju of the minor opposition Justice Party on Thursday, the ministry asked education officials nationwide to use the supplementary budget, 6.36 trillion won ($5.5 billion) in total, to solve the proble

PoliticsJuly 18, 2021

New virus infections stay in 1,400s for 2nd day on fewer tests

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the mid-1,400s for the second day in a row Sunday on fewer tests over the weekend amid concerns about increased cases in non-capital areas, the imminent summer holiday season and the prevalence of the delta variant from India. The country added 1,454 COVID-19 cases, an all-time high for a Sunday, including 1,402 local infections, raising the total caseload to 177,951, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2021

Experts say 2-year-old anti-bullying law has limitations, loopholes

Two years have passed since the so-called anti-bullying law went into effect at domestic workplaces, but there are still many loopholes in the application of the law depending on the business size or type of employment, labor experts said Sunday. Under the revision of the Labor Standards Act that took effect in July 2019, if workplace harassment is reported, employers should launch an immediate probe and take proper action. Employers could face a maximum three-year jail term and a fine of up to

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2021

Gyeonggi lays out plan to turn DMZ into peace, ecology belt

Gyeonggi Province, surrounding Seoul, has established a new five-year plan for the preservation and peaceful use of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily fortified inter-Korean border area, officials said Sunday. The plan calls for the provincial government to invest 170 billion won ($149 million) from 2021 to 2025 in various projects to lay the grounds for a long-term national vision of turning the 4-kilometer-wide zone bisecting the peninsula into a peace, ecology and tourism belt. The D

PoliticsJuly 18, 2021

[Weekender] Why is Kim Jong-un clamping down on millennials, K-pop and slang?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a new concern: how to control the country’s younger generation. The 37-year-old leader warned in April that “a serious change” was taking place in the “ideological and mental state” of young North Koreans, and that their ideological education was vital to the survival of the party and the country. Furthermore, the reclusive regime has been cracking down hard on the attire, speaking habits and culture of North Korean millennia

North KoreaJuly 17, 2021