[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

1 more Cheonghae anti-piracy unit member off Africa tests positive for COVID-19

One more service member of South Korea's Cheonghae anti-piracy unit off the coast of Africa has tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total caseload there to seven, the defense ministry said Saturday. Earlier this week, six service members of the 300-strong unit aboard the 4,400-ton Munmu the Great destroyer were confirmed to have been infected, and the authorities conducted virus tests on all other crewmembers. Fears of a mass infection have grown as around 80 others have shown s

NationalJuly 17, 2021

New cases further inch down to 1,400s, tougher distancing measures eyed outside capital

South Korea's daily new coronavirus retreated to the 1,400s on Saturday, but authorities are considering slapping tighter social distancing rules outside the capital area amid the spiraling number of infections nationwide coupled with the concerns over the delta variant. The country added 1,455 COVID-19 cases, including 1,404 local infections, raising the total caseload to 176,500, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). On the previous day, South Korea added 1,5

NationalJuly 17, 2021

Foreign ministry calls on Chinese envoy to be 'cautious' after remarks on presidential front-runner

South Korea's foreign ministry made an implicit call Saturday for Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming to be "cautious" after his comments on a presidential front-runner raised questions over whether they could amount to political interference. In a contribution to the local daily Joong-Ang Ilbo on Friday, Xing rebutted remarks by Yoon Seok-youl, a conservative presidential hopeful, from a recent interview about missile defense as "hardly understandable." Yoon had

Foreign AffairsJuly 17, 2021

S. Korea takes down banners at athletes' village on IOC's request

South Korea on Saturday took down banners at its Olympic athletes' village with a nod to history, following a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said the IOC had raised issues with the message written across a few banners, initially hung on balconies at South Korean athletes' rooms at the village in Tokyo. The letters translated as, "I still have support from 50 million Korean people." This was in reference to the

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 17, 2021

40% of professors unaware of research misconduct or how it is investigated, study shows

Only about 6 in 10 university faculty members, including professors and graduate students, are aware of what research misconduct is and the process of investigating it, according to a report by the National Research Foundation of Korea. Titled “2021 Study on the Level of Research Ethics Recognition of University Faculty Members,” the report conducted a nationwide survey on 2,292 professors and graduate students who had participated in NRF research projects in the past two years.

Social AffairsJuly 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘COVID relief to 80% of households is too much’

Former legislator and opposition presidential contender Yoo Seong-min criticized the ongoing political argument over whether to hand out another round of COVID-19 relief grants to all Koreans or to only those in the lower 80 percent of the income brackets. Based on the national health insurance premiums, the monthly income of a four-person household in the lower 80 percent income bracket is 9.75 million won at the upper bound, which is 117 million won in annual income (before tax), Yoo wrote on

PoliticsJuly 16, 2021

Social distancing rules could be strengthened beyond greater Seoul area, prime minister says

South Korea could extend the ban on private gatherings of five or more people under effect in greater Seoul area to the rest of the country, as the country looks to overcome its worst-ever COVID-19 wave to date. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that strengthening social distancing rules and other virus control measures should be reviewed to minimize confusion and minimize infection among those who travel during the summer holiday season. While most of the cases today are reported from S

Social AffairsJuly 16, 2021

Moon says this weekend is watershed for efforts to curb coronavirus spread

President Moon Jae-in stressed Friday that this weekend will be a watershed for South Korea's battle against the rapidly spreading coronavirus, especially the delta variant. He asked the people to refrain from making trips or having gatherings during the period. "The spread of the delta variant is scary," he wrote on his social media accounts. "But we cannot let our lives be swayed by the virus." In particular, he added, this weekend will be a "crossroads" in the

PoliticsJuly 16, 2021

Only 2 NK defectors arrive in S. Korea in Q2, lowest ever

Only two North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea in the second quarter, the lowest number ever since the government began compiling quarterly defector data in 2003, the unification ministry said Friday. The number of incoming defectors has gradually decreased since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on cross-border movements, dropping significantly to 12 in last year's second quarter from 135 in the previous quarter. The figure stood at 48 defectors in the third qu

North KoreaJuly 16, 2021

S. Korea to offer face masks, COVID-19 test kits to citizens in Myanmar amid virus spike

South Korea plans to offer face masks and COVID-19 diagnostic kits to its citizens in Myanmar next week, the foreign ministry said Friday, amid a spike in new virus cases in the Southeast Asian country. The move followed reports that three South Korean citizens in Myanmar died recently after having tested positive for COVID-19. The country reportedly posted 7,083 new virus cases with 145 additional deaths Wednesday. "In consideration of the serious COVID-19 situation in Myanmar, the forei

Foreign AffairsJuly 16, 2021

Senior US envoy Sherman to visit Korea next week

  US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit South Korea and Japan next week for talks on global and regional security issues, such as North Korea, the State Department said Thursday.  On the first leg of her weeklong trip to Asia, Sherman will stop in Japan, where she is to hold a trilateral session with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts Wednesday.  Sherman, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun

Foreign AffairsJuly 16, 2021

4 more newly enlisted soldiers at boot camp test positive for virus

Four more newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections recently reported at the base to 117. The enlistees at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine following the mass infection outbreak at the base last week, according to the ministry. The Army also reported four additional infections from the southwestern city of Iksan, the

DefenseJuly 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Buddha's Birthday, Christmas to be excluded from alternative holidays

The alternative holiday bill passed by the National Assembly last month will be newly applied only to national holidays, the government said Friday. Public holidays, like Buddha's Birthday and Christmas, will be excluded from alternative holidays, the Ministry of Personnel Management said. The Assembly approved legislation on June 29 to increase alternative statutory holidays by designating a substitute holiday for all public holidays that fall on weekends. But the bill delegates the actual de

PoliticsJuly 16, 2021

S. Korea to bring home all members of virus-hit Cheonghae unit by aerial tankers

South Korea is preparing to send aerial tankers to Africa to bring home all members of a naval unit on an anti-piracy mission amid fears of a mass COVID-19 infection on their destroyer following recent confirmed cases, officials said Friday. On Thursday, the defense ministry said six service members of the 34th contingent of the Cheonghae Unit aboard the Munmu the Great tested positive for the new coronavirus and around 80 out of about 300 personnel showed symptoms consistent with the virus. &

DefenseJuly 16, 2021

New cases tick down to 1,500s, nationwide resurgence still worrying

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly to the 1,500s on Friday, but new infections are highly likely to increase as summer vacation season nears amid a pileup of cases in the greater Seoul area and other regions. The country added 1,536 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,476 local infections, raising the total caseload to 175,046, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). On Thursday, the country reported 1,600 cases, which was just below the daily reco

Social AffairsJuly 16, 2021

Remains of another Korean War soldier identified

The remains of a soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War have been identified through DNA analysis, five years after they were recovered from a former battle site, the defense ministry said Friday. The identification of the remains of Sfc. Park Boo-keun was possible as his 82-year-old younger sister registered her DNA sample with the government, according to the ministry. Park's remains were excavated at Mount Baekseok in Yanggu, around 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in 2016. The mountai

Social AffairsJuly 16, 2021

US Deputy Secretary Sherman to visit S. Korea next week

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit South Korea next week for talks on various issues that will include climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department said Thursday. Sherman will first head to Japan, where she will be joined by her Japanese and South Korean counterparts for three-way talks, according to the department. In Tokyo, "Deputy Secretary Sherman, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo, and ROK First Vice Foreign Minister Ch

Foreign AffairsJuly 16, 2021

Can Korea move past ‘semi-lockdown’ on July 25?

South Korea is closer than ever to a lockdown in its second pandemic summer, as record-setting days of new COVID-19 cases continue for nearly a week on end. Korea counted 1,600 more cases Thursday, down slightly from the record high of 1,615 cases set the previous day. Nearly 70 percent of the freshly logged cases were traced to Seoul and its surrounding areas. For two weeks starting Monday, the wider Seoul area was under the strictest restrictions available under the country&rsqu

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2021

[News Focus] NK defectors’ debt growth far outstrips national average

SEJONG -- The debt held by refugees from North Korea is catching up with the average for South Korean households, data for last year shows. According to the Korea Hana Foundation and Statistics Korea, households that include at least one North Korean refugee saw their outstanding debt reach an all-time high of 72.06 million won ($62,660) on average in 2020, compared to 61.56 million won a year earlier. Compared to 2017, when the nation started compiling the relevant figures, their debts have

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2021