Korea may reassess AstraZeneca shot’s age cutoff after 2nd rare blood clot case

South Korea on Wednesday confirmed another case of a rare blood clot linked to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine in a man in his early 30s. The man was diagnosed with blood clots in his brain 12 days after his first dose of the vaccine, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency told reporters in a closed-door briefing. After receiving the shot on May 27, the man soon developed severe headache and nausea that worsened over time, the agency said. Nine days later, on June 5, he went to

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

Small modular reactors can help supply energy to NK: DP chief

Small modular reactors currently under development can help supply energy to North Korea which suffers from chronic power shortage, ruling Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil said on Wednesday. “With the North’s denuclearization as a precondition, SMRs can be a useful way to supply energy to North Korea which is mountainous and has a weak power grid,” Song said in his first speech as the representative of a parliamentary negotiating group since taking office as DP chairman

PoliticsJune 16, 2021

S. Korea reports 2nd COVID-19 vaccine-induced blood clotting case

South Korea has reported its second case of unusual blood clotting in a recipient of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, health authorities said Wednesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the man in his 30s was confirmed to have the very rare but serious side effect, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, following inoculation on May 27. The patient showed symptoms of a severe headache and nausea nine days after receiving the vaccine shot, the KDCA said.

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

DP pushing to include cashback for credit card spending in upcoming extra budget: chief

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) will push to include not only universal COVID-19 stimulus checks and support schemes for small businesses but also special cashback rewards for credit card spending in the upcoming extra budget aimed at fighting the aftermath of the pandemic, the party's chairman said Wednesday. "The DP and the government will draw up the extra budget based on a package of three measures -- additional aid for small businesses hit by (antivirus measures), disaster relief pay

PoliticsJune 16, 2021

Local governments offer incentives for vaccinations

From free tickets to discounted travel, and to advantages in hiring, local governments are offering various incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 25.7 percent of South Koreans have received their first dose of a vaccine and 6.8 percent have been fully vaccinated, health authorities said. Aiming to achieve herd immunity by November, the government is striving to speed up inoculations with incentives for vaccinated people, such as lifting mask requirem

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

Delivery workers resume rally for 2nd day amid stalled talks on preventing overwork

Thousands of unionized delivery workers continued their strike for a second day in Seoul on Wednesday, calling on logistics firms to implement an agreement on preventing overwork. Around 4,000 workers belonging to the Parcel Delivery Workers' Solidarity Union resumed their protest, after spending a night outdoors in tents or on mats at Yeouido Park, western Seoul. The overnight protest was timed with the resumption of the final meeting over the implementation of overwork prevention measures.

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

NK ruling party meeting tackles food shortage, ‘current international situation’

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an important ruling party meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to tackle the country’s food shortage and deal with the “current international situation,” state media said Wednesday. 　 The multiday plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party’s central committee opened Tuesday, the Korea Central News Agency said, with a mandate to review major state policies and measures to solve pending issues urgent for the economy and people&rsquo

North KoreaJune 16, 2021

Eastar Jet founder gets suspended prison term for election law violations

JEONJU -- Rep. Lee Sang-jik, an independent lawmaker and founder of budget carrier Eastar Jet, was given a suspended prison sentence Wednesday for violating election laws. The local district court in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, sentenced Lee to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. Lee is the first sitting lawmaker of the 21st National Assembly to receive a prison term for violating election laws. If the ruling is confirmed by the top court, he will lose his parliamentary

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

Sex crime rekindles push to overhaul military justice system

The military is facing the biggest change in its justice system in years, with lawmakers pushing for reforms that could remove the military judiciary and commanders from the process of handling sex crimes. An Air Force master sergeant who took her life in late May after being sexually assaulted by a superior sparked public outrage, prompting lawmakers to seek changes in how the military handles sexual violence. The victim’s family believes a systematic cover-up led to her death. The cas

DefenseJune 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] 40% of people apprehended on drug charges are under 30

Police across the country apprehended 2,626 people on drug charges in the second quarter and detained 614, the National Police Agency said Tuesday. Teenagers and people in their 20s made up 40 percent of all those apprehended, an increase of about 28 percent on year. People in their 30s accounted for 24.5 percent of the total. Police in South Gyeongsang Province brought in 42 teenagers accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act by obtaining fentanyl patches on false pretenses, then selli

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

[KH Explains] How to avoid 14-day quarantine in S. Korea if vaccinated abroad

Starting next month, people vaccinated abroad will no longer be required to lock themselves up for two full weeks. The South Korean government opened the doors to greater freedom in international travel on Sunday, when it announced that starting in July it would waive its self-quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated passengers arriving here under certain circumstances, regardless of their citizenship. There are some exceptions to this rule, but overall, it is a positive sign for the touri

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

Police raid Hyundai Development Co. over fatal building collapse in Gwangju

GWANGJU -- Police investigating last week's fatal building collapse during demolition in a housing redevelopment district of the southwestern city Gwangju raided HDC Hyundai Development Co., the main contractor of the project, on Wednesday, officials said. The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency sent a dozen investigators to the leading real estate developer's Seoul headquarters to execute a search and seizure warrant and ascertain whether the company is responsible for the disaster, they said.

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Air Force legal offices raided over death of sexually abused soldier

Defense ministry investigators raided the offices of the Air Force's legal affairs department Wednesday over the suicide of a sexually harassed noncommissioned officer as part of a sprawling investigation into what led the victim to take her own life. The raid took place one day after the prosecutors grilled a military public defender accused of failing to provide adequate help to the master sergeant, surnamed Lee, who allegedly suffered groping and other abuse by her colleague during a car rid

DefenseJune 16, 2021

Landlord who reported tenant for abandoning 14 cats turns out to be their owner

BUSAN -- A landlord who reported a tenant for abandoning 14 cats in the apartment before moving out has bizarrely turned out to be the animals' owner, police said Wednesday. Last week, a local ward office in this southeastern port city received a complaint from a person in their 20s who claimed a tenant had moved out of their apartment leaving 14 cats behind in a pile of garbage and abandoned household goods. The ward office failed to reach the tenant and reported the case to the police on sus

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

Over half of troops under 30 receive first doses of Pfizer's vaccine

Over half of the service members aged under 30 have been administered with their first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine since the vaccination campaign for younger soldiers began last week, the defense ministry said Wednesday. A total of 223,614 troops in their 20s, or 54 percent of the age group, had received their first doses as of Tuesday, according to the ministry. Soldiers aged 30 and older were given AstraZeneca's vaccine, with about 88 percent, or 116,900 members agreeing to take th

DefenseJune 16, 2021

Ruling party chief proposes small modular reactors as way of energy aid to nuke-free N. Korea

The head of South Korea's ruling party on Wednesday proposed the installation of small modular reactors (SMRs) in North Korea, calling it a useful way to supply energy to the country when it is free from nuclear weapons. "Under the precondition of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, SMRs could be a useful way to supply energy to North Korea that has many mountainous regions and a shortage of power transmission and distribution networks," Rep. Song Young-gil, chairman of the ruli

PoliticsJune 16, 2021

S. Korea to work toward improving relations with Japan with open mindset: Cheong Wa Dae official

South Korea will work toward advancing its relationship with Japan frayed by common history issues, a key presidential official said Wednesday, amid news that Japan canceled agreed-upon talks between the leaders of the two nations during the recent Group of Seven (G-7) summit. According to a Seoul foreign ministry official, Japan canceled a tentative agreement to hold a "pull-aside" meeting between their leaders on the sidelines of the recent G-7 summit held in Cornwall, Britain, taki

PoliticsJune 16, 2021

New virus cases spike to 500s amid accelerating vaccination drive

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 500 on Wednesday as health authorities ramp up the country's vaccination drive with a quarter of the population receiving one jab. The country reported 545 more virus cases, including 522 local infections, raising the total caseload to 149,191, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is sharply up from 399 on Monday and 374 cases on Tuesday. The country added one more death, raising the death t

Social AffairsJune 16, 2021

Under young leader, PPP sets out to choose spokesmen through debate tournament

Under the leadership of young new leader Lee Jun-seok, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) will set out this week to pick its new team of spokespeople through a rare debate tournament, party officials said Wednesday. The party will conduct a three-week-long public audition to recruit two chief and two other deputy spokespersons, starting with an official notification of the audition Friday, according to the officials. It is part of a series of sensational campaign promises Lee made r

PoliticsJune 16, 2021

Vice FM stresses human rights-based approach to new digital technologies

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has stressed the importance of a human rights-based approach to new digital technologies, citing privacy concerns and other side effects, during an international human rights meeting, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Choi made the remarks during Tuesday's virtual panel discussion that South Korea, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Morocco, Singapore and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) co-organized ahead of the 47th regular

Foreign AffairsJune 16, 2021