[Herald Interview] Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon maps out city’s future in 2030 World Expo bid

Newly-elected Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon is focused on highlighting the city’s strengths as it prepares a bid for the 2030 World Expo. “Going forward, we have a lot of important tasks ahead of us. We will make sure to do our best to establish strategies to attract the event while working closely with the government,” Park said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. The host of the 2030 World Expo will be voted on by the 169 member states of the Bureau of International

Social AffairsJune 20, 2021

Korea to ease social distancing from July on vaccine progress

With a quarter of its population vaccinated with one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Korea says it is ready to allow more mingling and less mask-wearing in the summer. “The current guidance fails to take into account the improvements in our pandemic situation -- vaccines are rolling out at an increasing pace, our health care systems can handle far more patients at a time now compared to a year ago, and new cases are down,” Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said at Sunday&r

Social AffairsJune 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] Debate on anti-discrimination law gains momentum

A debate on anti-discrimination law is gaining momentum in South Korea with the support of scores of lawmakers, presidential candidates and members of the public. Anti-discrimination bills that have been proposed several times since 2007 has never passed the National Assembly due to opposition from conservative politicians and religious groups. This time around the bill has stronger support from a broader spectrum in society. Last week, 24 lawmakers from the ruling bloc, including the Democr

PoliticsJune 20, 2021

[News Focus] Korea far behind world average in renewable energy

SEJONG -- South Korea was found to have fallen far short of the world average in renewable energy use, amid a global ramp-up in efforts to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. The world economies’ average in the percentage of renewable energy of the total energy supply reached 13.51 percent, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development that cited the latest available data (for 2019 or 2018) from the Extended World Energy Balances. South Korea’s portion stood

Social AffairsJune 20, 2021

Moon tweets congratulatory message on reelection of UN chief Guterres

President Moon Jae-in congratulated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on his reelection in a tweet Sunday, vowing to work with him to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and tackle global challenges. Guterres' reelection for a second five-year term was confirmed late last week, as the United Nations seeks to strengthen international cooperation in addressing a slew of challenges, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. "My heartfelt congratulations on your reelect

PoliticsJune 20, 2021

Ex-Justice Minister Choo to declare presidential bid this week

Former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Sunday announced a plan to declare her presidential bid this week, entering an increasingly crowded field of the race to become the ruling Democratic Party's standard-bearer for next year's election. Choo said that she plans to announce her intention to run for president through her social media channel at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Choo put forward her vision of a "Country that Elevates People." "There is nothing above people. People stand highe

PoliticsJune 20, 2021

Incoming Vatican Prefect You Heung-sik expected to serve as bridge builder for pope's NK visit

As South Korean archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik has been named the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See, his possible role in arranging Pope Francis' visit to North Korea is drawing attention from the Catholic community at home and abroad. On June 11, the Vatican announced the nomination of You as prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, who is responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons. The 69-year-old Catholic priest became the first South

North KoreaJune 20, 2021

[From the Scene] ‘I felt like I got hit by truck’

As a male in my early 30s, and an Army reserve, I was able to receive the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. I work out three times a week, and have no underlying conditions or drug allergies. This is my experience. Before vaccine The online reservation system for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Janssen vaccine opened at midnight on June 1. As tens of thousands of people tried to book for their shots at the same time, a waiting list prevented me from accessing the system. I exited

Social AffairsJune 20, 2021

This year's Boryeong Mud Festival to take place online and offline

BORYEONG, South Korea -- This year's Boryeong Mud Festival, one of South Korea's most celebrated summer events, will be held online and offline next month in consideration of COVID-19, local officials said Sunday. The municipality of Boryeong, a South Chungcheong Province city 190 kilometers south of Seoul, said the 24th version of its annual mud festival will mix online and offline events on Daecheon Beach during its 10-day run that begins on July 23. It also disclosed a total of 18 programs

PoliticsJune 20, 2021

Ex-prosecutor chief Yoon's spokesperson resigns for 'personal reasons'

The spokesperson of Yoon Seok-youl, a former prosecutor general and leading presidential hopeful, resigned for "personal reasons" Sunday, just 10 days after his appointment. The resignation of Lee Dong-hoon, a former journalist, came after Yoon and Lee issued conflicting messages over the issue of whether the former top prosecutor would join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) as an official member. "Of course, I made the decision after talks with Yoon," Lee told Y

PoliticsJune 20, 2021

S. Korea toughens regulations on public servants' real estate

Government officials and public employees involved in real estate affairs will be required to register their assets with the authorities, the Ministry of Personnel Management said Sunday. The ministry last week preannounced the latest revision to the enforcement ordinance of the Public Service Ethics Act. The new rules will take effect on Oct. 2. The move came as the government is toughening property regulations on public servants in the wake of a land speculation scandal involving employees

Social AffairsJune 20, 2021

New virus cases under 500, S. Korea set to unveil new social distancing scheme

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 500 for the second consecutive day Sunday due to fewer tests carried out over the weekend, with health authorities announcing eased social distancing rules that will be applied next month. The country reported 429 new cases, including 380 local infections, raising the total caseload to 151,149, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. South Korea found 507 new cases Friday and 482 on Saturday. The country added five COVID-19

Social AffairsJune 20, 2021

NK leader vows to overcome difficulties as he concludes key party meeting: state media

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to break through difficulties facing the country as he concluded a key Workers' Party meeting after discussing ways to deal with food shortages and relations with the United States, state media said Saturday. Throughout the four-day plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee, the third of its kind this year, Kim discussed how to cope with economic challenges, including food shortages and anti-pandemic efforts. He also discussed ways to deal with the

Social AffairsJune 19, 2021

[Weekender] Can four-day workweek cure the Monday Blues?

When Kim Hyun-kyung, 31, was thinking about changing jobs a year ago, she was drawn to education firm Eduwill’s four-day workweek. Although she was a bit suspicious at first of whether it really worked, she now fully enjoys the policy. Kim takes a day off every Wednesday because she says it is the best day to take a break. “It makes me think on Monday ‘Oh I am OK because I rested yesterday,’ and on Tuesday, I think, ‘I am fine because I will rest tomorrow.&rsq

Social AffairsJune 19, 2021

Trapped firefighter found dead in Coupang warehouse

ICHEON -- A firefighter who was trapped in a fire that tore through a Coupang Inc. warehouse was found dead by rescue workers Saturday, officials said. Kim Dong-shik, 52, was found in the second-floor basement of the e-commerce giant's four-story building in Icheon, 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, shortly after rescue workers resumed their search for the missing firefighter following a safety inspection of the building. Kim entered the basement around 11:20 a.m. Thursday with four of his col

Social AffairsJune 19, 2021

New virus cases fall below 500 ahead of revised social distancing rules

South Korea's new coronavirus cases dipped below 500 on Saturday as the country's vaccination campaign gains pace and the government prepares to announce a revised social distancing scheme. The country reported 482 new cases, including 456 local infections, raising the total caseload to 150,720, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The past three days saw case numbers in their 500s, although before that the country reported 452, 399 and 373 infections from Sunday to Tue

Social AffairsJune 19, 2021

New US nuke envoy arrives in Seoul

The new US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, arrived in Seoul on Saturday for talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, as they seek a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. Kim's five-day trip came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country should be ready for dialogue and more importantly, confrontation with the United States, and stressed the "stable control" of the Korean Peninsula situation in his first messa

Foreign AffairsJune 19, 2021

S. Korea reports more 'breakthrough' infections, total now at 29

South Korea has confirmed a total of 29 so-called breakthrough COVID-19 infections so far, with 28 of them inoculated in the country, health authorities said Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the patients have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday even after being administered with the full-dose vaccine regimen here. A "breakthrough case" is when a person tests positive for COVID-19 between the first and second doses of a two-dose regimen or a pe

Social AffairsJune 18, 2021

Two delivery workers test positive for COVID-19 after joining mass rally

Two delivery workers have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a mass rally in protest of their working conditions earlier this week, officials said Friday. The two were among some 4,000 members of the Parcel Delivery Workers' Solidarity Union who staged a rally in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday to coincide with negotiations between the union and logistics firms over implementing an overwork prevention agreement. Both work for the Korea Post, the national postal service. "Accordi

Social AffairsJune 18, 2021

PPP's approval rises to new high since 2016 presidential corruption scandal: poll

The approval rating of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) reached a fresh high since the 2016 corruption scandal of former conservative President Park Geun-hye, a new poll showed Friday. According to the Gallup Korea poll that surveyed 1,001 people aged over 18 from Tuesday to Wednesday, public approval for the ruling Democratic Party was recorded at 31 percent, unchanged from a week ago, while that of the PPP climbed 3 percentage points to 30 percent. The latest poll number comes as

PoliticsJune 18, 2021