S. Korea to provide marine equipment to Indonesia

South Korea said Wednesday it will offer a set of marine equipment to Indonesia in the form of official development assistance (ODA). The equipment, valued at 1.1 billion won ($990,000), includes a 12-ton research boat, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Other supplies include a multibeam echosounder, which is used to map the seafloor. The two countries have been making different efforts to cooperate in the marine sector. In 2019, South Korea launched a four-year project worth

Foreign AffairsJune 2, 2021

Military reports 6 more coronavirus cases

Five service members and a civilian worker for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. A soldier and an Air Force officer were confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with members of their respective bases who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. A Marine and the civilian worker tested positive following infections of their family members, the ministry said, adding that contact tracing is under way on the remai

DefenseJune 2, 2021

Congestion alert system to operate for beach visitors during summer

South Korea said Wednesday it plans to raise its guard against the new coronavirus at beaches here as more people are expected to travel locally during the summer season. Starting July, the country will operate a three-level alert system -- green, yellow and red -- to warn visitors of congestion at beaches, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The system will be applied to all 277 local beaches, compared to just 50 the previous year. The information will be available on popular p

Social AffairsJune 2, 2021

Military prosecutors seek arrest warrant for Air Force officer in sexual harassment case

Military prosecutors sought an arrest warrant Wednesday for an Air Force noncommissioned officer on charges of sexually harassing a female colleague, the defense ministry said, amid mounting criticism that the military's mishandling of the case led to the victim taking her own life. Investigators also took the suspect, identified as master sergeant Jang, into custody. He is suspected of sexually harassing the victim of the same rank inside a car on their way back to the base in the western city

DefenseJune 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Top court confirms acquittal of Olympic short track champion in sexual harassment case

The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has confirmed the not-guilty verdict for South Korean-born short track speed skater Lim Hyo-jun in a sexual harassment case. The top court has upheld the appellate court's decision to acquit Lim of sexually harassing a male teammate at South Korea's national skating team in June 2019. The 2018 Olympic gold medalist was accused of pulling down his male teammate's pants and exposing a body part, with female skaters present, during practice at a national train

Social AffairsJune 2, 2021

PM instructs authorities to prepare for full-fledged in-person schooling in H2

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday called for careful preparations toward full-fledged in-person schooling starting in the second half, as the COVID-19 vaccination campaign picks up speed across the nation. "As we concentrated our efforts on vaccinations of senior citizens and high-risk group people in the first half, we must start the recovery of our everyday normal lives in the second half starting with the normalization of schools," Kim said during a daily interagency meeting

PoliticsJune 2, 2021

New infections back to over 600; inoculation drive gains pace

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 600 for the first time in six days Wednesday due to continued cluster infections, while health authorities are ramping up efforts to speed up the nationwide vaccination campaign to slow down the spread of the virus. The country reported 677 more COVID-19 cases, including 654 local infections, raising the total caseload to 141,476, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload stayed in the 400s for

Social AffairsJune 2, 2021

Potential pardon for Samsung scion discussed in Moon's meeting with biz leaders: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in talked about whether to grant Lee Jae-yong, the de-facto head of Samsung Group, a special pardon, during a meeting with a group of business leaders, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. Moon had a luncheon meeting with the leaders of South Korea's four major conglomerates -- SK, Hyundai, LG and Samsung -- at Cheong Wa Dae earlier in the day. The attendees were SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. Samsung E

PoliticsJune 2, 2021

Ex-USFK chief Brooks hasn't been offered ambassador post in S. Korea: aide

Former US Forces Korea Commander (USFK) Vincent Brooks has not been given any offer from the administration of US President Joe Biden to serve as the new ambassador to South Korea, an aide said Wednesday. A local TV station reported earlier this week that Brooks is likely to be nominated for ambassador to South Korea. The post has been vacant since former Ambassador Harry Harris left it in January following Biden's inauguration. "General Brooks has not been contacted by anyone from the U

Foreign AffairsJune 2, 2021

Blinken calls on NATO members to deepen cooperation with S. Korea: State Dept.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on NATO members to deepen their cooperation with South Korea, the State Department said Tuesday, amid US efforts to enhance cooperation between US allies. "Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of Alliance partnerships, including NATO-EU cooperation, and encouraged NATO to deepen its cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea," the department said, referring to South Korea by its official name. Blin

Foreign AffairsJune 2, 2021

Lifting of missile guidelines leads to no change in US defense commitment: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States' commitment to the defense of South Korea remains unaffected following the lifting of decades-old guidelines on South Korean missiles, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. John Kirby also said the removal of the missile guidelines will not lead to any change to the South Korea-US alliance. "Nothing about this changes the alliance between South Korea and the United States or our commitments to that alliance, which...is a defensive alliance," the departmen

Foreign AffairsJune 2, 2021

Defense ministry to investigate Air Force officer's suicide after harassment

The defense ministry said Tuesday it will directly investigate the death of an Air Force officer who died of apparent suicide, allegedly after suffering harassment by a colleague, amid criticism the military failed to properly respond to the victim's call for support. In March, the female master sergeant stationed in the western city of Seosan was sexually harassed by the man surnamed Jang inside a car on their way back to the base after a private gathering that she was forced to attend, accor

DefenseJune 1, 2021

Moon calls on new prosecutor general to play a role in prosecution reform

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for new Prosecutor-General Kim Oh-soo to play a role in his administration's tumultuous drive to reform the state prosecution service. Presenting Kim with a letter of appointment during a Cheong Wa Dae ceremony, Moon said he expects him to "play a great role in transforming the prosecution to become a fair organization that meets the people's expectations," according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Kim, a veteran prosecutor, served as

PoliticsJune 1, 2021

Foreign ministry calls in Japanese diplomat over Dokdo claim on Tokyo Olympic map

The foreign ministry called in a senior Japanese diplomat Tuesday to lodge a protest after a map on the Tokyo Olympic website showed South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as part of Japanese territory. Lee Sang-ryeol, director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs, was expected to express regrets when he meets with Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, later in the day, ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said. "We will strongly protest Japan's unf

Foreign AffairsJune 1, 2021

Sejong University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management ranks 6th in world

Sejong Univeristy’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management is the sixth best in the world for its subject, according to ShanghaiRanking’s the 2021 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. It climbed three places from last year’s ninth place, maintaining the top spot among Korean universities for two consecutive years. ShanghaiRanking began to publish world university rankings by subject in 2009. More than 1,800 universities across 93 countries and regions are listed. To

Social AffairsJune 1, 2021

Unification minister reiterates 'unwavering commitment' to Mount Kumgang tourism project

Unification Minister Lee In-young reiterated his commitment Tuesday to resume a long-suspended tourism project to North Korea's Mount Kumgang when he met with the head of Hyundai Group, which used to run tours to the scenic mountain. "We remain unwavering in our commitment to push ahead with projects like allowing individual tours to Mount Kumgang as soon as the coronavirus situation improves," Lee said during the meeting with Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun of Hyundai Group. Lee voiced ho

North KoreaJune 1, 2021

Emotions soar as nursing homes, hospitals reopen for in-person visits

At a long-term care hospital in this city just south of Seoul, an elderly woman in a pink-toned blouse sat on a bed stroking her husband's face for the first time in 16 months. The two had been together for around 70 years before the husband was admitted to the hospital and COVID-19 restrictions forced them apart early last year "I couldn't see you even if I wanted to," the 87-year-old husband, surnamed Lee, said, as his eyes teared up. "When you miss your love, look at her pic

Social AffairsJune 1, 2021

Ministry brushes off speculation over Janssen vaccines from US

Seoul’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday flatly denied speculation over the reasons behind Washington’s decision to send Janssen's COVID-19 vaccines for the Korean military, saying the vaccine type has been decided through consultations between the two countries. “The Janssen vaccine was the most proper option to cover 550,000 people among the stockpiles secured by the US Defense Department,” the ministry’s spokesperson Boo Seung-chan told a media briefing, refuting cla

DefenseJune 1, 2021

‘Like getting a ticket to a hot concert’: 1 million Johnson & Johnson appointments fill up in 16 hours

All 1 million slots for vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine filled up Tuesday within about 16 hours after opening in South Korea. Korea is set to get 1 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine later this week to inoculate members of the military in their 30s or older, as well as members of the reserve and civil defense forces. As there are close to 4 million people who fit the bill, the vaccines were made available through an online system on a first

Social AffairsJune 1, 2021

Appeals court reduces prison term for mastermind of sex abuse ring to 42 yrs

Cho Ju-bin, the mastermind of a notorious online sex blackmail ring, had his sentence commuted by an appeals court Tuesday. The Seoul High Court sentenced him to 42 years, down three years from the original sentence, on charges of violating laws to protect minors from sexual abuse, operating a criminal ring and concealing criminal proceeds. While the accused ran an "unprecedented" online criminal ring to exploit "countless" young victims and inflicted "irreversible&quo

Social AffairsJune 1, 2021