Man sent to prosecution over filming, sharing nude videos of boys, men

Police on Friday sent a man to the prosecution on charges of filming and distributing nude photos and videos of more than 1,300 boys and men. Kim Young-jun, whose identity was disclosed by the police earlier this week, is accused of filming about 27,000 nude videos of the victims, including 39 minors, and sharing them online from 2013 until recently. On Friday morning, the 29-year-old appeared in front of reporters for the first time as police officers took him from Jongno Police Station in ce

Social AffairsJune 11, 2021

Moon praises ascent of main opposition's new young chairman as historic feat

President Moon Jae-in on Friday congratulated Lee Jun-seok of the main opposition party on being elected as the youngest person ever to lead a major political party in modern Korean history, praising his win as a sign of transformation for the country. Lee, 36, was elected chairman of the People Power Party (PPP) earlier in the day, taking the helm of the main opposition party as the youngest-ever leader of a mainstream party in modern South Korean politics. Following the announcement of Lee's

PoliticsJune 11, 2021

N. Korea stays mum on key party meeting set to be held early this month

North Korea remains silent about a key Workers' Party meeting that it said it would hold early this month, raising questions about whether the meeting was held at all and if not, why it is being delayed. Last week, North Korea announced that it will hold a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party in "early June" to take "additional state measures for solving pending problems urgent for the economic work and people's living." The session has been drawin

North KoreaJune 11, 2021

S. Korea holds mock drill to prepare for islanders' vaccination aboard Navy ship

Hundreds of residents on islands off the country's south coast will receive coronavirus vaccines aboard a Navy vessel this month, the military said Friday. The Navy conducted a mock drill with government authorities in the southwestern city of Mokpo ahead of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine inoculation for 638 islanders aged 30 and older slated to kick off Monday. According to the military, the Navy's 4,500-ton Hansando training ship and inflatable boats will be mobilized for the operation. Five

DefenseJune 11, 2021

Moon leaves for G-7 summit in weeklong Europe trip

President Moon Jae-in is set to leave for the UK on Friday to attend the three-day G-7 summit in Cornwall. The meeting, which runs on June 11-13, will discuss coronavirus vaccines, economic recovery and climate change. South Korea is one of four countries, along with Australia, India and South Africa, invited to join this year’s meeting. India is taking part in the event virtually. On the sidelines of the meeting, Moon will hold bilateral summits with the UK, Australia and the EU. It

PoliticsJune 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Panel kicks off to review mishandling of sex crime probe

A committee comprising civilian experts kicked off Friday to advise the military on its handling of a sex crime investigation that is believed to have led to the suicide of a sexually assaulted soldier. An Air Force master sergeant took her life in late May after her complaint had gone unanswered for months because of what her family claims is an “extensive cover-up” by the Air Force. The head of the Air Force has since resigned, taking responsibility for her death. The outside pan

DefenseJune 11, 2021

Who is new young leader of conservative People Power Party?

Attention is now being paid to Lee Jun-seok, who became the first person to lead the conservative main opposition People Power Party while still in his 30s. The 36-year-old graduated from the elite Seoul Science High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and computer science from Harvard University. One of the “Park Geun-hye kids” who were drawn into politics by Park in 2011, when she was the head of Saenuri Party, a predecessor of People Power Party, and befor

PoliticsJune 11, 2021

36-year-old Lee Jun-seok becomes new leader of People Power Party

Lee Jun-seok, a 36-year-old politician, won the leadership election for the opposition People Power Party, becoming the youngest ever leader of the nation’s main conservative party. On Friday, Lee defeated his rival Na Kyung-won, a former floor leader of the party, to claim the chairmanship, the party said. Earlier, the People Power Party’s election commission conducted a vote on 328,000 electors from Monday to Thursday. The final winner was determined by a combination of vo

PoliticsJune 11, 2021

New virus cases back under 600, distancing rules extended for 3 weeks

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to below 600 on Friday, but health authorities decided to extend the current social distancing rules for another three weeks before adopting revamped antivirus measures. The country reported 556 more COVID-19 cases, including 541 local infections, raising the total caseload to 146,859 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily virus cases stayed in the 400s on Monday and Tuesday but spiked to the 600 range on Wednesday and T

Social AffairsJune 11, 2021

Distancing rules again extended, revamped restrictions set to be implemented in July

South Korea will extend its current virus restriction measures for another three weeks and plans to adopt eased measures as part of a set of new distancing rules afterward, health authorities said Friday. Currently, the greater Seoul area, along with the southeastern city of Daegu and the resort island of Jeju, is under Level 2 distancing in the five-level scheme, while the rest of the country is under Level 1.5. The ban on gatherings of five or more people nationwide will be also in place, bu

Social AffairsJune 11, 2021

Ruling party-govt. meeting canceled after DP chairman's aide gets coronavirus

A scheduled policy meeting between the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government was canceled Friday after an aide of DP Chairman Song Young-gil was confirmed to have COVID-19. "An aide of Chairman Song tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. We're aware that a member of the Seoul city council who the aide met Wednesday also tested positive," a DP official said. Following the news, the party called off its scheduled policy coordination meeting with senior government official

PoliticsJune 11, 2021

Curfews on restaurants, entertainment facilities in greater Seoul to be eased from July

Restaurants, cafes and entertainment facilities in the greater Seoul area will be able to open until midnight starting next month as the country is moving to gradually ease virus curbs in line with an accelerating vaccination rate, the health ministry said Friday. Starting in July, restaurants, cafes, karaoke businesses and other entertainment establishments can operate until midnight in the greater Seoul area, two hours more than the current curfew at 10:00 p.m., according to the Ministry of H

Social AffairsJune 11, 2021

Moon heads to Britain for G-7 summit

President Moon Jae-in departed Friday for Britain to attend an annual Group of Seven (G-7) summit, the outset of his weeklong trip to Europe that will take him to Austria and Spain as well. He is joining the G-7 session as a guest invited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of the three-day event to take place until Sunday at the Carbis Bay Hotel in the southwestern county of Cornwall. At the "expanded" forum on Saturday and Sunday, Moon plans to have discussions on how

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2021

N. Korean missiles pose increasing threat to US, allies: Secretary Austin

WASHINGTON -- North Korea continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, posing an increasing threat to the United States and its allies, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Thursday. "Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, posing an increasing threat to regional allies and partners and with ambitions to be able to strike the US homeland," Austin said in written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee before a he

North KoreaJune 11, 2021

ASEAN-Korean Center launches second season of interview series ‘ASEAN Issue’

The ASEAN-Korea Center is set to launch a second season of its own YouTube interview series, “ASEAN Issue,” on Friday. The interview series, aimed at promoting Southeast Asian cultures as well as ASEAN-Korean partnerships, started last year and featured diverse perspectives of the regions. The new season of the interview series will also feature a wide range of topics from culture, history, economies and industries of ASEAN-Korea relations. The first episode, scheduled to be rele

Social AffairsJune 11, 2021

Ruling party lawmaker tests positive for coronavirus

Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the ruling Democratic Party tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday, his office said. He is the second sitting legislator to be diagnosed with COVID-19 after Rep. Lee Gae-ho of the same party, who tested positive in April. Ahn's office said the four-term lawmaker came into contact with a local party official, who was infected with the coronavirus, during an event on Sunday. His aides went into self-isolation, it said. (Yonhap)

PoliticsJune 10, 2021

[#WeFACE] Climate activists calling for big changes, now

Efforts from individuals are important in the fight against the climate crisis, but to save the Earth changes at a larger scale must happen now, climate activists said Thursday. Under the theme of climate change activism, the third session of Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum brought climate activists together to discuss solutions and share ideas. “We have only six years and seven months to respond to the climate crisis. The climate crisis is not a small problem and it cannot be s

Social AffairsJune 10, 2021

[#WeFACE] Transnational cooperation key to achieving climate goals, global leaders say

Transnational cooperation is key to finding solutions to avert a climate catastrophe and creating a sustainable future, global leaders stressed Thursday. During the first session of Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum in Seoul, three international figures from South Korea, Colombia and the UK gave remarks on the importance of government policies, international cooperation and political leadership in tackling climate change. Opening the session, Yun Sun-jin, co-chairperson of Korea’s 2

Foreign AffairsJune 10, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum 2021 calls for climate action to create net-zero society

Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum opened in Seoul on Thursday, delivering a reality check -- that the Earth has about six years and 235 days to prevent the effects of global warming from becoming irreversible -- and yet signaling hope that we can still avert a climate catastrophe. Under the theme “We face the Climate Clock,” the forum, which was livestreamed, gathered global leaders, businesspeople and activists to discuss solutions to the climate emergency at every level and

Social AffairsJune 10, 2021

S. Korea aims for more vaccine supply next year: official

South Korea has begun preparation to secure more vaccines for next year as the COVID-19 pandemic here is expected to continue even after achieving much-awaited herd immunity this year, a ranking health official said Thursday. The country has already secured enough vaccines to inoculate some 100 million people in a country of 52 million. The vaccines are made by five pharmaceutical firms -- AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen, Moderna and Novavax. Over 10 million of the populat

Social AffairsJune 10, 2021