NK leader, his wife attend art performance by army families

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, attended an art performance by the families of the army, state media reported Thursday. The performance of the art groups of servicemen's families from large combined units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) took place Wednesday at the Mansudae Art Theatre in Pyongyang, the official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim lauded the KPA after watching the show, saying it "always sets an example in implementing the party's policy on mass

North KoreaMay 6, 2021

US supports waiver of property rights on COVID-19 vaccines: USTR

WASHINGTON -- US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai said on Wednesday that her country supports waiving the intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, which would allow mass production of the currently scarce vaccines in other parts of the world. The USTR stressed the need for extraordinary measures to meet extraordinary challenges. "The US supports the waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic and we'll actively participate in @WTO negoti

Foreign AffairsMay 6, 2021

New cases under 600 again on fewer tests; variants in focus amid vaccine rollout

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 500s again Thursday as fewer people took virus tests on the Children's Day holiday, but the country's health authorities remained vigilant over cluster infections and spreading variant cases. The country reported 574 more COVID-19 cases, including 562 local infections, raising the total caseload to 125,519, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload reached 488 on Monday and 541 on Tuesday but jumped to t

Social AffairsMay 6, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea again marks world’s lowest birthrate: UN report

　South Korea continues to have the lowest birthrate in the world this year amid fast growth of its elderly population, a United Nations report showed. 　The country’s total fertility rate per woman amounted to 1.1 in 2021, unchanged from a year earlier, according to the report from the UN Population Fund. 　The fertility rate refers to the average number of children each woman is expected to give birth to over her lifetime. 　South Korea’s rate is the lowest among all 198 countri

NationalMay 6, 2021

US encourages Seoul-Tokyo reconciliation over 'comfort women' issue: State Dept.

The United States has long encouraged South Korea and Japan to work together to resolve their thorny history issues, including the issue of comfort women, to promote reconciliation and cooperation, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday. Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson, also noted US foreign policy is centered around human rights, including the rights of women and children. "We have also long encouraged Japan and the ROK to work together on the history related issues

Foreign AffairsMay 6, 2021

G7 foreign ministers urge N. Korea to return to dialogue

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on Wednesday urged North Korea to return to talks on ending its nuclear programs, while also urging Pyongyang to engage in inter-Korean dialogue. The foreign ministers also expressed their support for US efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula diplomatically. "We call on the DPRK to refrain from provocative actions and to engage in a diplomatic process with the explicit goal of denuclearization. We remain committed to the goal of

Foreign AffairsMay 6, 2021

[Herald Interview] Open, inclusive Indo-Pacific is common goal: Australian envoy

South Korea has a role to play in bringing about an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region anchored by international rules, as the Quad alliance -- a group of Pacific democracies including the US, India, Japan and Australia -- seeks a partnership between like-minded countries, the Australian ambassador to Korea says. The US-led coalition is seen as trying to counter China’s growing influence in the region, and that represents a challenge for Korea. Seoul is looking to balance its alliance

Foreign AffairsMay 6, 2021

Top Seoul, Tokyo envoys hold talks after yearlong standoff

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday met his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, for the first time since taking office in February, as tensions still run high between the neighbors amid an ongoing trade and political feud.  Their meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministers’ gathering in London, came after months of no contact between the top diplomats, due to the continued conflict and frayed ties between Seoul and Toky

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] Father bids farewell to son found dead in Han River

The father of a 21-year-old medical student who was found dead in the Han River bid farewell to his son at his funeral Wednesday, as he awaits the final autopsy results. Sohn Jung-min was last seen asleep early April 25 by a friend who drank with him at the riverside park in Banpo, Seoul. Sohn’s body was found on April 30 in the Han River. The father had written on his blog asking for help to find his son. He hung banners around the area and spoke to the press about what he knew of the

Social AffairsMay 5, 2021

Minister nominee under fire for wife’s alleged porcelain smuggling

Oceans Minister nominee Park Jun-young is facing criticism over allegations his wife smuggled in highly valuable porcelain without a customs declaration and sold it to customers while running a cafe. Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the main opposition People Power Party first raised the issue last week, suggesting Park’s wife bought a large quantity of porcelain teacups, teapots, plates and ornaments in Britain and brought them back to Korea without reporting it to customs, before illegally selling s

PoliticsMay 5, 2021

Vaccinated people to be exempted from mandatory self-isolation in S. Korea

People who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in South Korea are exempted from the mandatory 14-day isolation starting Wednesday when arriving here from overseas and when having close contact with virus patients. The new rules will be applied only for those who have been fully inoculated in South Korea two weeks after receiving COVID-19 jabs, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). They will still need to receive COVID-19 tests and have no rel

Social AffairsMay 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] Top diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan to hold talks at G-7 meeting

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to hold three-way talks on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G-7) meeting in London early Wednesday (local time), the foreign ministry said. The meeting of Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will mark the first time the top diplomats of the three countries meet in more than a year. It will also be the first direct encounter between Chung a

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2021

New cases spike to 600s again on sporadic cluster infections

South Korea's daily new virus cases spiked to the 600s on Wednesday as rising cluster infections continue to hamper the country's virus fight against the pandemic. The country reported 676 more COVID-19 cases, including 651 local infections, raising the total caseload to 124,945, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily new cases are sharply up from the 541 recorded a day earlier, the KDCA said. The number also bounced back to the 600s after three days. The count

Social AffairsMay 5, 2021

9 in 10 students prefer in-person classes despite COVID-19 risks: poll

Almost nine in 10 young students in South Korea prefer in-person classes to online ones, despite risks of coronavirus infections, a poll showed Wednesday. According to the survey on 685 elementary, middle and high school students conducted from April 25 to Monday by a local teachers' group, 87.1 percent said they want to go to school and study even though they are exposed to the risk of catching COVID-19. In a similar response, 71.5 percent said they would like to keep attending in-person clas

Social AffairsMay 5, 2021

Moon holds online meeting with kids for Children's Day

President Moon Jae-in held an online meeting with a group of elementary school students on the occasion of Children's Day. He joined the event from his Cheong Wa Dae office on Tuesday, together with first lady Kim Jung-sook, and a related video clip was released Wednesday, which marks the 99th Children's Day in South Korea. Invited to the meeting were all 38 students at Doseong Elementary School in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. Located in the county, 180 kilometers east of Seoul, the tiny sch

PoliticsMay 5, 2021

N. Korea may give up nukes, but will test US commitment to diplomacy: US experts

North Korea may still be willing to give up its nuclear weapons for the right price, but will likely wait to see how serious and committed the new US administration is to diplomacy, US experts said Tuesday. "I do believe North Korea is committed to complete, verifiable denuclearization, assuming they get the security assurances they want and certainly they need because they're concerned about regime change, and they realize nuclear weapons, indeed, are a deterrent," Joseph DeTrani sai

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2021

N. Korea continues to build up chemical, biological weapons: US official

WASHINGTON -- North Korea continues to build up its chemical and biological weapons, in addition to its other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) such as nuclear weapons that pose a serious threat to US forces and South Korean allies, a ranking US official said Tuesday. Jennifer Walsh, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security, also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may actually use such weapons in case of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. &quo

North KoreaMay 5, 2021

North Korea accuses South Korea of suppressing freedom of speech

Fresh controversy is building in South Korea over the memoirs of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, published almost 30 years ago. A local publishing firm republished the eight-volume memoirs, titled “With the Century,” last month for the first time here. But sales were suspended almost immediately after civic groups filed a court injunction to stop them, citing the National Security Act. The books chronicle Kim’s life through his childhood to his time in the anti-J

North KoreaMay 4, 2021

Police investigate cryptocurrency exchange, freeze its cash deposits

SUWON -- Police on Tuesday raided dozens of places related to a virtual currency exchange and froze the exchange's cash deposits as part of an investigation into its alleged irregularities. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency said it conducted the raids into 22 places, including the exchange's headquarters in southern Seoul, and froze 240 billion won ($214 million) left in the exchange's account. The raids were to obtain evidence to corroborate the allegations that the CEO, surnamed Lee, ran a fr

Social AffairsMay 4, 2021

Oceans minister nominee comes under fire for wife's alleged smuggling of porcelain ware

Oceans Minister nominee Park Jun-young came under fire for his wife's alleged smuggling of porcelain ware during a parliamentary confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the main opposition People Power Party took a swipe at the nominee during the parliamentary session over the allegations of possible tariff evasion. Kim first raised the allegations last week, suggesting that Park's wife bought a heap of porcelain teaware, plates and ornaments in Britain while the nominee was servi

PoliticsMay 4, 2021