Chinese diplomat caught drunk driving in Gwangju

GWANGJU -- A Chinese diplomat stationed in Gwangju, southwestern South Korea, was caught driving under the influence of alcohol this week but has claimed diplomatic immunity, police said Wednesday. The diplomat, known as a consul at the Chinese Consulate General in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, was caught operating his car while drunk in an underground parking lot of an apartment in the city's western district of Poongam-dong on Sunday night. According to the Gwangju Seobu Police Stati

Foreign AffairsJune 23, 2021

With social distancing rules set to be relaxed, daily coronavirus case count shoots up

The COVID-19 outbreak is showing signs of worsening ahead of the easing of social distancing next month. The number of newly confirmed cases stood at 645 as of midnight on Tuesday, up 250 from the previous day. The number is expected to reach 700 on Wednesday. The total number of confirmed cases to date is 152,545. Health Minister Kwon Deok-chul said at a meeting on Wednesday, “Cluster infections are occurring in places with many risk factors such as schools, academies, workplaces, chur

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

Haeundae vows to stop social distancing violations by US soldiers

The district office of Busan’s Haeundae-gu said on Wednesday it will crack down on the violation of social distancing rules on Haeundae beach with local police and US military police over the period of July 2-4, which culminates with the US Independence Day holiday. American soldiers who violate social distancing rules will be immediately identified by US military police and slapped with fines, the ward office said, as there have been complaints against US servicemen in the area on US pub

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

S. Korea reports gloomier childbirth data in April

The number of babies born in South Korea declined to a fresh record low in April, data showed Wednesday, underpinning the country's gloomy demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate. A total of 22,820 babies were born in April, down 2.2 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest for any April since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. South Korea is struggling with a sustained fall in childb

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police to remove gendered requirement for physical test

Starting in 2026, all police hopefuls will have to take the same physical test regardless of gender. The National Police Committee on Monday passed a plan to introduce a physical examination that requires the same standard for both men and women, the National Police Agency said. The new physical exam is a timed event involving five stations -- running an obstacle course, skipping hurdles, pushing and pulling a 32-kilogram object, carrying a 72-kilogram human-like doll for 10 meters and pullin

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

Gwanghwamun Square set to get facelift by April

Gwanghwamun Square, a landmark of Seoul, will get new historical and cultural attractions by next April, the Seoul metropolitan government said Wednesday. Construction has been under way to expand the square and turn part of it into a park as part of a controversial project launched by the administration of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. The announcement of the new attractions comes two months after new Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he would keep the project despite opposition from some citizens du

PoliticsJune 23, 2021

Bill that could add four holidays this year gains traction

A bill aimed at expanding the substitute holiday system is gaining support at the National Assembly, as the ruling party pushes to ensure it goes into effect in the coming weeks. The substitute holiday system at the moment provides an extra day off when the Lunar New Year, Chuseok or Children’s Day holidays fall on weekends. The bill seeks to expand this rule to all holidays that may fall on weekends, which would provide extra days off in almost any year. If the bill passes and comes int

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

Home prices in Seoul double under Moon government: civic group

The average sales price of apartments in Seoul has nearly doubled under the Moon Jae-in government, a civic group said Wednesday. The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice announced the results of its study that has tracked the prices of 115,000 units in 75 apartment complexes since President Moon took office four years ago. The average price of a 99-square-meter apartment in Seoul rose to 1.19 billion won ($1.04 million) from 620 million won from May 2017 to May 2021. The rise in apartmen

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

Ex-prosecutor general's mother-in-law cleared of fraud charges by police

The mother-in-law of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, one of the prospective presidential candidates for the conservative bloc, has been cleared of fraud charges, police said Wednesday. Yoon's mother-in-law, surnamed Choi, was accused of embezzling entrusted shares of a columbarium business and taking over the control of the entity from the rightful owner. The 75-year-old was also suspected of forging a balance sheet as if she had around 35 billion won ($31 million) deposited at a ban

PoliticsJune 23, 2021

N. Korea, China hold rare joint symposium to mark anniversaries of leaders' reciprocal visits

China hosted a joint symposium with North Korea to mark the anniversaries of reciprocal visits by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media said Wednesday. The International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party hosted the joint meeting Monday to celebrate the third anniversary of Kim's visit to China and the second anniversary of Xi's visit to North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Officials of North Korea's Embassy in Beijing

North KoreaJune 23, 2021

New cases at 2-week high amid variant woes

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases spiked to a two-week high of over 600 on Wednesday as virus variants are emerging as another major challenge in the country's virus fight amid the accelerating vaccine rollout. The country reported 645 new cases, including 605 local infections, raising the total caseload to 152,545, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added one COVID-19 death, raising the death toll to 2,007. The fatality rate came to 1.32 percent.

Social AffairsJune 23, 2021

Seoul nuke envoy stresses need to resolve N.K. issue through dialogue

South Korea's top nuclear negotiator stressed Tuesday the importance of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy, casting it a great challenge to international security beyond the Korean Peninsula. Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark in a videoconference co-hosted by the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs and the South Korean Embassy in France, as he explained Seoul's efforts to

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

8 USFK-affiliated individuals test positive for COVID-19

Seven American service members and a family member stationed in South Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea said Tuesday. Four service members at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and two soldiers stationed at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, tested positive on June 17 and 18 after coming into contact with individuals who had recently tested positive for the virus. One service member, also from Camp Humphreys was confirmed

Social AffairsJune 22, 2021

Education New Zealand holds international education workshop

 Education New Zealand, the lead government agency promoting New Zealand education internationally, organized a five-day virtual workshop held from June 14 to 18 to maintain the country’s engagement with key in-market stakeholders. The event showcased the qualities of a New Zealand education, highlighting ENZ’s initiatives and brought together industry stakeholders and partners from 10 countries in Asia, including South Korea. Last July, the government said it would spend 51.

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Pollution from Coupang fire kills fish, harms locals’ health

Dust, fire-flakes and contaminated water from the massive fire at a Coupang warehouse in Icheon last week have been killing fish, damaging farms and causing health problems among local residents. More than 1,800 dead fish were found in three reservoirs about 1 kilometer away from the Coupang warehouse in the three days to Monday, according to Icheon city officials. A city official said a natural surface active agent used in the firefighting water could have killed the fish as it blocks the air

Social AffairsJune 22, 2021

‘Smaller drills won’t earn lasting inter-Korean detente’

As South Korea mulls reducing or skipping joint military drills with the US in August, experts warn that suspending the biannual exercises would do little to bring about a lasting detente with North Korea. Seoul and Washington have held the drills since the 1953 Korean War armistice to ensure readiness against Pyongyang’s aggression. But since 2019, some drills have been skipped while others were scaled down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, the Moon Jae-in government wants to

DefenseJune 22, 2021

Seoul, Washington agree to consider terminating working group on NK

South Korea and the US have agreed to consider ending a controversial working group on North Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, as Washington’s point man on Pyongyang called for a resumption of dialogue with the recalcitrant regime. 　 Pyongyang, however, poured cold water on the allies’ engagement gesture Tuesday when the North Korean leader’s powerful younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, issued a statement saying the US’ expectation for talks would “plunge them in

North KoreaJune 22, 2021

[News Focus] 1 in 4 Koreans aged 15-29 still de facto jobless

SEJONG -- The tally for unemployed or underemployed young people in South Korea remains at a serious level, despite recent improvement in the hiring market. The de facto jobless -- unemployed plus underemployed -- among those aged 15-29 was 1.011 million in December 2019, a month before COVID-19 initially hit the nation, according to the Supplementary Index III for Employment, created by Statistics Korea. At that time, the de facto jobless rate was 20.8 percent out of the economically active

Social AffairsJune 22, 2021

Moon undecided on attending Tokyo Olympics

President Moon Jae-in remains undecided on whether to attend the Tokyo Olympics next month amid a yearslong stalled diplomacy with Japan over wartime history and trade. “Nothing has been decided yet,” Moon’s chief of staff for policy Lee Ho-seung told a radio interview Tuesday when he was asked whether the president intended to attend the Summer Olympics that kicks off in the Japanese capital on July 23. As for the prolonged feud between the two countries, he said the Korea

PoliticsJune 22, 2021

Former ruling party leader Lee calls for soft power diplomacy

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, a former Democratic Party leader and presidential hopeful, said Tuesday South Korea should aim for “soft power diplomacy” in line with a global paradigm shift for peace and creativity. “The paradigm of the world order and development has been changing since the post-cold war era,” Lee said in his keynote speech of an international conference on international order. “The scope of the territory, the size of the population and military power are b

PoliticsJune 22, 2021