S. Korea ranks 3rd in global passport index

The South Korean passport was found to be the third most effective one for travelers around the world, allowing its bearers to travel to 191 countries visa-free, data showed Sunday. Asia's fourth-largest economy and Germany tied for third, only after Japan and Singapore, in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index. The Japanese passport provides visa-free travel to 193 countries and Singapore to 192 countries. The index released by immigration consulting firm Henley & Partners Co

Foreign AffairsJuly 11, 2021

Elite high schools retain status in 10-0 victory over education authorities

Elite high schools will be able to keep their status for the time being after the courts ruled 10-0 against the education authorities' decision to cancel their licenses. On Thursday, Dongsan Christian High School in Ansan, 42 kilometers south of Seoul, became the tenth and last "autonomous private high school" to win against the education authorities in the first round of an ongoing legal battle for legitimacy. "I hope the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education will humbly accept

Social AffairsJuly 11, 2021

COVID-19 cases rise above 1,300 for 3rd day, greater Seoul faces toughest curbs

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases rose above 1,300 for the third straight day Sunday, as health authorities were set to impose the toughest virus curbs in the greater Seoul area to bring the fourth wave of the outbreak under control. The country recorded 1,324 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,280 local infections, raising the total caseload to 168,046, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It is the first time that the nation's daily infections have risen above 1,30

Social AffairsJuly 11, 2021

Kim and Xi highlight strong relations on treaty-signing anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted their commitment to further strengthen relations between the two countries as they exchanged messages to mark the 60th anniversary of signing a friendship treaty, state media reported Sunday. In the messages to celebrate the 1961 signing of the "DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance," Kim also said the international situation has been "unprecedentedly complicated" in rec

North KoreaJuly 11, 2021

Military to tighten restrictions to curb spread of COVID-19

The military will enhance its own measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in line with government plans to impose tougher controls on the greater Seoul area to fight a new wave of infections, officials said Saturday.    The defense ministry issued new social distancing guidelines to military units Friday, under which vacations, off-installation activities and outsiders' visits will be further restricted Monday for two weeks.    Under the new measures, only 10 percent o

DefenseJuly 10, 2021

Escaped bears expose decades-old problems of inhumane bile farming in S. Korea

Early this week, two young bears escaped from their cramped cages at a breeding farm in Yongin, south of Seoul. One was shot to death hours after the escape, and the other is still on the loose.    Similar incidents have occurred in the past in a country where bears -- mostly moon bears, or Asiatic Black Bears, on the endangered species list -- are kept captive for life for their bile and other body parts that are used in alternative medicinal treatments.    The owner of t

Social AffairsJuly 10, 2021

COVID-19 cases hit new high for 3rd day ahead of semi-lockdown in greater Seoul

South Korea on Saturday posted the highest-ever daily COVID-19 cases for the third straight day, as the country is set to impose the highest level of virus curbs on the greater Seoul area next week. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 1,378 COVID-19 cases were confirmed the previous day, including 1,320 local infections, raising the total caseload to 166,722. It marked the highest figure since the country reported its first confirmed infection on Jan. 20 last year. It

Social AffairsJuly 10, 2021

Watchdog conditionally approves new nuclear plant's operation

The watchdog's review looked into an array of safety issues, including the plant's passive autocatalytic recombiner (PAR), which is designed to prevent hydrogen explosions by reducing hydrogen concentration levels from the reactor's containment building during natural disasters. South Korea has required the system to strengthen safety after multiple hydrogen explosions during Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011. The Shin-Hanul plant's PAR system received intense scrutiny aft

NationalJuly 9, 2021

Belgium ambassador, wife return home after assault incidents

Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier and his wife returned home Friday, a foreign ministry official said, amid public criticism over the wife's involvement in two alleged assault cases. The wife, Xiang Xueqiu, was questioned by police for allegedly assaulting two employees at a clothing store in Seoul in early April. Police dropped the case on grounds of diplomatic immunity and because that victims did not want her punished. The wife also got into an altercation with a street swe

NationalJuly 9, 2021

S. Korean, Czech foreign ministers discuss cooperation in nuclear

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke by phone with his Czech counterpart on Friday and discussed bilateral issues, including ways to boost cooperation in the nuclear power plant business, his office said.  In the phone talks with Jakub Kulhanek, Chung stressed that South Korea is the best partner for the Czech Republic's new nuclear power plant project under way in the southern region of Dukovany, citing the technologies and price competitiveness proven through various projects Korean com

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 9, 2021

N. Korea could return to dialogue with US, spy agency says

South Korea's spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korea could return to nuclear dialogue with the United States as it is intent on ending hostile relations with the country, a source said Friday.  The National Intelligence Service made the comment Thursday while debriefing the National Assembly's intelligence committee on the recent remarks from Pyongyang, the source with knowledge of the matter said.  "North Korea's consistent position is to end its hostile relations with

North KoreaJuly 9, 2021

Restaurant, bar owners fear dark days ahead

As South Korea readies to go into a near-lockdown bracing for its worst wave yet of COVID-19 to hit, owners of restaurants, bars and other nightlife establishments are expressing worries over their chances of survival. “I heard from the news that Level 4 guidelines were under consideration two or three days ago, but I am shocked that this is really happening,” a 53-year-old Korean barbecue restaurant owner surnamed Lee in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, told The Korea Herald. “I

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2021

Assembly speaker urges Italy to include Korea in COVID ‘Green Pass’ travel list

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, who was on an official visit to Italy and Greek, discussed with the two countries’ politicians ways to bolster cooperation in areas of travel, smart city development, energy and infrastructure, officials said Friday. Park visited Italy on Thursday and met with Senate Speaker Elisabetta Casellati and House Speaker Roberto Fico to exchange opinions on pending issues between the two countries. He urged Italy to include Korea in their Green Pass s

PoliticsJuly 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Sex crime victim awaited help that never came: military

The military failed in its response to a sexual assault complaint from an Air Force master sergeant, who later took her life, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday in its interim report. The ministry’s joint investigation team said that the master sergeant was repeatedly revictimized by the abuser and those sympathetic to him, which ultimately pushed her to take her life. The team has been looking into the circumstances surrounding the suicide since June 1. The victim&rs

DefenseJuly 9, 2021

Heat wave advisory issued for many parts of S. Korea

Following several days of downpours in the southern South Korean regions over the past week, a heat wave advisory was issued for many parts of the country Friday, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it issued the heat wave advisory for almost all parts of the southern provinces of Gyeongsang and Jeolla, the central provinces of Chungcheong, and parts of the Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces as of 10 a.m. Seoul was excluded from the advisory, which is

PoliticsJuly 9, 2021

All you need to know about Level 4 social distancing rules

Starting from Monday, social distancing measures in the greater Seoul area will be raised to the highest in the four-tier system, as South Korea’s daily infection tally had spiked over 1,000 in the past few days. The new measures will remain in place for two weeks until July 25. Here’s what you need to know about the latest rules. Private gatherings Private gatherings of more than four people are banned. After 6 p.m., gatherings are limited to two people, even for the fully

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2021

Moon thanks US Congress for support in advancement of Seoul-Washington alliance

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed gratitude for the support the US Congress has provided in the advancement of the decades-old Seoul-Washington alliance during a meeting with a group of visiting US lawmakers at Cheong Wa Dae. Moon hosted a reception for the visiting members of the US Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK), a bipartisan study group on South Korea, at the presidential office. The CSGK, consisting of about 54 US lawmakers, was launched in 2018 as part of diplomatic effo

PoliticsJuly 9, 2021

5 theatergoers test positive for COVID-19 in 1st case among audience members

Five people who went to a theater in Seoul last month have tested positive for COVID-19, the first time an infection has been confirmed among audience members, the city government said Friday. The five are among 22 confirmed COVID-19 patients traced to the theater in Jongno Ward. The first case was reported in a theater personnel member on June 29. "This is the first time we have confirmed infections among members of an audience at a theater, which we manage separately in case of cluster

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2021

Toughest social distancing measure to deal yet another blow to service sectors

The retail, hospitality and other service sectors in the wider capital area are expected to suffer another setback as the highest level of social distancing rules will be implemented amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry watchers said Friday. Under the Level 4 guidelines to go into effect Monday for two weeks in Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon, entertainment establishments, including night clubs, will be ordered to shut down, while

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2021

Small business owners despondent over toughest-ever distancing rules

The upcoming ban on private gatherings of three or more people in the greater Seoul area is driving owners of restaurants, bars, cafes and many other small businesses into utter despair. On Friday, the government announced a decision to put the capital area under the toughest social distancing rules of Level 4, halving the maximum number of people allowed for private gatherings to a mere two. Under the unprecedented restrictions set to be in effect for two weeks beginning Monday, gatherings of

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2021